How To Correctly Perform Strength & Conditioning In The Same Session

I see people post all the time about how they got a 'great workout' because they performed strength work followed by a 'metcon.'

Sure, it probably felt like a great workout, no argument there.

But is this the most efficient way to train? 

Yes and no.

First off, we need some context. Here's an example of what you may see at a CrossFit box:

Strength:
Back Squat: Wendler 5-3-1
Metcon:
AMRAP 20:
5 Power Cleans
10 Wall Balls
15 Toes-2-Bar

Of course, this would certainly feel like a heckofalotta work in a short period of time because it is.

But the question we need to really ask is whether or not these two separate modalities align.

The short answer is, no they do not. 

The first modality involves anaerobic metabolism with sets lasting anywhere between 3-10 seconds, stressing the phosphagen system, which is our highest power & highest fatiguability energy system.

The second modality involves aerobic metabolism with a duration of 20 minutes and assuming someone is working at a relatively consistent pace, there is likely only about 15 minutes of steady-state work which doesn't change much. This conditioning work involves the oxidative system which is our lowest power output & lowest fatiguability energy system.

Will people make progress from this style of training? Sure. 

Is there a better way? Yes. 

Strength & Conditioning Guidelines

We all want to make progress and we all want to get there in the best way possible so here's what I purpose:

1. Keep Strength Work Strength Work: You don't need to always do something 'metabolic' in every session, but if you must I'm going to give you some guidelines.

2. Keep Conditioning Work Conditioning Work: I know, that probably caught you off guard, lol, but seriously train your conditioning as its own training session not in conjunction with 100 other things.

3. If You Decide To Combine The Two: If you must combine strength & conditioning, perform more anaerobically demanding in conjunction with your strength work and keep your aerobic work as its own session on another day. 

How To Move Forward

I'm going to provide two weeks of examples - one week with just straight strength & conditioning work performed in a concurrent fashion. Here's an example:

Monday: Squat Emphasis

1. Back Squat Clusters
2. Glute Ham Raises
3. Single Leg
4. Reverse Hyper
5. Anti-extension Abs

Tuesday: Mixed Modality Conditioning Emphasis
4 Rounds of:
20 Cal Bike
20 Russian Swings
20 Landmine Thrusters
Rest 3:00

Wednesday: Upper Pull Emphasis

1. Pull-up Cluster Sets
2. Close Grip Pin Press
3. Horizontal Rows
4. Facepulls
5. Anti-rotation Abs

Thursday: Aerobic Conditioning
4 Rounds of:
25 Cal Bike
25 Cal Row
25 Cal Ski Erg

Friday: Dynamic Effort Lower - Hinge Emphasis
1. Speed Pull Deadlifts
2. Goblet Squats
3. SL RDLS
4. Back Raises
5. Anti-lateral Flexion Abs

Saturday: Dynamic effort upper - press emphasis
1. Speed Bench Press
2. JM Press
3. Horizontal Row Variation
4. Direct Biceps
5. Upper Band Work

And second, I'm going to provide strength & conditioning within the same-day options. We are going to call these 'finishers' because the word makes people think they are doing more and doing more is what everyone thinks they need. So..it's okay to trick people from time to time. Here's what you need to know about finishers:

Why?

• Finishers should be short (10 minutes or less) and rely on more anaerobic systems.
• Finishers can be used to facilitate metabolic stress (aka. Pump work)
• Finishers are a fun way of keeping the training interesting, adding a metabolic component to a session, and can bring value in terms of anaerobic development

Programming Considerations:

• Choose anywhere from 1-3 movements. This can be a combination of global & cyclical ie. sledpush sprint + thruster
• Utilize task and time-domain ie. 4 rounds vs. AMRAP
• Rest intervals aren’t always necessary but should be considered for finishers that last longer than 4:00 to keep the intensity high.

Finishers should be utilized at the end of a HIGH CNS strength day, but make sure the movements align ie. If your strength work has a high volume of hip-dominant movements you’ll be best served to keep your finisher work more knee-dominant.

Using that same programming example from above, here are TWO options using that programming with strength & conditioning being performed in 2 out of the 4 strength sessions.

Option #1
Monday: Squat Emphasis

1. Back Squat Clusters
2. Glute Ham Raises
3. Single Leg
4a. Sledpush Sprint x 60 yards
4b. Loaded Carry x 60 yards
*5-6 rounds. 2:00 - 3:00 rest between rounds

Tuesday: Mixed Modality Conditioning Emphasis
4 Rounds of:
20 Cal Bike
20 Russian Swings
20 Landmine Thrusters
Rest 3:00

Wednesday: Upper Pull Emphasis

1. Pull-up Cluster Sets
2. Close Grip Pin Press
3. Horizontal Rows
4. Facepulls
5. Sledpull + OH Carry Finisher: AMRAP 8 x max distance. Rest as needed.

Thursday: Aerobic Conditioning
4 Rounds of:
25 Cal Bike
25 Cal Row
25 Cal Ski Erg

Friday: Dynamic Effort Lower - Hinge Emphasis
1. Speed Pull Deadlifts
2. Goblet Squats
3. SL RDLS
4. Back Raises
5. Anti-lateral Flexion Abs

Saturday: Dynamic effort upper - press emphasis
1. Speed Bench Press
2. JM Press
3. Horizontal Row Variation
4. Direct Biceps
5. Upper Band Work

Option #2
Monday: Squat Emphasis

1. Back Squat Clusters
2. Glute Ham Raises
3. Single Leg
4. Sled Sprints: 8 x 10s Max Effort. Rest 2:00
5. Anti-extension Abs

Tuesday: Mixed Modality Conditioning Emphasis
4 Rounds of:
20 Cal Bike
20 Russian Swings
20 Landmine Thrusters
Rest 3:00

Wednesday: Upper Pull Emphasis

1. Pull-up Cluster Sets
2. Close Grip Pin Press
3. Horizontal Rows
4. Facepulls
Finisher:
EMOM as long as possible:
10 Push-ups
10 Inverted Rows
20 Double Unders

Thursday: Aerobic Conditioning
4 Rounds of:
25 Cal Bike
25 Cal Row
25 Cal Ski Erg

Friday: Dynamic Effort Lower - Hinge Emphasis
1. Speed Pull Deadlifts
2. Goblet Squats
3. SL RDLS
4. Back Raises
5. Anti-lateral Flexion Abs

Saturday: Dynamic effort upper - press emphasis
1. Speed Bench Press
2. JM Press
3. Horizontal Row Variation
4. Direct Biceps
5. Upper Band Work

Closing

You're probably wondering if you could use 'finishers' more than two days a week and the short answer is yes, you could, but it's important to remember that improving strength is going to carry over to all aspects of fitness and just because someone isn't breathing heavily doesn't mean that they didn't get a great workout.  

Anecdotally myself and my clients have gotten the best results from utilizing two finishers per week. This gives people enough change of pace without compromising the effects of your programming. And, there are plenty of days when people simply don't want to push their heart rate up.