Recently at the studio, I have been adjusting and manipulating the interval sessions we use during our Torch workout. The outcome goals for this workout are to improve mobility, increase strength, and drop bodyfat. One of the mistakes I think some coaches make is overcomplicating the workouts they administer. Much has been written about how keeping things simple is better for overall execution. Due to this, I didn’t vary the intervals used at the studio for years. In a mode of self-evaluation, I have recently questioned myself “What can we do better?” My conclusion was to adjust the time intervals relative to the desired goal for the exercise.
Workouts should have a flow to them. There’s a reason why music plays a role when working out. Mobility drills and stretching exercises can be mellow and have a brief interval of 20 seconds or longer. Research tells us that tissue will change length in as brief as 5- 8 seconds. It is important to stretch feeling some slight discomfort, but not to exceed to the point of experiencing pain. What I’ve observed is that there is also window of a few seconds where the tissue gets feedback from the brain when it is okay to relax. If you have ever walked into the studio at the start of our Mobility Worx session, you may think you walked into a kindergarten class during nap time. You will witness members lying on the ground performing breathing drills with their eyes closed. What we’re trying to do is stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system to trigger which signals the body to relax and for muscles to lengthen. In our Torch workout, we start with mobility drills and exercises we use as movement prep. The intervals can last 30 seconds with brief rest intervals.
Power is measured in wattage. It’s defined as work output over time. Speed is important. The faster you work, the more power you will produce. This definition made me question the length of time we use for our power drills. Performing a clean with the Ultimate sandbag or a swing with a kettlebell requires you to explode through the hips. You should feel like your about to jump vertically. To maximize the benefit of power with these drills, you need to go all out. It’s a sprint, not a jog. To go back to my music reference from earlier, you need to turn your volume up with these exercises.
I have chosen to make the intervals brief and shorter in duration when we perform power drills. You should also walk away feeling like you have a little something left once you’re done with these drills.
Next up are strengthening exercises. This is where we spend the bulk of our time during our training sessions. This is where lunges, squats, and rows live. To get stronger, we recommend using loads that you can properly handle for 6-10 reps. If reps start to creep into the 12-15 repetition range, that’s a sign you need to move up in load. As I like to say, “You’ve earned the right to move up.” This is also where we get into our high intensity interval training (HIIT) protocol. It’s commonplace to have our members perform 4-6 exercises using a 30 second work to 15 second rest interval. This is where the magic happens.
Depending on where we are in our monthly training cycle, we typically finish with some form of metabolic conditioning. These are drills that require a low level of skill (pushing a sled across the turf, pedaling on the Assault bike, forcefully creating a wave using the battling ropes, etc.) and a high level of work output. Speed is involved, like power training, but now we add endurance to the mix. The key is to select exercises where risk is minimal. This is where I always knock other coaches for using box jumps as an option in metabolic conditioning. If you get gassed, where you are fatigued and cannot continue pushing the sled, you simply stop. You get fatigued trying to jump on a 2-foot box and you end up in the Emergency room getting stiches in your shins. You’ll experience a little lung burn during our metabolic conditioning phase, but I promise you will not see blood.
I’ll see you at the studio.