Warm-up3 min
row
3 min steady · zone2 conversational
Easy.
Zone 2 Base + Norwegian 4×442 min
row or bike
20 min steady · 60-70% HRmax
Zone 2 base, same protocol as Weeks 5-6.
row or bike — Norwegian 4x4
4 × 240s on / 180s off · 90-95% HRmax
Held at whatever frequency you reached in Week 6 — do not push to more even if recovery has felt good. More is not better here, layered on top of 5 lifting days.
Cool-down + Mobility Flow10 min
Couch Stretch
External video — Couch Stretch by Functional Bodybuilding.
How to do it
- Setup
- Kneeling lunge, rear shin up against a wall or couch/bench behind you, rear foot pointing up. Front foot flat on the floor, well out in front. Torso tall, ribs stacked over the pelvis.
- Execution
- Squeeze the rear glute to sink the hip forward and deepen the stretch. Hold completely still for the full prescribed time. This is a finisher drill only — never do it before lifting.
- Common error
- Arching the lower back to bring the torso closer to vertical instead of actually moving the hip forward — this fakes depth without touching the hip flexor. Keep the ribs pulled down and let the glute squeeze do the work.
- Feel
- A steady, building stretch through the front of the rear hip and thigh that should ease slightly the longer you hold it. Dull ache is normal. A sharp pinch in the right hip means come out of the position, don't fight it.
Passive hold, 60s each side.
60s/side hold · rest 0:15
Prescribed: 60s/side hold · rest 0:15
Wall Pec Stretch
External video — Pectoralis (Chest) Stretch by EmergeOrtho-Triangle Region.
How to do it
- Setup
- Stand side-on to a wall or doorway. Forearm flat against it, elbow bent roughly 90°, upper arm raised to that week's height — 90° (arm level with the shoulder) or 120° (arm angled up above shoulder height).
- Execution
- Keeping the forearm fixed on the wall, rotate your torso away from the wall until you feel the chest stretch. Hold for the prescribed time. Repeat at the second angle if the session calls for both.
- Common error
- Hiking the shoulder up toward the ear to fake more stretch — keep the shoulder blade pulled down and get the range from turning the torso, not from lifting the shoulder.
- Feel
- A steady stretch across the chest and front shoulder. Any sharp pinch inside the joint means back off the height or how far you rotate. The left shoulder sharpening at all is your signal to stop that side.
45s each side.
45s/side hold · rest 0:15
Prescribed: 45s/side hold · rest 0:15
Dead Hang
External video — Dead Hang by OPEX Fitness.
How to do it
- Setup
- Both hands on a pull-up bar, roughly shoulder-width, full overhand grip. Step or jump off the floor so your entire bodyweight hangs.
- Execution
- Consciously release any bracing, then check yourself against two signs of a true passive hang: your shoulders should ride up noticeably closer to your ears than when you're standing, and your ribcage should feel like it's lengthening away from your hips. If your shoulder blades are still pulled down and your neck looks the same as standing, you're still actively hanging — let it go and check the two signs again. Hang and breathe for the full prescribed time.
- Common error
- Actively pulling the shoulder blades down ('active hang') without noticing you're doing it — this is the default position most lifters hold from habit. The two-sign check in execution is how you catch it.
- Feel
- A gentle traction pulling through the shoulders and lats, grip working the forearms, shoulders visibly higher than your standing posture. Any pinching in the shoulder, particularly the left, means come down and shorten the next hold.
40s, full relax through the shoulders and lats.
40s hold · rest 0:15
Prescribed: 40s hold · rest 0:15