Vanquish Newsletter May 18,2026

Steve Jarecki • May 19, 2026

Vanquish Newsletter

“Your PR isn’t the goal—it’s the result of everything you’ve done to earn it.”

Week 10: Test Week is Here


We’ve officially reached a big milestone in the Medusa Cycle—Test Week.

This week is your opportunity to see your progress in action as we build to new one-rep maxes in the Back Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press, all while setting your body up for success heading into Murph next Monday.

The focus is simple:

ο»Ώ
Show up. Stay present. Compete with yourself.

This isn’t about perfection—it’s about effort, intention, and trusting the work you’ve put in over the past 9 weeks.


What to Expect This Week

Monday: Find a heavy Bench Press single, then jump into a challenging upper body workout.

Tuesday: Build to a Back Squat max, followed by a barbell conditioning piece that tests your form under fatigue.

Wednesday: A longer, steady-paced workout to keep you moving and recovering between heavy days.

Thursday: Focus on Hang Snatch skill work paired with a fast-paced interval workout.

Friday: Finish strong with a Deadlift 1RM, then a short, powerful posterior chain burner.

Saturday: Partner workout designed to challenge grip, core, and teamwork.


Your Focus This Week

Prioritize recovery. The reset and quality movement matter more than ever.

Stay consistent. You don’t need to feel amazing to make progress—just show up and do the work.

Think ahead to Murph. Every smart decision you make this week sets you up for a better performance next Monday.

Trust your training. Move well. Push when it counts. And remember—
progress isn’t just measured in PRs, but in how you show up.


β€ŠπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ MURPH IS COMING — CLAIM YOUR HEAT πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ

One of the biggest, most electric days of the year at Vanquish is almost here—and now it’s time to lock in your spot. Grab your crew, sign up in Wodify, and get ready to throw down.

πŸ“… 5/25
⏰ Heats at 7, 8, and 9am (reserve your spot in Wodify now)
πŸ‘§ Kids Heat at 10am

πŸ”₯ All levels welcome — Murph is meant to be shared. Scale as needed and show up ready to give your best.

πŸ‘¨‍πŸ‘©‍πŸ‘§ Parents: Sign your kids up using the link and be sure to complete the waiver (included in the form).

πŸ₯— Potluck to follow — bring something, hang out, and celebrate with the community

Big energy. Big effort. Big community.
Let’s pack the house πŸ’ͺ


Don’t Train Around It—Fix It and Keep Moving

That nagging shoulder. Those cranky knees. Tight hips that just won’t loosen up.

Sound familiar?

Good news—you don’t have to just “deal with it.”

At Innovate Sports Medicine, Lara (your on-site Athletic Trainer + Gym Manager) will figure out what’s actually going on, treat the issue, and give you a clear, simple plan so you can keep training instead of sitting out.

This isn’t about quick patches or guessing games. It’s about real answers, smart treatment, and keeping you in the gym doing what you love.

If something’s been bothering you, now’s the time to handle it πŸ’ͺ

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH LARA


What’s Assisting Your Lifting Game — Your Brain

When most people think about getting stronger, they think about building muscle. But that’s only part of the story.

Research shows that a huge piece of strength—at any age—comes from your nervous system. As you train, your body gets better at recruiting muscle, firing more efficiently, and coordinating movement. In simple terms, your brain gets better at telling your muscles what to do.

Even in older adults, strength gains still happen. Maybe not always at the same rate as younger athletes, but the improvements are real—and much of that progress comes from these neurological adaptations, not just muscle growth.

πŸ‘‰ Want to dive deeper into the research? 

What does that mean for you?

Getting stronger isn’t just about adding size. It’s about training your body to use what it already has, better.

It also means this:
Weakness isn’t something you have to accept with age.

The body is incredibly adaptable when it’s given the right stimulus. Progressive loading, challenging workouts, and consistent effort all signal your system to improve—and it responds.

So whether you’re chasing a PR or just looking to feel stronger in your everyday life, remember:
your strength is trainable, and your potential doesn’t have an expiration date.

Show up. Put in the work. Let’s go. πŸ’₯

Rows of black dumbbells on a gym rack, close-up view.
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Person squats with a barbell in a dim gym, wearing black workout clothes and sneakers.
By Steve Jarecki • September 21, 2026
Read our September newsletter on empowering girls in sports & strategic training. Join us for a free intro session today!
By Steve Jarecki • September 15, 2026
“You can’t be afraid of failure. You have to be willing to fail in order to succeed.” - Geno Auriemma β€ŠHercules Week 4: Familiarity With a Twist This week might feel a little familiar — and that’s intentional. You’ll see workouts that borrow from past experiences, with a few twists along the way. Repetition builds recognition, and recognition builds confidence under fatigue. Expect muscular endurance, midline work, mixed-modal conditioning, grip challenges, and plenty of opportunities to practice pacing and repeatable effort. Monday — Echo: Speed deadlifts followed by pull-ups and Echo Bike intervals. Tuesday — Jamais Vu: Front and back squat work followed by a descending ladder of kettlebell thrusters and burpees. Wednesday — Doppelganger: Two 12-minute pieces featuring running, rowing, GHD/V-ups, kettlebell swings, sit-ups, and dumbbell snatches. Thursday — Identity Crisis: Push press and push jerk work followed by bench press, double unders, and farmers carries. Friday — 9/11: A 2001m row buy-in followed by nine rounds of eleven reps. A workout built around remembrance and resilience. Saturday — Familiar Stranger: A two-person waterfall workout featuring running, hang power snatches, and back-rack step-ups. Sunday — Double Take: A 30-minute strength EMOM featuring bench press, sandbags, rows, carries, and planks. The Challenge Pick your number. Then hold yourself to it. This week isn’t about going out too hot. It’s about knowing what you can sustain, sticking to the plan, and owning the result. Set the plan. Trust the plan. Own the score. β€ŠπŸš§ Brookfield Road Construction Update Starting September 3, Brookfield Road will be closed to through traffic for approximately 2.5 weeks. Vanquish will remain accessible, but you’ll need to approach the gym from the south during this phase of construction. Please follow posted detour signs and flaggers and allow a few extra minutes for possible delays. Thanks for your patience! β€ŠWhat’s On Our Watchlist? The Dynasty: UConn Huskies . Apple TV’s The Dynasty: UConn Huskies takes a look at one of the most successful programs in women’s college basketball. But what stood out to us wasn’t just the championships. It was the standards. UConn didn’t become UConn because they discovered a secret training method. They built a culture where excellence was expected , and then passed that expectation from one group of athletes to the next. Geno Auriemma’s coaching style is demanding and, at times, confrontational. But the bigger lesson isn’t that everyone needs to coach like Geno. In fact, coaches like UCLA’s Cori Close show that you can have incredibly high standards while leading in a very different way. The important part is not lowering the standard just because the approach changes. Listen to players like Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, and Paige Bueckers talk about their experiences, and you hear the same theme: they weren’t looking for comfort. They wanted to find out how good they could become. That’s something we can all take from. At Vanquish, we believe training should challenge you, support you, and help you become better than you were yesterday. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s showing up, doing the work, and continuing to raise the standard. Great cultures don’t happen by accident. They’re built one workout, one rep, and one expectation at a time. STOP TRAINING AROUND PAIN. FIX IT. ο»Ώ That shoulder that won’t quiet down. Knees that hate squats. Hips that feel locked no matter how much you stretch. You don’t have to work around it anymore. At Innovate Sports Medicine, Lara (your on-site Athletic Trainer + Gym Manager) will pinpoint the real issue, treat it, and give you a clear plan to keep training—without guessing or sitting on the sidelines. No band-aids. No fluff. Just real answers and real progress. If it’s been bothering you, it’s time to handle it. πŸ’ͺ MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH LARA Show up. Put in the work. Let’s go. πŸ’₯
Person preparing to lift a barbell with large plates in a gym, wearing blue shoes.
By Steve Jarecki • September 8, 2026
Read about our weekly workouts, including a 9/11 tribute. Join us to embrace challenges & build your fitness plan today!
By Steve Jarecki • August 31, 2026
“You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.” - Dolly Parton β€ŠπŸ§  Hercules Week 3: The Mandela Effect Things may look familiar this week… but don’t trust your memory. Week 3 is all about The Mandela Effect —when we collectively remember something that never actually happened. Each workout takes something recognizable and adds a twist, flips the script, or sends you in a different direction. Expect power snatches, toes-to-bar, burpees, wall balls, double-unders, strict handstand push-ups, deadlifts, bench press, back squats, running, and plenty of barbell work. The big focus this week? Pacing and execution. A workout may look familiar, but the demands are different, so don’t let your memory dictate your pace. Coaches will help you spot the difference during the whiteboard brief. Listen for what’s changed, understand the intended stimulus, and attack the workout that’s actually in front of you—not the one you think you remember. 🧠πŸ’ͺ β€ŠπŸš§ Brookfield Road Construction Update Starting September 3 , Brookfield Road will be closed to through traffic for approximately 2.5 weeks. Vanquish will remain accessible , but you’ll need to approach the gym from the south during this phase of construction. Please follow posted detour signs and flaggers and allow a few extra minutes for possible delays. Thanks for your patience! β€ŠπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Labor Day Schedule We’re keeping things simple this Labor Day! There will be no regularly scheduled classes , but we’ll have one all-levels class at 8:00 AM for anyone looking to get their holiday workout in. Open Gym will remain available 24/7 as usual, so you can train on your own schedule. Enjoy the holiday! πŸ’ͺ β€Š STOP TRAINING AROUND PAIN. FIX IT. That shoulder that won’t quiet down. Knees that hate squats. Hips that feel locked no matter how much you stretch. You don’t have to work around it anymore. At Innovate Sports Medicine, Lara (your on-site Athletic Trainer + Gym Manager) will pinpoint the real issue, treat it, and give you a clear plan to keep training—without guessing or sitting on the sidelines. No band-aids. No fluff. Just real answers and real progress. If it’s been bothering you, it’s time to handle it. πŸ’ͺ MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH LARA ο»Ώ β€Š Show up. Put in the work. Let’s go. πŸ’₯
By Steve Jarecki • August 25, 2026
“Train for the life you want to live.”
By Steve Jarecki • August 17, 2026
“Hercules didn’t become strong by accident. Neither will you.”
By Steve Jarecki • August 10, 2026
“There’s no crying in baseball!”