Summer Cycle 2 Preview
Our next cycle kicks off this Monday, August 10th, and we're going to keep building raw strength, aerobic engine, and mental toughness.
Our workouts will ask a lot from you... heavy volume, strict pacing, and the mental grit to push past your comfort zone when the fatigue sets in. But that’s exactly why you walk through our doors every day, right? Whether you’re gearing up for a future competition / race or locking in your percentages on the Back Squat, remember why we show up, hold each other accountable, and put in the work.
Cycle Breakdown
Here’s what’s coming to class and what we’re testing at the end of this cycle:
1. Strength Focus: Back Squat
• The Goal: Raw strength, volume endurance, and recoverability.
• The Strategy: This cycle features a modified, condensed version of the legendary Smolov Jr. squat program... famous for its demanding volume and aggressive percentages. We’ve stretched the traditional four-day-a-week protocol across two weeks to keep it sustainable while still delivering big gains.
The Back Squat test we have planned for the cycle will challenge your overall strength as well as your ability to recover between sets. There's also a strategic element that rewards those who know themselves well and can pace appropriately.
2. Monostructural Engine: Run / Row Test
• The Goal: Aerobic capacity, pacing, and strategic output.
• The Strategy: Every Tuesday will be a dedicated aerobic capacity day to build your engine and balance out the high squat volume.
Using Tuesdays as a dedicated engine/aerobic day also helps offset some of the squat volume elsewhere in the cycle. Each Tuesday will alternate between a straight Run/Row day and multi-modality engine sessions featuring the Echo Bike, sandbags, and box jumps.
3. Olympic Lifting: Snatch Battery & Explosiveness
• The Goal: Technique, speed, and barbell cycling capacity.
• The Strategy: We are focusing exclusively on the Snatch this cycle. Progressions will alternate every week between precision EMOM work and high-intensity partner snatch battery/cycling sets.
• The Test: 3-Position Power Snatch and 3-Position Full Snatch.
4. Hero / Benchmark Test: "Kalsu"
• The Goal: Unmatched mental fortitude and pacing under heavy fatigue.
• The Test: We’re capping off test week with one of the most physically demanding Hero WODs in the CrossFit archives: Kalsu (Thrusters + Burpees).
The goal here is to test your pacing and your mental toughness when the legs get heavy.
Show up, stick to the percentages, and let's get to work.

