Functional Fitness Training Block: Summer 25′

R3VIVE Fitness • May 6, 2025
People lifting weights at a gym. Woman overhead presses a barbell, man in blue shirt curls.

Hey R3VIVE Athletes,

Get ready for warmer weather, Murph prep, and more running! This 11-week training block starts May 5th and runs through July 14th.

Functional Fitness: We’re shifting to an A-B week strength progression, providing training flexibility and preventing back-to-back heavy/intense days. This alternating schedule ensures adequate recovery, which is crucial for progress. Let’s stay consistent and have fun!

Pump: Our focus remains on building muscle and strength with higher rep ranges, but with a new twist. Lower body days will alternate between unilateral (single-side) and bilateral (both-sides) training. Upper body strength will still be split into separate pull and push days.

Build: This cycle, we’re moving away from isometrics and pauses to more traditional tempos. The A-B week format will bring variety while ensuring progression on similar patterns. Expect more variance and fewer linear progressions in Build compared to Perform, emphasizing general fitness.

Conditioning: The first four weeks will prioritize Murph preparation with higher volume gymnastics and running. For the remainder of the cycle, the focus will be on well-rounded fitness. You’ll see conditioning days that may deviate from the traditional “functional fitness” format, potentially focusing on dedicated cardio or functional bodybuilding.

Track Specific Goals

Build

This spring cycle, expect to see a return to basics through a linear strength progression.

Strength will look to work on back squats, push press, and deadlifts. This progression will remain simple so that the focus can be on refining technique and building consistency without too many distractions.

Perform will also see a return back to the basics so expect there to be some overlap between the two tracks.

Our main tests at the end of this block will be a 3 RM pause back squat, and a 5 RM deadlift.

For Conditioning we will bring in themed days. This will help create structure while also allowing us to build in a variability to keep everything fresh, fun, and challenging. Each day will have a specific focus with our main test at the end of the cycle, being a 10 min bike test.

Monday’s

Strength:

A Week: Unilateral leg strength.

B Week: Less overall strength for more conditioning focus.

Conditioning:
Murph prep for 4 weeks, followed by alternating between short and long form conditioning.

Tuesday’s

Strength:
A-Week: Hip Thrusts.

B-Week: Front squats

Conditioning:
Will have middle time domain metcons and intervals working for 10-15 minutes.

Wednesday’s

Strength:
A-Week: Pair pulling skill progression. B-Week: Mixed pressing

Conditioning:
Focus will be on longer endurance training with low equipment requirements.

Thursday’s

Strength:
 Bodybuilding-style accessory training.

Conditioning:
Will alternate between long, low skill metcons and bodybuilding style conditioning pieces.

Friday’s

Strength:
 A-Week: Metcon specific skill prep.

B-Week: Hip Thrust

Conditioning:
Will include varied time domain metcons to round out the week.

Monday’s

Strength:
 A:Week: Snatch work.

B-Week: Less overall strength for more conditioning focus.

Conditioning:
Murph prep for 4 weeks, followed by alternating between short and long form conditioning.

Tuesday’s

Strength:
A-Week: back squats.

B-Week: clean/front squat variations

Conditioning:
Will have classic Functional fitness pairings (A week) mixed with short interval work (B week).

Wednesday’s

Strength:
A-Week: pair pulling skill progression.

B-Week: mixed pressing and jerk variations.

Conditioning:
Focus will be on skill based conditioning where members will see some higher skill movements like muscle ups and handstand push ups.

Thursday’s

Strength:
 A-Week: classic deadlift progressions.

B-Week: bodybuilding-style accessory training.

Conditioning:
Will alternate between long, low skill endurance work and lower intensity training.

Friday’s

Strength:
 A-Week: Metcon specific skill prep.

B-Week deadlift strength development.

Conditioning:
Will include the higher intensity workouts.

Perform

This cycle (5/5/2025 to 7/14/2025) will heavily emphasize strength training, with alternating A and B weeks. These weeks will balance foundational strength exercises with targeted skill development, featuring heavy lifting one week followed by lighter lifting the next. The weekly structure will remain consistent to provide a reliable routine.

Conditioning will focus on pushing limits to prepare for an end-of-cycle test. The initial phase will emphasize building an aerobic base and preparing for the annual Murph challenge.

pump

PUMP will follow an A-B week structure similar to Functional Fitness, emphasizing higher repetitions and increased volume. While the A and B weeks will feature variations of the same exercises, a wide variety of movements is not the primary focus. Instead, concentrating on consistent movements over time allows for gradual but sustained progress, ultimately leading to greater long-term growth and improvement.

Monday’s

Strength Intensity:
Rear Foot elevated Split squat.
SB (strength balance) 

Strength Balance:
Dumbbell/BB RDL, Russian KB swing and Banded KB swing

Conditioning:
3-4 sets for time

Tuesday’s

Strength Intensity:
A-week: Dumbbell Bent Row.

B-week: RNT Dumbbell Bent rows.

Strength Balance:
Incline prone row, Narrow/Regular/Wide Grip Pronated Strict Pull Up, BB curl

Conditioning:
Slightly longer sustainable pace AMRAP’s

Wednesday’s

Strength Intensity:
A-week: Close Grip Bench.

B-week: 1 ¼ bench

Strength Balance:
Half Kneeling Press, Dumbbell Lat raises, Carries, Reverse Fly’s

Conditioning:
2 part metcons 3 rounds of x into 3 rounds of x

Thursday’s

Strength Intensity:
A-week: Dumbbell Bent Row.

B-week: RNT Dumbbell Bent rows.

Strength Balance:
Incline prone row, Narrow/Regular/Wide Grip Pronated Strict Pull Up, BB curl

Conditioning:
Slightly longer sustainable pace AMRAP’s

Friday’s

Strength Intensity:
A-week: ¼ front squat + pause back squat

B-week: Pause front squat + back squat

Strength Balance:
Deficit Sumo deadlift, Sumo deadlift

Conditioning:
2 descending ladders with minimal rest between ladder, And AMRAP’s

Why Can't I Always Lift My Max?

By Derek Saffold • February 19, 2026
Strength expression is our ability to show or utilize the strength we have. We call it expression because in the world of lifting, CrossFit, functional fitness, or training, our ability to show that strength varies. Even though our potential strength is the same, we are not always able to fully express it the way we want. Whether that is hitting a max back squat, doing heavy thrusters in a CrossFit style workout, or hitting that heavy clean complex when olympic lifting, we will not always be able to hit our maxes, this is because of factors outside of just our strength itself.

Introducing EL3VATE

By Derek Saffold • January 27, 2026
Ever walk into the gym and not sure what to do? We put together a program to help eliminate that feeling and give you confidence and the accountability to reach your goals. Introducing EL3VATE where we want to EL3VATE your strength, habits, and mindset!

Apex Training Cycle

By Derek Saffold • December 26, 2025
Hey R3VIVE Athletes, The Apex training cycle, going from January 5th to April 3rd, is our next training cycle! This will be the firt training cycle of the new year! this is a chance to refocus and get in some good work to help you reach your goals! lets all work together to crush this training cycle! Functional Fitness: The Apex Cycle is designed to make your year-long strength work truly functional, focusing on controlled, powerful movements, complexes under fatigue, and mandated touch-and-go reps to prepare you for mixed-modal workouts. Our strength culminates in the classic CrossFit Total and the "R3VIVE Other Total," while conditioning features a wide variety of time domains, movement volume builds (like wall balls, toes-to-bar, and burpees), and regular Friday retests of past workouts to track your progress and ensure you perform your absolute best. Build: Designed to bring together all your training from the past year and prepare you for your strongest performance yet. Our strength work will focus on controlled, powerful movements, building you up to test your limits with both the classic CrossFit Total and the "R3VIVE Other Total," which challenges your skill and strength balance. Expect a well-rounded program including unilateral strength, skill work, and core stability, with dedicated days for deadlifts, squats, gymnastics, and varied accessory work to keep you healthy and constantly progressing. For conditioning, we're tailoring the work to challenge you in new ways, featuring a wide variety of time domains and movements, and a specific volume build on common movements like wall balls, toes-to-bar, and burpees. Instead of a standard test/retest, we'll be performing regular retests of past workouts on Fridays, allowing you to easily track your progress and see how far you've come. Our weekly template balances intensity—with short, fast metcons on Mondays—with recovery, incorporating lower impact endurance work on Thursdays, and a strategic taper toward the end of the week to set you up for success on Friday! Partner workouts will wrap up your week every Saturday, bringing the whole community together.
More Posts