The Struggle Standard

Coach
Alex Burgoyne

Features
1 sessions per week
Must use App app to view and log training
Program Training
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Strong in all six categories — not one
CHT trains absolute strength, explosive power, glycolytic capacity, gymnastic capacity, aerobic engine, and loaded durability concurrently, in proportion. No quality is dropped so another can peak. You finish capable across the board — not strong on the platform and useless everywhere else.
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A real test, scored, repeatable yearly
Your training has somewhere to go. The Struggle Standard — six fixed events — runs inside Wave 12. Same standards every year, scored across five tiers. CHT is dimensioned for the Elite tier. Your year-over-year score is objective proof of what the work built, with nowhere for a weak quality to hide.
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Audited 5x before it was ever sold
Most programs are written once and never checked. CHT went through five rounds of structured audit against a written standard — does the clock hold, does the dose match the wave’s intent, does each quality get its fair share. Each round produced binding corrections. You’re buying the corrected program, not a first draft.
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A 90-minute ceiling that actually holds
Every working session fits in ninety minutes — 15-minute warm-up included — and that ceiling is binding, not aspirational. The 9-day cycle is built around real recovery and a normal adult schedule. Purposeful suffering, not asceticism: real deloads, explicit scaling levers, and a clock the program refuses to break.
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Built on two proven methods
Westside Barbell conjugate for the strength side — variation rotation, accommodating resistance, bar-speed-driven dynamic effort. Hybrid concurrent training for the conditioning side — energy systems dosed and sequenced so strength and endurance build together. CHT is the disciplined integration of both, dimensioned against what the test actually demands.
Features
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Programming 7 days per week
Daily strength, conditioning, and skill training that’s accessible and challenging for athletes of any level or background
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Detailed, expert instruction
Coaches who will hold you accountable and provide the feedback you need to grow
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Delivered through TrainHeroic
Train with coaches who push you, understand your goals, and keep you progressing.
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Sample Week
Week 1 of 52-week program
Sunday
C1D1Y1 - Max Effort Lower Body

A

Warm Up Routine

1 x 15:00

Circuit

B

Every Minute on the Minute x 5 minutes Perform 2 vertical jumps continuous Directly into 3 med ball slams continuous

C

Anderson Squat

8 x 3

D1

Glute-Ham Raise

3 x 8

D2

Reverse Lunges

3 x 10

E1

GHD Around the World

3 x 10

E2

Reverse Hyperextension

3 x 20

F

Forward Sled Drag

6 x 10

G

Belt Squat

1 x 50

Monday
Y1C1D2 - Dynamic Effort Upper Body

A

Warm Up Routine

1 x 15:00

B

Kip Swing

5 x 20

C

Pull-Up

D

Bench Press

9 x 3

E1

Push-Up

3 x 20

E2

Overhead Barbell Hold

3 x 30

E3

Incline DB Bench Press

3 x 15

E4

Pull-up

4 x 6

F1

Barbell Row

3 x 12

F2

Dips

3 x 12

F3

DB Roll Back

3 x 12

F4

Banded Row Lying on Bench

3 x 20

Circuit

G

Running Clock: 75:00-80:00 Boxing Circuit 4 rounds :30 Punches: alternate jab-cross with hip rotation. Full extension every punch 10 forward ab wheels 5 each side ab wheels :30 Footwork: lateral shuffle, controlled. Weight on balls of feet.

Tuesday
Y1C1D3 - Accessory + Conditioning

A

Warm Up Routine

1 x 15:00

B

Single Leg Box Jump

10 x 2

C

Clean Deadlift + Power Clean + Push Jerk

6 x 4

D

Legless Rope Climb

10 x 1

Circuit

E

Running Cl0ck: 48:00-58:00 Once this is complete, rest for 10 minutes. Water, mobility reset, mental prep for the lactic EMOM.

Conditioning

F

Cycle 1-3 Lactic Capacity

Running Clock: 60:00-90:00 Lactic Capacity 30-Minute EMOM Min 1: 15/12 Cal Echo Bike Min 2: 5 Strict Pullups Min 3: 50 Double unders RX Standard: RPE 8 Each station should be completable with 10–15 seconds to spare. If you have no rest, scale immediately. Bike: high power output — not sustainable pace. This is the lactic minute. SCALED Min 1 – Bike Calories 12/9 Min 2 – Banded Pull-Ups x 6–8 Ring Rows x 8–10 (feet under rings) Jumping Pull-Ups x 6–8 (controlled lower) Min 3 – 30–40 Double Unders or 80 Single Unders Scaled Standard: Steady breathing, no redlining. One quick break max per minute.

Wednesday
Y1C1D4 -Aerobic Base and Skill

A

Warm Up Routine

B1

DB Power Snatch

5 x 5

B2

Dumbbell Rotational Punch

5 x 3

Circuit

C

Running Clock: 25:00-35:00 Skill: Handstand Control EMOM 10 Odd minutes: 20–30 sec handstand hold Even minutes: 6–8 controlled wall walks Scaling Regression: Box pike hold Progression: Increase hold time (not freestanding) Coaching Cues • Straight line: wrist → shoulder → hip → ankle • Active shoulders (push tall) • Stop before technical breakdown Skill work builds long-term pressing stability that carries into heavier phases later.

D

Resisted Sprint

3 x 20

E

Sprint

Circuit

F

Threshold Intervals Running Clock: 50:00-67:00 2 x 6 minutes at threshold pace running with 2 minutes walk between What threshold feels like RPE 7 — breathing is hard but controlled. You can speak a phrase but not a full paragraph. Heart rate 75–80% of max (estimate: 180 minus your age). This is harder than your Zone 2 run but not as hard as the conditioning EMOM. The 2-mile run in the Struggle Standard test lives in this zone. Modal: Running preferred — direct Event 5 carry-over. Bike or row acceptable. Target HR: 75–80% max HR (180 minus age is a field estimate). • Log your distance in each 6-minute interval — should increase across waves as threshold improves. • If HR climbs above 80%: slow down immediately, do not push through. • Round 2 should be as good as Round 1 — if it collapses, you went too hard in Round 1.

Circuit

G

Aerobic Base Run 14 minutes continuous — run preferred, bike or row acceptable Zone 2 guidance This is base-building work. Not conditioning. Your heart rate should be 60–70% of max HR. A simple estimate: 180 minus your age. If you cannot speak a full sentence, you are going too fast. Slow down. Target HR: 60–70% max HR — 180 minus age is a field estimate. • Nasal breathing preferred throughout — if you must mouth breathe, you are too fast. • Relax your shoulders. Smooth cadence. Let your breathing set the pace. • Running is preferred for Event 5 carry-over (2-mile run).

Thursday
Cycle 1 Day 5 - Dynamic Effort Lower Body

A

Warm Up Routine

1 x 15:00

B

Box Squat

10 x 2

C

Barbell Deadlift

8 x 2

D1

Bulgarian Split Squat

3 x 10

D2

Romanian Deadlift

4 x 8

E

Backward Sled Drag

8 x 40

F1

GHD Sit-Up

3 x 15

F2

Band GHD Oblique Twists

3 x 10

F3

Reverse Hyperextension

3 x 20

G

Pull Through

1 x 100

Friday
Cycle 1 Day 6 - Max Effort Upper

A

Warm Up Routine

1 x 15:00

B

Bench Press

8 x 3

C

Push Jerk

4 x 4

D1

Incline DB Bench Press

3 x 10

D2

Snatch Grip Bent Over Barbell Rows

3 x 12

D3

Dips

3 x MAX

E1

Band Crunch

4 x 30

E2

DB Farmer's Walk

4 x 40

Circuit

F

Running Clock: 65:00-75:00 Alactic Circuit EMOM X 10 Minutes 5 Plyo Pushups (you pick height) 5 Broad Jumps

G1

Banded Tricep Pushdown

4 x 30

G2

Rear Delt Flyes

4 x 20

Saturday
Cycle 1 Day 7 - Oly + Conditioning + Arms

A

Warm Up Routine

1 x 15:00

B

Power Clean + Push Jerk

6 x 2

C

Hang Power Snatch

4 x 3

Conditioning

D

Cycle 1 Day 7 - Anaerobic Conditioning

Running Clock: 40:00-60:00 4 rounds: Run 400m Deadlift ×12 (225/155 lbs) Bar-facing burpees ×10

E1

EZ Bar Curl

4 x 15

E2

Tricep Pushdown

4 x 30

F1

Hammer Curl

3 x 15

F2

Rear Delt Flyes

3 x 20

G

Dead Hang

3 x 30

Conjugate Hybrid Training - CHT