Vanquish Newsletter October5th

Steve Jarecki • October 5, 2026

“Don’t limit your challenges. Challenge your limits.”

— Jerry Dunn



Week 8: Between Worlds


We’ve reached Between Worlds — our deload week before next week’s testing.


This week is all about moving well, staying sharp, and reducing fatigue. Volume and loading come down while we keep the skills and positions we’ve been working on feeling fresh. The goal? Leave most sessions feeling better than when you started.


The Week Ahead


  • Monday–Thursday: Skill work, bar speed, aerobic conditioning, and quality movement.
  • Friday–Saturday: Short bursts of intensity with intervals and partner conditioning.
  • Sunday: We’ll bring things back down with controlled positional work and carries.


What You'll See


Monday — “The Upside Down”
Bar muscle-ups, power snatches, GHD sit-ups/V-ups, and double unders.


Tuesday — “The Rift”
Russian kettlebell swings, box jumps, and ring dips, plus deadlift and bench press.


Wednesday — “The Other Side”
A 30-minute AMRAP of rowing, dumbbell step-overs, running, and overhead squats.


Thursday — “Déjà Vu”
Clean & jerks and toes-to-bar, plus power clean work.


Friday — “Time Loop”
Wall walks, bike calories, and wall balls, followed by back squats.


Saturday — “In Limbo”
Partner conditioning with running, pull-ups, synchronized dumbbell snatches, and burpees.


Sunday — “The Threshold”
Rowing, carries, handstand holds, and L-sits.


The Big Picture


This is not the week to prove how hard you can push. Trust the work you’ve already put in, keep your reps clean, and respect the prescribed loading.

Next week is testing. This week is about getting ready for it.


Why the Labels we Use matter


Your body may take them more seriously than you think.


Research from Stanford’s Mind & Body Lab has explored how our beliefs and expectations can influence how our bodies respond.


In one study, people were given fake genetic results and then tested on things like endurance and appetite. Surprisingly, those who believed they had a genetic disadvantage actually performed differently—even though the results weren’t real.


The takeaway isn’t that mindset can magically fix everything. It’s that the stories we tell ourselves can influence how we move, feel, and approach challenges.


We see this all the time in the gym:


“I’m not an athlete.”

“I have bad knees.”

“I’m terrible at running.”

“I can’t do pull-ups.”

“I’m just not strong.”


Try giving yourself a little more room to change:



“I’m working on my running.”
“I’m learning how to move comfortably with my knees.”
“I don’t have a pull-up yet.”
“I’m getting stronger.”


Your current ability is a snapshot—not a permanent label.


Give yourself some room to change before you let a label define you.


If you want, I can also make this a little punchier and more “Vanquish newsletter” sounding, with a stronger opening hook.


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. 💪


MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH LARA


Show up. Put in the work. Let’s go. 💥

Rows of black dumbbells on a gym rack, close-up view.
By Steve Jarecki • October 12, 2026
Read the October 12th newsletter on strength tests, workouts, and health insights. Join us to enhance your fitness journey today!
By Steve Jarecki • September 28, 2026
Read the latest Vanquish Newsletter on Week 7 of Hercules training. Join us for group & personal training to enhance your fitness journey!
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  Hercules 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.  🚧 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!  What’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.  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. 💪 MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH LARA Show up. Put in the work. Let’s go. 💥
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  🧠 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. 🧠💪  🚧 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!  🇺🇸 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! 💪   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. 💪 MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH LARA    Show up. Put in the work. Let’s go. 💥
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!”
By Steve Jarecki • August 3, 2026
“Test yourself. Trust yourself. Keep going.”