LIFT WITH SOHEE

MONTHLY GROUP
TRAINING PROGRAM
Welcome to the March 2019 Lift with Sohee program!

Last month, we hit the big 3 lifts (squat, bench, deadlifts) hard. This month,
I’m working in some of the accessory movements. We’ve got the pause squat,
the pause deadlift, and the close-grip bench press (the last being a repeat from
last month, but for lower reps). These exercises will help build control and
clean up technique while also giving your body a bit of a breather. After all,
while you should absolutely be pushing for strength gains for the compound
movements, you should not be doing so by sacrificing form and thus risking
injury.

Keep in mind that you will have to lift lighter total loads for these accessory
exercises. Leave your ego at the door and scale back the weight big time. Focus
on nailing picture-perfect, crisp technique that would make Coach Sohee (that’s
me!) do celebration backflips across the room. (How’s that for a visual?)

Fear not – we’ll bring the big 3 lifts back in with April’s program for sure.

Day 4 is the optional workout that is mostly bodyweight this time. I do

prescribe a couple of dumbbell exercises, but you can get creative and find
some household items that will do the trick if you’d like. Alternatively, the band
variations will more than suffice.

I’ve been loving the increased activity in our members-only closed Facebook
group over the past several weeks. Keep the form checks coming! And if you
simply want to show off a recent PR of yours that’s more than welcome as
well.

And of course, be sure to tag @ELTmethod on Instagram and use the hashtag
#liftwithsohee. We’re been sharing many of our members’ posts on the
ELTmethod stories, which has been really fun.
WALKTHROUGH VIDEOS

Walkthrough Demo – Day 1

Walkthrough Demo – Day 2
Walkthrough Demo – Day 3
Walkthrough Demo – Day 4

I understand that we all have different schedules and we obviously won’t all be
able to adhere to the specific days and workouts below. The schedule is simply
a sample weekly schedule. Note that you are to take a full day of rest once per
week – Sunday tends to be the best day for this for most people.

If you miss a session for any reason, simply shift everything a day forward and
carry on. There’s no reason to overthink it.

The password for each individual exercise demo is: shelifts

Day 1: Training
Day 2: OFF
Day 3: Training
Day 4: OFF
Day 5: Training
Day 6: Training (Optional)
Day 7: OFF
 MOBILITY WORK

It would benefit you greatly to foam roll for about 5-10 minutes at the start of
your training session. We all have knots in our bodies everywhere, whether we
realize it or not – especially if our jobs are sedentary. However, I understand
that many of us are craaazy busy and oftentimes simply need to get in and get
out of the gym. If that’s the case, leave the foam rolling for your off days and
perform the dynamic warm-up below.

Mobility work is probably one of the most overlooked and underrated

components of any training program. A proper dynamic warm-up will help
decrease your risk of injury and takes very little time. I recommend that you
spend 5-10 minutes before every training session performing the below:

Inchworm to hip lunge x5

Fire hydrant circle x10ea
Shoulder tap x10ea
Lateral squat x10ea
Dynamic shoulder circle x10ea

I understand that it can be tempting to skip the warm-up entirely and dive
headfirst into your training. And to be honest, if you did skip it, you’d probably
be okay 99/100 times. But on that one occasion you get seriously injured
because you didn’t warm up properly, you’ll realize what I meant. Why have an
okay workout when you can make it great?
 TRAINING

Warm up sets

For the big compound movements, never go straight into your working set. I
recommend 2-4 warm up sets with progressively heavier weight and lower reps.
For example, if I were to have a working set of full squats at 100lbs, I would
warm up like so:

6 x 45lbs
4 x 65lbs
3 x 85lbs

And then do my first working set. Pay close attention to how you feel and
adjust weight/reps accordingly.

After that, especially for accessory/isolation work, you can head straight toward
the working sets.

Remember: the sets and reps I have prescribed for you refer to working sets
only. If you have 3x5 full squats, for example, then the five sets you perform to
warm up do not count toward the working sets.

Load and Effort

You want to be lifting as heavy as you can in the rep range prescribed. This is
going to be different for everyone as strength is relative, so I can’t recommend
specific weights for you. Over time, you should get really good at gauging when
“heavy” is heavy enough for you.

I know it’s tempting, but please do not go to failure unless otherwise noted. By
failure, I mean you’re struggling with that last rep and your form is clearly
falling apart.

Instead, I want you to stop each set 1-2 reps shy of failure. You should feel that
you maybe could have gotten one more quality rep out before calling it good.

If you’re trying out an exercise for the first time, err on the side of too light as
opposed to too heavy. Use the first week to feel out the exercises and become
familiar with them.
Exercise Selection

I have left the exercises intentionally flexible so as to account for individual

preferences, differences in body anatomy, and equipment availability. For
example, if I give you a choice between front or back squats, you are free to
utilize whichever is more comfortable for you – just be sure to stick with that
same variation for the whole month.

And if I prescribe military presses but don’t specify barbell or dumbbell, either
is fine.

Training Log

I strongly recommend that you track every workout session. Be sure to record
the weight and reps performed for every working set, as well as any additional
comments you want to make a note of (e.g. “Go up 5lbs next week”). This will
be a game-changer with your training, as it’ll give an extra level of focus and
attention with each workout. You can either track your sessions in your own
notebook or pick up a SoheeFit training journal.

Progressions

The goal is to make progress from one week to the next by: performing a given
exercise with more weight, performing more reps (within the prescribed rep
range) with the same weight, or perhaps even improving form. This is why
keeping a training log is so important.

Extras

I don’t want to kill you with volume, so the workouts below should take
anywhere between 40-60 minutes each. If you feel like this is not enough
volume for you, you have the option of 10-15 minutes of playtime. You can take
advantage of this time to work on movements you enjoy or want to get better
at, or you can target specific body parts. Here are some examples:

If you want to get better at pullups/chin-ups, perform multiple sets of jump

negatives – as many as you can in 10 minutes.
For biceps, you can do a drop set of bicep curls.
For abs, you can perform a mix of RKC planks, side bends, and reverse
crunches.
The possibilities are endless here. The point is, have fun with it.

Rest Periods

In general, the lower the prescribed reps for a given exercise, the heavier weight
that should be used, and the more rest required. Rest periods are not as
important as we once thought, but it’s good to have rough guidelines. Unless
otherwise noted, adhere to the following rest recommendations:

For sets of 1-5 reps, rest 3-5 minutes.

For sets of 5-12 reps, rest 2 minutes.
For sets of 12+ reps, rest 1 minute.
 Training Day 1: Lower Body

EXERCISE SETS x REPS REST

A. Pause squat (back or front) 3x5 3min

Pause deadlift (sumo, conventional or
B. 3x5 3min
trap bar; 3-second pause)
C. Knee-banded DB hip thrust 3x30 2min
Eccentric-accentuated DB Bulgarian
D1. 2x8ea 1min
split squat (4-second lowering phase)
D2. Hip-banded DB Romanian deadlift 2x15 1min
Knee-banded BW glute
E. 1x3min --
bridge/abduction finisher*
*Perform any combination of knee-banded BW glute bridge and knee-banded
supine hip abduction for 3 straight minutes. You can perform 10 reps each, 5
reps each, 1 rep each, or whatever you’d like. What’s important is you’re
working your glutes for the full 3 minutes without stopping.
 Training Day 2: Upper Body

EXERCISE SETS x REPS REST

A1. Military press + push press 3x3+3 1min

A2. Seated chin-up 3xAMRAP 2min

B1. Incline DB bench press 3x8 1min

Underhand-grip pause BB row
B2. 3x8 2min
(3-second pause)
C1. Bentover DB rear delt raise 3x10 0s

C2. DB lateral raise 3x10 0s

C3. Crucifix hold 3x20s 2min

D. Seated face pull 2x15 1min

 Training Day 3: Full Body

EXERCISE SETS x REPS REST

A. Pause hip thrust (5-second pause) 3x5 3min

B. Close-grip bench press 3x10 3min

C1. Deadstop DB split squat 3x10ea 1min

C2. BW chin-up or eccentric chin-up 3xAMRAP or 3x3 1min

D1. Nordic ham curl 2x5 1min

D2. Half-kneeling 1-arm DB shoulder press 2x10ea 1min

E. PPT plank 2x20-30s 1min

 Training Day 4: Full Body (Optional)

EXERCISE SETS x REPS REST

A1. Kneeling leg extension 3xAMRAP 0s

A2. Wall sit 3x30s-60s 2min

B1. Single-leg deficit BW hip thrust 2-3x10ea 0s

B2. Deficit BW hip thrust 2-3x20 2min

C1. 1-arm leaning lateral raise 3x15ea 0s

C2. Standing 1-arm DB shoulder press* 3x10ea 2min

D. Lateral bear crawl 2x1-2min 2min

*Complete both exercises on the same side, starting with your weaker side first,
before repeating on the other side.
 EXERCISE CUES

Day 1: Lower Body

A. Pause squat (back or front)

Make sure you get a full 3-second count at the bottom.
You will need to go a lot lower than you would go for a traditional squat.
You will need to use less load for this movement.
Your overall set up and grip will be identical to the back or front squat.
B. Pause deadlift (sumo, conventional, or trap bar; 3-second pause)
You are pausing for about 1 second with the barbell approximately 2”
off the ground.
Your setup will be identical no matter which variation you choose, with
the added pause off the floor.
You will need to lighten your load by a good amount. Start with ~40%
of your estimated 1RM.
C. Knee-banded DB hip thrust
The bench height that is ideal for you will depend upon the length of
your torso. The taller you are, the more height you'll need.
Ensure that you have roughly vertical shins at the top of the movement.
If your feet are too far out in front of you, you may feel your hamstrings
working and not enough glutes; if they’re too close to you, you may feel
your quads working.
Keep the chin tucked, ribs down, and eyes forward throughout the
duration of the movement.
You may need someone to assist you in placing the dumbbell on your
hips if you're unable to do so on your own.
Achieve a posterior pelvic tilt at the top of the thrust for an optimal
glute contraction.
D1. Eccentric-accentuated DB Bulgarian split squat (4-second lowering phase)
Your setup will be the same as with the traditional Bulgarian split squat.
Make sure to work your weaker side first.
The lowering movement is to be performed over 4-seconds. Make sure
you count slowly and do not rush the movement.
You will need to use a lighter load than usual.
D2. Hip-banded DB Romanian deadlift
Loop a long resistance band around a sturdy implement and step into it,
at about waist/hip height.
The band will force you to get full hip extension and a glute squeeze at
the top.
Make sure you are not hyperextending or overextending at the top.
This helps to groove the hip hinge pattern.
E. Knee-banded BW glute bridge/abduction finisher*
You can do these in any combination you wish. Just make sure you are
moving consistently for the entire 3-minute time allotment.

Day 2: Upper Body

A1. Military press + push press

At the top of the movement, stand tall and push the head through.
Be careful not to use momentum to press the barbell overhead.
The bar path (when viewing from the side) should be more or less
vertical. Be sure not to press the barbell forward and up.
You can use a slightly heavier load for this, as when you transition to the
push press you will have the leg drive to help you.
A2. Seated chin-up
You will be able to use as much or as little assistance as you need with
this movement.
Make sure your grip is the underhand position, as this is a chin-up, not a
pull-up.
Make sure your chin clears the bar at the top of each rep.
B1. Incline DB bench press
You may find it more comfortable to use a neutral grip with your palms
facing towards you, as this is easier on the shoulders.
Make sure you get a full range of motion by touching the DB’s to your
chest before pressing back upward.
B2. Underhand-grip pause BB row
Make sure you are bending over like you are at the bottom of a
Romanian deadlift.
Grip in an underhand manner and row in and hold for 3-seconds each.
You can use less load for this exercise.
C1. Bentover DB rear delt raise
Your gaze should be down at the ground so your neck can stay in a
neutral position. Avoid hyperextending the neck and looking up.
Raise the arms only to the height of your torso. There's no need to bring
them any higher as that only engages your traps, which is not the focus
of this exercise.
C2. DB lateral raise
Avoid excessive body English when performing this exercise. You
should be using the delts to raise the dumbbells up rather than the
momentum from the hips.
Imagine pouring a pitcher of water at the top of the movement. The
pinkies should be higher than the thumbs and the elbows should be up
nice and high.
You don’t need much load to feel this movement working. Rather than
focusing on lifting heavier weight with this exercise, focus on activating
the lateral delts.
C3. Crucifix hold
Your arms will be in the same top position as in the DB lateral raise, but
they will remain static and hold for 20 seconds.
D. Seated face pull
You can grip the ropes in an underhand grip and pull in towards your
face.
Elbows will open up and squeeze the shoulder blades at the top.
Use a light load and focus on getting a good stretch and working the
back and shoulder muscles.

Day 3: Full Body

A. Pause hip thrust (5-second pause)

Squeeze your glutes as hard as you can and hold for a count of 5 at the
top of each rep
Start with a weight that you would normally use for your 15-20RM
B. Close-grip bench press
The difference between this and the regular bench press is the grip
width. The close-grip is about 1 hand width in closer on either side than
the standard bench press.
Keep your elbows tucked and make contact with your chest at the
bottom of each rep.
C1. Deadstop DB split squat
The starting position is with the knee resting on the floor.
Drive up and then lower back down under control, making sure you
lower completely to the floor.
You may place a yoga mat or other soft padding on the floor for
comfort.
Keep your torso upright and don’t let your hips shoot up first.
C2. BW chin-up or eccentric chin-up
If you can't get a full bodyweight chin-up yet, you can either do eccentric
chin-ups or band-assisted chin-ups.
Over time, your goal should be to either decrease the level of assistance
you're using (by using a lighter band) OR get more total reps.
If you can perform 8 or more bodyweight reps in a given set, you may
add weight to turn these into weighed chin-ups.
If you do the eccentric chin-up, you’ll want to get into position at the
top of the movement and then lower as slowly as you can under control.
D1. Nordic ham curl
Most of us do not have a Nordic ham curl machine at our gym, but you
can set this up with a variety of items (please watch the walk-through
video as this will demonstrate).
Do not be discouraged if you cannot perform one as this is an advanced
move.
The goal is to control the drop as much as you can. Try not to plop
down.
Be sure to “catch” yourself at the bottom with your hands rather than
faceplanting onto the floor.
D2. Half-kneeling 1-arm DB shoulder press
Place padding under the front knee for comfort if desired
Avoid leaning to the side as you perform your repetitions; keep the torso
upright
E. PPT plank
The first few times you do this, you may not be able to last very long
until your entire body starts shaking like a leaf. This is normal, and over
time your strength endurance will improve.
Keep a very slight bend in the knees and round the upper back, as this
allows for more posterior pelvic tilt.
Make sure you contract the glutes as hard as possible during this
exercise.
Day 4: Full Body (Optional)

A1. Kneeling leg extension

Get onto your knees in an upright position and then lean back and move
back up.
It is okay if you only get 3-5 reps in your first week.
The deeper back you go, you have to fight that much harder to bring
yourself back up.
A2. Wall sit
Make sure you are at a 90-degree angle and hold for 30-60 seconds.
Contract the quads while you are pressed against the wall.
B1. Single-leg deficit BW hip thrust
The major cues for the single-leg hip thrust are the same as those of the
bilateral hip thrust: keep the chin tucked, ribs down, and eyes forward,
achieve full hip extension, and squeeze the glutes at lockout.
Work your weaker leg first, and then match the number of repetitions
with the stronger leg.
Keep your hips level the entire time.
B2. Deficit BW hip thrust
The bench height that is ideal for you will depend upon the length of
your torso. The taller you are, the more height you'll need.
Ensure that you have roughly vertical shins at the top of the movement.
If your feet are too far out in front of you, you may feel your hamstrings
working and not enough glutes; if they’re too close to you, you may feel
your quads working.
Keep the chin tucked, ribs down, and eyes forward throughout the
duration of the movement.
Achieve a posterior pelvic tilt at the top of the thrust for an optimal
glute contraction.
C1. 1-arm leaning lateral raise
Avoid excessive body movement when performing this exercise. You
should be using the delts to raise the dumbbell up rather than the
momentum from the hips or knees.
Imagine pouring a pitcher of water at the top of the movement. The
pinky should be higher than the thumb and the elbow should be up nice
and high.
 You don’t need much load to feel this movement working. Rather than
focusing on lifting heavier weight with this exercise, focus on activating
the lateral delts.
C2. Standing 1-arm DB shoulder press
Press straight up with a DB
Using a neutral-grip will be comfortable on the shoulder.
Make sure you control the eccentric. Do not drop back down. Instead,
lower under control.
Think of keeping your traps away from your ears so you are not
shrugging during the movement.
D. Lateral bear crawl
Get onto all fours popped up onto your toes making sure the body is
square.
Do not let your hips sag or let your form degrade as you get tired.
Crawl laterally back and forth.
 Training Notes

The training program is to be executed in ABC order. So for example, if

you have an exercise A, you are to complete all sets and reps of that
movement before moving onto B. If you have something like B1 B2,
that is called a superset. In this case, you do one set of B1 for the
prescribed number of reps, rest, and then do B2. Rest, then go back to
B1, etc. To learn more about supersets, read here.
If pullups/chin-ups are assigned and you are unable to complete the
prescribed reps with at least bodyweight, then use a resistance band. If
you do not have access to bands but you have an assisted pullup
machine, use that.
A rest period of “---” means that you are to rest for as long as you need.
If you are given a choice between two exercises, the preference is for the
first one unless you have equipment restrictions.
Here are some abbreviations and acronyms you should be familiar with:
o Alt.: alternating
o BB: barbell
o BW: bodyweight
o DB: dumbbell
o DL: deadlift
o KB: kettlebell
o OH: overhead
o SB: stability ball
o SL: single leg
o UH: underhand
o WG: wide grip
And other training terminology:
o AMRAP: As Many Reps As Possible
o MOTM: Minute On The Minute - Every minute, you are to
complete the prescribed number of reps before resting for the
remainder of the minute. Continue in this manner until you have
performed all sets.
o RPT: Rest Pause Training - Perform as many sets as it takes to hit
the prescribed total number of reps. Use a resistance band or
weight that would normally allow you to get 10 solid reps. For
each set, you will rock out as many reps as you can and stop just
1-2 reps shy of failure. Then take a 10-15 second break before
going again. Repeat in this manner until you hit the target number.
 CONDITIONING

Brisk walking

I would like you to get in some kind of activity on your days off from training
just to ensure you’re getting in some movement. You are to go for a brisk walk
for 30-40 minutes. Stationary biking or another gentle cardio modality is also
fine. It shouldn’t be anything intense; the point is that you’re just getting in
some movement. The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) should only be a 6 on a
scale of 1 to 10.

With that said, yoga is an excellent off-day exercise and I strongly encourage it
if that’s something you enjoy.