Kriger Training — Strength Block W37-49
After a summer of more classic CF Specific Training where the focus has been on variation we are now entering a 13 week Strength Block. This is something we have done for the last 8 years and every year we see impressive Strength Gains from it.
The Strength Block is divided into 3 mini blocks where we work for 3 weeks and then we do a 1 week deload. The reason for this is 1, to be able to adapt to the training we have done and 2, to also get space for other capacities to make sure we maintain them.
At first, when you look at the program it might not look that much different to what we regularly do. Sure there might be a few extra strength sets a week but there is still a metcon in the end and the volume of the Strength is not that much higher than what we normally do.
The difference is in the progressions from week to week and in the increased focus on the interference effect from session to session. When you break down the program you also see that we many times use the metcon following the Strength Work as a way to build more volume on the same body-part. Something that has been very useful for us in the previous Strength block.
Below you get a breakdown of the training that we do, you get the why behind the program and you get tips on how to follow it to the best of your abilities. There are a lot of changes you can make depending on how many training days you have available and still get similar results as if you had more training days.
We have 3 Mini Blocks where we gradually build the weights. In the start we build the base and try to perfect the technique and week by week you see that we are increasing the intensity/weights while volume goes slightly down.
| Period | Weeks | Focus | Easy week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Period 1 Base Build |
W37-40 | Volume, technique and new movements. RIR-based loading. | W40 Deload |
| Period 2 Wave 1 |
W41-44 | The 5-5-ME system. Max effort sets across squat, deadlift and press. | W44 Deload |
| Period 3 Wave 2 + Test |
W45-49 | Same waves as in Period 2 but heavier weights | W48-49 Tests |
Training Schedule
Here is the Structure of the training we do. We use A weeks and B Weeks. The reason for this is that we know that many athletes following the program have their specific training days and if we would have done the same lift every Monday for example the ones that are training only on Tuesdays will miss out. Here is a breakdown of how Week A and B adjust:
A Weeks
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre WOD | Clean & Jerk | – | Snatch | – | Bench Press | Plyo, Power Cleans, Rope Climbs | – |
| WOD | Back Squat | Gym. Strength | Deadlift + Strict Press | Endurance | Strict/Push Press + Pull Ups | Partner WOD | Bang for the Buck OR Tri Erg |
| Post WOD | Accessories | Zone 1-2 + Core | Accessories | – | Accessories | Optional Mobility | – |
B Weeks
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre WOD | Snatch | – | Pulling or Sumo Deadlift | – | Bench Press | Plyo, Power Cleans, Rope Climbs | – |
| WOD | Power Cleans + Strict Pull Ups | Back Squat + Gym. Strength | Metcon | Endurance | Front Squat + Pull Ups | Partner WOD | Bang for the Buck OR Tri Erg |
| Post WOD | Accessories | Zone 1-2 + Core | Accessories | – | Accessories | Optional Mobility | – |
In a B Week the squat moves to Tuesday and the Power Cleans take Monday, the hinge work moves into the Pre WOD and Friday shifts from Press to Front Squat. This way, no matter which days you train, over two weeks you will have touched every part of the system.
Not training every day? How to still get the same gains
Our most important Strength Days will be Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday and Fridays. If your training frequency is 2 days a week it is still possible to get in all the strength progressions from the full week. You will then add the progressions that you are not doing in class as a Pre WOD. This might lead to slightly lower intensity, especially for the conditioning in the end of the session, but you will get a similar training effect on the Strength.
Below you can see all the strength progressions that we do block for block and if you are not training all the days during the week you can still collect them and get them done.
Pre WOD – WOD – Post WOD, What should you follow?
If you have been training with us for 1-3 years chances are very high that WOD only will give you more than enough Strength Gains in this block. Just by following the progressions of the main lifts week by week you will gradually feel stronger and stronger.
If you have followed the program for more than 3 years and want to make sure to get results it is recommended to add the Pre WOD of the Pulls from the floor, Press, Pull and Plyo Work that we do.
In order to make sure that we keep our bodies in balance it is also recommended to follow the Post Workout, which focuses a lot more on one arm or leg at a time and in addition a lot of core work.
With that said, only add more work if it still allows you to do everything at high quality. As soon as you start to lose quality in parts of the training session, chances are that you are better off not doing them.
How we Collect Volume in a Minimalistic Strength Program
If we do not account for Warm Ups, Whiteboard talk etc we have a fun challenge on our hands when it comes to creating a Strength Program around the Daily WOD:
- We have about 35 min of total training time
- Health is our Main priority and because of this we always want the athletes in class to have the opportunity to get their heart rate up, so we need to do a metcon/intervals etc as a big part of the class.
- Athletes train anywhere between 1-7 times a week and we want everyone to get good results.
A solution for us to get a little more volume in on the body part we train is that on the same day as we do for example Back Squat as strength, we do another squat variation in the following metcon. We might do a 3 sets*6 Back Squat followed by a Run and Front Squat workout, or a Gymnastics+Lunge workout. In addition to collecting more volume that day to adapt from, this also allows us to stay away from Squat movements the following day, which in turn can help us recover better for our next strength day for the legs.
Period 1 / W37-40 — Base Build
In our first block we want to build a strong base. We also want to move the weights at high speed. While many of the lifts have a percent to guide the weight, the most important guide for what weight you should use is RIR (= Reps in Reserve). Especially at the Medium Heavy weights there is a big difference in how many reps one can do and because of this it is important to adjust to RIR rather than percent.
Also note in this block that we do a lot of high speed OLY and high Speed Plyo+Sprints. This is very useful training in the start of a strength block to get better at activating your muscle fibres and get better at using the strength you have.
What is important both on the speed work but also on the lifts in general is that you are always lifting at the highest speed possible. This makes a big difference to what results you will get from the program.
Below you see a breakdown of what lifts we do when.
Strength progressions W37-40
The accessory programs run three days a week in the Post WOD as 4-week progressions (W 1/4 to 4/4). The rule is simple: adjust the weight to RIR 2 and try to do one more rep than last week. Week 4 you repeat week 1 and it should feel easy. That is progress you can see.
| W37 | W38 | W39 | W40 DELOAD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IN THE WOD | ||||
| Back Squat + Z DB Press | 3×6 @ 70% (RIR 3) + 3×10 Z DB Press |
3×7 @ 70% (RIR 3) + 3×11 Z DB Press |
3×8 @ 70% (RIR 3) + 3×12 Z DB Press |
3×3, build from 75% to a heavy 3 (RIR 2) |
| Power Clean | TNG 4×5 @ 60%+ + Clean Pull 2×3 @ 105% |
OLY Max Power EMOM 12: 5 Hang Power Snatch @ 60% + 3/3 SL High Jumps |
TNG 5×3, build + Clean Pull 2×3 |
TNG 3×3, build to heavy + Clean Pull 2×2 |
| Strength EMOM | EMOM 12 (4 sets): 6 Strict HSPU + 10 Deadlift @ 55% |
EMOM 12 (3 sets): 7 Dips + 7/7 FR Lunges + Pull Variation |
EMOM 9 (3 sets): 7 Strict HSPU + 10 Deadlift @ 60% |
Gymnastics EMOM 10: 6-10 Strict Pull Ups + 6-10 Strict HSPU |
Period 2 / W41-44 — Wave 1
After the first 4 weeks of strength we should be ready to increase weights and increase intensity. In this block we will follow the Max Effort sets that we have done for the last few years, which usually gives very good results. It is also a format that works really well to do in group settings since athletes can motivate each other.
Another advantage with this format is that because of the max rep in the end, you can follow your progress. If you are doing the same max rep at a higher weight, it is a good sign that the program works and that you are getting stronger.
We are doing more upper body this year and because of this we do more super sets than in previous blocks. This allows us to collect more volume in total.
Strength progressions W41-44
| W41 | W42 | W43 | W44 DELOAD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IN THE WOD | ||||
| Back Squat | 3x 5-5-ME @ 78% | 3x 4-4-ME @ 82% + 3×5 Strict HSPU |
3x 3-3-ME @ 85% | Box Squat 4×5 @ 70% Box just below parallel, max speed up |
| Deadlift + Strict Press | Superset: 3x 5-5-ME @ 75% (both) |
– | Superset: 3x 4-4-ME @ 78% (both) |
– |
| Front Squat / Press | Strict Press 3x 5-5-ME @ 75% |
Front Squat 3x 5-5-ME @ 79% |
Push Press 3x 5-5-ME @ 75% |
Front Squat 3x 4-4-ME @ 83% |
Period 3 / W45-49 — Wave 2 + Test
The last period repeats the wave with one difference: everything is heavier. The goal is to match or even increase reps from the previous cycle even though we have added weight. This might seem tough right now but most often, if we follow the progressions, we get surprised by the improvement made.
At the end of the block we test what the training has led to. We use two weeks for this to not get too fatigued from the testing and, as always, also get in regular training.
Strength progressions W45-49
| W45 | W46 | W47 | W48 TEST 1 | W49 TEST 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IN THE WOD | |||||
| Back Squat | 3x 5-5-ME @ 80% (+2) |
3x 4-4-ME @ 84% (+2) + 3×5 Strict HSPU |
3x 3-3-ME @ 87% (+2) |
1 RM TEST | – |
| Deadlift + Strict Press | Superset: 3x 5-5-ME @ 75% (both) |
– | Superset: 3x 3-3-ME @ 85% (both) |
Speed pulls 3×2 @ 80%, no grinding |
1 RM DEADLIFT |
| Front Squat / Press | Push Press 3x 4-4-ME @ 79% (+2) |
Front Squat 3x 4-4-ME @ 85% (+2) |
– | Front Squat 3×2, build from 80% (RIR 2, primer) |
1 RM FRONT SQUAT + 1 RM PRESS |
Test schedule
| Week | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Optional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W48 | 1 RM Back Squat | Max Rep Strict Pull Ups | – | Heavy single Bench Press |
| W49 | 1 RM Front Squat | 1 RM Deadlift | 1 RM Press | Heavy Power Clean + Split Jerk |
How to Attack the Max Effort Sets
The main focus during the Strength Block is the ME Strength Sets. It is thanks to the intensity of these sets that we are getting stronger even though the total volume is pretty low.
How to do it: If the set is 5-5-ME, make sure that the first 2 sets are done as fast as possible. Then, for the last set, the goal is to do as many reps as possible with safety and good technique. You are also only allowed 1 breath at the top of the movement before you start the next rep.
How often you push the ME sets depends on recovery. If you feel heavy soreness and see no weekly progress, adjust and do the max effort every second week and move fast on the other weeks. If you keep hitting more reps on heavier weights, stay with them weekly.
Adjust your numbers along the way
The percentages in the block are only as good as the max they are based on. This is where the logging comes in: if you hit 10+ reps on a 5-5-ME set, your 1 RM is higher than what you have logged (or you are very good at high percentages). Add 2-5% to your training max the next week so that you are not more than 3-4 reps over in a set.
The opposite is also true: if you are at 0 or even in the minus on your max set, adjust your training max down by 5%.
* If you have a max over 200/140 kg in Squat and 240/180 in Deadlift this is also a case where you might choose to go down 5% on your weight.
Getting the Most Out of the Block
Log everything
Write down every ME set and every wave weight. If you log the weights and reps in Beyond The Whiteboard you will always get an estimated Max, which is a good way to track your progress and often fuels the motivation.
If you are currently not using BTWB you can use this website which uses the same formula:
https://strengthlevel.com/one-rep-max-calculator
* Note, the higher the reps you do, the more variation there is in how accurate the max rep to 1 RM estimate is.
Recovery
The training in this block is good, but it will only give you results if you recover from it. The biggest tool is sleep: before changing anything else in your training, supplements etc, try to consistently go to bed 30 minutes earlier and see what it gives you.
For nutrition the main focus is enough calories, rather stay a little over your daily consumption than under, and always get 0.5-1 gram of carbs per kg bodyweight within 30 min of the end of a session and in addition fuel with real food within 1-2 hours.
Should you use any supplements, Creatine (3-5 grams per day) is something that can give you an extra rep in the Max Effort sets and if you do an extra rep in each movement every week you will get stronger.
We look forward to this block and also to seeing all the new PRs in 13 weeks!
/ Kriger Training
