Nutrition:
17.4 is 16.4 - so if you’ve done the 55’s before, you have probably learned a thing or two from your previous attempt.
As with any workout, the day before you attempt 17.4, ensure you are eating enough calories for your body. Pay particular attention to your carbohydrate intake and ensure you are eating enough, if not a little more than usual. I’m referring to starchy sources of carbohydrates here; although vegetable carbohydrates are good for you, you need to ensure that your glycogen stores are full with starchy carbs like potatoes, rice and quinoa.
3-4 hours before the workout eat a well-balanced meal of protein, carbs and fat. For example a chicken breast, a few cups of rice, and a side of baked sweet potatoes drizzled in olive oil.
30-60 minutes before the workout, get some quick digesting carbohydrates in. This can be a banana or a carbohydrate powder in a shake. This week, my pre-workout shake contained:
½ banana
½ scoop Paleoethics Super Serum Chocolate
1 cup cold brew coffee
1 scoop Generation UCan
1 scoop Blonyx Creatine + HMB
1 scoop Blonyx Beta Alanine.
Do not add any fats into your preworkout snack within an hour of exercising as they take some time and energy for your body to digest and you want to keep all that energy for the workout!
Post-workout you want to get that 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein that we talked about in earlier posts. Whether it's in whole, unprocessed food form or a shake, get it in within 30 minutes of attempting this workout so that you can repair those hard worked muscles in time for your next workout or attempt at 17.4.
Workout Strategy:
This workout is won on how fresh you come into the HSPU and how much time you have on that wall to get those reps in. Transition times are going to be very important here! To get as much time as possible on the handstand wall, do not take breaks in between movements. Always go straight into your first set on the next movement and then rest after your first set as needed. If you struggle with HSPU’s, pace the rest of the workout and do VERY small sets of HSPU (even quick singles if you need to). If you go to failure early, you won’t be able to recover.
Deadlift:
-Maintain a good posture (flat back)
-Mixed Grip
-Wear a belt to save core for HSPU
-Link them to utilize the stretch shortening cycle but don’t go to a max set
Wall Balls:
-Keep the ball high on your chest; your posture should be just like in a front squat.
-Avoid no reps – squat to the bottom to use that bounce out of the whole
-Flush your arms out during each rep by circling them down and back into position to catch by the time the ball comes back down
-Avoid weightlifting shoes because they make the deadlift harder
Rowing: -Make each stroke count; try to avoid short, choppy strokes
-Each pull back should be big and powerful, with the recovery forward a bit slower than the pull
-This doesn’t mean you have to row with a slow cadence, just that each stroke should be smooth
Handstand Push-ups:
-When kipping, be sure that as you reach the bottom, your lower back/hips actually contact the wall as your head hits the ground; this will keep balanced and give you a better drive from the ground
– Dorsiflex your ankles at the top of the rep to ensure you go over the line – Bring your legs together at the top – Straighten your body out as much as possible when finishing each rep – Move closer to the wall if you can’t meet the standard – Bring your hands in closer if you can’t meet the standard
Good luck on 17.4 everyone!