How To Progress Conditioning Workouts:Part 2

How To Progress Conditioning Workouts: Part 2

By Sarah Rippel

Author of “Home Program Design Mastery,” “The Ultimate Group Training System,” “Build ‘N Burn 2.0,” & “Build ‘N Burn”

NOTE: If you missed Part 1 of this series, please go back and check it out!

In addition, I did an Instagram Live covering Part 1! If you have 7-ish minutes to spare, please check it out: https://youtu.be/NXCMNS0unuE

In Part 1, I mapped out three ways in which progression can be implemented with conditioning workouts: adding a round each week, increasing the reps each week, & increasing the intensity & rounds each week.

In this article I will cover 4 more ways to progress conditioning workouts across a three-week span using the circuit from Part 1!

TWEAK THE INTERVAL LENGTH EACH WEEK

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

20/40 Interval

x 3-5 Rounds:
1) Rope Single-Strand Slam
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull
3) Sled Push
4) Farmer Carry
5) Row (increase pace each round)

30/30 Interval

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull
3) Sled Push
4) Farmer Carry
5) Row (increase pace each round)

40/20 Interval

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull
3) Sled Push
4) Farmer Carry
5) Row (increase pace each round)

In this progression, everything is kept the same, but the interval format changes each week. We have a shorter work interval with a rest interval twice the work interval length in Week 1. In Week 2, we have an equal work to rest ratio with the 30/30 interval. In Week 3, we increase the work interval to 40 seconds and decrease the rest interval to 20 seconds.

Here is another example:

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

20/20 Interval

x 3-5 Rounds:
1) Rope Single-Strand Slam
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull
3) Sled Push
4) Farmer Carry
5) Row (increase pace each round)

30/20 Interval

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull
3) Sled Push
4) Farmer Carry
5) Row (increase pace each round)

40/20 Interval

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull
3) Sled Push
4) Farmer Carry
5) Row (increase pace each round)

In this progression, everything is kept the same, but the interval format changes each week. This is similar to the first example, but here we keep the rest interval constant at 20 seconds while increasing the work interval across the three weeks.

TWEAK THE AMOUNT OF REST BETWEEN EXERCISES/ROUNDS

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

x 3-5 Rounds:
1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10yds
3) Sled Push x 10yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

*Rest 20sec between exercises

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10yds
3) Sled Push x 10yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

*Rest 15sec between exercises

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10yds
3) Sled Push x 10yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

*Rest 10sec between exercises

In this progression, everything is kept the same, but the prescribed amount of rest between exercises decreases with each week. It is important to note that the rest interval is also included between rounds!

Here is another example:

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

x 3-5 Rounds:
1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10yds
3) Sled Push x 10yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

6) REST 40sec

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10yds
3) Sled Push x 10yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

6) REST 30sec

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10yds
3) Sled Push x 10yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

6) REST 20sec

In this progression, everything is kept the same, but the prescribed amount of rest between rounds decreases with each week. There is no set amount of rest prescribed between exercises, but it is recommended that the intensity goal should be working at a sustainable pace. Man, I sound like a broken record with that “sustainable pace” thing! ?

Here is yet another example:

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

x 3-5 Rounds:
1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10yds
3) Sled Push x 10yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

*Rest 20sec between exercises & 40sec between rounds

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10yds
3) Sled Push x 10yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

*Rest 15sec between exercises & 30sec between rounds

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10yds
3) Sled Push x 10yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

*Rest 10sec between exercises & 20sec between rounds

In this progression, everything is kept the same, but the prescribed amount of rest between rounds decreases with each week along with the amount of rest between rounds.

TWEAK THE “EVERY X MINUTES/SECONDS” FORMAT EACH WEEK

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

Every 5:30 x 3 Rounds:
1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20-30
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10-20yds
3) Sled Push x 10-20yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20-40yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

Every 5:00 x Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20-30
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10-20yds
3) Sled Push x 10-20yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20-40yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

Every 4:30 x Rounds:

1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20-30
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10-20yds
3) Sled Push x 10-20yds
4) Farmer Carry x 20-40yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

In this progression, everything is kept the same, but the intensity is increased each week by decreasing the “every X minutes” interval. For those who are not familiar with this format, the work begins when the clock starts, and once the work is completed, the remainder of the “every X minutes” interval is used as rest.

In other words, if it took a person 5 minutes to get the work done in Week 1, they would get to rest for a full minute before starting round two. Ideally, they would pace themselves so that they were able to complete the work in 5 minutes again, then rest another minute before knocking out their final round.

Decreasing the “every X minutes/seconds” interval basically means there is more intensity imposed because there will be less time left over to rest!

TWEAK THE EXERCISES IN THE CIRCUIT EACH WEEK

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

x 3-5 Rounds:
1) Rope Single-Strand Slam x 20-30
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10-20yds
3) Sled Push x 10-20yds (heavier than last week)
4) Farmer Carry x 20-40yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Double Slam x 20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10-20yds (heavier than last week)
3) Sled Push x 10-20yds (heavier than last week)
4) KB Double Rack Carry x 20-40yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

x 3-5 Rounds:

1) Rope Grappler x 10-20
2) Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull x 10-20yds (heavier than last week)
3) Sled Push x 10-20yds (heavier than last week)
4) Cross-Body Carry (rack + overhead) x 20-40yds
5) Row x 500m (increase pace each round)

In this progression, the exercise variations themselves are tweaked to increase the intensity each week. We can do this by implementing more challenging variations. How is this done? Through changing loading positions, stances/set-ups, and complexity of the initial exercises, for example. Keep in mind that the loading itself can also be a means of tweaking an exercise!

It is important to note that it may not be necessary nor beneficial to tweak each exercise across a three-week block! You may tweak a few exercises for Week 2, then leave those variations the same in Week 3 while tweaking the others.

Video Links:

Rope Single-Strand Slam (https://youtu.be/kQqYoMw5YsA)

Hand-Over-Hand Sled Pull (https://youtu.be/RKbMtfQJIPo)

Sled Push (https://youtu.be/jwPknsEwKb4)

Farmer Carry (https://youtu.be/yoa4sJ9nL90)

Rowing (https://youtu.be/U8D31wwb4wo)

WRAPPING THINGS UP

Hopefully I have given you some tools you can put to use right away in designing more effective, progressive conditioning workouts!

The six strategies I have outlined in this article series can be used by themselves, or if you’re proficient at programming progression (say that three times fast, lol!), you can combine a few of them within a multi-week block!

Putting thought behind the training prescriptions we design for our clients is what’s up!

Head over to Part 3, where I will outline these strategies using and more workouts!

Thank you for spending some quality time with me here, reading this article! As always, if you have any feedback or questions, or ideas for future articles, hit me up on IG @fitprosarah!

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Check out top level programming by Sarah Rippel :

Home Program Design Mastery plus Done for You programs,templates and more!