Advanced Average Joe: Wave 1

Do you train regularly and look forward all day to when you can finally get to the gym for a no-holds-barred training session? Do you already squat and deadlift regularly? Have you hit a plateau and need a little push to get over the hump?

Welcome to SAPT’s Advanced Average Joe program. This program is designed for guys and gals who have a fairly solid training age (foundation) already set. It’s not a struggle for you to get to the gym because you love training. But sometimes you feel a little haphazard in your training approach.

This training program will push you past your plateau and give you a feeling of direction and real progress.

Advanced Average Joe profile:

Age: 17 - 65+

Years training: 1-2 years minimum - if you’ve been training longer, that will still be a great fit

Exercise competencies: squat, deadlift, bench press, push-up, pull-up

Injuries: none

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Day 1

You will be working up to a heavy single for each exercise and then doing back-down sets at the percentage noted. This percentage is taken off the heavy single, not your all-time best squat/bench/dead number.

Notice the RPE on the single is a 9/10. Does this mean you should expect to reach failure? Absolutely not! If you reach failure or a 10/10 you have not executed the set properly. Don’t be a meathead or a hero on this. Live to train another day (and reach many more PRs in the coming weeks).

Day 2

Pay attention to the RPE note and work up to a single set on Front Squat at that RPE. This will feel good and you will want to do another set, but don’t. Stopping while you’re ahead is key.

Bench Press to 1-Board works up to another RPE of 8/10. But then you will notice a note that says “load drop 8%.” This simply means you will do another set with an 8% reduction in weight for the same number of reps.

Day 3

Speed work: you’ll be using your Competition stance (or the deadlift stance you prefer if you have not competed) and pulling a 70% working weight for all the sets. This number is coming from the weight you worked up to on Day 1.

Same goes for setting your weight for the squat.

Later on in this session you will see some exercises that have a total listed number of reps. This means you will break them into smaller sets as your strength/fitness allows on that day.

Day 4

Speed Bench Press weight will be set off of your Day 1 work. After finishing all the speed sets, you will once again work up to a heavy single. Keep it at an 8-9/10 RPE and DO NOT expect you will exceed your Monday number.

Enjoy and post questions to our comments!

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Thank you! SAPT

WOW: Week of Workouts 4/3/18

WOW: Victory Lap (aka Whatever Doesn't Kill You...)

In complete contrast to last week's WOW that was focused on injury prevention, we present three workouts designed to push your limits.

As you go through these three workouts, you'll either feel like you are celebrating a well deserved victory lap from the hard work you've put in over the last 8-weeks OR the whole experience may feel like a punch in the face as you careen from one exercise to the next.

Victory Lap

Let's start off the week with a nice, even, full body burn.

Here is week 8 of the 8-week conditioning program. If you haven't started but want to give it a go, please head on back to Week 1 to get going!

Thank you to our intern Ashley for her hard work on putting together these great workouts over the past 8-weeks. 

WOW: Week of Workouts 3/27/18

WOW: Prehab and Injury Prevention

As an athlete, injuries are the ultimate enemy.  Staying healthy is what allows us to play our sport and being strong is what helps us thrive. In this week of workouts, we focus on injury prevention for three of the most prevalent and devastating injuries to all sports:  knee, shoulder, and low back. 

These workouts are great to be added into your current programs since they are just a little extra focus on the muscle groups directly affecting these main injury points. Also, for those who are more likely to hurt those areas due to injury history or sport, adding this prehab in once or twice a week can give you an edge.

Below we have divided the week up into 3 days: knee, shoulder, and low back. 

Let's start off the week with a nice, even, full body burn.

Here is week 7 of the 8-week conditioning program. If you haven't started but want to give it a go, please head on back to Week 1 to get going!

As always, please reach out if you need a form check.

WOW: Week of Workouts 3/20/18

WOW: Suspension Strap Training

Suspension straps (aka TRX - the brand) are a great way to squeeze in an excellent workout virtually anywhere. Suspension straps are great for travel or if you have a limited amount of floor space.

Below we have divided the week up into 3 days: lower body, upper body, and core. Dare I say that the core workout will be one of the hardest things you've ever done.

The videos are worth watching as we've dug up some variations for this post that we'd never seen or tried before this (the front squat is pretty awesome and great for those with lower body restrictions but who have good core strength).

Say, you'd like to do this workout but aren't ready to pay for the real deal? Then try making your own suspension trainers. Former coach Steve Reed famously made the first YouTube video that showed how to do just that. Check out this oldie but goodie of a video:

Let's start off the week with a nice, even, full body burn.

Here is week 6 of the 8-week conditioning program. If you haven't started but want to give it a go, please head on back to Week 1 to get going!

Enjoy the week and this first beautiful day of spring. If you consider an impending snow storm a good way to start spring.

WOW: Week of Workouts 3/13/18

WOW: HIIT Training

A HIIT program (aka high intensity interval training) is a punishing training method in which you will be performing exercises at maximal effort for a short period of time with a short rest period right after it.

HIIT still seems new and shiny, but has been around awhile: circuit training, anyone? This is just a variation of a circuit that falls on the side of spectrum where you enter the workout a little frightened and inevitably get "the look" after your heart rate tops out and stays close to maximum (not the same as the leisurely machine circuits popularized in the 80s and 90s).

All of the exercises should be done with a moderate to low weight to perform as many reps as possible in this short period of time. These workouts will be under 20 minutes long so they are ideal for someone who is on the run!

Let's start off the week with a nice, even, full body burn.

Onto week 5 of the 8-week conditioning program. If you haven't started but want to give it a go, please head on back to Week 1 to get going!

Another week in the books! Keep on the look out for next week's suspension strap ONLY Week of Workouts (WOW)!

WOW: Week of Workouts 3/6/18

WOW: Mobility Flows, Functional Strength, & Conditioning

Have you ever tried High Intensity Interval Training? It's extremely popular for improving strength, fitness, and leaving participants in a pool of their own sweat at the end. Scroll down as 3 days of HIIT are on tap for this week's WOW.

Got tight hips? How about t-spine mobility? Is it bad? Do you also need to activate your core and stabilize your shoulders? YES?!? Fantastic!

Choose one of these two mobility and activation series a try before your next workout (especially good before a squat session) or you can use them as a stand-alone exercise/stretch. ***I'm sorry my voice is so weirdly quiet on the voiceovers... it was early, my kids were still sleeping... apparently, this is how I speak under those conditions.

WOW: Functional Training

Admittedly, "functional" training is very buzz-wordy right now. But, when you strip away the sensationalism, you are left with a very purposeful approach to training that can vastly improve your day-to-day life. From shoveling snow to carrying groceries to moving around boxes or even an impromptu foot race with your kids or friends, functional training can get you ready for whatever life has in store.

Here is week 4 of the 8-week conditioning program. If you are interested it giving this a try, head on back to Week 1 to get started!

Enjoy and let us know if you have any questions or need a form check!