Simply Complex

Formats: Web, Text, Excel  |   $29

Duration: 12 Weeks
Volume: Moderate
Intensity: Moderate
Includes Complete Accessory Work? Yes
Peak for Comp / Snatch & CJ Testing? Yes
Tags: Complexes, App, Leg Strength, Pulling Strength

This cycle peaks for competition or testing snatch and clean & jerk at the end of week 12.

The first 8 weeks use complexes in lift variations, pulls and squats to build strength and technique to support bigger competition lifts. The final 4 weeks is focused on preparing for maximal snatch and clean & jerk and relies on the competition lifts and power variation singles.

See the 3-day/week version on TrainHeroic here
 
Volume: Moderate
Intensity: Moderate
 
Good For:

• Competition prep
• Strengthening pulling and squatting posture

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Hang On Legs

Formats: Web, Text, Excel  |   $29

Duration: 12 Weeks
Volume: Low-Moderate
Intensity: Moderate
Includes Complete Accessory Work? Yes
Peak for Comp / Snatch & CJ Testing? Yes
Tags: Leg Strength, App, Postural Strength

This 12-week cycle will push leg strength with a range of squatting reps, and emphasize hang variations of the snatch and clean for building postural strength and better power. It will peak week 12 for max snatch and clean & jerk.

See the 3 day/week version on TrainHeroic here

Notes: Increase bold weight or reps if you feel good

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Backs, Complax & Max

Formats: Web, Text, Excel  |   $29

Duration: 9 Weeks
Volume: Moderate
Intensity: High-Variable
Includes Complete Accessory Work? Yes
Peak for Comp / Snatch & CJ Testing? Yes
Tags: Complexes, Pulling Strength, Postural Strength, RM, App

9 weeks of snatch and clean & jerk complexes leading into a peak for max snatch and clean & jerk, with a focus on strengthening the back and the pull.

Nice and simple cycle with moderate volume and high (although flexible) intensity, and all accessory work prescribed to work on stability.

Notes: %s following an RM are of that day's RM, not your lifetime best.

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All Legs All Day

Formats: Web, Text, Excel  |   $29

Duration: 12 Weeks
Volume: Moderate
Intensity: High
Includes Complete Accessory Work? Yes
Peak for Comp / Snatch & CJ Testing? Yes
Tags: Leg Strength, App, RM

This is a cycle emphasizing leg strength, but not neglecting pulling strength or snatch and clean & jerk performance. You'll be squatting every day, but the volume will be relatively low.
 
Notes: For squats, you will work to a heavy single each day while avoiding misses and tough grinds. Challenge yourself but try to keep reps smooth. After the single, some days you'll have back-off sets. For those without prescribed weights, take the prescribed number of sets to work back as heavy as you can for the prescribed reps - push hard but avoid failed reps.

"Back squat up to 380 from 315, and front squat PR of 320 up from 300." - Travis S.

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Strength & Speed

Formats: Web, Text, Excel  |   $29

Duration: 8 Weeks
Volume: Moderate-High
Intensity: High-Variable
Includes Complete Accessory Work? Yes
Peak for Comp / Snatch & CJ Testing? Yes
Tags: Complexes, Leg Strength, Pulling Strength, Speed, On The Minute, App, Blocks

This is an 8-week cycle that will peak for competition or max snatch and clean & jerk testing. It uses heavy complexes, pulls and squats in the first phase mixed with light speed work, and the second phases uses heavy single competition lifts with speed work and on the minute lifts. Includes all accessory work.

Notes: Use maximal concentric speed on all squats and pulls, especially on the light weights

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Trim the Fat

Formats: Web, Text, Excel  |   $29

Duration: 8 Weeks
Volume: Low-Moderate
Intensity: Moderate
Includes Complete Accessory Work? Yes
Peak for Comp / Snatch & CJ Testing? Yes
Tags: Crossfit, Complexes, App

This is a relatively low-volume but focused training cycle. It will allow for some modification and additions based on your training needs primarily on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Good For:

• Lifters who need relatively low volume
• Lifters who want to combine this program with additional training like CrossFit

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8-Week Rough

Formats: Web, Text, Excel  |   $25

Duration: 8 Weeks
Volume: Moderate
Intensity: High
Includes Complete Accessory Work? Yes
Peak for Comp / Snatch & CJ Testing? Yes
Tags: Technique, RM, App

This is an 8-week cycle that uses a lot of heavy singles and singles waves in the snatch and clean & jerk, and relies primarily on the competition lifts, power and hang variations, and squats. It includes technique primers each day, prescribed ab and back work, and will peak for competition or max snatch and clean & jerk testing at the end of week 8.

Good For:

• Competition lift improvement
• Competition preparation
• A first time trying more frequent heavy single lifting

Notes: For heavy single snatch and clean & jerk, give yourself a max of 3 misses before stopping, and never finish on a miss - drop the weight and take a last single to finish on a make.

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8-Week General Cycle

Formats: Web, Text, Excel  |   $25

Duration: 8 Weeks
Volume: Moderate-High
Intensity: Moderate
Includes Complete Accessory Work? Yes
Peak for Comp / Snatch & CJ Testing? Yes
Tags: App, Crossfit

This is an 8-week cycle using 3-position snatches and cleans, power snatches and power cleans, and plenty of pulls, squats and classic snatch and clean & jerk.

See 3-day version of this program here.

"Snatch went from 100kg to 110kg, squat went from 160kg to 180kg. Have not retested my front squat yet but my old 1rm was 145kg and this week I hit 150kg for a double. My deadlift also went from 192.5kg to 205kg. Over all I have had some great strength gains, and my technique and stability, in c&j and snatch has improved tenfold."

"I'm finishing up week 7/8 and I have hit some amazing PRs already. My previous 1rm c&j was 275#. I just hit 285# on Wednesday for a 2+1."

"Did this program and went from an ugly 175 lbs snatch to a solid 200 lbs, and from a shaky 245 C&J to a crisp, almost easy 265 lbs. Fantastic content on this site! Thanks!" - Jason M.

"Snatch went up 30lbs, C&J went up 30lbs, Back Squat went up 40lbs, and Front Squat went up 50lbs." - Matthew M.

"My snatch went from 85 to 90 and the CJ from 105 to 115kg easily. My back SQ from 145kg to 150." - Jorge E.

"My back squat went from 85 kg to 95 kg( tested 2 days ago) frontsquat from approximately 73 to 80 kg. My clean went from 54 to 65 kg, powerclean from 64 to 68 kg. Jerk from 65 to 70 kg. Clean & jerk total from 57kg to 68 kg. Snatch went from 45 to 51 kg. Ohs from 58 to 69 kg." - Filippa A.

"This was my first Catalyst program and I am 100% sold. I have done other programs in the past and nothing has come close." - Brian C.

"Back squat from 145 to 157,5, clean 125 to 130, overhead squat 107,5 to 115. power clean 115 to 117,5. did not tested my Snatch but i did a power snatch with 90 (old power snatch was 85)." - Anil A.

"Went from 70kg Snatch to 85kg; 95kg C&J to 113kg; 160kg Back Squat to 165kg; 130kg Front Squat to 145kg." - Alex S.


Good For:

• CrossFitters or other athletes who want to emphasize strength and weightlifting temporarily while not losing a lot of conditioning
• Beginning to intermediate lifters

Notes:

• Some days have conditioning work - this is optional and only for those who want to maintain conditioning for activities/sports other than weightlifting during the cycle
• If you're a newer lifter, your 1RMs are likely not accurate, and you may have to adjust the prescribed weights up if they feel too easy

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5-Week Front Squat Emphasis Cycle

Formats: Web, Text, Excel  |   $25

Duration: 5 Weeks
Volume: Moderate
Intensity: Moderate
Includes Complete Accessory Work? No
Peak for Comp / Snatch & CJ Testing? No
Tags: Squat Program, Leg Strength, Pulling Strength, App

This is a preparatory cycle that emphasizes front squat strength and tests for a max front squat on the last Saturday.

"Front squat went from 305lbs to 350lbs! Clean went from a lucky (3rd attempt) 275 to solid (1st attempt) 285 and Snatch from 185 to 210! I also went from never jerking to a 247lb Jerk."

"My front squat went up from an iffy 300 lbs with questionable depth to a smooth, deep 325 lbs. My Snatch made a similar improvement of 20 lbs, and my clean and jerk improved by 20 lbs. I feel much more explosive, my box jump has improved by 3 inches and my speed under the bar has increased dramatically."

"97kg to 120kg front squat! Thanks CA."

"FS went from 138 to 147. Snatch from 105 to 107. Clean from 129 to 134. And jerk from 127 to 129 Kg."

"Front squat went from 305lbs to 350lbs! Clean went from a lucky (3rd attempt) 275 to solid (1st attempt) 285 and Snatch from 185 to 210!"

"Improved my Front Squat from 137.5 to 145kg (+7.5kg), while dropping almost 7kg of fat and hitting 100% of my 1RMs on Snatch and C&J in the process." Kamil O.

"Front squat went  from 115kg to 125kg, snatch 88kg to 90kg, C&J 106kg to 110kg (was able to power clean it in a competition...)." Jaques B.

"Front squat max went from 255# to 285#. Snatch from 160# to 185# and C&J from 215# to 235#." - Ryan S.

"Put 25lbs on my FS in the 5 weeks! My snatch went up 23lbs, and my clean & jerk went up 30lbs on this program." - Sam C.

"FS up from 245lbs to 275lbs. Clean and Jerk up 10lbs to 250lbs and Snatch from a lucky 200lbs to a pretty consistent 205lbs." Garret F.

"Previous PB front squat was 140kg double. Post cycle 1RM front squat 155kg. Achieved a 10kg improvement in my back squat." - Mark S.

"This program restored my previous numbers (plus a kilo on FS) after dropping a weight class and losing strength, and gave me my first 300# front squat!"

"My snatch went from a lucky 240 to a solid 250 (I hit it two weeks in a row and just barely missed 260); a 300 clean and jerk to a 320 clean and jerk; my back squat went from 380 to 405; and my most dramatic increase was my front squat. At te beginning of the cycle it was at 320 I prd once at 335 3 weeks into the cycle, then today I hit a solid 380! 45 pound PR in two weeks and 60 pound in 5. Thanks a lot for the programming."

Volume: Moderate
Intensity: Moderate

Good For:

• Leg strength (especially front squat specifically)

Notes:

• This program is intended to improve and test the squat. It does NOT finish with a snatch and clean & jerk peak, although you will still get plenty of snatch and CJ work and many people do improve significantly in these lifts as well as the squat.

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