With the end of the year upon us — yes, it’s CRAZY that we’re already saying “the end of the year” — we’re heading into a season of travel, time off work, irregular training times, holidays… just pure craziness! This time of year is always tricky when it comes to consistent training, but it’s extremely important because what’s just around the corner from the new year? THE OPEN!
With that being said, we’ll be closing out the year with a shorter back squat cycle that packs a punch — plus a focus on strict gymnastics strength, kipping gymnastics volume (with a twist), barbell cycling, and a mix of shorter, high-intensity metcons as well as longer aerobic conditioning pieces.
The back squat program we’re implementing is one we’ve never used before: the Smolov Squat Program. While we aren’t running it exactly as originally designed, we’ve successfully modified the cycle to fit our timeline and the intensity we’re looking for. The sole focus of this back squat cycle is volume under load.
In previous cycles, we focused on building a stronger 1- or 3-rep max. In this cycle, the focus isn’t necessarily hitting a new rep max — it’s about conditioning your legs to handle high volume under moderate to heavy loads. Much like what we can expect to see in aspects of the 2026 Open tests.
The other side of our strength work will be made up of barbell cycling, strict gymnastics strength, and gymnastics capacity. When I say “barbell cycling,” I don’t mean large sets of heavy clean and jerks — instead, we’ll focus on clean and snatch complexes under fatigue. This means heavier complexes executed across longer windows that transition into moderate loads with higher reps in shorter windows as the cycle progresses.
Our gymnastics focus will shift toward pre-fatigue, or “strength then capacity.” This means we’ll be working to increase both strict gymnastics strength and kipping gymnastics endurance.
Now, let’s talk about our metabolic conditioning. We’re not jumping into full-on Open Prep just yet — that will come after the new year as we get closer to the Open. Since our strength pieces will take up a solid chunk of class time, our back squat and select barbell conditioning days will feature shorter, more intense metcons.
We’re also bringing back the “primer” metcons on heavy back squat days — short workouts executed before the strength piece. On gymnastics and select barbell conditioning days, we’ll focus on longer aerobic capacity pieces. Here, simplicity meets intensity meets duration. Some of these workouts will be so straightforward that you’ll be able to hold scary paces for long periods of time. Expect longer intervals with earned and prescribed rest, long chippers, and extended AMRAPs with built-in “evolutions.”
The shorter, more intense metcons will mostly be barbell-focused (deadlifts, Olympic lifts, thrusters, and other squats from the floor) with strict, aggressive time caps. In these pieces, load selection matters a ton in order to meet the intended stimulus. So — to honor that stimulus and get the desired outcome — ask questions and be honest with yourself.
I’m excited to get this cycle underway, especially since we haven’t programmed anything like this before on the strength side. Let’s get after it, guys!
Much love and God bless.
Coach Jake
