Train to Success, Not Failure

Russian coach Andrey Kozhurkin competes in a uniquely Russian sport called the “winter
polyathlon.” It adds pull ups to the traditional biathlon of cross-country skiing and rifle marksmanship.
The pull ups must be strict and done within a 4-minute time limit. Kozhurkin has done 60 pull ups
in 4 minutes. What do you think his training is like?

If you are imagining “pull or die” marathons to failure and beyond, you are
mistaken. Kozhurkin avoids pump and burn like a plague. His approach to training is decidedly anti-
glycolytic. The Russian coach made a global observation on the two diametrically opposed
philosophies of stimulating adaptation:

 Create the unfavorable conditions of the specific load to stimulate the organism adapting to them.
 Create conditions that enable the organism to avoid (or at least delay) the unfavorable internal
conditions of the specific load that lead to failure or prevent continued work at the required intensity.

Let us use strength training as an example. The majority of bodybuilders and recreational athletes
use the first approach. They train to failure, knocking against their limits over and over and slowly
pushing them up. In contrast, strength athletes such as Olympic weightlifters and powerlifters follow
the second approach. The first 1,000-pound squatter, Dr. Fred Hatfield, famously proclaimed
that one ought to “train to success,” as opposed to failure.5

In endurance training, the first philosophy represents the consensus. Coaches expose athletes to
deeper and deeper levels of exertion to improve acid buffering. This is what Arthur Jones from
Nautilus called “metabolic conditioning” back in 1975.4 But a number of Soviet scientists, Prof. Yuri
Verkhoshansky among them, decided to go against the consensus. They pursued the second
strategy, and found ways to minimize glycolysis by expanding the alactic (quick) and aerobic
(long-term) energy system windows. “Anti-glycolytic training,” or (AGT) was born.

Verkhoshansky's work began in the USSR back in the 1980s, and culminated in the twenty-first
century. Using his research, the Russian national teams displayed remarkable performance
breakthroughs in a mind-numbingly diverse array of sports: judo, cross country skiing, rowing,
bicycle racing, full contact karate.

If it worked for all those sports, why should it not work for CrossFit?

anti-glycolytic training (AGT)

Professor Victor Selouyanov, the leading AGT researcher

The AGT Program for CrossFit

The protocol below outlines the specifics of the six-week AGT cycle we used with our
CrossFit athletes.

Note that we compromised by paying equal attention to several training components over a six-week
period. This is not an optimal approach to long-term planning, but a necessity for a six-week
 experiment. If you choose to write training plans based on ours, write a periodized plan with
moving targets.

We used the following Russian classification of predominantly anaerobic work of different intensity :

 Maximal power exercises (90-100% intensity contraction, <20sec duration)

 Nearmaximal power exercises (70-90% intensity contraction, 20-50sec duration)
 Submaximal power exercises (50-70% intensity contraction, 1-5min duration)

In the table they are referred to as “max,” “nearmax,” and “submax.” The subjects trained five days a
week, Monday through Friday.

Monday: Heavy Lifts and Max Power Endurance

A. Heavy lifts practice
Work up in singles to a heavy weight in 3 lifts of your choice. Typically finish with ~90% 1RM. If you
feel exceptionally strong, you may go heavier and even try a PR. If, on the other hand, you feel flat,
just do several singles with ~80% 1RM.

On deloading weeks, when 70% intensity is indicated, do 5 or so easy singles with ~70% 1RM.

Use different lifts and variations each week:

 Snatch, jerk from the rack, front squat

 Strict weighted pull up on rings, strict weighted handstand push up, strict weighted pistol
 Kettlebell throw for distance, muscle clean (no knee dip), barbell military press
 Front squat, bench press, deadlift
 Clean grip power snatch, push press from the rack, strict weighted tactical pull up (palms facing
forward, thumbless grip, neck or chest must touch the bar)
 B. Max power endurance
Max power alactic work with aerobic recovery is the key to the plan’s success. You must be
competent in “Russian” kettlebell swings. Select a kettlebell you can perfectly and powerfully
swing for 15-20 reps (your choice of one-arm or two-arm swing). Do maximally powerful sets of 5
reps on the minute. Keep going in this manner, as long as you can pass the talk test right before the
next set. You must be able to speak in sentences. This is imperative.

Do not cut the rest short to save time or just to make yourself more miserable. Verkhoshansky
warned:

“…it is necessary to pay attention to the recommended duration of the rest

pauses both between sets as well as between series. Under no circumstances
should these recommendations be neglected; time economy leads to a loss in
training efficiency.”

Actively rest between sets. Walk around and shake the tension out of your muscles. Stop when
either your power drops off or you can no longer pass the talk test (hopefully 20-40 minutes).

In week 4, do 50% of the sets you did in week 3. Do 15 sets in week 6 to taper before the weekend’s
test.

This model modifies traditional interval training by decreasing the work periods and
increasing the rest periods, all while increasing the power of muscular contractions. As a
result, anaerobic glycolysis does not get the opportunity to go full power. The muscles mostly work
alactically and recover aerobically.
Work-rest cycles that pass the "talk test" may be more beneficial.

Tuesday: Nearmax Power Endurance

This is your competitive outlet. For success of the plan, it is imperative that you select all-out
efforts under one minute in duration. Choose exercises you can safely perform at high intensity
and change them every week. Some options:

 Russian kettlebell swing (two-arm): 60sec

 Double kettlebell clean and jerk (if you have the skills): 60sec
 Sprint: 200-400m
 Hill sprint: 150-300m
 Rowing sprint: Max strokes/45sec
 Wingate bicycle ergometer x 30sec

Rest for 3-5 minutes between sets with 15-20 minutes between series. A “series” is a group of
sets., e.g., if the plan shows 3 sets/2 series, do 3 sets with 3-5 minutes between them, then rest for
15-20min and repeat the drill.

Limiting glycolytic sets to under a minute and significantly increasing the rest periods between them
reduces the acidosis to moderate levels. According to Russian experts, high levels of acidity kill
mitochondria, while moderate levels promote their growth.
 Wednesday: Submax Power Endurance
On Wednesday, practice many exercises typically done for higher reps in CrossFit: pull ups,
thrusters, double-unders, etc. Spend 30-45min practicing them in a slow circuit observing the
following rules:

 Do not exceed 50% of your max reps.

 Do not exceed mild local fatigue in the end of a set (no “burn”).
 Must pass the talk test before next set.

You can read about the logic behind this type of work in the Long Rests article.

The last Wednesday is organized differently: 15-20min of easy gymnastics practice followed
by 10 sets of max power endurance with swings.

Thursday: Mixed Skills

A. Gymnastics: A very easy practice.

B. Light Lifts Practice: Do 5-10 perfect singles with ~70% 1RM in the lifts you will be maxing next
week.

C. Max Power Endurance: This is a light day. Do 75% of Monday’s sets., e.g., 15 sets if you did 20
on Monday.

Friday: Hypertrophy
Apply the cycle listed in the table to the following exercises:

 Front squat
 Bench press
 Hammer row

Rest for 5 minutes between sets. Do not superset or tri-set the exercises.
From Simple to Serious Endurance
Using Pavel’s easy-to-understand diagram (below), the idea is to target the small, supercharged
fuel system to supply the gas for the actual swing sets, and to use the large, migratory fuel
system to constantly “top off” the little tank between sets

avoid overusing the medium fuel system during training, saving it for the actual competition. The
glycolytic fuel system is the original cellular source of fuel for all life (single-celled creatures use
it), and its output seems to be maintained with little-no training.
our tool is the kettlebell and our activity is the one-hand swing.

If you’re going to have an honest go at this routine, I ask you do no other training, do not change
your lifestyle or diet, and please record your observations. One caveat to the above is that you
may do up to ten total get-ups prior to only three of the conditioning sessions. If you choose to
do the get-ups, please add them to your records and rest at least ten minutes before you begin
your swings. Load your three get-up sessions as such: moderate / light / heavy.
Getting Started: Setting Your Baseline
First, let’s establish a baseline: have an honest go at the five-minute snatch test. That is,
don’t game it, push through. Find a balance between running all out when the gun fires and
conserving too much energy. You know, “tricks” such as pausing too long after each rep, putting
the bell down after a number of reps, and starting again at the top of the minute, etc. Do not try
to recover during the event, but go with your known rep scheme and see where it takes you. Put
the bell down only when your accumulated workload truly forces you to.

I will also ask for your 1.5 mile run. I know it may not be great weather outside, but I don’t
care for your treadmill performances. If you can’t do the run outside on a track or the like, then
simply forego it. Rest 48 hours between these two assessments. If I had to choose between
assessments, I would rather your run than your snatch test. If you cannot do either, choose a
five-to-twelve minute event of your choosing that you can replicate at the end of the program.
Any data is better then a “I feel the work is easier” type of report.

Next, let’s find your working bell. Do this either before or after your baseline assessments,
but recover for 48 hours on either side as well. This may take a few sessions if you’re finding
this without regularly performing one-hand swings.

Make sure that you are fresh, choose a bell, and do ten one-hand swings on the top of every
minute for ten minutes. Do not try to conserve energy. Perform 100 explosive swings. Assess
your fatigue. Did you have to push through the later reps to complete the ten minutes? Meaning,
were you ready go when the clock said so, and, were all ten swings powerful? Was your
hundredth swing as explosive as your first?

 Yes? Try again with the next heavier bell, and reassess.
 No? Try again with the next lighter bell, and reassess.
You are looking for the heaviest bell that allows you to complete this ten-minute session
feeling ready to go at the start of each minute. Take no more than three sessions to figure
this out, and recover for 48 hours before you begin the program. Do the best you can to avoid
estimating your bell size for this program. The assessments, exploratory sessions, and
requested recovery should take you eight to ten days. Plan this around your program start day.

The Serious Endurance Plan

 4 sessions per week you will do sets of 10 one-hand swings at the top of each minute
 Alternate arms each minute
 The set will take near 20 seconds, so you will have 40 seconds rest, on average
 Do not try to “save” energy; each swing must be crisp, sharp, and explosive
 Breathe and recover between sets
 Warm-up however you like, but do no other work (aside from the optional get ups)
 Take good care of your hands
  The routine will play out like so:

 Only perform two sessions on consecutive days per week. Example: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
or, Mon, Tue, Thur, Sat. It does not have to be the same two sessions that are
consecutive each week, just no more than two in each week.
 If your power fades during your session (especially the initial sessions), then quit for the
day and rethink your choice of bell size. You likely chose too heavy.
After at least 48 hours following your last session, reassess using the same events you set your
baseline with prior to the program. Replicate them as closely as possible, i.e. do not increase
the bell size in your snatch test, even if you feel stronger; do not run in heavy winds, etc.

Al Ciampa