The PUSH Stimulus Decoder
- Aidan Malody
- Sep 4
- 5 min read
Read the Workout. Train the Intent.
We get it: some days reading the whiteboard feels like A Beautiful Mind—numbers everywhere and secret codes. Meanwhile, on our side, we’re Charlie from Always Sunny, red‑stringing Pepe Silvia while yelling “stimulus!” and “anaerobic threshold!” (Hi, it’s us.) Point is: fewer strings, more reps.
Learn to read the board, make fast decisions, and hit the stimulus every time.
Learning a Movement: Order of Operations
Learning a new movement is built in this order: Shape → Speed → Load → Volume → Intensity
Shape: Own the positions (hollow/arch for TTB, front‑rack for cleans). If positions break, fix here first.
Speed: Move at the speed that the movement requires with control. A power clean shouldn’t look like a slow deadlift + a reverse curl in cosplay—make it smooth, fast, and snappy.
Load: Add weight only when shape + speed stay clean. Small jumps.
Volume: Make that load repeatable without form drift.
Intensity: Bring it into fatigue (metcon) last—after the first four hold.
Technique isn’t a trick. Nuances can make you faster, but strength in clean positions is what lets technique pay off. Don’t build strength in bad shapes.
Metcons: Priority Order
Time → Density (pace) → Skill → Load
Time: the clock/goal window is fixed. This protects the stimulus—the most important dial.
Density: work per minute (reps or cals/min) you can sustain.
Skill: choose the version you can repeat cleanly under fatigue.
Load: adjust last to keep quality + pace.
Clock first. Your watch doesn’t care about your feelings. Pick the version you can repeat when you’re breathing like a kazoo.
Maintain Density, Not Numbers
Match the time, not the number. More isn’t more if you’re just buying longer chalk breaks.
Real talk: don’t train to be slow. If it’s 8–10 minutes, do 8–10 minutes of work—not standing around gasping and calling it Rx. Hitting a :30 station in :55–1:10, or rowing 2:35/500m when the intent is ~1:55, just practices slow. “At least it’s Rx” isn’t improvement; it trains you to survive, not thrive. Speed trains speed. Scale distance/reps/skill/load so you stay on time, touch bar speed, power, and rhythm, and actually drive adaptation—earn the minutes, earn the rest.
Keep each station inside its time window so you can roll straight into the next.
Monostructural: If you can’t finish the assigned distance inside the intended window, shorten the distance to finish on time at a sustainable pace.
Skill/Strength: Keep the station under its cap with pretty reps. Use one of:
Hybrid: tiny Rx bite (1–5 clean reps), then a simpler scale to finish on time.
Rep trim: keep the higher-skill version but reduce total reps to hold quality and window.
Skill step‑down: if positions go, step the movement down one notch.
Find Your Limiter: Local vs Global
Diagnose the problem; don’t punish the clock.
Local (muscle/position) fatigue: a specific area blows up (grip, lats, core, shoulders), breathing is fine between efforts, form crumbles on that station.
Examples: TTB/PU/HSPU, barbell cycling when bar speed dies. Adjust: keep time → trim reps per set → step skill down one notch → small load drop. Aim for repeatable sets (e.g., triples+) that stay inside the station window.
Global (engine/HR) fatigue: breathing ragged across stations, pace fades on mono or burpees, transitions get long. Examples: row/bike/ski pacing drifts, long chipper settles into slog. Adjust: keep time → downshift density/pace first (smaller sets, smoother cadence). On fixed-distance machines, shorten distance to finish in-window. If you’re still redlining after 1–2 minutes, lower energy cost: step skill down or reduce load one notch.
This pairs with the metcon order: Time → Density → Skill → Load. Fix pace/density first; then tweak skill/load to make it sustainable.
Example Workout
Think steady movie montage, not action scene — same pace, better choices.
For Time — 4 Rounds
600m/510m Row
12 Power Cleans, 135/95
15 Box Jump‑Overs, 24/20"
18 Toes‑to‑Bar
Cap: 25:00
Goal: 20–22:00 (≈ 5:00–5:30 per round)
Intent: steady engine with repeatable sets; hinge + grip taxed; core/lats challenge TTB under fatigue.
Archetypes
1) Newer / Returning
Your job: stay moving and look good doing it.
Row: 500m/400m (aim to finish 2:20–2:40)
Power Clean: 95/65 — 12 in 3×4 (no grindy singles)
BJO: lower height (e.g., 20/16") or fewer reps (10–12)
TTB: TTC/HKR (toes-to-chest/hanging knee raises) — or V‑ups if you can’t hang — to 12–15 in ≤2 sets
Round goal: 5:15–5:45
Practice dose: If fresh, take 1–2 perfect TTB at the start of Rounds 1–2, then finish with TTC/HKR/V‑ups. Cap total TTB for the entire workout at ~10–16 quality reps (not per set).
2) Steady Crew
Your job: keep even(ish) splits and make adult decisions.
Row: 600m/510m at repeatable pace (aim to finish 2:20–2:35)
Power Clean: 95–115 lb / 75–85 lb — 12 as 4‑4‑4 or 3‑3‑3‑3
BJO: keep height; if engine is the limiter, cut to 10–12 reps to stay on pace
TTB: 18 as 6‑6‑6 (≤ :45); or 12–15 TTB + TTC to finish
Round goal: 5:00–5:30
Practice dose: 3–5 TTB to start each round, then scale to keep pace; total TTB ~24–32 good reps for the day.
3) Performance‑Chaser
Your job: flirt with spicy, never marry chaos.
Row: 600m/510m at repeatable race pace (aim to finish 2:05–2:20)
Power Clean: 135/95 cycling in 3×4 (no slow singles)
BJO: box jump‑overs look like a GIF on repeat
TTB: 18 as 10‑8 or 6‑6‑6 (≤ :45)
Round goal: 4:45–5:15
Rule: If any station blows its window, scale immediately to protect the next rounds.
Switch Triggers (During The Workout)
A station exceeds its time window → scale now.
Movement falls to messy singles (TTB, pull-ups, or grindy cleans) → step the skill down or lighten the load for this round.
Grip/hinge cooked → smaller clean sets or lighter bar to restore bar speed.
Engine flooded → shorten sets and settle cadence; if it won’t settle in 1–2 minutes, step skill/load down one notch.
If you’re negotiating with the barbell, you’ve already lost. Scale now. Don’t rescue a bad plan with worse technique.
Coach Cues
Row: tall posture, stroke it long and hard, calm cadence. (After reaching out to a committee of rowers—none responded—we still settled on this as the best phrasing.)
Cleans: bar speed > bar ego; quick, tidy resets.
BJO: same rhythm every rep.
TTB: Triples or better — most days. Singles can be a strategy, but if every rep is a rescue, scale. Pretty reps or scale.
Singles rule: strategy singles = fine; rescue mission singles = scale.
Move like someone’s filming you for an Instagram reel (just saying).
What To Log
Future‑you is the athlete we’re coaching. Leave them good notes.
Finish time and exact scale (meters, loads, heights, movement).
Set plan you actually held (e.g., cleans 4‑4‑4; TTB 6‑6‑6).
Density touchpoints (e.g., TTB time at rig; row split; clean set time).
RPE + one change for next time (add 2 TTB, bump bar 10 lb, or keep identical and beat transitions).
Write the truth you’d want to read on retest day.
Why This Works
You finish inside the goal time with even(ish) rounds.
You get real skill practice without trashing the metcon.
You build the strength/local capacity Rx demands.
You leave a clear breadcrumb trail for the retest.
Consistency looks like nothing is happening, until everything changes. Bottom line: Do a few great, hard reps, then use the right scale to keep the stimulus. Layer it week to week: if you hit ~10 total TTB Rx in a training day this week, aim for 15–18 next time, then 22–26 the week after. That’s how steady consistency turns into obvious progress—and why seeing 50 TTB on the board stops being scary.
Real Talk: Try Stuff, Learn Fast
You won’t nail it every time—and that’s fine. Sometimes you have to “f*ck around to find out” (you know the chart). The keys:
Start with a plan that respects time → density → skill → load.
Test it for one round. If it’s off, adjust immediately (not after the workout).
Log what you tried and what you’ll change next time.
Curiosity beats ego. Every tweak is data.
Stay Dope.