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Why set time caps in workouts?
It's all about intensity
Ever wondered why we set time caps to workouts? Is it just a number your coaches pick out of thin air to ensure an adequate time frame to suffer for? Not quite.
There are actually a number of factors at play when determining a workout’s time frame. Firstly, the intended stimulus is the first port of call when designing each workout.
Does the coach want it to be a fast-paced, intense workout or do we want you to be lifting heavy weights that are going to slow you down and force you to take longer breaks? These could be in the forms of AMRAPS or rounds for time. Another workout option is a longer conditioning piece at a decreased intensity due to the volume of work required over the time domain. This could be in the form of an EMOM.
Regardless of AMRAP, RFT or EMOMs, time caps within each modality provide you with a guideline as to setting your pace to complete the prescribed work. With this in mind, your aim shouldn’t always be to Rx the workout, but to find modifications and weights that require effort, but allow you to complete the workout while working on your current skill set.
Remember,“Rx” means doing the workout at the prescribed weight/height, for the prescribed number of reps, to the full movement standard. Any workout that is completed otherwise is considered a scaled or modified. Remember, there is nothing wrong with completing it as such. In fact, if you are able to modify the workout to get the correct “dose-response,” then you are way ahead of those who simply try to go as close to Rx as possible without considering the workouts intent. Not sure how to do this? Simply ask your coach to help.
So, let's apply the above to a workout
Complete 10 rounds for time:
3 Barbell clean & jerks 5 Burpees over the bar
Rx - 80/55kg
Time cap for this workout is 10 minutes
To start, think about this; What’s really more important in the workout: the load, volume or intensity? In this workout, volume and intensity are the keys, and the weight (load) is a means to an end. This is going to be a super fast workout, with short, planned breaks.
The aim is to complete 10 rounds of 3 clean and jerks and 5 burpees over the bar in 10 minutes. Based on the time cap you would need to complete a round every 60 seconds. The burpees over the bar should be completed within 20-25 seconds. Here is the crunch point though, picking the right weight to use for the clean and jerks.
Knowing your 1-rep clean and jerk max it's always helpful. For instance, if you know that on a good day you can clean and jerk 100kg, then 80kg in this workout equates to 80%of your 1-rep max. Does 30 reps at that weight plus 50 burpees all within 10 minutes sound doable? If your weight selection only allows you to get through 6 rounds of work when 10 are required, then you are missing out on 40%of the workout. As coaches, we don’t expect you to finish every workout but we want your weight choices to get you as close to the finish line as possible.
If you choose weights that require 30-60 seconds of rest when it is a conditioning workout, you’re better off saving that weight for a workout dedicated to building strength and power.
In an ideal scenario, you should complete the workout under the required time cap while still using loads and movements that are going to challenge you. It might not always happen this way, but everyday is a school day when it comes to how you approach a workout.
Completing the workout, your forearms are pumped, your lungs feel like they are going to burst and you feel a real sense of accomplishment in getting that done.
Reasons for a time cap:
It's all about intensity. Putting a time cap on a workout forces you to ramp up your intensity so that you get the intended benefit/stimulus of the workout. Let’s take the workout Fran, everyone knows Fran. A workout of 21-15-9 Thrusters and Pull-Ups, this a sprint and should be completed in under 8 minutes. If you’re taking too long to finish the workout then you’re not getting the required stimulus of the workout. You’re probably resting more than you are working and therefore not getting much “intensity”.
Modify your workout, make the intensity relative. Time capped workouts force you to scale/modify the movements or weights to an appropriate load or volume that will allow you to finish the workout in the intended time and thereby achieving intended stimulus. Of course you might be able to do the Rx weight or movement for a handful of reps but you would not be able to complete the workout with that amount of volume. So then you should scale the Rx weight or movements so that you finish the workout in the allotted time or quicker. Therefore achieving the intended stimulus of the workout and feeling exactly the same as everyone in the room.
The workouts are programmed for specific loads, volume and intensity not just with that session in mind but with what the rest of the week looks like. We calculate the intensity by the amount of time we expect the workout to take with the ability to change. What it comes down to is what we are trying to achieve in the workout and how we want you to feel during and after the workout. Some workouts are designed to take 45-60 minutes (like Murph) and others less than 8 minutes (like Fran). Those workouts with a smaller amount of time required to complete the workout generally mean you will be working at a greater intensity than the longer sessions.
Your goal in every work should be to complete it.
Keep it simple, put a process in place that you know is going to be achievable and that you can maintain. Then get after it.
Connect with Andy:
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ENGINE
No, running this week as we focus on some longer erg pieces; this can be done with a partner or solo. It’s your choice!
GYMNASTICS
This week, we’ll go upside down with handstand hold progressions before having some fun with handstand push-ups. We’ll then finish with overhead strength work.
HYROX
NO CLASS THIS WEEK DUE TO THE ENDURANCE TRAINING CAMP!
MOBILITY
Hip rotation & strengthening activating the stabilisers will be the primary focus of this session. We will also be looking at how to create postural changes to help those rounded upper thoracic.
PURE STRENGTH
Monday, in pure strength, we are progressing the loading on the paused bench press, building on last week, followed by some upper body pulling strength work. Wednesday, we are back on the low box squat, along with some hamstring accessory work.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week, we focus on squat clean in weightlifting, with a fun complex followed by some pulls!
Monday Ride
A skills and fitness based ride at the BikeDXB track in Dubai. Some simply structured intervals to enhance cycling ability.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. This run is currently gearing run fitness towards the incoming half marathons. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Training Weekend!
We're at Jebel Jais this weekend for our annual Jais Training weekend. If you're interested to know more please email us here.
Location: Jebel Jais
Sunday - Training Weekend!
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: Tempo
PM Session only: This evening we will be holding tempo pace for 5mins. Tempo should feel liks a 7/10 effort. After each 5 mins you will have 2 mins easy, which can be a gentle jog or walk. Repeat 5x rounds.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. Today we will be running 800m repeats, and fluctuating between 3km and 5km pace.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
If you didn't run track, today we have some speed work for you. Today there is 1km and 400m efforts. We will have cones set out for you, so you do not need to worry about tracking the distance on your watch.
Friday
Brief time: 5:54am
Start Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will have bridge repeats for those who want elevation, and tempo for those who want to push the pace on the flat surface. The choice is yours. (If you are running Two Oceans, we recommend the hills option).
Saturday
Time: 08:29am
Location: Check WhatsApp and TrainingPeaks
Session: RAK Training Camp
This weekend we will be in RAK for the IFE Training Camp. There will be a long run this morning on Jebel Jais, and an evening Shake-Out run. All details will be shared in the WA group.
Sunday
Time: 08:44am
Location: Check WhatsApp and TrainingPeaks
Session: RAK Training Camp
Today in RAK we will be doing hill repeats on Jebel Jais. All details will be shared in the WA group.
Monday:
We kick off the new week with some upper body pressing as we build over 6 rounds in the Push Jerk. Ski, DB Thrusters and Burpees in a workout where you earn your rest by how hard work. We are looking for you to get around 1 minute of rest each round. Will you be able to keep it consistent over the 10 rounds?
Strength:
Every 2mins x 6 - 5 Touch and Go Push Jerk
Conditioning:
Every 3:00 x 10 Rounds
250/200m Ski
8 Double DB Thrusters
6 Burpees
Tuesday:
Focusing on Barbell Cycling in the strength with Hang Power Cleans before we fire up the posterior chain with some Tempo Romanian Deadlifts. The conditioning for today is a 5-min effort with 3-min rest. The first AMRAP will bring some fire to your legs and lungs before we hit two high-skill movements in the second AMRAP, which will test your grip and shoulders!
Strength:
A) Every 90secs x 5 - 6 TnG Hang Power Cleans
B) Every 90secs x 3 - 6 RBLs with a Tempo of 30X1
Conditioning:
2 Rounds
5 min AMRAP
10 Box Jump Step Down
15 Russian KB Swings
Rest 3 mins
5 min AMRAP
12 Toes To Bar
30 Double Unders
Rest 3 mins
Wednesday:
Executing the Gymnastic Skill of Pull-Ups under fatigue from sprints on the rower! In Part B, we get some volume in wall balls, simple work but effective gains! We then carry over the learnings from the strength into an equal work rest conditioning piece. Will you hit the same wall balls each round?
Strength:
Every 90secs x 10 Rounds
A) 9/6 Cal Row + 15secs of Pull Ups
B) 45secs Wall Balls
Conditioning:
2:30min of Work and 2:30min of Rest x 4
15/12/9 Pull-ups
300/250m row
AMRAPS wall balls
Thursday:
Leg Day!!! Front Squats building up to heavy singles! Then we hit an Open Repeat of 11.4 and put all that OHS work to the test in a workout!
Strength:
Every 2mins x 6 - 2:2:2:1:1:1 Fron Squat
Conditioning:
Open Workout 11.4
60-bar facing burpee
30 OHS 55/45kg
10 Muscle-ups
Friday:
What better for a Friday than upper bodybuilding strength, Incline Bench, Rows and some Dumbell Raises before we get stuck into some Therapy with a Chipper style workout, which will leave you sweaty and tired!
Ever wondered why we set time caps to workouts? Is it just a number your coaches pick out of thin air to ensure an adequate time frame to suffer for? Not quite.
There are actually a number of factors at play when determining a workout’s time frame. Firstly, the intended stimulus is the first port of call when designing each workout.
Does the coach want it to be a fast-paced, intense workout or do we want you to be lifting heavy weights that are going to slow you down and force you to take longer breaks? These could be in the forms of AMRAPS or rounds for time. Another workout option is a longer conditioning piece at a decreased intensity due to the volume of work required over the time domain. This could be in the form of an EMOM.
Regardless of AMRAP, RFT or EMOMs, time caps within each modality provide you with a guideline as to setting your pace to complete the prescribed work. With this in mind, your aim shouldn’t always be to Rx the workout, but to find modifications and weights that require effort, but allow you to complete the workout while working on your current skill set.
Remember,“Rx” means doing the workout at the prescribed weight/height, for the prescribed number of reps, to the full movement standard. Any workout that is completed otherwise is considered a scaled or modified. Remember, there is nothing wrong with completing it as such. In fact, if you are able to modify the workout to get the correct “dose-response,” then you are way ahead of those who simply try to go as close to Rx as possible without considering the workouts intent. Not sure how to do this? Simply ask your coach to help.
So, let's apply the above to a workout
Complete 10 rounds for time:
3 Barbell clean & jerks 5 Burpees over the bar
Rx - 80/55kg
Time cap for this workout is 10 minutes
To start, think about this; What’s really more important in the workout: the load, volume or intensity? In this workout, volume and intensity are the keys, and the weight (load) is a means to an end. This is going to be a super fast workout, with short, planned breaks.
The aim is to complete 10 rounds of 3 clean and jerks and 5 burpees over the bar in 10 minutes. Based on the time cap you would need to complete a round every 60 seconds. The burpees over the bar should be completed within 20-25 seconds. Here is the crunch point though, picking the right weight to use for the clean and jerks.
Knowing your 1-rep clean and jerk max it's always helpful. For instance, if you know that on a good day you can clean and jerk 100kg, then 80kg in this workout equates to 80%of your 1-rep max. Does 30 reps at that weight plus 50 burpees all within 10 minutes sound doable? If your weight selection only allows you to get through 6 rounds of work when 10 are required, then you are missing out on 40%of the workout. As coaches, we don’t expect you to finish every workout but we want your weight choices to get you as close to the finish line as possible.
If you choose weights that require 30-60 seconds of rest when it is a conditioning workout, you’re better off saving that weight for a workout dedicated to building strength and power.
In an ideal scenario, you should complete the workout under the required time cap while still using loads and movements that are going to challenge you. It might not always happen this way, but everyday is a school day when it comes to how you approach a workout.
Completing the workout, your forearms are pumped, your lungs feel like they are going to burst and you feel a real sense of accomplishment in getting that done.
Reasons for a time cap:
It's all about intensity. Putting a time cap on a workout forces you to ramp up your intensity so that you get the intended benefit/stimulus of the workout. Let’s take the workout Fran, everyone knows Fran. A workout of 21-15-9 Thrusters and Pull-Ups, this a sprint and should be completed in under 8 minutes. If you’re taking too long to finish the workout then you’re not getting the required stimulus of the workout. You’re probably resting more than you are working and therefore not getting much “intensity”.
Modify your workout, make the intensity relative. Time capped workouts force you to scale/modify the movements or weights to an appropriate load or volume that will allow you to finish the workout in the intended time and thereby achieving intended stimulus. Of course you might be able to do the Rx weight or movement for a handful of reps but you would not be able to complete the workout with that amount of volume. So then you should scale the Rx weight or movements so that you finish the workout in the allotted time or quicker. Therefore achieving the intended stimulus of the workout and feeling exactly the same as everyone in the room.
The workouts are programmed for specific loads, volume and intensity not just with that session in mind but with what the rest of the week looks like. We calculate the intensity by the amount of time we expect the workout to take with the ability to change. What it comes down to is what we are trying to achieve in the workout and how we want you to feel during and after the workout. Some workouts are designed to take 45-60 minutes (like Murph) and others less than 8 minutes (like Fran). Those workouts with a smaller amount of time required to complete the workout generally mean you will be working at a greater intensity than the longer sessions.
Your goal in every work should be to complete it.
Keep it simple, put a process in place that you know is going to be achievable and that you can maintain. Then get after it.
Connect with Andy:
Monday Ride
A skills and fitness based ride at the BikeDXB track in Dubai. Some simply structured intervals to enhance cycling ability.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. This run is currently gearing run fitness towards the incoming half marathons. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Training Weekend!
We're at Jebel Jais this weekend for our annual Jais Training weekend. If you're interested to know more please email us here.
Location: Jebel Jais
Sunday - Training Weekend!
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: Tempo
PM Session only: This evening we will be holding tempo pace for 5mins. Tempo should feel liks a 7/10 effort. After each 5 mins you will have 2 mins easy, which can be a gentle jog or walk. Repeat 5x rounds.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. Today we will be running 800m repeats, and fluctuating between 3km and 5km pace.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
If you didn't run track, today we have some speed work for you. Today there is 1km and 400m efforts. We will have cones set out for you, so you do not need to worry about tracking the distance on your watch.
Friday
Brief time: 5:54am
Start Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will have bridge repeats for those who want elevation, and tempo for those who want to push the pace on the flat surface. The choice is yours. (If you are running Two Oceans, we recommend the hills option).
Saturday
Time: 08:29am
Location: Check WhatsApp and TrainingPeaks
Session: RAK Training Camp
This weekend we will be in RAK for the IFE Training Camp. There will be a long run this morning on Jebel Jais, and an evening Shake-Out run. All details will be shared in the WA group.
Sunday
Time: 08:44am
Location: Check WhatsApp and TrainingPeaks
Session: RAK Training Camp
Today in RAK we will be doing hill repeats on Jebel Jais. All details will be shared in the WA group.
Monday:
We kick off the new week with some upper body pressing as we build over 6 rounds in the Push Jerk. Ski, DB Thrusters and Burpees in a workout where you earn your rest by how hard work. We are looking for you to get around 1 minute of rest each round. Will you be able to keep it consistent over the 10 rounds?
Strength:
Every 2mins x 6 - 5 Touch and Go Push Jerk
Conditioning:
Every 3:00 x 10 Rounds
250/200m Ski
8 Double DB Thrusters
6 Burpees
Tuesday:
Focusing on Barbell Cycling in the strength with Hang Power Cleans before we fire up the posterior chain with some Tempo Romanian Deadlifts. The conditioning for today is a 5-min effort with 3-min rest. The first AMRAP will bring some fire to your legs and lungs before we hit two high-skill movements in the second AMRAP, which will test your grip and shoulders!
Strength:
A) Every 90secs x 5 - 6 TnG Hang Power Cleans
B) Every 90secs x 3 - 6 RBLs with a Tempo of 30X1
Conditioning:
2 Rounds
5 min AMRAP
10 Box Jump Step Down
15 Russian KB Swings
Rest 3 mins
5 min AMRAP
12 Toes To Bar
30 Double Unders
Rest 3 mins
Wednesday:
Executing the Gymnastic Skill of Pull-Ups under fatigue from sprints on the rower! In Part B, we get some volume in wall balls, simple work but effective gains! We then carry over the learnings from the strength into an equal work rest conditioning piece. Will you hit the same wall balls each round?
Strength:
Every 90secs x 10 Rounds
A) 9/6 Cal Row + 15secs of Pull Ups
B) 45secs Wall Balls
Conditioning:
2:30min of Work and 2:30min of Rest x 4
15/12/9 Pull-ups
300/250m row
AMRAPS wall balls
Thursday:
Leg Day!!! Front Squats building up to heavy singles! Then we hit an Open Repeat of 11.4 and put all that OHS work to the test in a workout!
Strength:
Every 2mins x 6 - 2:2:2:1:1:1 Fron Squat
Conditioning:
Open Workout 11.4
60-bar facing burpee
30 OHS 55/45kg
10 Muscle-ups
Friday:
What better for a Friday than upper bodybuilding strength, Incline Bench, Rows and some Dumbell Raises before we get stuck into some Therapy with a Chipper style workout, which will leave you sweaty and tired!
ENGINE
No, running this week as we focus on some longer erg pieces; this can be done with a partner or solo. It’s your choice!
GYMNASTICS
This week, we’ll go upside down with handstand hold progressions before having some fun with handstand push-ups. We’ll then finish with overhead strength work.
HYROX
NO CLASS THIS WEEK DUE TO THE ENDURANCE TRAINING CAMP!
MOBILITY
Hip rotation & strengthening activating the stabilisers will be the primary focus of this session. We will also be looking at how to create postural changes to help those rounded upper thoracic.
PURE STRENGTH
Monday, in pure strength, we are progressing the loading on the paused bench press, building on last week, followed by some upper body pulling strength work. Wednesday, we are back on the low box squat, along with some hamstring accessory work.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week, we focus on squat clean in weightlifting, with a fun complex followed by some pulls!
Ever wondered why we set time caps to workouts? Is it just a number your coaches pick out of thin air to ensure an adequate time frame to suffer for? Not quite.
There are actually a number of factors at play when determining a workout’s time frame. Firstly, the intended stimulus is the first port of call when designing each workout.
Does the coach want it to be a fast-paced, intense workout or do we want you to be lifting heavy weights that are going to slow you down and force you to take longer breaks? These could be in the forms of AMRAPS or rounds for time. Another workout option is a longer conditioning piece at a decreased intensity due to the volume of work required over the time domain. This could be in the form of an EMOM.
Regardless of AMRAP, RFT or EMOMs, time caps within each modality provide you with a guideline as to setting your pace to complete the prescribed work. With this in mind, your aim shouldn’t always be to Rx the workout, but to find modifications and weights that require effort, but allow you to complete the workout while working on your current skill set.
Remember,“Rx” means doing the workout at the prescribed weight/height, for the prescribed number of reps, to the full movement standard. Any workout that is completed otherwise is considered a scaled or modified. Remember, there is nothing wrong with completing it as such. In fact, if you are able to modify the workout to get the correct “dose-response,” then you are way ahead of those who simply try to go as close to Rx as possible without considering the workouts intent. Not sure how to do this? Simply ask your coach to help.
So, let's apply the above to a workout
Complete 10 rounds for time:
3 Barbell clean & jerks 5 Burpees over the bar
Rx - 80/55kg
Time cap for this workout is 10 minutes
To start, think about this; What’s really more important in the workout: the load, volume or intensity? In this workout, volume and intensity are the keys, and the weight (load) is a means to an end. This is going to be a super fast workout, with short, planned breaks.
The aim is to complete 10 rounds of 3 clean and jerks and 5 burpees over the bar in 10 minutes. Based on the time cap you would need to complete a round every 60 seconds. The burpees over the bar should be completed within 20-25 seconds. Here is the crunch point though, picking the right weight to use for the clean and jerks.
Knowing your 1-rep clean and jerk max it's always helpful. For instance, if you know that on a good day you can clean and jerk 100kg, then 80kg in this workout equates to 80%of your 1-rep max. Does 30 reps at that weight plus 50 burpees all within 10 minutes sound doable? If your weight selection only allows you to get through 6 rounds of work when 10 are required, then you are missing out on 40%of the workout. As coaches, we don’t expect you to finish every workout but we want your weight choices to get you as close to the finish line as possible.
If you choose weights that require 30-60 seconds of rest when it is a conditioning workout, you’re better off saving that weight for a workout dedicated to building strength and power.
In an ideal scenario, you should complete the workout under the required time cap while still using loads and movements that are going to challenge you. It might not always happen this way, but everyday is a school day when it comes to how you approach a workout.
Completing the workout, your forearms are pumped, your lungs feel like they are going to burst and you feel a real sense of accomplishment in getting that done.
Reasons for a time cap:
It's all about intensity. Putting a time cap on a workout forces you to ramp up your intensity so that you get the intended benefit/stimulus of the workout. Let’s take the workout Fran, everyone knows Fran. A workout of 21-15-9 Thrusters and Pull-Ups, this a sprint and should be completed in under 8 minutes. If you’re taking too long to finish the workout then you’re not getting the required stimulus of the workout. You’re probably resting more than you are working and therefore not getting much “intensity”.
Modify your workout, make the intensity relative. Time capped workouts force you to scale/modify the movements or weights to an appropriate load or volume that will allow you to finish the workout in the intended time and thereby achieving intended stimulus. Of course you might be able to do the Rx weight or movement for a handful of reps but you would not be able to complete the workout with that amount of volume. So then you should scale the Rx weight or movements so that you finish the workout in the allotted time or quicker. Therefore achieving the intended stimulus of the workout and feeling exactly the same as everyone in the room.
The workouts are programmed for specific loads, volume and intensity not just with that session in mind but with what the rest of the week looks like. We calculate the intensity by the amount of time we expect the workout to take with the ability to change. What it comes down to is what we are trying to achieve in the workout and how we want you to feel during and after the workout. Some workouts are designed to take 45-60 minutes (like Murph) and others less than 8 minutes (like Fran). Those workouts with a smaller amount of time required to complete the workout generally mean you will be working at a greater intensity than the longer sessions.
Your goal in every work should be to complete it.
Keep it simple, put a process in place that you know is going to be achievable and that you can maintain. Then get after it.
Connect with Andy:
Monday
Time: 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: Tempo
PM Session only: This evening we will be holding tempo pace for 5mins. Tempo should feel liks a 7/10 effort. After each 5 mins you will have 2 mins easy, which can be a gentle jog or walk. Repeat 5x rounds.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. Today we will be running 800m repeats, and fluctuating between 3km and 5km pace.
Wednesday
Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm
Location: InnerFight
Session: LRC Intervals
If you didn't run track, today we have some speed work for you. Today there is 1km and 400m efforts. We will have cones set out for you, so you do not need to worry about tracking the distance on your watch.
Friday
Brief time: 5:54am
Start Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will have bridge repeats for those who want elevation, and tempo for those who want to push the pace on the flat surface. The choice is yours. (If you are running Two Oceans, we recommend the hills option).
Saturday
Time: 08:29am
Location: Check WhatsApp and TrainingPeaks
Session: RAK Training Camp
This weekend we will be in RAK for the IFE Training Camp. There will be a long run this morning on Jebel Jais, and an evening Shake-Out run. All details will be shared in the WA group.
Sunday
Time: 08:44am
Location: Check WhatsApp and TrainingPeaks
Session: RAK Training Camp
Today in RAK we will be doing hill repeats on Jebel Jais. All details will be shared in the WA group.
Monday:
We kick off the new week with some upper body pressing as we build over 6 rounds in the Push Jerk. Ski, DB Thrusters and Burpees in a workout where you earn your rest by how hard work. We are looking for you to get around 1 minute of rest each round. Will you be able to keep it consistent over the 10 rounds?
Strength:
Every 2mins x 6 - 5 Touch and Go Push Jerk
Conditioning:
Every 3:00 x 10 Rounds
250/200m Ski
8 Double DB Thrusters
6 Burpees
Tuesday:
Focusing on Barbell Cycling in the strength with Hang Power Cleans before we fire up the posterior chain with some Tempo Romanian Deadlifts. The conditioning for today is a 5-min effort with 3-min rest. The first AMRAP will bring some fire to your legs and lungs before we hit two high-skill movements in the second AMRAP, which will test your grip and shoulders!
Strength:
A) Every 90secs x 5 - 6 TnG Hang Power Cleans
B) Every 90secs x 3 - 6 RBLs with a Tempo of 30X1
Conditioning:
2 Rounds
5 min AMRAP
10 Box Jump Step Down
15 Russian KB Swings
Rest 3 mins
5 min AMRAP
12 Toes To Bar
30 Double Unders
Rest 3 mins
Wednesday:
Executing the Gymnastic Skill of Pull-Ups under fatigue from sprints on the rower! In Part B, we get some volume in wall balls, simple work but effective gains! We then carry over the learnings from the strength into an equal work rest conditioning piece. Will you hit the same wall balls each round?
Strength:
Every 90secs x 10 Rounds
A) 9/6 Cal Row + 15secs of Pull Ups
B) 45secs Wall Balls
Conditioning:
2:30min of Work and 2:30min of Rest x 4
15/12/9 Pull-ups
300/250m row
AMRAPS wall balls
Thursday:
Leg Day!!! Front Squats building up to heavy singles! Then we hit an Open Repeat of 11.4 and put all that OHS work to the test in a workout!
Strength:
Every 2mins x 6 - 2:2:2:1:1:1 Fron Squat
Conditioning:
Open Workout 11.4
60-bar facing burpee
30 OHS 55/45kg
10 Muscle-ups
Friday:
What better for a Friday than upper bodybuilding strength, Incline Bench, Rows and some Dumbell Raises before we get stuck into some Therapy with a Chipper style workout, which will leave you sweaty and tired!
ENGINE
No, running this week as we focus on some longer erg pieces; this can be done with a partner or solo. It’s your choice!
GYMNASTICS
This week, we’ll go upside down with handstand hold progressions before having some fun with handstand push-ups. We’ll then finish with overhead strength work.
HYROX
NO CLASS THIS WEEK DUE TO THE ENDURANCE TRAINING CAMP!
MOBILITY
Hip rotation & strengthening activating the stabilisers will be the primary focus of this session. We will also be looking at how to create postural changes to help those rounded upper thoracic.
PURE STRENGTH
Monday, in pure strength, we are progressing the loading on the paused bench press, building on last week, followed by some upper body pulling strength work. Wednesday, we are back on the low box squat, along with some hamstring accessory work.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week, we focus on squat clean in weightlifting, with a fun complex followed by some pulls!
Monday Ride
A skills and fitness based ride at the BikeDXB track in Dubai. Some simply structured intervals to enhance cycling ability.
Start time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB
Track Tuesday
Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.
Time: 05:59 am
Session Length: 1.5 hour
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Friday - Coffee Run
Our weekly tempo run. This run is currently gearing run fitness towards the incoming half marathons. Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner.
Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time: 05:59 am
Start Location: Common Grounds
Saturday - Training Weekend!
We're at Jebel Jais this weekend for our annual Jais Training weekend. If you're interested to know more please email us here.
Location: Jebel Jais
Sunday - Training Weekend!
Ever wondered why we set time caps to workouts? Is it just a number your coaches pick out of thin air to ensure an adequate time frame to suffer for? Not quite.
There are actually a number of factors at play when determining a workout’s time frame. Firstly, the intended stimulus is the first port of call when designing each workout.
Does the coach want it to be a fast-paced, intense workout or do we want you to be lifting heavy weights that are going to slow you down and force you to take longer breaks? These could be in the forms of AMRAPS or rounds for time. Another workout option is a longer conditioning piece at a decreased intensity due to the volume of work required over the time domain. This could be in the form of an EMOM.
Regardless of AMRAP, RFT or EMOMs, time caps within each modality provide you with a guideline as to setting your pace to complete the prescribed work. With this in mind, your aim shouldn’t always be to Rx the workout, but to find modifications and weights that require effort, but allow you to complete the workout while working on your current skill set.
Remember,“Rx” means doing the workout at the prescribed weight/height, for the prescribed number of reps, to the full movement standard. Any workout that is completed otherwise is considered a scaled or modified. Remember, there is nothing wrong with completing it as such. In fact, if you are able to modify the workout to get the correct “dose-response,” then you are way ahead of those who simply try to go as close to Rx as possible without considering the workouts intent. Not sure how to do this? Simply ask your coach to help.
So, let's apply the above to a workout
Complete 10 rounds for time:
3 Barbell clean & jerks 5 Burpees over the bar
Rx - 80/55kg
Time cap for this workout is 10 minutes
To start, think about this; What’s really more important in the workout: the load, volume or intensity? In this workout, volume and intensity are the keys, and the weight (load) is a means to an end. This is going to be a super fast workout, with short, planned breaks.
The aim is to complete 10 rounds of 3 clean and jerks and 5 burpees over the bar in 10 minutes. Based on the time cap you would need to complete a round every 60 seconds. The burpees over the bar should be completed within 20-25 seconds. Here is the crunch point though, picking the right weight to use for the clean and jerks.
Knowing your 1-rep clean and jerk max it's always helpful. For instance, if you know that on a good day you can clean and jerk 100kg, then 80kg in this workout equates to 80%of your 1-rep max. Does 30 reps at that weight plus 50 burpees all within 10 minutes sound doable? If your weight selection only allows you to get through 6 rounds of work when 10 are required, then you are missing out on 40%of the workout. As coaches, we don’t expect you to finish every workout but we want your weight choices to get you as close to the finish line as possible.
If you choose weights that require 30-60 seconds of rest when it is a conditioning workout, you’re better off saving that weight for a workout dedicated to building strength and power.
In an ideal scenario, you should complete the workout under the required time cap while still using loads and movements that are going to challenge you. It might not always happen this way, but everyday is a school day when it comes to how you approach a workout.
Completing the workout, your forearms are pumped, your lungs feel like they are going to burst and you feel a real sense of accomplishment in getting that done.
Reasons for a time cap:
It's all about intensity. Putting a time cap on a workout forces you to ramp up your intensity so that you get the intended benefit/stimulus of the workout. Let’s take the workout Fran, everyone knows Fran. A workout of 21-15-9 Thrusters and Pull-Ups, this a sprint and should be completed in under 8 minutes. If you’re taking too long to finish the workout then you’re not getting the required stimulus of the workout. You’re probably resting more than you are working and therefore not getting much “intensity”.
Modify your workout, make the intensity relative. Time capped workouts force you to scale/modify the movements or weights to an appropriate load or volume that will allow you to finish the workout in the intended time and thereby achieving intended stimulus. Of course you might be able to do the Rx weight or movement for a handful of reps but you would not be able to complete the workout with that amount of volume. So then you should scale the Rx weight or movements so that you finish the workout in the allotted time or quicker. Therefore achieving the intended stimulus of the workout and feeling exactly the same as everyone in the room.
The workouts are programmed for specific loads, volume and intensity not just with that session in mind but with what the rest of the week looks like. We calculate the intensity by the amount of time we expect the workout to take with the ability to change. What it comes down to is what we are trying to achieve in the workout and how we want you to feel during and after the workout. Some workouts are designed to take 45-60 minutes (like Murph) and others less than 8 minutes (like Fran). Those workouts with a smaller amount of time required to complete the workout generally mean you will be working at a greater intensity than the longer sessions.
Your goal in every work should be to complete it.
Keep it simple, put a process in place that you know is going to be achievable and that you can maintain. Then get after it.
Connect with Andy:
Ever wondered why we set time caps to workouts? Is it just a number your coaches pick out of thin air to ensure an adequate time frame to suffer for? Not quite.
There are actually a number of factors at play when determining a workout’s time frame. Firstly, the intended stimulus is the first port of call when designing each workout.
Does the coach want it to be a fast-paced, intense workout or do we want you to be lifting heavy weights that are going to slow you down and force you to take longer breaks? These could be in the forms of AMRAPS or rounds for time. Another workout option is a longer conditioning piece at a decreased intensity due to the volume of work required over the time domain. This could be in the form of an EMOM.
Regardless of AMRAP, RFT or EMOMs, time caps within each modality provide you with a guideline as to setting your pace to complete the prescribed work. With this in mind, your aim shouldn’t always be to Rx the workout, but to find modifications and weights that require effort, but allow you to complete the workout while working on your current skill set.
Remember,“Rx” means doing the workout at the prescribed weight/height, for the prescribed number of reps, to the full movement standard. Any workout that is completed otherwise is considered a scaled or modified. Remember, there is nothing wrong with completing it as such. In fact, if you are able to modify the workout to get the correct “dose-response,” then you are way ahead of those who simply try to go as close to Rx as possible without considering the workouts intent. Not sure how to do this? Simply ask your coach to help.
So, let's apply the above to a workout
Complete 10 rounds for time:
3 Barbell clean & jerks 5 Burpees over the bar
Rx - 80/55kg
Time cap for this workout is 10 minutes
To start, think about this; What’s really more important in the workout: the load, volume or intensity? In this workout, volume and intensity are the keys, and the weight (load) is a means to an end. This is going to be a super fast workout, with short, planned breaks.
The aim is to complete 10 rounds of 3 clean and jerks and 5 burpees over the bar in 10 minutes. Based on the time cap you would need to complete a round every 60 seconds. The burpees over the bar should be completed within 20-25 seconds. Here is the crunch point though, picking the right weight to use for the clean and jerks.
Knowing your 1-rep clean and jerk max it's always helpful. For instance, if you know that on a good day you can clean and jerk 100kg, then 80kg in this workout equates to 80%of your 1-rep max. Does 30 reps at that weight plus 50 burpees all within 10 minutes sound doable? If your weight selection only allows you to get through 6 rounds of work when 10 are required, then you are missing out on 40%of the workout. As coaches, we don’t expect you to finish every workout but we want your weight choices to get you as close to the finish line as possible.
If you choose weights that require 30-60 seconds of rest when it is a conditioning workout, you’re better off saving that weight for a workout dedicated to building strength and power.
In an ideal scenario, you should complete the workout under the required time cap while still using loads and movements that are going to challenge you. It might not always happen this way, but everyday is a school day when it comes to how you approach a workout.
Completing the workout, your forearms are pumped, your lungs feel like they are going to burst and you feel a real sense of accomplishment in getting that done.
Reasons for a time cap:
It's all about intensity. Putting a time cap on a workout forces you to ramp up your intensity so that you get the intended benefit/stimulus of the workout. Let’s take the workout Fran, everyone knows Fran. A workout of 21-15-9 Thrusters and Pull-Ups, this a sprint and should be completed in under 8 minutes. If you’re taking too long to finish the workout then you’re not getting the required stimulus of the workout. You’re probably resting more than you are working and therefore not getting much “intensity”.
Modify your workout, make the intensity relative. Time capped workouts force you to scale/modify the movements or weights to an appropriate load or volume that will allow you to finish the workout in the intended time and thereby achieving intended stimulus. Of course you might be able to do the Rx weight or movement for a handful of reps but you would not be able to complete the workout with that amount of volume. So then you should scale the Rx weight or movements so that you finish the workout in the allotted time or quicker. Therefore achieving the intended stimulus of the workout and feeling exactly the same as everyone in the room.
The workouts are programmed for specific loads, volume and intensity not just with that session in mind but with what the rest of the week looks like. We calculate the intensity by the amount of time we expect the workout to take with the ability to change. What it comes down to is what we are trying to achieve in the workout and how we want you to feel during and after the workout. Some workouts are designed to take 45-60 minutes (like Murph) and others less than 8 minutes (like Fran). Those workouts with a smaller amount of time required to complete the workout generally mean you will be working at a greater intensity than the longer sessions.
Your goal in every work should be to complete it.
Keep it simple, put a process in place that you know is going to be achievable and that you can maintain. Then get after it.
Connect with Andy:
One-Hour Workout: Revving Your Swim Engine
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