You will see familiar movements during the first part of the Build Phase before moving onto more coordination and explosive movements. The Build Phase is divided up into two blocks of work - “Build 1” which encompasses familiar movements with added weight and fewer repetitions, and “Build 2” which develops explosive and coordination-based movements. The goal is for you to master form on familiar movements and progress safely into additional load. 

BUILD 1:
Length: Six weeks
Cycles: 2 x 3-week Cycles

FOCUS:
This cycle has the same exact movements that we saw in Postseason. Our goal is to take the key movements of squatting and deadlifting and try to improve our strength and control under increased load.

KEY MOVEMENTS:
Deadlift
Squat

REASONS BEHIND MOVEMENTS:  
The squat and deadlift are two perfect movements you, the endurance athlete. These movements increase your ability to hold strong posture through the prolonged effects of gravity and impact on your body during an endurance race. These are two key movements that will help you stimulate muscle, tendon, and bone strength, help you finish your longer sessions in good form and posture, and force you to learn the fundamentals necessary to make the progression into the next build phase exercises.

BUILD 2:
Length: 7 weeks
Cycles: 2 x 3-week cycles, with added transitional week

FOCUS:
This phase progresses from strength development and begins to bridge toward coordination required by specific demands of endurance sport. This is highlighted by transitioning some of the slower and heavier resistance training into quicker, lighter, power-based exercises. We will increase complexity and muscle recruitment, improve technique and mechanics with compound movements, and reduce load to improve speed.

KEY MOVEMENTS:
Hang clean
Box Jump

REASONS BEHIND MOVEMENTS:  
The idea behind the Build Phase 2 exercises is to allow you to increase synchronization of the entire body, to reduce the weights lifted so that you can increase the speed of your movement patterns, and to mimic the demands of multisport. The hang clean and the box jump are a combination of the movements from Build Phase 1’s squat and deadlift, so it is extremely important that you feel you have mastered the form and technique of these fundamental exercises. By increasing the speed of your movement and reducing the weights, you should start to feel more empowered and fresh to hit the target swim, bike, and run sessions. As your key races approach, it is increasingly important that you execute sport-specific workouts with great feeling and great accuracy. This phase of strength is the perfect bridge between heavier lifting and the demand of hitting your potential in endurance athletics.