Breakdown (transcription):

This program will focus on four key elements to upgrade your fitness and improve your longevity. These elements are: Mobility, Flexibility, Balance, and Strength, but we’re not just giving you the textbook basics for these categories. As dancers and fitness professionals, we’ve spent years learning how to go from basic to advanced techniques in both classroom settings and on our own, and we’ve found that fitness is far more impactful to athletes because they can see immediate improvements in their game. That’s why we’ll be guiding you through a combination of functional exercises as well as dance, flow, and martial arts techniques.

With our mix of multidisciplinary learning, we hope that you’ll be able to become more purposeful of your mobility & health, retain a greater amount of foundational fitness knowledge, and get to learn some cool moves along the way. 

With all that being said, let’s jump in!

Finding your training cycle

At its full scale (macrocycle), this program does not have a set time for completion. If you’re a pro and just eat through this in 8 weeks, props to you, but most clients tend to repeat many of the later levels to really absorb the new information. You can also mix & match exercises from different levels to make your own after you’ve finished, which is what Sam does for his own training through this program and the others. Essentially, don’t aim to complete this in a set number of weeks, but if you’d like to give yourself a timeline of 3-6 months, you will most definitely reach your goal.

At the weekly scale (microcycle), there is much more structure. For the first 3 levels, there are 2 different workouts to complete weekly, so it’s recommended that you have at least 2 gym days per week, eventually moving up to at least 3. There are several options for how to schedule the workouts in this program into your weekly agenda, we’ll break it down by who you are.

1) “I’m just starting off"

Great! Welcome to the foundation of your lifelong fitness journey! As this program is progressive in nature, it’s perfectly fine to change up your routine to match your life. Starting off at your chosen training location, have at least an hour to dedicate to working through the sections of each level. This will put you at 2-3 hours of exercise per week, which is more than 75% of Americans, according to the CDC. As with any new addition to your life, there will be an adjustment period, but if you can make it past 30 days with consistent work, you can conquer the rest easily!

2) "I'm getting back into it"

Welcome back! Shoring up your base with stability and mobility training is a fantastic way to ensure that you don’t encounter any of the many pitfalls of a returning athlete. Easing back into physical training is crucial so that you don’t injure yourself before returning to top condition. Use the first 3 levels as this easing in period, adding whatever reasonable amount of extra resistance/cardio/stretching to gauge your progress. Once you feel ready, you can jump back into the deep end and schedule your training days however you prefer.

3) “I’m adding to my regimen”

Hell yeah, the more knowledge the better! Incorporating PT exercises into your routine is something every athlete should do; from casual to professional, everyone stands to gain. For those of you who already have a high level of exercise savvy, we recommend completing the first couple levels separately from your own routine (even if you wanna just do them before your own workouts) just so that you can establish a baseline from which to grow. If you have your own sports-specific exercises that you prefer over some of the ones in this program, feel free to move things around. Just make sure you’ve completed everything at least twice before making your decisions.

Scheduling workouts

There are many different ways to create a weekly microcycle for yourself, we’ll start off with the most simple and gradually move up in complexity. You’re also free to create your own, these are just helpful examples if you find yourself stuck.

Basic:

This one is a good starter cycle because it doesn’t take too much time out of your week, leaves your weekends free, and separates the workouts with rest periods. Knocking out your workout before school/work also gives you a nice energy & endorphin boost so you can carpe that diem!

Stacked:

Stacking or doubling up your workout days is what most consistent gym-goers do once they’re training consistently. Hitting upper & lower body twice each, and then maybe a day of active recovery with 2-3 rest days is the gold standard beyond the casual level. You can still have time for the fun stuff in life, but you’ll need to be stricter on discipline.

Warpath:

Now this is where you find yourself one exercise becomes your fun leisure activity… or you’re an advanced athlete. This microcycle is an example of how one might tack onto their own workout regimen, hitting the Upper & Lower workouts from this program before or within their preferred exercises. Minimum 2 rest days is recommended, but most people ignore that once they’ve developed the hunger.