Weekly Overview 14.09–20.09
A new week, and a different challenge each day. We’ve got heavy barbell work, longer conditioning, gymnastics practice and a classic bodyweight benchmark. The aim is to pick the right pace and scaling for each session so you get what you need from it.
Monday starts with a deadlift, power clean and shoulder-to-overhead complex. Then it’s seven rounds of heavy deadlifts and strict handstand push-ups. Strong, repeatable sets will matter more than chasing a weight you can only manage once.
Tuesday is a longer grind: rowing either side of burpee box jump overs and dumbbell snatches. Keep the opening row controlled and save something for the return trip.
Wednesday brings a descending ladder of wall balls and toes-to-bar, followed by a heavy three-rep back squat. The squats come after the workout this time, so build according to how you’re moving on the day.
Thursday gives us time to practise handstands and overhead stability before five fast run-and-hang-clean intervals. Go hard, recover, then try to repeat the same effort.
Friday starts with controlled tempo bench press before Strict Cindy: 20 minutes of strict pull-ups, push-ups and air squats. Simple movements, but plenty of work.
Saturday is a partner session with one person on the bike while the other completes midline work, burpees and power snatches. You’ll swap after each full movement round and keep working until both parts are finished.
Sunday rounds things off with running, dumbbell front-rack lunges and handstand walking. Thursday’s skill practice will help you choose a progression you can repeat across all ten rounds.
There’s a lot of pulling and pressing in the week, so speak to your coach about the right reps, loads and gymnastics options for you. Train hard. Scale smart. Keep moving well.
Test your weightlifting skills in The Lift Off Game.
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We start with a six-rep barbell complex, building from moderate to heavy while keeping every rep controlled. It does not have to be unbroken, but stay close to the bar between reps. The workout then pairs heavy deadlifts with strict handstand push-ups. The pressing will be the limiter for most people, so choose a variation you can sustain for seven rounds.
Strength
EVERY 1:30 × 5 SETS
3 Deadlifts
2 Power Cleans
1 Shoulder-to-Overhead
Start moderate and build to heavy.
Score = Heaviest Weight
Workout
7 ROUNDS FOR TIME
7 Deadlifts (275/185lb)
7 Strict Handstand Push-Ups
Score = Time
KG: 125/85
Target Times
Most - 8:00–12:00 (12:00 time cap)
Top - 6:00–8:00
Strategy
Pacing - Keep the deadlifts steady and use the transition to the wall to recover. Avoid rushing into a pressing set that takes you to failure.
Efficiency - Choose a deadlift load that allows seven connected reps. Aim for the handstand push-ups unbroken or in two quick sets. Dumbbell strict press is an option if that keeps the intended pace.
Red Flags - Deadlift singles, three or more pressing sets early, or failed handstand push-ups. Adjust the load, reps or pressing variation before the rounds start to stall.
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A longer conditioning piece with a big row at either end. The goal is to keep working through the burpee box jump overs and dumbbell snatches, then reach the final row with something left. A fast opening row is no help if you spend the next few minutes standing still.
Workout
FOR TIME
75/60 Calorie Row
25 Burpee Box Jump Overs (24/20in)
50 Alternating Dumbbell Snatches (50/35lb)
25 Burpee Box Jump Overs (24/20in)
75/60 Calorie Row
Score = Time
KG: 22.5/15
Target Times
Most - 18:00–21:00 (23:00 time cap)
Top - 15:00–17:00
Strategy
Pacing - Settle into a sustainable rhythm on the first row. Start the final row at a similar pace, then build through the second half and finish hard.
Efficiency - Keep the burpee box jump overs methodical and split the snatches into repeatable sets with short breaks. Use your legs on the row and stay relaxed through the shoulders.
Red Flags - Sprinting the first row, repeated stops on the burpees, long rests between snatch sets, or arriving at the final row completely spent. Choose the right reps and box height to keep moving.
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Wall balls and toes-to-bar come first, with back squats afterwards. The full ladder is 100 reps of each movement, and the opening two rounds account for 140 of those 200 reps. Plan your sets before starting and scale the volume so you finish within the cap, ready to build to a controlled heavy triple.
Workout
FOR TIME
40-30-20-10
Wall Balls (20/14lb)
Toes-to-Bar
Score = Time
KG: 9/6
Target Times
Most - 11:00–13:30 (14:00 time cap)
Top - 7:30–9:30
Strength — After the Workout
ON A 15:00 CLOCK
Build to a Heavy 3-Rep Back Squat
Score = Weight
Build for how your legs feel today and keep all three reps controlled.
Strategy
Pacing - Break toes-to-bar before your grip or kip disappears. Use planned sets and short rests through the rounds of 40 and 30, then push as the reps come down.
Efficiency - Keep the ball close to the rig and let your arms relax between wall-ball reps. Use your legs to drive the ball and keep the same rhythm through each set.
Red Flags - Toes-to-bar becoming singles during the first round, long rests under the rig, or repeated low wall-ball shots. Reduce volume or difficulty early. On the squats, stop adding weight if your chest drops or you lose tension.
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Ten minutes of handstand and overhead-stability practice leads into five sprint intervals. The skill work is about building confidence and finding a useful progression for Sunday. Then the workout asks you to run hard, get straight onto the bar and cycle twelve hang power cleans.
Skill
ON A 10:00 CLOCK
Handstand Walk, Handstand Hold and Overhead Stability Work
Advanced - Handstand Walk or Handstand Hold
Intermediate - Kick-Ups or Box Pike Walk
Beginner - Bear Crawl, Wall Walk or Waiter Walk
Keep the practice controlled and avoid exhausting your shoulders.
Workout
EVERY 3:30 × 5 SETS
400m Run
12 Hang Power Cleans (135/95lb)
Rest for the remainder of each interval.
Score = Slowest Set
KG: 60/42.5
Target Times
Most - 1:50–2:15 slowest set
Top - 1:30–1:50 slowest set
Time cap - 2:30 per set
Strategy
Pacing - Aim to finish around two minutes so you have roughly 90 seconds to recover. Run at a pace that lets you pick up the bar immediately and repeat the effort across five sets.
Efficiency - Have your bar and chalk ready before each interval. Keep your shoulders and hands relaxed on the run, then aim for twelve unbroken cleans.
Red Flags - Runs taking over two minutes, breaking the barbell repeatedly, or sets exceeding 2:30. Shorten the run or reduce the load to preserve the sprint and recovery.
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Controlled tempo bench press comes before Strict Cindy. The bench is moderate strength work, not a heavy five-rep test. Then the pull-up and push-up volume builds over twenty minutes, so start with a rhythm you can still hold late in the workout.
Strength
EVERY 2:00 × 4 SETS
5 Tempo Bench Press
3-second lowering phase + 1-second pause at the bottom
Start light to moderate (RPE 6) and build in small jumps.
Score = Heaviest Weight
Workout
STRICT CINDY
20:00 AMRAP
5 Strict Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Air Squats
Score = Rounds + Reps
Target Scores
Most - 10–13 Rounds
Top - 15+ Rounds
Strategy
Pacing - Aim for a round every 1:30–2:00. Start at the pace you want to hold at minute fifteen, rather than banking a few very fast opening rounds.
Efficiency - Break the strict pull-ups into small sets from the start if needed, and use repeatable push-up sets of three to five. Keep the squats moving while your arms recover.
Red Flags - Forty-second opening rounds followed by long rests, failed pull-ups, or push-ups dropping to singles early. Scale the reps or movement before you reach failure.
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One partner bikes while the other works through midline reps, burpees and power snatches. Swap after every full movement round. There are eight rounds each, so pick a snatch load you can move confidently in quick singles and a bike pace that leaves you ready to work when you change stations.
Workout
IN TEAMS OF 2 — FOR TIME
BIKE STATION: 8,000m BikeErg total, or 250/200 Calorie Air Bike
MOVEMENT STATION: 8 SETS EACH
15 GHDs
10 Lateral Burpees Over Bar
5 Power Snatches (155/105lb)
KG: 70/47.5
One partner bikes while the other completes one full movement set, then swap. Each athlete completes eight movement sets — sixteen total for the team.
If either station finishes first, share the remaining work with one partner working while the other rests.
Score = Time
Target Times
Most - 27:00–32:00 (32:00 time cap)
Top - 23:00–27:00
Aim for movement sets around 1:45–1:50, with a two-minute cap per set.
Strategy
Pacing - Keep the bike at a moderately hard effort that you can sustain. You need to step off it ready for your movement round, not ready for a lie-down.
Efficiency - Watch your partner and be ready to swap as soon as their set finishes. Keep the snatches as tidy, quick singles. Your coach can help choose V-ups or sit-ups and adjusted reps where needed.
Red Flags - Bike effort making the movement sets dramatically slower, long rests before the snatches, or rounds regularly exceeding two minutes. Back off the bike slightly and adjust the load or reps.
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Ten rounds of running, front-rack lunges and handstand walking at a steady pace. Use Thursday’s skill session to choose a gymnastics option you can repeat without getting stuck. The aim is for your last rounds to look much like your first.
Workout
10 ROUNDS FOR TIME
200m Run
50ft Single Dumbbell Front-Rack Walking Lunge (50/35lb)
25ft Handstand Walk
Score = Time
KG: 22.5/15
Target Times
Most - 24:00–28:00 (30:00 time cap)
Top - 20:00–23:00
Strategy
Pacing - Aim for roughly 2:15–2:45 per round. Keep the run controlled enough to pick up the dumbbell straight away, then increase the pace late if you have stayed consistent.
Efficiency - Keep the lunge unbroken and plan short handstand-walk sections if needed. Controlled ten- to fifteen-foot sections are better than repeatedly failing a full length. Wall walks or a bear crawl are available progressions.
Red Flags - Rounds drifting beyond 2:50, repeated stops in the lunge, or failed handstand attempts. Adjust the run, load or gymnastics early so the session keeps flowing.