Achilles Training Cycle: June 1 – August 16

What the Cycle Is

The Achilles training cycle is an 11-week training block focused on building a stronger foundation through increased muscle development, improved movement positions, and greater overall strength. Rather than testing maximum lifts, athletes will spend this cycle accumulating consistent, high-quality work designed to improve durability, movement efficiency, and long-term progress.

The primary focus areas are:

• Hypertrophy (Muscle Development): Building muscle and work capacity through structured strength training and increased time under tension.
• Positional Strength: Developing stronger positions in movements such as front squats, Olympic lifts, and overhead work.
• Training Density: Gradually increasing the amount of quality work performed within a given timeframe.

Your Strength Work

Strength training throughout the cycle centers around three foundational movements:

• Front Squats 5 Sets of 5 Reps
• Strict Press 3 Sets of 10 Reps
• Sumo Deadlifts 5 Sets of 5 Reps

Athletes will focus on repeating quality sets, improving movement consistency, and gradually increasing loads over time. The goal is to build strength through steady progression rather than chasing one-rep maximums. 

Olympic Lifting

Olympic lifting work will begin with technical drills and positional development before progressing into heavier lifts from the floor. The emphasis is on improving movement mechanics, confidence, and efficiency so athletes can build stronger and more consistent lifts over the course of the cycle.

• Block 1 (Weeks 2-5): Build the Positions
  • Complexes of 3-4 lifts working on each position of a lift to develop better mechanics
• Block 2 (Weeks 6-9): Sharpen and Load
  • Complexes of 2 lifts to continue on positional strength as the load increases.
• Final Weeks (Weeks 9-10): Singles
  • Finally, building to a strong, complete lift, the goal is to focus on the entire lift, developing control that becomes routine under pressure.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics training will combine strict strength work with skill development to improve body control, coordination, and overall capacity. Athletes can expect progressions that support both foundational strength and movement proficiency.

• Blended Strict + DB/KB Circuits
  • Combining the strict movements with accessory movements challenges the body's ability to recover requiring greater control and focus.
• Weekly High Skill Session
  • Every week will incorporate a high-skill session that will provide an understanding of progression for multiple types of gymnastic movements. Creating an overall sense of movement feel for a wide range of gymnastics.
• The Density Builds on You
  • Setting a baseline volume in the beginning block, will lead into increasing volume by week 6 to 8.

Your Benchmarks

The Achilles cycle begins and ends with benchmark workouts designed to measure progress. These workouts provide athletes with an opportunity to compare results and see improvements in strength, fitness, and movement quality over the 11-week training block.

Success during this cycle is measured by consistent effort and steady improvement rather than any single workout or lift.

• PRVN Engine For Max Calories:

10:00 AMRAP of a 1500m run followed by max calorie row in the remaining time.
Rest 5:00
10:00 AMRAP of a 1500m run followed by max calorie Echo bike in the remaining time.

This workout was tested in Week 1 and retested in Week 10. Your score is the total calories accumulated across both AMRAPs.

• DT 5 Rounds for Time:

12 Deadlifts
9 Hang Power Cleans
6 Push Jerks
Barbell 155/105 lb (70/48 kg)

Tested Week 1. Retested Week 10

• Wax On, Wax Off For Time:

20-15-10-15-10-5
Front Squats 
Pull-Ups
Barbell 95/65 lb (43/30 kg)

A retest from July 2025, scheduled around Week 6 or 7

Week by Week

Each phase of the Achilles cycle builds on the previous one, gradually increasing strength, muscle development, movement quality, and training density. Athletes who attend consistently, trust the process, and focus on improving one workout at a time will see the greatest results.

• Weeks 1-2 // June 1-14 // "Baseline"

Set honest baseline scores on DT and PRVN Engine. These numbers are your direct comparison point for the retest, so go all out and get real data. You will also learn the 5x5 Front Squat and 3x10 Strict Press structure and pick your opening loads. Keep those loads conservative; the job this week is to learn the format, not go heavy. If you are coming from the hang on your Olympic lifts, keep them light and prioritize the positions as you add the pull from the floor.

• Week 3 // June 15-21 // "Building The Pattern"

Settle into the flat loads. They should feel slightly conservative, and that is correct. The adaptation comes from repeating quality work, not maxing out. On the Olympic lifts, focus on your first pull and the transition from the floor to the knee. You will start to feel the interference effect in the gymnastics pairings; that is the intended stimulus. If you are already pushing your flat loads too hard, back off. These early weeks should feel almost too manageable.

• Week 4 // June 22-28 // "Accumulation"

If you hit every set cleanly in Weeks 1-2, small load increases are fair now. The volume at a steady load is starting to do its job. On the lifts, add a little more speed and intent under the bar as your positions get familiar. Gymnastics volume ticks up. You should feel the cumulative work by the end of the week, and that is appropriate. Remember Block 2 is built on top of this; the work now is the foundation.

• Week 5 // June 29 - July 5 // "Finding The Edge"

Your 5x5 and 3x10 should feel genuinely challenging but completable. You have had three weeks to calibrate, so if you have been too conservative, nudge the load up. Some Olympic sessions shift to 3-lift complexes with a little more weight. Gymnastics circuits are familiar enough now that the focus is on rep quality inside the fatigue, not just finishing.

• Week 6 // July 6-12 // "Block 1 Summit"

Final week of Block 1 loading. You should be at or near your current ceiling on flat-load front squat and strict press; these numbers set the baseline for Block 2. Last week of the longer complexes too. Gymnastics volume peaks for Block 1. Block 2 is a different animal, and five weeks of consistent work has you ready for it.

• Week 7 // July 13-19 // "Block 2 Opens"

The flat-load structure continues but the weight steps up. Front squats should feel genuinely heavy by Set 4-5, and strict press volume builds. Complexes drop to 2 lifts with more load and more specificity; every rep carries intent now. Gymnastics interference escalates with tighter rest and denser pairings, and this is where the muscle-building stimulus peaks. Some athletes feel the jump hard. The difficulty is real, and this is the phase that produces results.

• Week 8 // July 20-26 // "Wax On, Wax Off + Peak Interference"

Keep loading the strength work; your front squat numbers should be in a very different place than Week 1. Two-lift complexes are at their heaviest, and you will start hearing about singles coming in Weeks 8-9. Gymnastics hits its highest density and complexity; this is the most demanding gymnastics week of the cycle. The Wax On, Wax Off retest lands around here, and all that front squat volume is about to pay off. Set your pull-up plan before the clock starts. 

• Week 9 // July 27 - Aug 2 // "Sharpening The Lifts"

Front squat and strict press keep building toward your retest numbers, with volume starting to ease slightly in favor of quality. The Olympic work transitions toward singles as you get prepped for 1RM attempts; loading intent should be high every session. Gymnastics density eases back so your recovery can rebuild toward the retest week. Start thinking about realistic but ambitious 1RM targets on the Snatch and Clean and Jerk based on the complex work you have been doing.

• Weeks 10-11 // Aug 3-16 // "Retest"

This is the payoff. You are not training this week, you are demonstrating. Retest DT and PRVN Engine and chase your 1RM Snatch and Clean and Jerk from the floor, plus confirm your 5x5 Front Squat, 3x10 Strict Press, and 5x5 Sumo Deadlift numbers. Everything you built across 11 weeks gets expressed here. Celebrate the process as much as the result. If you improved across the board, you had a successful cycle regardless of the absolute numbers.

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