Training Session Breakdown
Here’s a general breakdown of a training session at GAIN by categorizing the movements by intent. Strength training is the main event, with some accessory work, direct core training and usually conditioning. Of course, this is a generalization. Each individual member has a training plan designed for them and their abilities.
These categories provide the framework to build out a training session and eventually a long-term program.
Warm Up.
The goal here is to prepare your body to train. There’s a balancing act to play with warming up. We want you to get your body temperature up, restore some positions, and work on timing, balance and coordination. The key here is to do just enough. If you’ve been around for a while you remember the days of us foam rolling to start the warm up. One of the reasons we got rid of that is because it requires laying on the floor, which is the opposite of getting your body moving and warmed up!
A. The main event.
The exercises at the start of the workout are typically when we’re focused on building strength. Movements stay consistent, i.e., goblet squats and deadlifts, but rep ranges, volume and intensity undulate to allow for maximum long term adaptation. Keeping your body healthy and ready for action outside of the gym, rather than just beating you up. Over the course of a month, several months or years, we want to see steady progress in loading on these “A” movements.
B. Accessory work.
These moves pay to do regardless of weight and intensity. While we track progress on the main strength piece, accessory work is more about consistently exposing your body good movement and getting some reps in.
It’s helpful to think of loading here in 3 levels.
Bodyweight. Not feeling intense exercise? Push ups, ring rows, lunges and split squats are all beneficial even without the extra load. This keeps your training going even when the circumstances aren’t perfect.
Standard load. Your usual weight for split squats, one arm rows and db floor presses. This is a comfortable load you can do any day of the week for 8-12 reps.
Push it. When the movement is crisp or if you’re feeling confident, go heavier-than-normal. Touch this weight every 4-8 weeks.
C. Core.
Less is more. The more you can slow down and concentrate on trunk specific work, the better pay off. Your stability will thank you, and you won’t continue reinforcing bad bracing mechanics.
D. Conditioning.
Get sweaty. Create distance or calorie targets for the time duration. Occasional tests, i.e., 5 minutes for max distance or 20 minutes for average watts, measure progress and build pacing context for future training sessions.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain