Rhodes Krypteia (No Hill Variant)

Program Description

I recently read Jim’s article “Krypteia Redux: Training for Size, Strength and Athletic Dominance”. Over the years I’ve taken the liberty to adjust the Krypteia Template to suit my needs. Here is one of my variations on Jim’s original template. I will start by saying that if you want to undertake my variations there are “rules” and it will get a little confusing. If you do not have an understanding of Jim’s template and a good grasp on the big picture of training your head will spin. My variations have a lot of “if… then’s….”. For example, if you Squat as the Main or FSL Lift, then you do a Hinge movement in the Circuit. This concept is based on the fact that the body performs 5 basic movements: Squat (movement of knees and hips) Hinge (movement of hips) Upper Push (movement of shoulders and elbows) Upper Pull (movement of shoulder and elbows – opposite) Brace (Planking, for simplicity) Wendler - Rhodes Football This is one area where Jim and I have varying opinions. We have talked about this and he definitely understands where I’m going and generally likes the ideas. But, for him, it’s just too complicated and may take too much mental energy that he doesn’t have time to spend. You may find the same. When in doubt, keep it simple. For me, this has become very simple. I’ll attempt to explain it via the written word. Here goes… The Traditional Template 1 – Main Lift 2 – FSL Lift supersetted with Upper Pull 3- Circuit Lower Upper Push Upper Pull *Note - FSL stands for First Set Last, a term used in 5/3/1 programs. Main Lift – 5/3/1 Progression options or coach’s choice My Main Lifts are: Hang Clean, Squat and Bench. Feel free to substitute the Deadlift or any other Olympic Lift for the Hang Clean. Don’t get too fancy and don’t put something in that you cannot teach well. My off-season weekly set-up is as mentioned above: Monday – Hang Clean Wednesday – Squat Friday – Bench Truthfully, any order is fine. This is what I tend to do. Mainly, we run a brutal hill on Fridays and that’s why we Bench on that day. That’s the “science” behind it. There are teams that I don’t Olympic Lift and we follow Jim’s set-up: Squat/Bench/Deadlift. FSL Lift – 5x3-5 For me, my FSL Lift supplements the next workout’s Main Lift. Monday’s FSL supplements Wednesday’s Main Lift Wednesday’s FSL supplements Friday’s Main Lift Friday’s FSL supplements Monday’s Main Lift. You will see this when I write out a sample week of workouts. I also pair FSL with an Upper Body Pull. I’m a big believer in back strength, probably from my powerlifting days and this is how I get in “extra” work”. Circuit – 3-5 Rounds The Lower portion of the Circuit is generally opposite of the Main or FSL Lift. If we Squat as a Main or FSL movement we will Hinge in the Circuit. If we Deadlift as a Main or FSL movement we will do a Single-leg movement in the Circuit. For some reason I don’t always “count” the Hang Clean when I decide what we’ll do in the circuit.

Program Overview

To Start The Program