Announcing Our 2023 Base Week Programming!

It’s a new year and you know what that means: A new set of Base Week workouts!!


What is Base Week?

It is a series of benchmark workouts that are programmed over the course of one week. These workouts are meant as "tests" and they will be repeated 4 times throughout the year. It is called Base Week because you are (re)identifying your baseline on a regular basis.


The tests range in time duration from ultra short (e.g. Clean and Jerk 1-rep max) to long (e.g. a 20+-min circuit). They range in intensity and in load. They are meant to measure all facets of your fitness: Power, strength, speed, muscular endurance, stamina, cardiovascular conditioning, gymnastic ability, unilateral/bilateral strength balances, movement skill and general work capacity.


Why do this?

A large part of the fitness equation is measurement. We combine consistency and hard work with logging and tracking so we can identify where progress is being made, and where it isn't. The simple action of entering your score in SugarWOD after the workout is less about finding your place on the leaderboard and more about finding your place in your own fitness improvement journey. It is key to how far your fitness will go in the next 3 months.

Throughout a given year, we keep the makeup of Base Week the same in order to determine, as a gym and as individuals, how and where we are making progress. We use the results to enhance our gym programming and address any area of our training that could use a little more TLC.

Year over year, we revisit some of the workouts and possibly swap them in/out for other tests that we deem more informative and a better representation of the kind of fitness we want in our athletes.


What’s new this year?

Not much actually! Most of the workouts proved to be effective and popular tests of fitness. With that said, the coaching staff has decided to tweak and modify a few things to create a better overall workout experience:


- “South Arlingtonian” retires, and “Second Wind” takes its place as the cardiovascular fitness test in Base Week. The new movements are less prone to muscle failure and do a better job of keeping the emphasis on pure sustained cardio vascular capacity.

- “Lactate Intolerant” makes way for “Four-of-a-kind.” Last year, athletes did a 2-round assault bike test that asked you to go as hard as possible for 30 seconds, before resting for 2:30 minutes. That was a good test, but we want to see our athletes sustain their power output a little bit longer. The new “Four-of-a-kind” test is the same exact workout, but with four rounds instead of two. *Cue groan sounds everywhere*

- “Gut Check” evolves into “Tilt Gone Bad.” Same format, same pain cave feeling, just better logistics and new+fun kettelbell movements. Yes, “fun” is the feeling we expect you to have in the middle of the third round, when you can’t feel your legs and you deeply regret having that heavy ramen bowl prior to the workout.

- There’s a couple of other small tweaks like the Overhead Squat test going from 7 reps to 5 reps, and Saturday’s workout simply reverting back to regular Saturday programming (i.e. no special base week workouts on Saturday). But the above are the main changes.


Without further ado, here are the workouts for the 2023 Base Week:


MONDAY

[BUILD]

“Brazen Total”
Front Squat 1RM
Push Press 1RM
Deadlift 1RM


Focus for the day: Peak functional strength 


TUESDAY

[BUILD]

Max Rep Pull Ups Test
[SUSTAIN]
“Second Wind”
AMRAP X 22 Minutes
- 750m Row
- 15 Wall Balls
- 15 V-Ups
- 15 Burpees


Focus for the day: Testing pulling strength and aerobic capacity


WEDNESDAY

[BUILD]

Overhead Squats 5RM

[FLOW]


Focus of the day: Active Recovery and hip plus thoracic spine mobility


THURSDAY

[BUILD]

Clean and Jerk 1RM

[TILT]

“Four-of-a-Kind”
4 rounds: 
- Max Calories on Assault Bike in :30
- Rest 2:30


Focus for the day: Olympic weightlifting and power output


FRIDAY

[PULSE]

“Tilt Gone Bad”
4 Rounds: 
 

• 1 minute KB Swings

• 1 minute Box Jumps 

• 1 minute Single-Arm KB Push Press

• 1 minute Shuttle Runs 

• 1 Minute Rest 

Focus for the day: High intensity conditioning


SATURDAY

Team workout - Not a benchmark test


Focus for the day: Wrap up, recharge and have fun!



When is this happening?

Our first Base Week in 2023 will take place during the calendar week of Monday February 6th! We will be repeating the same programming every 12 weeks, for a total of four (4) times in 2023.


We'll see you at the gym!

 

Your Brazen Fitness Team
Fitness favors the bold