from DAN JOHN’S SECRETS OF THE TOOLKIT

There is no punishment in doing patterns—learning and coming back to patterns is never wrong.

Many people consider the patterns—planks, batwings, HATs, goblet squats, farmer walks and basic rolling—to be beginner moves. True, we should teach these early and often, but advanced trainers often benefit more from the simple stuff than anything fancy I can dream up.

Pattern work can be fat burning. Pattern work can be correctives. Pattern work can make you stronger. Don’t consider pattern work to be sinful, punishment, regressive or embarrassing. These moves might be the answer to your issues and questions.

It’s okay to get gassed at the pattern and grind movements.

I’m never sure how to handle people who just want to feel ‘worked out.’ I like to train people to be and do better. If your sport, or your ego, demands some workouts that curl you over, vomiting into a flower pot, you can get there with patterns and grinds. Front squats followed by a truck push for a mile will get you all you need no matter what your needs are today.

Patterns and grinds are where you want to light things up, not on the Olympic lifts.

Warmup
Jump Rope 3 Minutes
Hip Mobility
10 Downdog Push-ups

Strength

Levels 2-4
18 Minutes (first work set starts at 3:00, last work set is at 15:00)

E3MOM
3 Deadlifts
Work up to ~85% of your 1RM

Levels 0/1
18 Minutes (first work set starts at 3:00, last work set is at 15:00)

E3MOM
5 Double Kettlebell Deadlifts
30 second Downdog Hold

Conditioning
20 Minutes E5MOM

Levels 3/4

First Minute:
Single Leg Squat (start standing on a box, with one leg hanging down off the side as you squat)
30-45 Seconds Right leg
Second Minute:
30-45 Seconds Left leg
Third Minute:
Strict Pull-ups
Fourth Minute:
Strict Dips
Fifth Minute:
~60 Seconds Pike Stretch (hinging at the hips in a deep forward bend with legs fully extended, you can hold a post to assist if necessary)

L4 – 8/5 Chest to Bar Pull-ups, 6/4 Ring Dips
L3 – 5/3 Strict Pull-ups, 4/3 Dips

Levels 0-2

First Minute:
Russian Step Up (one foot stays on the box for the set, the other knee is lifted to parallel without the foot touching the box)
30 Seconds Right leg
Second Minute:
30 Seconds Left leg
Third Minute:
30 Seconds Pull-ups
Fourth Minute:
30 Seconds Box Dips
Fifth Minute:
~60 Seconds Pike Stretch (hinging at the hips in a deep forward bend with legs fully extended, you can hold a post to assist if necessary)

L2 – Weighted Russian Step-up (hold one KB in rack position on same side as foot on box), box dip (between two boxes), assisted pull-ups
L0/1 – Ring Rows or Scap Retractions, box dip (in front of one box)