Spring program catch-up

We are now entering week 4 of our 10 week Spring program. We hope you have been enjoying the workouts. We want to offer a few insights into the rationale behind the programming, as well as provide a brief roadmap for what to expect from the remainder of the program. If you have taken a hiatus from the gym, or haven’t been attending class as regularly as you’d like, hopefully this message will inspire you to come check out the workouts.

Our spring program is a muscle group split based upon the principles of progressive overload. By dividing our week into two lower body workouts (M/Th, T/F the following week) and two upper body workouts (T/F, M/Th the following week), we are able optimize results by maximizing recovery between workouts, allowing you to train at a high intensity each time you come tor the gym (RPE!!!). 

On lower body days, we alternate between 'push' and 'pull' muscle groups. One day is dedicated to our lower ‘push’ muscles (quadriceps, adductors being the focus), with the other to our ‘pull’ muscles (hamstring, glues, abductors). We follow the same principles with our upper body split, with one day focusing on our upper ‘push’ muscles (think chest, delts, triceps) while the other is dedicated to our ‘pull’ muscles (back, biceps, rear delts).

The remaining 3 days (Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday) are strategically placed within the week to allow a muscle group to be trained 2x a week, without compromising our recovery or over-burdening our central nervous system. As such, Wednesday is a full body metabolic conditioning workout focusing on core strength, conditioning, and carefully placed accessory exercises designed to fill in any potential gaps in our training. Saturday with Coach Brandon is a full body make-up day where individuals may select any one of the compound lifts they missed during the week. For those who attended all classes during the week, they may select a muscle group that may be lagging behind and give it a little extra love. Sunday is also a full body workout, serving as a bridge between the weeks, offering more ‘catch-up’ sets for anything you may have missed, at a reduced load and intensity level so you’re fresh for the coming week. Coach Aubrey usually has some arm and glute work in the Sunday workouts, you know, the fun stuff.

As many of you know, we are obsessed with kettlebells here at Valhalla. However you may have noticed that our New Year’s program was conspicuously light on bell work. With such a large number of new faces, this was entirely by design. Now that we are into our second program of 2024, it is time to begin incorporating and focusing on more advanced kettlebell movements. The get-up, clean, snatch, and windmill are all focal points of our spring program and will be taught with the depth and expertise that you could expect to receive in a $1000+ kettlebell course. (For the benefit of those who are newer to Valhalla, we have one of the only two StrongFirst Level II certified kettlebell instructors in the entire state at our gym - receiving instructor status from StrongFirst entails rigorous testing at the highest standard of proficiency in basic and advanced kettlebell techniques. We also have 2 of the 3 Level I certified instructors in CT!) By the end of this program, we can guarantee you that everyone will be able to perform these movements with both confidence and precision.

Last thing we wanted to mention was the program ‘roadmap’.

Weeks 1&2: 5x5 or 5x8, increasing the weight with every ‘successful set’

Weeks 3&4: 5x5 or 5x8, 5 reps at an RPE of 7-9, and then trying to hit that weight for 4 sets. This week also implements top-sets and back-off sets

Week 5: heavy week. if you have been doing 5x5 you will now do 5x3, and for those doing 5x8, you will now do a 5x5

Weeks 6&7: repeat weeks 1&2

Weeks 8&9: repeat weeks 3&4

Week 10: repeat week 5

Our spring program is rooted in balance, progression, and thoughtful recovery. Whether you're a regular or contemplating making a comeback, we are here to guide you through this program with intention and purpose.

At Valhalla Fitness, we strive to do things differently. Through carefully planned programming and with our personalized and experienced coaching, we believe everyone who steps foot into our gym is capable of training at a high level. Our programs are designed to maximize your progress, using the same principles and techniques that our coaches implement in their own training, regardless of your level of experience. 

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