Coaches Corner January 2026

Build - Each exercise we do has a specific thing we are looking to achieve. With each exercise we select, there is a full range of motion associated with it that is optimal for that particular exercise. Now, how each individual can perform that exercise varies greatly, but we are still striving for the archetypical perfect form, even though it is impossible to be perfect and everyone is so different in anatomy, to innate strength. Lives lived in all kinds of different movement patterns and inhibitions and blah, blah, blah. The reason that there is a standard for technique and full range of motion, is because over the years, data has been accumulated to suggest that if you do it “this way”, “with this” form, it is the safest and most beneficial in terms of goal outcomes (muslce growth). My intention with this is not to go into a safety or injury prevention talk, but more along the lines of paying attention to what you are doing and why. If we perform a heel elevated goblet squat, and you do 10 reps, full ROM, and with adequate load, and your quads are smoked, you can make a very good assumption that you are doing the movement very well and loading it correctly. If you elevate the heels and do 10 reps and your hamstrings are smoked…Well, we could make a pretty good assumption that you are turning the movement into more of a hinge lift and not a squat. Not necessarily putting yourself at more risk, just not doing the movement in a way that is going to elicit the adaptations we are looking for. When we do strength work throughout the week, we are looking to cover the entire body in many different planes and movement patterns. 

***P.S. - Everyone is doing great on the Cleans…If you feel like you are struggling, you are not alone, they are extremely complex and remember that the Clean is part of an Olympic sport. Athletes spend their entire lives learning, refining and practicing the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. We are doing them once a week. Go easy on yourself.***

Build 1 & 2 - Strength and mobility. Doing one strength movement, some mobility, resting then doing the same format but different muscle groups. This is a great way to get more done in a time-efficient manner. Last block we did something very similar but stayed with the same exercise for all sets, before moving on. That style forces you to lift a little less weight because of the condensed rest time. Because we are now alternating between two different lifts, you get more rest between movements and can add more load for said moment because the rest is greater. 

Grind - Station style conditioning effort. The goal is to set a standard on round one, and maintain it throughout all proceeding rounds. That means counting the reps completed at each station and doing the same amount of work each time. Now, it is easy to coast and sandbag this type of training…Stay accountable to oneself, push as hard as you can and try to get better each passing week.

Grind 1 & 2 - AMRAP, As Many Rounds As Possible. The intent is in the name. 

Sustain - EMOM. Every minute on the minute. Challenge yourself to hit the reps on all rounds. If they are not sustainable, pick reps that make you work and that you can repeat. If it is just hard, keep going. If you physically can’t do it, scale it back until you can. 

Cool Downs - Breath, core and posterior.

Coach Josh

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