performance — By pat gilles

4 week functional fitness program

Before diving into the workout plan, we sat down with Pat to learn a bit more about what he defines as "The 4 Pillars of Fitness" and how they impact not only his programming, but his (and his athlete's) life outside the gym.

Pat Gilles, owner of Pat’s Gym, learned early on in his athletic career, which took him from collegiate golf and hockey to Olympic and Professional sailing, that talent and drive were two critical aspects of success. He also learned, however, that talent and drive alone are only a few pieces to the puzzle of reaching maximum potential–there are 3 additional pillars to fitness that need to be created. That realization led Pat to create the 4 Pillars of Fitness as a guide to the way he trains himself and others who seek out his expertise.

Pat wearing the 7" Mako Short. Shop Here.

As someone who is constantly experimenting with new exercises and movements, Pat’s knowledge is based on all of the latest scientific support that he can gather. What’s more? He is consistently refreshing his knowledge by constantly researching the latest trends and studies he can find. In addition, Pat has an extensive network of other professionals that he uses when he seeks advice or diversity of thought on various issues.

Now, let’s dive into the pillars of working out and Pat’s philosophy. Not only does an athlete have to have talent, but they also have to have a training program that is based on science and experience. Pillar number one. An effective and consistent workout plan.

The second pillar of fitness is nutrition. In order to make gains and maximize your results, an athlete has to know when to eat and what to eat in order to effectively replace the muscles that are being broken down, to have the energy to work out, and to be healthy overall. In order to maximize the gains, an athlete has to not only eat with a purpose but eat in alignment with the workouts that are being done. Gone is the myth that you should eat only 3 meals a day. Reaching your fitness goals means fueling to support those goals. It also means varying the meals to support the types of workouts that you’re going to be doing.

The third pillar of fitness is recovery. An athlete must not only workout but must also engage in activities to help the body recover. Recovery activities can involve structural/recovery workouts, but truly, it’s a lot more than that. Sleep is hugely impactful. An adult athlete should be getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night. In addition, an athlete should roll out each day to break up the fascia in the body that will tend to bind up and in order to keep the blood flowing. It also helps to reduce muscle soreness. Body work is another tacit that helps to get blood flowing but maybe the most simple recovery tactics include the use of things like ice baths and hot and cold showers. Pat has even gone as far as to create a credit and debit sheet to help his athletes ensure they’re recovering effectively each day.

Pat wearing the 5" Mako Tech Short. Shop Here.

The last pillar of recovery is mental toughness, which also includes a stress management component. In order to reduce spikes of insulin and cortisol that stress causes in your body, you have to have ways to deal with stress. Pats workouts do just that by teaching individuals how to control stress and power through various tough situations. Not only do they help people find success in the gym, but these same techniques can be applied to all other parts of your life–which is generally ignored in the fitness industry.

The Game Plan

This 4-week workout plan has three workouts per week. Ideally you would have a rest day or easy cardio flush between workouts. Each workout focuses on compound movements and total body exercises. The main energy systems we are focusing on are power endurance and strength endurance.

What If I Don't Have Access To A Lot of Equipment?

I really wanted to make these workouts doable for anyone. No matter where you are or what equipment you have available you can still get a great workout. For the odd object you can use any weight around the house (backpack, DB, KB, bars, books, water bottles, etc). You will also use your own bodyweight to get a great total body workout.

Let’s Talk Modifications…

The number one rule with these workouts is no pain. If something hurts do not do that exercise. In these workouts you can always make them easier or harder by dropping or adding repetitions/weight. One of the most important things with working out is consistency so try to do your best to commit to this 4-week plan and find the right time/rep domain for you to be able to maintain full range of motion. Each workout has a short video explaining how to modify exercises, how to read the workout, and goes over the movements seen in the workout plan.

The Workout Plan

WEEKLY WARM UPS

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

THE WORKOUTS

WEEK 1

Day 1

Power Endurance

2x5 Wall Squat

2x20 Squat

2x5 Goblet Squat

2x20m Lunge

2x20m Lunge With a Tip Over

Then:

Every minute on the minute (EMOM) for 20:00

Minute 1 - 5 Odd-Object Ground to Overhead +10 Burpees

Minute 2 - 5 Odd-Object Deadlifts + 20 Split jumps (L=1/R=2)

If you have:

a dumbbell - 5 DB Snatch/deadlifts (switch sides each minute)
a pair of dumbbells - 3-5 Double DB Snatch/deadlifts
a kettlebell - 5 KB Snatch/deadlifts(switch sides each minute)
a barbell - 5 Barbell Power Snatch/deadlifts (light)

Day 2

Strength Endurance

3 Rounds Of:

x5 Goblet Squat

x5 Romanian Deadlift

x5 Single Arm Overhead Press

All weighted movements done with 15-35 lb Dumbbell, Kettlebell or Odd Object

Then:

20:00 min AMRAP (as many rounds a possible)

2 Odd-Object Swings

2 Odd-Object Squats

2 Odd-Object Press

2 Burpees over Odd-Object

*Increase reps by 2 each round

Next round looks like:

4 Odd-Object Swings

4 Odd-Object Squats

4 Odd-Object Press

4 Burpees over Odd-Object

If you have:

a dumbbell - DB Snatch & Goblet Squats & Press
a kettlebell - KB Snatch & Goblet Squats & Press
a barbell - Power Cleans & Front Squats & Press

Day 3

Performance

2x5 Wall Squat

2x10 Squat

2x20m Lunge

2x5 Push Ups

Then:

10-1 Ladder of Push Ups and Bent Over Row

Looks like: 10 push ups, 10 bent over rows, 9 push ups, 9 bent over rows, etc...

Then:

200 Odd-Object ground to Shoulder

*Every minute on the minute perform 5 deck squats

If you have:

a dumbbell - 200 Alternating DB Power Cleans
a pair of dumbbells - 150 Double DB Power Cleans
a kettlebell - 200 KB Power Cleans (Switching sides every minute)
a barbell - 100 Power Cleans (Light-Moderate)