Week 2!! I hope you all enjoyed the first week of training as well as the introduction of the first two SH//FT Classics. The comments we received from you all were great and I loved the feedback from both groups of people (breathe however you want and the nasal only peeps), great work!
Looking ahead to this week, we have three more SH//FT Classics to roll out, so let’s get down to details on how to view these and what to look for.
COMPLETING THE CLASSICS
The first goal of the classics is to create some benchmark workouts that capture the principles we teach at SH//FT. This week you will notice that the squat and hinge position are utilized a decent amount. I encourage you to focus on maintaining strong movement mechanics as well as pacing when you need to. Classic 4 & 5 are meant to deliver a concentrated observation of how you move and breathe under fatigue. It is important to note that the athletes who are the strongest, don’t always have the most efficient (or effective) breathing mechanics under fatigue. Therefore, detach yourself from the outcome (a final score or time) and embrace an objective approach where you gather data on your current state of fitness. We will be testing these workouts again in March so I promise you will have a chance to send it!
GAUGING THE WEIGHT. INCREASING THE INTENSITY.
In the last week of this primer cycle, you will see that the weight increases for most strength movements are relatively low, 5 to 10 pound increases at most. The reason behind this is that we want to promote sustainable progress over a period of time. Making too big of a jump too early in a cycle will almost surely stunt our momentum. Also, we tend to find that large weight increases week after week lead to inefficient positions as the focus of lifting centers around loading (not position). I promise you there will be plenty of time to get strong! However, this week should be all about position and leaving something on the table to build from.
THE GIFT OF CONTROL
In this second week of aerobic work, you will see that your first day builds off of the control breath cycle and increases the overall duration by 6 minutes total (2 minutes per cycle). With this added increase, focus on maintaining a consistent pace that allows you to work for an additional two minutes. The teaching point with this exercise is all about moving air consistently and effectively while under fatigue. Remember, as athletes we tend to focus on one aspect of the breath cycle more so than the other (the inhale or the exhale). This exercise allows you to discover when and where you tend to lean into your preferred patterns and requires that you work through that.
Overall this week has a lot of fun and challenging aspects to it. As your coach I will always remind you that fitness cannot be achieved inside of 1-2 weeks and with that we must stay patient. Keep the good energy moving and I look forward to seeing the results from this week!
Talk soon!
D
