Please Note: Your programming may not resemble this post if you have recently joined, are starting back after a break, are doing bodyweight/DB programming for the week, or need an individual adjustment for another reason. You will be moved into “regular” class programming when deemed appropriate by your coach!

This month’s program will pick up with similar intensities to the last week in April: heavy singles are back! The last week of this program will culminate in a training 1RM test. I don’t expect everyone to beat previous bests (although you might), but I want to get more accurate numbers to use for calculations next month. Prescriptive RPE will be used this month both to continue to hone the skill & to make sure that we are driving with enough intensity toward the 1RM test. There aren’t a ton of changes to the lift variants this month, but there are a few new accessories we’ll do together. It makes the most sense to think of this block as a “heavy conditioning” block, meaning that the point of the first 3 weeks is to condition you for the 1RM test on the last week. Practice with heavy singles, which are a skill in and of themselves, is a big part of this.

Some of the new things this block:

Zercher Squats. While these definitely feel like a really weird squat variant, these squats are pretty “core heavy” while also reducing spinal compression work in your program. This gives you the opportunity to still squat at high RPEs (and higher weights relative to goblet squats) which means good work for your legs, all while making your abs work a little harder and taking some of the load off your back.
Heavy press singles! These aren’t new but so many people wanted to continue pressing this next block that we are also going to try our hand at heavier presses. Press singles, like squat or deadlift singles, are their own skill.
Straight Arm Pulldowns. This will have helpful transfer over to your deadlift if you struggle to keep the bar on your legs. These also add some sneaky core work if you know where to find it.
Lateral Step-ups. All of these will be done on a low box (12”) & the added challenge of controlling the eccentric makes these a fun variant to challenge lateral stability.
Side Planks. Copenhagens are giving way to a more abductor-focused core exercise. We’ll elevate these to a bench if they’re too easy on their own.

May 2025 Programming