After a lengthy holiday season, it’s time for a new cycle! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be working on movements found in the classic barbell benchmark “DT.” DT is a hero WOD named for Timothy Davis (Aka DT) and is a triplet of deadlifts, hang power cleans, and push jerks. What makes the workout so gruelling is that it’s relentless–each movement transitions into the next, which taxes your grip and builds fatigue, yet also makes you want to minimize dropping the bar as much as possible.
We started the cycle just after Christmas, with a few weeks of lighter weight, higher volume activation work in the deadlift and push jerk. The goal here was just to get back into things, get some practice at a lighter weight with our strength movements, and refine technique before getting heavier. Due to the holidays, we decided not to run a full pre-test of this workout–we thought it might be too rough for those just getting back from a few weeks off, and likely many of you are just now returning from your winter vacations.
Now that we’re officially into 2020, we will be transitioning into heavier weights to build strength in these movements over the next few weeks. Although hang power cleans are not part of our strength cycle, you can expect to see them more frequently in our programming this month. We will be running a test of the workout at the end of the cycle, so you can see how your strength and practice in each movement pays off when a metabolic demand is involved.
In addition to our main lifts for DT, we thought it would be useful to incorporate some upper and lower body stability work into our Tuesday and Thursday skill sessions. Although the movements aren’t directly related to the benchmark, DT requires so much upper and lower body stamina that we believe these paired sets will really help with your endurance and control during the WOD. On Tuesdays, we’ll be pairing pistols with bottoms-up kettlebell presses, and on Thursday, we’ll be working toes to bar and single leg RDLs.
Also, don’t forget your accessory work! We’ll be incorporating core, stability and grip strength into the accessory movements as well. Taking the extra few minutes to complete at least a set or two of the accessory whenever possible will give you the best possible chance for success when we test.
(Blog photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.)
