As we look forward to closing the books on 2020 the upcoming new year is bringing a milestone anniversary for Strongtown - 10 years.
That’s 3,650 days of squats, burpees, and barbells. It’s a big one and deserves to be recognized.
As a new year’s challenge, and in celebration of a decade of Strongtown we have come up with 10 Benchmark workouts that we’ll be testing as we transition into 2021 and also retesting in July leading up to our 10 year anniversary.
What is the Strongtown Decathlon?
The Strongtown Decathlon is 10 Workouts that we will be programming between December 14th and January 19th…anyone looking to do the challenge is required to complete them all by the end of January.
We will be retesting the same 10 Workouts in July leading up to our 10 Year Anniversary.
The plan is to treat the Decathlon as a New Year’s challenge. These 10 workouts will be a series of benchmarks that we’ll be retesting in 7 months.
Although the workouts are scored this is not a competition against anyone but ourselves.
The challenge is - can you complete these workouts (or some version of them) now, put the work in over the next 6-7 months and then retest them in July.
What do I get out of it?
Outside of the fitness and mental fortitude that comes with 7 months of focusing on improving across 10 physical tests - you also get the gift of satisfaction which can only be achieved by setting a goal and crushing it.
What does it cost?
We want to have as many people participate in the challenge as possible. This past year has already been a slap in the face, so because of that this challenge will be FREE to anyone looking to participate.
The workouts are shared below - you can either complete them on your own or if you want to be part of our challenge board you should be able to register below.
If you’re willing to pay $20 for the challenge you can get one of the limited edition “Strongtown Decathlon” shirts.
You can register for either version of the challenge below.
Do I have to belong to Strongtown to partcipate?
Absolutely not - many of these workouts can be done at home or with minimal equipment. We would love to have some out of towners joining in on the festivities.
We’ll be setting up a digital challenge board to track things - if you would like to be included (or if you want a shirt) please make sure you sign-up below.
What if I can't do everything Rx?
Doesn’t matter - you are only competing against yourself in this challenge.
If we take “Isabell” for example (30 Snatches at 135/95 lbs) which has a prescribed weight. For the purpose of the challenge we would find a weight that you can manage for the 30 reps, when you retest the workout you would then retest the same version of the workout.
Is it to late to sign-up?
You have till the end of January to sign-up and get your initial benchmarks completed. We’ll be mixing the workouts into our general programming between December 14th and January 19th. With the Holiday season falling right in the middle of things we’re giving people till the end of January to complete / make-up any missed workouts.
1) SHALLOW END
For Time:
100 Squats
100 Sit-ups
Description:
Body weight movements and shorter sprints style workouts have always been part of our programming. The workout is simple movements and the goal is to go unbroken. Although the goal of this workout is time the focus should be on maintaining movement standards and full range of motion.
SCORE: Total Time
MOVEMENT STANDARDS
- Air Squats – each rep begins with the athlete standing tall and finishes when the individual passes below parallel at the bottom of the squat. A squat below parallel means the crease of the hip is below the top of the knee when viewed from the side.
- Sit-ups – with an abmat, feet should be in butterfly position, athlete must touch ground behind head at bottom and feet/ground, sitting up to 90 degrees.
2) TIGHT ROPE
3 MINUTE AMRAP:
Double Unders
Description:
If you've been at Strongtown for any amount of time you know how much we love Double Unders. They can make or break a workout and are a movement that is either loved or hated.
SCORE: Total Reps
MOVEMENT STANDARDS
- Double Unders – for each jump the rope passes below the feet twice.
3) BOAT RACE
For Time:
2,000m Row
Description:
Rowing has always been a staple movement in our workouts. During the colder winter months it replaces running and it's a great test of endurance and work capacity.
SCORE: Total Time
MOVEMENT STANDARDS
- Row – rower should be set for a 2,000m distance trial.
4) PANIC ROOM
10 MInute AMRAP:
Burpees
EMOM: 7 Kettlebell Swings
Description:
This is a twist on a Open Workout 12.1. The workout is scored by the total number of Burpees completed. At the start of the workout, and every minute on the minute, complete 7 Kettlebell Swings. The presrcibed weight for the workout is 24/16 kg respectively.
SCORE: Total Burpees
MOVEMENT STANDARDS
- Burpee – each repetition starts with the athlete standing tall, the athlete must then drop down to the ground (chest to deck) and then stand and jump to finish the rep. You can either walk-out/in or jump out/in to get yourself up & down.
- Kettlebell Swing – these are American Swings, each repetition starts from the hang position and finishes with the kettlebell locked out overhead.
5) ISABEL
For Time:
30 Snatches
Description:
"Isabell" is a benchmark girl workout in the CrossFit community. The prescribed weight is 135/95 lbs respectively and the intent is that the workout is done with a weight that is manageable for 30 reps.
SCORE: Total Time
MOVEMENT STANDARDS
- Snatch – each repetition starts with the barbell on the ground and finishes with the athlete standing tall with the barbell locked out overhead. The bar does not stop at the shoulders and is pulled from the ground to overhead in a fluid motion.
6) BOTTOM'S UP
For Weight:
10 Rep Max Back Squat
Description:
Squats are a fundamental element of our fitness. The 10 Rep Squat is a test of both endurance and strength. Rest as needed and take as many attempts as your legs permit.
SCORE: Total Weight
MOVEMENT STANDARDS
- Back Squats – similar to the Air Squat, each rep begins with the athlete standing tall and finishes when the individual passes below parallel at the bottom of the squat. A squat below parallel means the crease of the hip is below the top of the knee when viewed from the side.
7) FIGHT CLUB
For Time:
100 Calorie Bike
Description:
The Bike has quickly become one of the most despised pieces of equipment in the gym. It is of work capacity aka grunt work.
SCORE: Total Time
MOVEMENT STANDARDS
- Bike (Calories) – each athlete is responsible for making sure their bike has been reset and is counting calories.
8) SLEDGE HAMMER
For Weight:
1 Rep Max Power Clean
Description:
Both a test of strength and technique the Power Clean is a lift that is near & dear to Strongtown.
SCORE: Total Weight
MOVEMENT STANDARDS
- Power Clean – the rep begins with the barbell on the ground and finishes with the athlete standing tall with the bar in the front rack position. This is a power clean so there is no depth requirement.
9) PLANK WALK
21-15-9 | For Time:
Alt. Dumbbell Snatch
Toes to Bar
Description:
This is a classic couplet and the goal is to test some mid-line stability and gymnastic work capacity. The prescribed weight for the dumbbell is 50/35 lbs respectively.
SCORE: Total Time
MOVEMENT STANDARDS
- Alternating Dumbbell Snatch – dumbbell starts with both heads on the ground, athlete must lift the dumbbell from the ground to overhead in a single pull. The rep is completed when the athlete is standing tall with the dumbbell fully locked out overhead. Like the Open, the non-lifting hand is not allowed to touch / push-off any part of the body on the pull to overhead. Athletes are permitted to alternate hands on the transition back to the ground, both heads of the dumbbell must touch the ground at the start of each rep.
- Toes to Bar – rep starts with athlete hanging from pull-up bar (arms locked out), athlete must bring their feet up to the pull-up bar making contact with some portion of their shoes. Both feet must make contact with the bar in between the athlete’s hands.
10) CONKY
10 Rounds - For Time:
10 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
10 Box Jump Overs
Description:
10 Rounds for Time for 10 Years of Strongtown. This is simple Cindy'ish triplet. Workout through the rounds and break-up the sets as needed. The prescribed height for the Box Jump Overs is 24/20" respectively and the pull-ups are "regular" pull-ups, just chin over bar.
SCORE: Total Time
MOVEMENT STANDARDS
- Pull-ups – full extension / hang from the pull-up bar, at the top of the rep the athlete must make contact between their chest (below the clavicle) and the bar.
- Push-ups – each rep starts at top of a plank, with arms locked out, athlete lowers self to ground making contact with chest at the bottom and pressing up from there. Please, please, please try to maintain the plank position throughout the movement.
- Box Jump Overs – take off for jump must be with both feet, both feet must touch the top of the box, before jumping or stepping down to the opposite side. Hips do not need to be open on top of the box.
