2023 PERSIST ROAD MAP
Year of Confidence
No program can deliver instant results – so how can you be confident you’re following the right one for your needs?
Persist maps out training themes for the entire year, so you can:
- Know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it
- See a clear path of progression week over week
- Feel the purpose of each piece of training within a day’s workout, from warmup all the way through the cool-down.
Here’s a preview of 2023.
Big Themes
Each Training Track of PERSIST has a perspective and point of view. Each track represents the Functional Bodybuilding “look good, move well” methodology and then goes further to build confidence in particular areas.
- PERFORM – Confidence in expressing your athleticism, and being able to handle anything in sport or life
- PUMP – Confidence in your strength, muscle tone, and physique
- PILLARS – Confidence to keep moving forward in training, even when you’re short on time
- MINIMALIST – Confidence to stay consistent in any equipment situation
How a Year is Built
4 Meso Cycles (12 week blocks)
- Two back to back 6-week blocks
- Develop specific fitness characteristics with enough time to see meaningful change
- Trying to do everything in a 12 week block will only lead nowhere
- Test your progress with Benchmark workouts at the end
Bridge Week
- A week of workouts to deload and reset before the next Meso Cycle begins
- Knowing when to dial back intensity periodically keeps you in the game for the long run
Micro Cycles
- A week of training in PERSIST
- Each week has to make sense in relation to the previous week and the week ahead
- Within a week of training there has to be a balance from start to finish as well
- We don’t want to overwhelm you with too much of one thing and not enough of another
- We also don’t want each week-to-week progression to feel like too big of a jump or no jump at all
PERFORM
- Develop maximal strength in the foundational lifts while simultaneously improving movement efficiency and technique
- Build joint and movement pattern resilience through strength balance work that leads to great control and command of our bodies
- Develop work capacity across the aerobic spectrum of conditoining through a variety of movements and skills
- Develop confidence to periodically push to maximal efforts
At the beginning of each week in all four tracks, I’ll let you know what to focus on for the training ahead
Perform Meso Cycle:
PERFORM SKILL AND SPEED – 12 Week MESO CYCLE
Progression Note – For the next 12 weeks (2 Cycles of Perform) we will be building you towards a max in the Snatch. The focus of the first 6 weeks is to accumulate lots of high-quality reps at no more than 75-80% of your maximal loads. Quality will remain high throughout and avoid trying to go for maxes.
Week 1
Snatch Complex
2 Hang Power Snatch
2 Hang Snatch
rest 60-90sec x 4 Sets
Week 2
Snatch Complex
1 Hang Power Snatch Below the Knee
1 Power Snatch
2 Hang Snatch
rest 60-90sec x 4 Sets
Week 3
Snatch Complex
1 Slow Pull Power Snatch
1 Power Snatch
2 Hang Snatch Below Knee (2sec hold below the knee)
rest 60-90sec x 5 Sets
Week 4
Snatch Complex
1 Slow Pull Power Snatch
1 Power Snatch
1 Hang Snatch
1 Hang Snatch Below the Knee
rest 60-90sec x 5 Sets
Week 5
Snatch Complex
1 Hang Power Snatch
2 Hang Snatch
1 Snatch rest
60-90sec x 6 Sets
Week 6
Snatch Complex
1 Power Snatch
2 Snatch rest
60-90sec x 6 Sets
Week 7
Starting from an Empty Barbell, take 12mins to build to a tough set in the following complex:
1 Snatch Pull
2 Hang Snatch Below Knee
1 Overhead Squat
Week 8
Starting from an Empty Barbell, take 12mins to build to a tough set in the following complex:
1 Segment Squat Snatch
1 Hang Squat Snatch Below Knee
1 Overhead Squat
Week 9
Starting from an Empty Barbell, take 12mins to build to a tough set in the following complex:
2 Hang Snatch (below knee)
2 Overhead Squat
Week 10
Starting from an Empty Barbell, take 12mins to build to a tough set in the following complex:
2 Hang Snatch (above knee)
1 Overhead Squat
Week 11
Starting from an Empty Barbell, take 12mins to build to a tough set in the following complex:
1 Hang Snatch
1 Overhead Squat @ 22X1
Week 12
Starting from an Empty Barbell, take 12mins to build to a tough set in the following complex:
1 Snatch
1 Overhead Squat
PERFORM POWER CONDITIONING DEVELOPMENT – 12 Week MESO CYCLE
Week 1
3-4 Sets 5 Hang Power Clean (you can increase the weight of each set)
5 Burpee Box Jump Over 24/20″
Row 15-20sec @ Max Effort rest walk – full recovery between efforts
Week 2
3-4 Sets
5 Power Cleans TnG (you can increase the weight of each set)
5 Box Jump Over
Bike 15-20sec @ Max Effort
rest walk – full recovery between efforts
Week 3
3-4 Sets 6 Push Jerks TnG (you can increase the weight of each set)
5 Burpees Vertical Jump
Row 15-20sec @ Max Effort
rest walk – full recovery between efforts
Week 4
3-4 Sets 6 Power Clean and Jerk TnG (you can increase the weight of each set)
5 Box Jump Over Clear the Box 24/20″
Bike 20-25sec @ Max Effort
rest walk full recovery between efforts
Week 5
3-4 Sets 6 Hang Power Snatch TnG (you can increase the weight of each set)
6 Burpees over Bar
Row 20-25sec @ Max Effort
rest walk 3:30
Week 6
3-4 Sets 6 Power Snatch (you can increase the weight of each set)
5 No Push Up Burpee Box Jump Over 24/20″
Bike 20-25sec @ Max Effort
rest walk full recovery between efforts
Week 7
High Effort 3 Sets
10 KBS 70/53lbs
10 Burpee Over Rower
Row 300/240m @ 90-95%
rest walk 2-3mins
Week 8
High Effort 3 Sets 10 Hang
Power Clean 115/75lbs
5 Burpee Box Jump Over 24/20″
Bike 600/480m @ 90-95%
rest walk 2-3mins
Week 9
High Effort 3 Sets
6 Devils Press 50/35lbs
8 DB Power Clean
Run 300m @ 90-95%
rest walk 3mins
Week 10
3 Sets @ High Effort
40sec American Kettlebell Swing 70/53
40sec Burpees 40sec Row for Calories
rest walk 3-4mins
Week 11
3 Sets @ High Effort
30sec PC&J 115/75lbs
30sec Burpees
30sec Russian Kettlebell Swing 70/53
30sec Bike for Calories
rest walk 3-4mins after each set
Week 12
3min AMRAP
15-12-9
Power Clean 115/80
Burpee
rest 5mins (fully recover between efforts so you can bring max power to the final 3min segment.)
3min AMRAP
21 KBS 70/53
21 Burpees
Bike Max Calories in time remaining
PERFORM PISTOL SKILL DEVELOPMENT – 6 Week MESO CYCLE
Week 1 3 Sets
- Goblet Box Pistol Negative (3sec down + 1sec pause at bottom); 4-6/leg rest 15sec
- Split Stance Isometric 20sec/leg rest 2 mins and back to 1
Week 2 3 Sets
- Goblet Box Pistol Negative (3sec down + 1sec pause at bottom); 4-6/leg rest 15sec
- Goblet Wall Sit 30-45sec rest 90-120sec and back to 1
Week 3 3 Sets
- Plate Loaded Box Pistol; 31X1; 3-5/leg rest 15sec
- Goblet Single Leg Wall Sit 20sec/leg rest 90-120sec and back to 1
Week 4 3 Sets
- Plate Loaded Box Pistol; 31X1; 3-5/leg rest 15sec
- Goblet Half Squat Isometric w/ Pulse 30-40sec rest 90-120sec and back to 1
Week 5 3 Sets
- Plate Loaded Heel Elevated Pistol; 30X1 3-5/leg rest 15sec
- Split Stance Isometric w/ Pulse x 20-30sec/leg rest 90-120sec and back to 1
Week 6 3 Sets
- Plate Loaded Heel Elevated Pistol; 30X1 3-5/leg rest 15sec
- KB Rack Wall Sit 30-40sec rest 90-120sec and back to 1
Perform Micro Cycle:
MICRO CYCLE Snapshot – Movement Pattern Balance for January PERFORM Mon-Wed
Monday Patterns:
Absolute Strength – Front Squats (Squatting)
Tuesday Patterns:
Absolute Strength – Low Incline Bench Press (Pushing)
Wednesday Patterns:
Absolute Strength – Split Stance RDL (Single Leg Hinging)
3 Week Snapshot – Squat Strength Saturdays
Week 3
Every 3mins x 4 sets
Back Squat 20X1; 5,5,4,4
Set 1-2 = RPE 7 Set 3-4 = RPE 8
Week 4
Every 3mins x 4 sets
Back Squat 20X1; 4,4,3,3
Set 1 = RPE 7 Set 2-4 = RPE 8
Week 5
Every 3mins x 4 sets
Back Squat 20X1; 3,3,2,2
Set 1-2 = RPE 8 Set 3-4 = RPE 9
PUMP
- Build or maintain muscle mass through strength training and work capacity training that biases towards rep ranges and time under tempo suitable for muscle hypertrophy responses
- While building muscle mass, maintain and build range of motion through all movement patterns and joints by prioritizing movement quality alongside intensity
- Build joint and movement pattern resilience through strength balance work that is performed at lower intensity with a quality focus
- Perform a minimal effective dose of work capacity/conditioning training to support a healthy aerobic system
- Bias work capacity that supports quality muscle contractions to aid in the goal of building muscle
PUMP STRENGTH INTENSITY – 6 Week MESO CYCLE
Week 1
Every 90sec x 8 Sets (4 Sets of Each Exercise)
1st. Sumo Deadlift 11X1 x 6-8reps
2nd. Dumbbell Bench Press 20X0; 6-8reps
Week 2
Every 3mins x 4 Sets
Sumo Deadlift 11X1 x 6-8reps
rest 15sec
Strict Dips x 10-12reps
Week 3
Every 90sec x 8 Sets (4 Sets of Each Exercise)
1st. Sumo Deadlift; 11X1 x 6-8reps
2nd. Dumbbell Bench Press 20X0; 6-8reps
Week 4
Every 3mins x 4 Sets
Sumo Deadlift 11X1 x 6-8reps
rest 15sec
Weighted Push Ups x 10-12reps
Week 5
Every 90sec x 8 Sets (4 Sets of Each Exercise)
1st. Sumo Deadlift; 11X1 x 6-8reps
2nd. Dumbbell Bench Press 20X0; 6-8reps
Week 6
Sumo Deadlift 6,6,6RM @ 11X1 tempo
PUMP STRENGTH BALANCE – 6 Week MESO CYCLE
Week 1
2-3 Sets for Quality
1st – B Stance Landmine Squat 30X0 x 6-8/leg
rest 45sec
2nd – Ring Row x Max Reps (Stop 2 Short of Failure)
rest 45sec and back to 1st
Week 2
2-3 Sets for Quality
1st – Landmine Goblet Cossack Squat 30X0 x 6-8/leg
rest 45sec
2nd – Supinated Body Row x Max Reps (Stop 2 Short of Failure)
rest 45sec and back to 1st
Week 3
2-3 Sets for Quality
1st – Landmine Zercher Curtsy Squat 30X0 x 6-8/leg
rest 45sec
2nd – Bulgarian Ring Row x Max Reps (Stop 2 Short of Failure)
rest 45sec and back to 1st
Week 4
2-3 Sets for Quality
1st – B Stance Landmine Squat 30X0 x 8-10/leg
rest 45sec
2nd – Ring Row x Max Reps (Stop 1 Short of Failure)
rest 45sec and back to 1st
Week 5
2-3 Sets for Quality
1st – Landmine Goblet Cossack Squat 30X0 x 8-10/leg
rest 45sec
2nd – Supinated Body Row x Max Reps (Stop 1 Short of Failure)
rest 45sec and back to 1st
Week 6
2 Sets for Max Effort
1st – Landmine Zercher Curtsy Squat 30X0 – Max reps to form failure/leg rest as needed before 2
2nd – Bulgarian Ring Row x Max Reps to form failure rest as needed and back to 1
PILLARS
- Deliver a complete fitness program in under 60mins a day that covers the foundations of the FBB program (Prep, Absolute strength, Strength Balance, Work Capacity)
- Train the most foundational movement patterns that allow athletes to evolve and advance in time to more complex movements
- Develop competency in work capacity training in both the INTERVAL format of work and rest, as well as the EXTENDED format of long continuous aerobic efforts.
- Take care each session to balance intensity and quality so that we error on the side of athletes feeling good after training and not burnt out.
MINIMALIST
- Train strength, conditioning, and joint stability and mobility even with little or no equipment
- Follow the frameworks of Perform, Pump, and Pillars to include looking good and moving well
- Rather than “throwaway” bodyweight workouts of burpees and running, Persist Minimalist includes purposeful progression
- Designed to be able to use sections of Minimalist wherever needed, or follow the full training track
All Tracks - More Ways to Progress
Within all four tracks, you’ll see progress in movement quality, mobility, ability to pace, and more. Here’s what’s in store for 2023.
Form Reviews - Progress Movement Quality
Getting better at movement is as important as improving your strength numbers over time.
We give you opportunities daily to practice better movement and refine your ability over time.
Form Reviews are a big part of this. Coaches can give you expert eyes to help ensure you are approaching your movement correctly and improving your technique.
Nordic Hamstring Curl Example
EMOM x 9 Sets
1st – Nordic Hamstring Curl; 40X0 x 6
2nd – Straddle Plate Front Raise x 10-12 reps
3rd – Pike Strict HSPU x 8-10reps
Muscle Focus – Shoulders and Hamstrings
Intention – Reps have increased this week on all exercises. Continue to select weights or body positions on each exercise in order to make every set 1-2 reps shy of failure at the rep count prescribed. If it feels too easy on set 1, then increase the weight or adopt a more challenging body position on the Nordics or pike strict hspu.
- Points we are looking for in the Nordic Hamstring Curl:
- Setup –
- soft surface under your knees
- lock in lower legs (ankles)
- Execution
- control negative and try to not lose tension
- back stays flat throughout
- lower until the chest/torso reaches the floor (prone position)
- give yourself only as much assistance as you need to return back to upright
- Want some feedback on your Nordic Hamstring Curl? We are offering Form Reviews for the primary movements for the current training cycle. If you are looking to participate in this, please navigate to the link below to learn more about this service and how you can get some coaching feedback!
Please review this help center article before your first video submission.
Once you read the above article, please submit your video in the results section of this part of your workout today, and a coach will get a Form Review completed for you in less than 72 hours.
Reminders:
- film your last set (last 3-5 reps)
- only submit (1) video that is under 60 secs
- film from a side angle
PROGRESSION THROUGH PACING & ENDURANCE
Unique Formats - Alphabet soup
Building your aerobic capacity can be very simple. You can commit to g
etting on a bike or running at a track and each week just go a little bit further or a little faster. But if you love to train conditioning with circuits and many different types of movements like burpees, box jumps, cardio, power cleans, and more, then you will definitely need to learn how to do this. Learning how to pace yourself with many different types of circuits is a SKILL just like learning how to do a handstand. You need repetitive weekly practice.
Week 1
Every 7mins x 4-5 Sets
A. 15-20 American KBS 53/35lbs
B. 15-20 V Ups
C. 12-20 Cal Row
D. 12-15 Burpee over Rower
E. 12-15 Wall Balls 20/14lbs to 10′
Set 1 – ABCDE
Set 2 – EDCBA
Set 3 – CDEAB
Set 4 – BAEDC
Set 5 – DBECA
Week 2
Every 7mins x 4-5 Sets
A. 12-15 DB Power Cleans 50/35lbs
B. 24-30 DB Tall Plank Knee to Elbow
C. Run 250-300m
D. 12-15 Hand Release Burpee
E. 12-15 DB Front Squats 50/35lbs
Set 1 – ABCDE
Set 2 – EDCBA
Set 3 – CDEAB
Set 4 – BAEDC
Set 5 – DBECA
Week 3
Every 7mins x 4-5 Sets
A. 12-15 Dumbbell Deadlifts 50/35lbs
B. 24-30 Pike Leg Lift Overs (15/side)
C. 12-20 Cal Bike
D. 10-12 Burpees over Dumbbells
E. 12-15 DB Thrusters 50/35lbs
Set 1 – ABCDE
Set 2 – EDCBA
Set 3 – CDEAB
Set 4 – BAEDC
Set 5 – DBECA
PROGRESSION THROUGH MOBILITY
Cool Downs & Thursday Active Recovery Days
Cool Down Example
Chest Shoulders and Triceps
Complete 1-2 sets of the following exercises based on time available. Focus on slowing your breathing down and decompressing from today’s training session. Add 1-2 more stretches for your own mobility limitations or areas needing more love.
- Supine Bench Chest Opener x 1 min
- Kneeling Triceps Stretch x 1 min/side
- Straight Arm Shoulder Rotations x 10/side
Thursday Example
FBB Active Recovery – Ankles and Wrists
Ankle Circles x 5 in each direction
Weighted ankle stretch x 1 min/side
Heel Sit x 1 min
Toe Sit x 1 min
Hand to Hand-wrist circles x 30 sec
Wrist Extension Stretch x 1 min
Wrist Flexion Stretch x 1 min
Wrist Isometrics x 3-5 reps with 5-sec hold Quadruped Wrist Circles x 5-10 in each direction
Example Track Overview Notes
At the beginning of each 6-week training block, you’ll receive notes of what the weekly movement pattern split generally looks like. This helps to plan ahead if you incorporate other sports and activities into your training. Or you can prepare for the day ahead with some extra mobility work. Here’s what’s ahead in our first training block of the year:
PILLARS:
- Monday – Lower Body Day
- Tuesday – Upper Body Day
- Thursday – Lower Squat Upper Pull Day
- Friday – Lower Hinge Upper Push Day
PERFORM, PUMP, and MINIMALIST:
Each of these tracks follows a similar split for this training block, but with the focus specific to that track. For example, on Wednesdays in Perform there is a full body day that is conditioning biased. In Pump, Wednesday is a full body low intensity day to recover mid-week. Minimalist follows the Perform format on Wednesdays, though this can change from cycle to cycle.
- Monday – Lower Body Day (squat/hinge)
- Tuesday – Upper Body Day (push/pull)
- Wednesday – Full Body/conditioning or low intensity
- Friday – Upper/Lower Day (squat/pull or hinge/push)
- Saturday – Upper/Lower Day (squat/pull or hinge/push)
STRENGTH INTENSITY:
Each track chooses 1-2 primary lifts or strength movements to improve over the course of the 6-week or 12-week training block. Then throughout the year, we continue to touch on those lifts so you can maintain your strength gains.
Guidance Every Step of the Way
You don’t have to keep track of the road map in Persist – just know that every step has been planned out for you to follow.
Jump into your training and you’ll find details like RPE notes for your lifts (how hard you should push on a scale of 1-10) and demo videos for each movement.
Want a little more nuance? Check out the daily training notes, weekly recap videos for each track, and coach breakdowns for movement technique.
Our friendly coaches are just a click away when you have a question or need some extra help. Or submit a form review video for personal feedback.
Ready to get started? Join us for 2023 in Persist and feel more confident than ever that your training plan will set you up for success.
