GarageGrit Principles
Our training program is based on four main principles.
1. Optimize for Home Gyms
GarageGrit is specifically designed for your home gym environment. Workouts can be completed in restricted space and even with limited equipment. The program does not contain movements like 15 feet rope climbs or high bar muscle-ups, that require large space or rigs of a big functional gym. It does deliver however a training routine that can get you into great shape.
2. Program the Basics
GarageGrit workouts are challenging but doable. The program does not include high-skill movements and heavy Olympic weightlifting. To face real world challenges and to obtain a lifetime of fitness athletes don’t need to walk on their hands or squat snatch their bodyweight. What the reality of life demands is to master the basics like push-ups, strict pull-ups or a heavy deadlift.
3. Keep it Simple
Athletes will reap great fitness benefit from consistently doing 30-45 minutes of focused training that include a warm-up, one workout and a cool-down or accessory work. A single, less-is-more GarageGrit training session a day, 5-6 times a week is enough to build a lifetime of fitness. The program’s structured simplicity allows athletes to make functional training at home a lasting daily habit.
4. Train for Life
The goal is to provide athletes with strength, capacity and endurance to meet the demands of an active lifestyle. Therefore GarageGrit programming is built on highly functional movements applicable across sports, outdoor activities, adventures, and daily life. Training structure, volume and purposeful intensity are carefully optimized to promote functional athleticism and long term sustainability.
Program Structure
Varied is not Random
Random workouts create inconsistent results or burn out. That’s why GarageGrit applies structure to create sustainable and measurable growth. By implementing planned progression and smartly varying intensity, movements, time, rep range and load, GarageGrit ensures that the body is stressed in the right way and at the necessary frequency. The program follows a 4-week macro- and a 7-day micro cycle.
Consistent Weekly Schedule
- Monday: Weightlifting – heavy load
- Tuesday: High intensity conditioning – moderate/light load
- Wednesday: Low intensity (Zone 2) training – bodyweight
- Thursday: Very high intensity conditioning – light load
- Friday: Moderate intensity conditioning – heavier load
- Saturday: Endurance (Cardio) training
- Sunday: Day off
Seasonal Approach
GarageGrit doesn’t use periodization because generalist athletes need to improve all aspect of their fitness concurrently. But home gym owners got to face the reality of circumstances like weather. It is difficult to accommodate a workout with running element in it if there is an endless cold rain shower or a snowstorm outside. Slippery surfaces can cause accidents and equipment is prone to damage by weather effects. Therefore when selecting movements to the workouts GarageGrit applies a seasonal approach (Northern Hemisphere).
Winter
More heavy lifting, barbell cycling and bodybuilding. Use of cardio machines in conditioning workouts. Endurance is trained in the swimming pool and with machines or we dress up for a longer run outside.
Spring
Re-introducing running into multi-modal conditioning. Programming workouts completely doable outside.
Summer
Mostly short-to-moderate duration workouts because you are expected to be more active and spend more time outdoors. Plenty of bodybuilding and calisthenics including travel/holiday or hotel gym workouts.
Autumn
Gradual transition to the bad weather routine with more training inside.
How GarageGrit Builds Physical Preparedness?
Physically prepared humans need strength, capacity, full range of motion and endurance. That’s why the building blocks of GarageGrit programming are weightlifting, conditioning, long-slow cardio, and accessory bodybuilding.
Building Strength
GarageGrit builds absolute strength by regularly programming heavy weightlifting days to train back squat, deadlift, shoulder press and bench press. The occurrence of power lifts in the program follows planned progression. Additional strength training happens during the warm-up/loading part of a workout before conditioning.
Power is developed through incorporating explosive movements like plyometrics and elements of Olympic weightlifting into conditioning workouts.
Stamina (muscular endurance) is increased by programming high-rep calisthenics or weighted movements and accessory work of bodybuilding.
Building Capacity and Range of Motion
Constantly varied functional movements performed at relative high intensity should be a fundamental component of a complete training program. But not every day and not in an all the time, all-out style. GarageGrit multi-modal conditioning workouts are designed with purposefully varied intensity to ensure the right stimuli and to promote consistency. The goal is to build you up not to beat you up.
GarageGrit programming utilizes multi-joint functional movements. These are not only transferable to real life but they increase full range of motion, especially in terms of mobility and stability.
Building Endurance
General physical preparedness requires the ability of going long and going far. GarageGrit develops endurance by programming Zone 2 training and steady state monostructural cardio sessions. Zone 2 training is a low intensity, longer multi-modal conditioning. During these workouts you keep moving continuously, sweating but not fully exhausted. You find these type of workouts in the middle of the week while outdoor running is programmed for Saturday.
Program Sample
Example of one week of GarageGrit programming.
Monday
weightlifting
For load:
Bench press 3-3-3-3-3
Accessory:
Incline dumbbell bench press 3 sets of 15
Dumbbell upright row 3 sets 10 reps
Weighted sit-ups 3 sets of 20 reps
Tuesday
high intensity conditioning
For time:
36/45 calories air bike
40 weighted box step-ups
30 toes-to-bars
20 dumbbell power cleans
36/45 calories air bike
30 weighted box step-ups
20 toes-to-bars
10 dumbbell power cleans
36/45 calories air bike
ladies: 35 lb (15 kg) dumbbells
gents: 50 lb (22,5 kg) dumbbells
Accessory:
Dumbbell biceps curls 3 sets of 15 reps
Back extensions 3 sets of 15 reps
Wednesday
Zone 2 training
5 rounds of:
400 meters run
30 seconds plank hold
400 meters run
30 seconds hollow hold
60 seconds rest
Accessory:
3 supersets of:
20 step back lunges
30 push-ups
Thursday
very high intensity conditioning
5 rounds with a 2-minute running clock of:
6 push jerks
9 pull-ups
max calories air bike
rest 1 minute between rounds
ladies: 65 lb (35 kg) barbell
gents: 95 lb (45 kg) barbell
Accessory:
Dumbbell lateral raises 3 sets of 12 reps
Dead bug 3 sets of 30 reps
Friday
moderate intensity conditioning
8 rounds for time of:
4 sumo deadlifts
8 ring dips
80 single-unders
ladies: 145 lb (65 kg) barbell
gents: 205 lb (90 kg) barbell
Accessory:
Single-arm bent-over dumbbell row 3 sets of 10-10 reps
Banded triceps pull-down 3 sets of 15 reps
Saturday
cardio
Run
5 minutes at easy pace
20 minutes at moderate pace
10 minutes at easy pace
20 minutes at moderate pace
5 minutes at easy pace