Launch
Control
After our last Building Block it is now time to put the capacities together again. For the next 6 weeks we follow a CF Specific Block with a new format where it will be important to stay in control. The name of the block is Launch Control, and you can read more about why below.
The training year
We program the year in 4 blocks that look like this:
Building Block
- Launch Control
CF Specific Block
Test Week
For the Athlete Profile
This way we can put extra focus on fewer things. By narrowing down the list of what we want to improve we make sure that we actually improve those things while we maintain the other movements and capacities, and over a year this approach makes sure that everything gets better.
All the tests we do in the Test Weeks are part of the Athlete Profile, and over the year we do 50 different tests. Your Athlete Profile does not only give you a score from 1 to 100 on each movement. It also compares different movements and lifts to find your weak points, and this helps us give you more individual adjustments.
For example, the profile might show that the reason your Muscle Up is lagging is not your technique in the Ring Muscle Up but your strength in the Pull Up. Or it might show that you do very well in the shorter time domains, but that we need to do a better job building your aerobic capacity. These are things that are hard to see from one workout but easy to see when the tests are put next to each other.
Why Launch Control
We have chosen to call this block Launch Control. The reason is that we have used the Building Block to build our capacities more separately, and now it is time to put it all together and launch the new athlete version of you.
But this should be done with control, because the training week looks a bit different this time. The biggest change is that we are more careful with fatigue on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays and push more on Wednesdays and Saturdays with double conditioning sessions. If you are able to stay in control of the intensity in the first days of the week this setup will give you very good results, but if you push every day it might be too much. You can read more about the reasoning below.
How the training week has changed
Over the years the way we build the training week has changed quite a lot. For a long period we were very focused on our Key Sessions during the week and we put them on the days where we were most ready, which was Monday and Friday right after a rest day. The logic was that when you are rested you are also able to train the hardest.
But over time we got the problem that while the Key Sessions were done very well, the days after were not done with the same quality. The main problem was that the fatigue carried over to the following days and brought down the quality in the lifts, the gymnastics and so on. And while fatigue is necessary to develop rep endurance, there are many capacities that are best trained with less fatigue.
In this block the goal is to build the intensity gradually over the training days. We do the training that is best done without fatigue first, like the Olympic lifts, gymnastics and threshold intervals, before the harder workouts, and then we use Wednesday and Saturday to really push the intensity and allow for more fatigue.
A simple way to think about it is to see the days between two rest days as one interval session. If we do three intervals we rarely want the first one to be the fastest, so we keep control on the first and the second one and save the push for the last one where we want to hold the same pace or go faster.
As we have talked about many times, the Main Track at Kriger Training often develops from things we first test with our individual athletes, and this setup of the training week is a clear example of that. Over time we have put more and more of our athletes into this rhythm with very good results, and that is why we now bring it into the Main Track.
Our single session tracks do not have double conditioning sessions on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but they follow the same thinking, where we save most of the fatigue for the last training day before rest.
Old Model
Key SessionsKey Sessions on Monday and Friday at high RPE right after a rest day. The sessions were great but the days after did not get the same quality.
New Model
Control to PushMedium on Monday, easy on Tuesday and hard on Wednesday, and then medium on Friday and hard on Saturday so that the load ramps up toward the day before rest.
We are not trying to maximize every single session. We are trying to maximize the development from the whole training week.
Template
All tracks follow the same structure, but the volume and the number of sessions are adjusted to your goal and the time you have. Below you find the template for each track.
Test Week 3
At the end of the block we do Test Week 3 from December 28 to January 3, and these are the tests we are working toward.
Below we explain the goals for each capacity in this block and how we will train to reach them.
Strength / OLY
Tested in Test Week 3
Strength- 1RM Front Squat
- 1RM Supinated Strict Pull Up (CTB)
- 5RM Deficit Strict HSPU
- Max Height Vertical Jump
- 1RM Snatch
- 1RM Power Clean
In Test Week 3 at the end of the block we test the 1RM Front Squat, 1RM Snatch, 1RM Power Clean, 1RM Strict Pull Up and 5RM Deficit Strict HSPU.
All of these lifts follow a linear progression. The Front Squat alternates between heavy singles, so that you get used to handling heavy weights, and a more intense session with sets of 3-5 reps. Since the sets and reps are a little lower than usual, we finish these strength parts with a buy out where we add volume in the same movement pattern.
For example, a session with heavy Front Squat singles can finish with Heavy High Wall Balls. This way we can be very specific in the max strength work and still get more variation in the buy outs, so that you are ready for all the different squats that can show up in a competition.
In the Olympic lifts we want to improve the 1RM for the tests, but we also use this block to get better at lifting in metcons, which is a very important skill in this sport. It's good to have a strong 1RM, but we also need to be able to lift 80% of it in a workout. Because of this we alternate, so that every other week is a linear progression where we build on the last training block and every other week is barbell cycling under fatigue.
We also keep the position work on the Squat Snatch from the last block. If you feel that your overhead mobility is holding you back, you should consider adding our Overhead Mobility add on to your program (15 min, 3 times a week).
Gymnastics
Tested in Test Week 3
- Max Ring Muscle Up
- Handstand Walk Skill Test
We put a lot of work into Pull and Push strength in the last training block, and since it decides so much of how our gymnastics look, this work continues. The difference now is that the strength work focuses on the tests, which for Pull is the Strict Pull Up and for Push is the 5RM Deficit Strict HSPU.
In this type of block there is a lot of variation in the gymnastic movements, because we now want the Pull and Push strength and the technique EMOMs to make us better at combining the movements. We keep our Gymnastic Tuesdays where we do a lot of this work, and by using many different pulling and pushing movements in different angles we build more volume tolerance with a lower risk of overuse injuries than if we did one movement at high volume.
There are two movements where we put a little extra focus:
Ring Muscle Up: For Level 1 the goal is to get your first Ring Muscle Up, while Level 2 and 3 work on increasing the max reps. You will see big sets of Ring Muscle Ups both in the interval work and in the workouts.
Handstand Walk: For Level 1 it is about learning to walk on your hands, Level 2 prepares for a 2 min max distance test, and Level 3 works on the Handstand Walk skills and obstacles. We end the block with a tough skill test.
Endurance / CF Specific
Tested in Test Week 3
Endurance- Mikkos Triangle for max cal40 min: Row, Ski Erg and Bike Erg
- 100 Bar Facing Burpees for time
- 20 Sandbag Cleans for time90/70 kg
- Friendly Fran
- Open 16.1
As in all CF Specific Blocks we really push the volume for both endurance and sport specific work. We finish the block by testing Mikkos Triangle, 100 Bar Facing Burpees for time, Open 16.1, Friendly Fran and 20 Sandbag Cleans for time. These tests work well as goals for a block where we also start getting ready for the online qualifiers that we know many of you have in January and February.
The biggest change in how we plan the endurance is the new Wednesday, where we go all in on the endurance and sport specific qualities. The first session is threshold intervals on the run or the bike, where we collect volume at a pace you can hold on every interval, and the second session is sport specific with a CF Quality piece and a workout.
The idea is inspired by double threshold training from running. When we collect a lot of conditioning on Wednesday, Monday and Tuesday can be more focused on high quality development in strength, Olympic lifting and gymnastics, and since we have rest the day after, Wednesday is also the day where we can allow ourselves to go a little harder. Within the day we use the same philosophy as over the week, with control in the first session and room to increase the output at the end.
If you have the opportunity to train twice a day we really recommend trying this double endurance day. If you don't have time for two sessions every day, one solution is to train once on Monday and Tuesday and then do both sessions on Wednesday, so that you still get the full benefit of the volume.
New: Master Track and 3 Days Track
Technically the Master Track is not new, but what is new is that we now have this track available in the Main program together with the other tracks. The reason is that we wanted the flexibility to switch between the programs, so that on a day where you have less time you can choose the 60 min track and in a week where you have fewer training days you can choose the 3 day program.
All tracks follow the same structure but are adjusted for different goals and different amounts of time (and how old your body feels ;)).
Main Track
Recommended
The program as it is written with two sessions a day and the new Wednesday format.
90 Min Track
One session a day
The same week in one session of around 90 minutes.
60 Min Track
One session a day
The same week in one session of around 60 minutes, and a good choice on the days where you have less time.
Engine Track
Engine focus
More conditioning for the athletes where the engine is what holds them back in the workouts. 2 sessions a day.
Strength Track
Strength focus
Less conditioning and more accessory work so that the quality stays as high as possible on the lifts. 1–2 sessions a day.
Master Track New in the program
Same structure
The same structure but adjusted for a body that needs a little more recovery between the hardest sessions.
3 Days Track New
Three sessions a week
Three sessions a week of 90–100 minutes for the weeks where you have fewer training days.
Final words
We look forward to attacking this block with you. If you have any questions about how you should attack this block, send us a message in the FITR chat and we are happy to help.
Go to the program