All Squad athletes have access to the Optional Workouts Library where various standalone strength, circuits, and circuit sessions options live. You have the ability to add these as you see fit to tailor to your needs and take ownership of your training in an even more vibrant way. In this article, we aim to empower you with information so you know when to integrate optional sessions.  

Strength + Treadmill Circuits:

As a Squad athlete, within your “Optional Workout Library,” you will find workouts noted as circuits.  These are terrific sessions for those time-starved or traveling.

WHY THEY WORK:

• These are sharp, efficient workout that fold in some full, foundational movements and treadmill running.  
• These maximize running form and economy via muscle activation and mobility from the strength movements. 
• Circuits are cardiopulmonary workouts that deliver stimulus in a safe and time-efficient manner. 
• These sessions are great to use in unfamiliar travel settings or when need something to deliver structure during a difficult scheduling week.  
• They deliver benefits for swim, bike, and run since we are working through the upper body, lower body, and hills on the treadmill.

WHEN TO DO THEM:

• You are time-crunched yet have really great energy and desire to work a bit harder.  
• You have to miss a bunch of key sessions during the week due to scheduling issues or life circumstances.
• You are far away from a key race and want to work on building strength and running form. 
• You don’t have time or resources to build the full strength workouts into your schedule. 
• You don’t have a massive key session the following day.  

WHEN NOT TO DO THEM:

• You are able to hit your 6 key workouts and 2 strength workouts during a week (2 x swim, bike, run, strength).  
• You are feeling extremely overstressed or extreme fatigue from life or training. Instead, you would be better off doing a light hill walk, flushing bike ride, or easy, low-stress swim.  
• You are uncomfortable on strength exercises in general, in this case, it would be better to get some coaching or work on a more fundamental “core” or mobility” workouts until you are more comfortable. 
• You have a major race coming up, or are in a more important Race Build based on your season. 
• You have an important Key Session tomorrow that is meant to move your performance needle forwards.  

All Core and Mobility Workouts:

WHEN TO DO THEM: 

• As a standalone session after you’ve have a bigger, more demanding working in the morning. Often we hit a stressful Key Session in the morning, so doing a core workout for 15-20 minutes in the afternoon or evening will help you recover and feel better the next day. 
• If you are severely time-crunched, it is better to move than not to move, so they can be put in place of any supporting swim, bike, run, or strength session.
• You know you have a big Key session in the evening, so doing a quick 15-20 minute core or mobility workout in the morning or afternoon would be great prep for that session. 
• As you become efficient with these workouts over time, you can use them to prep and warm up for ANY session.  They are ideal warm ups for strength sessions and run sessions, but also would work before jumping on your bike or as a dryland warm up or cool down at the pool. 

WHEN NOT TO DO THEM: 

• You are injured or are healing a muscle/tendon/ligament pull or strain.  
• You are sick or feverish, and just need to sleep.  
• Your family is ready to leave for a day trip and your neurotic-self does core while they wait in the car. Live life.
• You’ve already done 3 workouts today. Do not become obsessive.
• You just left a dinner at the Golden Corral and had 5 plates with the ribeye steak, loaded potatoes, shrimp stew, 4 slices of cornbread, and a few bowls of ice cream. 

At the end of the day, these sessions aim to be supportive in nature. Enjoy them and do not overcomplicate!