So this session is something I’ve been doing in my garden as I get further along my achilles rehab (now at a stage where light jumps don’t aggravate the bastard thing).
Part One
3 HANG CLEAN: 5 FRONT SQUAT: (30 SEC BREAK) 3 DEPTH JUMP
It’s between 65%-75% of your HANG CLEAN 1RM which you then translate straight into some snappy front squats followed by a set of low height, fast depth jumps.
You’re using a weight that isn’t insubstantial but should still be comfortable for maintaining and actively working on proper mechanics (hinge, pull, jump, catch - essentially).
Going straight into front squats allows for the feeling of solid volume, plus again opportunity to challenge core strength, bar path, stability and glute and quad activity.
The depth jumps just create a nice feeling of elastic transfer without feeling too overloaded (you’ll need to catch your breath in those 30 seconds however). Crucial these aren’t done feeling exhausted otherwise you'll likely not be working at speed.
Part Two
3 (3 SECOND TEMPO) WIDE SPLIT SQUAT: 5 EXP PRESS UP: 3 HIP RESIST HAM WALKOUT
First two exercises in a weighted vest (mine is 15kg but anything you’ve got is good. If you don’t have a vest that’s also fine, this is just to show ways you can use it!)
Last exercise with a bar across your hips (find something to pad it with!). This is super challenging and I actually need to reduce the weight to do this more effectively (weight shown 50kg, I’d need to come down at least 10-20kg to operate at the range I want.)
Wide stance split squat challenging hip extension and ankle range. Count 3 second tempo, maintain tension and really use the slow tempo to get a feel for your body’s movement. Keep hips square and spine neutral, DO NOT allow forward pelvic tilt.
Use these cues to help you maintain hip level and direction: imagine you’ve got two headlights on your hips above each leg and you want to shine them directly forward, plus you’ve got a bucket of water in your hips that you don’t want to spill - keep it level. 3 reps each side. You should feel a stretch in the front of the hip/top of the quad.
Explosive press-up, just follow the video! Try and get maximum extension and clearance from the floor, plus let yourself absorb the landing and re-explode as quickly as possible.
Try the hammy walkout un-weighted to begin with. You want a good few steps out to almost fully extended legs, maintain that tension then walk back up. Crucial element you’ll see me failing with is that I drop my hip level too much, you really need to keep that up.
As with everything, this is by no means gospel, just a really nice template for a deload, return to fitness, taper or technical speed and power gym session. It covers your whole body, encourages sound technique, good movement, has plyometric elements and it gets your blood pumping nicely.
Oh and you can do it in your garden apparently. Thanks current pandemic situation! What’s not to love?