[/caption] The Functional Fitness competition season is drawing to a close for the year, and after several months of high-intensity workouts with a lot of power output, we’re going to shift focus slightly for 60 days–60 Days of Might. We aren’t ditching metabolic-conditioning workouts or constantly varied functional movement performed at high intensity. All that good stuff will still be around. But just as the metabolic-conditioning aspects of Functional Fitness took priority in the months around the Open, Regionals and the Classic, we’re prioritizing some lifting and prehab/rehab for a few months. Don’t worry: you’ll still do Fran. For the next 60 days, we’re going to put a little extra emphasis on strength and mobility. As our friends at Functional Fitness Subzero always say, “There’s no substitute for strength.” That doesn’t mean you should buy tubs of ice cream and “eat big to lift big” or throw your conditioning in the toilet. What it means is that you have 60 days of lifting to correct your form, fix weak areas, groove some new patterns, make friends with some iron and get under some weight. No matter what your goals are–from running a marathon to improving body composition to hockey and beyond–being stronger will help. And we’re still going to do lots of conditioning. The No. 1 thing that currently keeps athletes from RXing workouts is a lack of strength. The No. 2 thing is technique. We’re going to fix both issues and set you up for huge success this winter. A special note to women: you will not get bulky. This is a fitness myth. We are not doing a bodybuilding program fuelled by illegal drugs. We are lifting for strength. The two methods are very different, and only one makes you bulky. Our top female athletes are brutally strong. None are bulky. Believe it. Even our strongest male athletes don’t look bulky. Trust us on this one. Trust us on this one too: after 60 Days of Might, we’ll work in a bit more conditioning, and you’ll hit PRs all over the place on benchmark Functional Fitness workouts. You’ll also RX more of them with excellent form. Here’s what you can expect from now until November: More squatting, pressing, deadlifting, snatching and cleaning in many variations. An emphasis on excellent form and mechanics combined with relentless correction of technique. You will earn the load by lifting well. Check your ego and invest in technique. Your lifts will be picked apart and rebuilt. Like Darth Vader, you will be stronger afterward. Additional exercises that will be designed to improve weak areas and address mobility issues. You don’t deadlift over and over again to get a better deadlift. You find out which muscles are holding you back, then you work them relentlessly like Hartless on a renovation project. Core work like it’s your full-time job. More core work. Flexibility and mobility work. Hating the prowlers like you’ve never hated anything else in this world. Special sessions where you can dial in your form on more complicated lifts like the snatch, clean and jerk. Big-time results. To be clear: you’re still going to get all the conditioning you can handle, but you’re also going to get strong. Really strong. Welcome to 60 Days of Might.
Fitness Training for Biathlon Beginners: Our Plan in Detail
How are we using the gym to prepare for the sport of biathlon? Check out two different training programs used by two novice biathletes.