Guest Post: Part 2 - Our Workout Routine + A Printable

Hi all! We are back today with the second part of the guest post with my husband Chris. Yesterday, he shared a little more about both of our fitness backgrounds and how we've moved forward. Today, I'm excited to share our current fitness routine. I apologize, in advance, it is a bit lengthy but Chris will give you an in-depth look at the programming he put together for us. I've tried to include photos and links to help guide you on form. That being said, if you have never done any olympic lifting I would strongly recommend seeking a fitness trainer/professional to assist you before attempting any of these lifts on your own. I was fortunate enough to have my husband teach me technique as well as certified coaches at our last Crossfit gym.

And finally, I'm beyond excited to share my first printable with you. This is a prettier version of the workout spreadsheet Chris created for me. I like to print mine out and put them in a notebook (I love using the Martha Stewart Arc notebooks from Staples). It is a great way to track progress and push yourself to move up in weight each week. I hope you all enjoy!

Hello everyone, welcome back! Today, I will be sharing the workout routine I've programmed for Meghan and I. As I mentioned in yesterday's post our goals are a little different so our programming varies slightly but this programming is a great place to start.

Mondays: Squats, Presses and a 10 minute met con (metabolic conditioning). 

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

Squats are done with two warmup sets, and three heavy sets of 5 across. The last heavy set of squats is “5+”, meaning done to exhaustion. So, the heavy sets would be 5/5/5+. This method is taken from the GreySkull Linear Progression (GSLP), which I have had a lot of personal success with. The goal is to add 5 lbs. to the heavy sets every time you squat, in a linear progression. Once the lifter is no longer able to maintain sets of 5 across, you reset, lowering the weight by 10% and restart the linear progression. This allows the trainee to smash through previous PR's (personal records) as they continue the linear progression. Check out this post on bodybuilding.com for proper form.

The presses alternate on Monday and Thursday between bench press and strict overhead press.  They are also done in 5/5/5+ fashion. So, one week you bench on Mondays and strict press on Thursdays, and the next week it’s in reverse. The linear progression with presses goes up by 2.5 lbs. weekly until a reset is necessary. On Mondays you finish with a 10 minute metcon. The metcon is programmed on the fly, but we are trying to incorporate pullups or chins into each Monday metcon. For example, a Monday metcon might be 6 rounds: 5 pullups, heavy farmers carry with dumbells, and 10 pushups. This allows Meghan to push herself hard at the end of Monday’s workout.

Strict Press

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

Check out this video for proper strict press form from Crossfit Endurance.

Bench Press

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

Tuesdays: Cleans, ring dips, overhead squats, and sprints. 

(Source: Girl Walks in to Bar(bell))

Cleans (full squat cleans) are done for 3 heavy sets of one rep across, progressing up in weight each week. 

Check out this video from Crossfit Endurance on proper form.

(Source: bodybuilding.com)

Ring dips are done with 3 sets of 8-10 reps, once Meghan can do 10 reps across; the weight is increased, utilizing a weighted dip belt when necessary. The reps are higher with this to allow more of a hypertrophy/aesthetic focus. 

Bodybuilding.com has a great video on proper form for Ring Dips as does Crossfit Endurance.

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

Overhead Squats (OHS) are done in the 5/5/5+ GSLP fashion, adding 5 lbs. every week. The OHS are to build strength for the oly lifts, and to build a strong core. 

You finish the Tuesday workout with sprints, either utilizing straight sprints of 50-100 yards or football style cone drills. Last week I had Meghan doing 5-10-15 style sprints for example, and the sprint style changes weekly to make it fun. 5-10-15 sprints mean you have a starting point and sets cones out at 5 yards, 10 yards, and 15 yards. You sprint from the start to the 5 and back, then to the 10 and back, then to the 15 and back, without rest. I like to do these starting on the minute, and shooting for 6-8 total sets. This allows for power and speed development.

Wednesdays are an active rest day, and Meghan has said she would like to incorporate a yoga sessions on these days or some other type of group-based class.

Thursdays: Presses, Front squats, and a 10 minute metcon. 

Meghan does the opposite press movement from Monday, in 5/5/5+ fashion. See above for proper strict press and bench press form. 

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

Front squats are also done in 5/5/5+ fashion. 

The metcon on Thursday incorporates at least one core/ab movement, for example I had her recently do: 6 manmakers with 15 lb. dumbbells / 10 sit-ups, 5 manmakers / 10 sit-ups, 4/10, 3/10, 2/10, 1/10.

Fridays: Presses (hypertrophy focus), snatch, heavy deadlift. 

The presses on Friday take the movement you did on Monday, and is done with 3 sets of 8-10 reps. This allows you to focus on hypertrophy/aesthetics for the specific muscle group. 

(Source: The Rockzone)

Snatches are done for heavy sets of 1 rep across, with the goal to focus on form and progress in weight each week. Snatches are one of the hardest olympic style lifts to perform. If you have never done snatches, it would be best to learn from a coach to ensure you have proper form so as not to cause injury.

(Source: Bodybuilding.com)

The deadlifts incorporate 4 warmup sets building up to a single heavy (should be very heavy) set of 3 reps. Meghan is awesome at deadlifting, so this should progress fairly quickly. I personally prefer heavy deadlifts to be done at a rep scheme below 3, which I think (in my experience) allows for maximum power development. 

If you have time, you can incorporate some more sprinting on Friday, but you don’t have to if the deadlift crushed you that week.

Saturday is an active rest day allowing her to do yoga, maybe a jog, or some other fun activity, and finally, Sundays are supposed to be a pure rest day allowing for adequate recovery.

I’m sure there may be questions, so if you ask them in the comments section I can either address them through Meghan, so work on a second guest blog post. 

Click here to download this printable.

This program isn’t for everyone, because quite frankly programming shouldn’t be a one program for all type thing. Programming should be developed with the specific trainee in mind to focus on their specific goals. Meghan created the printable above based on the programming I created. Feel free to download it and modify based on your own fitness goals.

Have fun and lift heavy!

Disclaimer: We are by no means medical professionals or dietitians, therefore; the information on this blog is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional fitness or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. I do the best I can to present information I find helpful myself, however, you should always review any information from this blog against additional sources and consult your doctor or medical professional before making any decisions in regard to treatment or diagnosis.