Overview
This training block runs for 6-weeks and covers the 2020 Open. You will have 5 training sessions/week.
If you’re looking to use the Open to qualify for either the CF Games or Sanctional competitions, or just want to go all-in on the Open, choose the SPP stream for this block. This gives you the best chance to show up ready on both your 1st and 2nd go of each Open workout.
Strength and Engine streams will still do the Open workouts on Friday’s but we won’t focus the whole program around the Open (whereas on the SPP stream we do).
Week schedules (WK1)
WL = Weightlifting
STR = Strength work
OPEN workout = Open workout/Repeat
SPP(S) = Skill work/practice
Gymnastics = Gymnastics fundamentals (strength, position, mobility)
COND(SPP) = Sports specific conditioning intervals
COND = Monostructural (run, row etc.) conditioning intervals
There are a few things to notice:
All streams have a similar schedule (ENG/STR schedules will change for the upcoming weeks).
Wednesday is a rest day on all streams
Thursday is a prep day for the Open workout.
SPP stream is scheduled to repeat the workout on Sunday afternoon and therefore Saturday is an active recovery day.
Why this schedule?
You’ve been working hard for the last 2-weeks and it’s important that you feel fresh for the 1st Open workout. The next deload will be on week #6 of this block so even if Open is not an important competition for you this year, you’ll want to feel ready to tackle the full 5-weeks of training.
Resting on Wednesday and doing a prep session on Thursday will help you not only to recover but also avoid feeling sluggish on Friday (which can happen coming from a rest day straight to a high-intensity session). The reduced volume will work to keep you fresh through the block on the SPP stream (see below for ENG/STR schedules for weeks 2 to 5).
Few notes on SPP (Open focused) stream
We are placing the 2nd Open workout attempt on Sunday afternoon this time (instead of Monday). Saturday is typically a challenging training day during the Open as you’re both trying to put in quality work and recover for your 2nd attempt.
Rather than training, we are giving you a chance to focus on recovery and analyse your performance on Saturday so you can be ready to go again on Sunday. This will also leave you a chance to repeat the workout one more time on Monday if needed.
In case you’re too sore (sometimes the DOMS can be worse 36 to 48-hours after a hard workout) to repeat on Sunday afternoon, you can take extra rest and repeat the workout on Monday instead.
What if I want to do the Open on Saturdays instead?
Here are some options if you’re doing the Open on Saturday:
ENG/STR (WK1) - Move the Saturday session to Wednesday, rest on Thursday, do the prep session on Friday and then the Open on Saturday
ENG/STR (WKs 2 to 5) - Change the Saturday and Friday sessions the other way around to do the Open on Saturday
SPP (WK1) - Follow the ENG stream programming this week (see Saturday option above)
SPP (WKs 2 to 5) - Move the whole schedule forward by one day so the 1st Open attempt falls on Saturday instead of Friday
Week schedules (WKs 2 to 5)
ENG/STR streams now have Thursday as an active recovery day. This means less focus on the Open workout and more on making progress in your strength and conditioning each week. The trade-off is that you might not feel quite as fresh for the Friday’s Open workout (as you would on SPP stream).
A few Saturday sessions through the Open might be modified on Friday once we know the Open workout and see if it significantly affects the quality of the planned sessions.
SPP stream still has the same schedule as on the 1st week. The lower volume (4 sessions + prep session + active recovery), together with the weekly organisation of training/rest, are designed to keep you feeling fresher and ready for each Open workout attempt.