“Flex Appeal”
Our next 6 week training cycle, Flex Appeal, is all about blending function and form. It’s where real-world strength meets physique-driven training.
In this cycle, we will feature (2) strength-biased days, (2) hypertrophy-biased day, and (1) conditioning day. Every day of the week has a clear purpose designed to help you develop total body strength, aesthetic muscle, and elite conditioning.
Monday: Lower Body Strength
The cornerstone of this cycle starts on Mondays the highly functional deadlift. This movement trains nearly every major muscle group in your body. Glutes, hamstrings, quads, lats, traps, core all working together to generate force, with most of the emphasis on your lower half
The deadlift builds what other lifts can’t: real-world strength transfer. It improves your ability to pick up heavy objects, stabilize under tension, and develop total body coordination. From a performance standpoint, it drives force production and posterior chain development, which leads to stronger sprints, jumps, and explosive lifts.
From a physique perspective, the deadlift is top tier for building functional, athletic muscle through the back, hamstrings, and glutes. Expect to see measurable progress in strength each week as we train for our 1RM for “Finals Week.”
Tuesday: Upper Body Hypertrophy
Tuesdays are all about aesthetic upper body development. Think muscle symmetry, push-pull balance, and joint-friendly variation. Each week we’ll rotate our focus between pressing and pulling movements to ensure complete muscular balance across the chest, shoulders, back, and arms.
You can expect to chase the pump through strategic supersets, drop sets, and moderate rep ranges that stimulate muscle growth while improving work capacity. The result is not just a better looking upper body, but one that performs with strength and endurance in every range of motion.
This day will build the foundation for Tuesday’s Finals Week test, “Fish Fry”, a grueling upper body and core muscle endurance challenge that will push your capacity to hold strength under fatigue.
Wednesday: Total Body Conditioning
Midweek is where you’ll build your engine. Wednesdays feature total body athletic conditioning that combines aerobic base work with short, high-intensity anaerobic finishers that will feature “Blacklist” challenge opportunities.
Expect these workouts to feature barbell lifts performed with intent and control, while also maintaining a high intensity pace.
Finals Week will re-test our 2 Minute Max Calorie Challenge that measures your total anaerobic output.
Thursday: Upper Body Strength
Thursday’s focus is on developing upper body strength, rotating between both push and pull variations each week to build complete, balanced output. While the bench press will be the primary lift of this day, it won’t be the only tool we use.
The goal is simple: increase your ability to produce force through the entire upper body while maintaining joint balance and structural integrity. Each session will teach you how to create total body tension, stabilize under load, and generate power through the chest, shoulders, and back.
From a functional perspective, a strong press-pull foundation enhances posture, shoulder health, and everyday strength.
For women, this day is especially important. Building upper body strength through pressing and pulling develops need strength in muscles that are otherwise hard to train, improves bone density, and balances out the often-neglected muscle groups that support long-term joint health and aesthetics.
Finals Week will test your progress with a 1 Rep Max Bench Press, the benchmark for upper body absolute strength.
Friday: Lower Body Hypertrophy
We close the week with muscle building for the lower body. Fridays focus on hypertrophy through the squat pattern, emphasizing controlled, high-volume work that develops strength, stability, and shape in the legs and glutes.
Expect variety. From traditional back squats and front squats to lunges, split squats, and accessory work designed to create balanced strength across both legs. By targeting multiple angles and ranges of motion, you’ll build muscle that looks powerful and performs even better.
Our Finals Week test, “Kids Camp”, will measure your lower body muscle endurance.
Finals Week Tests
Monday: 1R Deadlift – Test of lower body absolute strength
Tuesday: “Fish Fry” – Upper body muscle endurance challenge
Wednesday: 2’ Max Calories – Anaerobic power output test
Thursday: 1R Bench Press – Test of upper body absolute strength
Friday: “Kids Camp” – Lower body muscle endurance test
Let’s get to work.
