4 Week March to the Arnold
We are four weeks out, and I couldn’t be happier with any of my team. They are all hitting PRs consistently each week, and the volume is through the roof. The next four weeks my guys will notice that the training sessions will look more and more like a competition. Here are a couple of things that I do to taper for a meet, and I must say that my taper works like magic.
1. First I use the squat to taper. I will drop the volume, but I will keep the intensity, so basically my guys will go heavy, but they won’t so a lot of reps and sets. This will allow their legs to be fresh for the extra Snatch and Clean & Jerk sessions. The cool things is that they will maintain the strength that they have worked for by going heavy.
2. Second I use assistance work to taper. Starting five weeks out, I will strip assistance work each and every week. The team will feel their shoulders, back, knees, and hips feeling like new. They just spent the last 8-10 weeks going through hell on earth, and now is the unveiling. Now we display our “masterpiece”.
3. Third I use recovery work to taper. We will increase the amount of soft tissue sessions, visits with the Chiropractor, and yoga sessions. I will make sure that hydration is maintained along with proper nutrition. I will do some one on one “PNF” sessions with the guys that require a little extra work.
4. The last thing to go is the volume of the lifts, and only the week of the meet will my lifters get a deload of the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. Then it is game on during the meet.
Check out this unbelievable video of our team:
This last month has been crazy at the Mash Compound, but we are excited about the changes. I love being the head coach of my Attitude Nation Mash Mafia Weightlifting Team. Jon is working harder than ever, and for only being back for a few weeks, he is killing it. Our team as a whole is getting better. Rabbit looks like that he is going to rock the 69k class this year, and we have some super recruits coming in after March.
We also have the addition of Coach Will Hall taking over as Head CrossFit Coach. I can’t begin to express how excited we are to have a guy who has been to the CrossFit Games as one of our coaches. Will is a guy who walks the walk and talks the talk. The guy is snatching 300lbs and clean & Jerking 375lbs as a CrossFitter guys! Wow!
I am more excited about Baby Mash than anything else. My wife Drew and I found out last week that we are expecting a child. We have been trying for two years, and we had just quit thinking about it. And then! Boom! Baby Mash is on the way. Look out world! I love my wife more than any man on earth loves their wife, but when I found out she was pregnant, I instantly fell even more in love. I just thank God for all the amazing blessings in my life.
Go to www.MashElite.com to check out our Learn 2 Lift Seminars. We have a lot coming up this year, so sign up for the seminar near you. If you are interested in hosting a Learn 2 Lift, email me at Travis.Mash@MashElite.com.
Also if you are looking for an online coach, go to www.MashElite.com to sign up for programming. Programming now includes ongoing video analysis, weekly feedback, and ongoing coaching.