Train Like Spartan Champ Alyssa Hawley for a Week

Train Like Spartan Champ Alyssa Hawley for a Week

We all want to know: What makes the best-of-the-best Spartan athletes out there tick? How do they keep their edge? In our Train Like A Champ series, we dig into the details of the training, nutrition, mindset, and more that keeps our most epic athletes on top. 

The One-Week Train Like Alyssa Hawley Plan

We tapped Alyssa Hawley for an inside look at what a week-long "Alyssa Hawley training plan" looks like, so you can follow along — and learn to train like a champ yourself. 

Related: Train Like a Champion: Q&A with Champ Alyssa Hawley

Note: Begin all workouts with a warm-up—and end all with a cool-down.

Considering that Hawley doesn’t have a traditional running background like a lot of other elite Spartan competitors, for the most part, her programming skews towards high volumes of endurance training. 

Hawley’s training focuses on balancing longer-duration, lower-intensity cardiovascular work with shorter, high-intensity threshold exercise, along with routines specific for muscular strength and muscular endurance. 

Related: Dynamic Warm-up to Start Every Workout

Monday: Bike 

AM - working on building volume and endurance

45min easy bike (Any time I say this it means: Spin bike in the gym - I keep it around 90rpms at <75% Heart Rate)

PM - hard, long tempo race-like effort. Mondays are usually hard because Sunday is a day of rest

20 min bike warm up, 30 min bike cool down 

"Red Cell" DWEP (Anytime I say this I mean my coach, Dennis Welch programmed, hard efforts) 2000m row 6:30 min Assault Bike 1000m row 6:30 min Assault Bike 500m row 6:30 min Assault Bike 35:35 total 

Finished with:

Pull-ups: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Push-ups: 20-19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10

Tuesday: Bike and Upper-Body Strength

AM - working on building volume and endurance

40-minute easy bike

PM - upper body strength and endurance and grip to give the legs a little break

20 min bike warm up, 30 min bike cool down

DWEP: 6 rounds: 90 sec arms only Assault Bike 2 min Heavy bucket 2 min Rope climbs 12 Landmine Press 35# 10 BB Clean and Press 65#

Wednesday: Lifting & Recovery 

20 min Bike warm-up 

DWEP Lift (working on just pure leg strength)

Single-arm Barbell Deadlift DL  5x8reps @ 95# (+10 single leg box jumps in between) Front Squat 5x8 @ 95# (+5 weighted box jumps in between) Leg Curl 5x12 @ 70# (+ 15 barbell hip thrusts in between) Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat 5x5-7 reps each leg @ 2x30# KB's, ended with 2x40# KB/s 100 DB Snatches for time @ 45# (7:55 min)

*Cryotherapy session

 

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The master at work. Dry needling has been one of the game changers in my recovery. Injuries suck and if anything I find it’s not because of being over trained but under recovered. I’ve found the biggest thing you can do when an injury pops out is get out an old fashioned piece of paper and make a list - 1. write down the things you need to do to get it recovered. 2. Write down all the things you CAN do that aren’t going to make it worse and will still keep up some fitness. 3. Make small goals to keep you on track. And I would really recommend some of the following: dry needle, massage, cryo therapy, normatech compression, and good old fashioned foam rolling and stretching! #SpartanPro

A post shared by Alyssa Hawley (@alyssahawley14) on

Thursday: Climb & Nap for Recovery

Rock Climb for 2 hours (grip training)

Nap 1.5 hours

Friday: Lifting & Assault Bike

Tire Pull warm up - 20 min <75% HRM

DWEP: working on lactate threshold 10 min Assault Bike EMOM - every minute on the minute do 10 calories all out and then rest the remainder of the minute.

Then, 5 rounds of: 15 Landmine press 35# + 2" heavy bucket

5 rounds of: 10 Landmine rows + max farmers carry with 45# pinch grip plates

Then, 10 min Assault Bike 30 sec all out/30sec rest

Total - 43min

Finish with 10 pull ups, 25 glute bridge x5 rounds 

Related: What a Week of Spartan Pro Nicole Mericle's Workouts Looks Like

Saturday: Road Bike & Hike

AM - working on endurance

Long road bike ride keeping HR <155bpm; 2:03 hours

10 pull ups + 1 spear throw x5 

PM - just for fun because it's what I like to do!

Easy hike - 2 hours, 4mi, 1700ft gain

Nap 1.5 hours

Sunday: Recovery day 

Easy tire pull 20 min

Test run - 1 mi easy @ 9:00 pace 

5 rounds:

Assault Bike - 4 min easy/1 min hard 10 pull ups