What’s the deal with IWT?

A dive into one of our most popular workout formats

Whether you’ve been around for a few months or a few years, you’ve likely gotten a taste of our “IWT” workouts. So where did they come from and why do we do them so frequently? 

WHO WAS PAT O’SHEA?

Pat O’Shea was Professor Emeritus of Exercise & Sports Science at Oregon State University, but before that was a competitive swimmer training in Ann Arbor, Michigan. While training at the YMCA, he had to walk through the weight room to get to the pool, and although previously had been discouraged from lifting weights by his coaches, he was awed by the power and speed of an olympic weightlifter who trained there, who he eventually befriended and began training with. Pat snatched 275 pounds at a time when the world record was still less than 300.  He later switched to powerlifting and during that time squatted and deadlifted over 600lbs. Later, he abruptly changed to endurance training, and began racing triathlons, cycling, and Nordic skiing! It was rumored that at the age of 72, he was still able to squat over 300lbs. 

In 1962 he and his wife accepted jobs teaching physical education at Oregon State. He would later receive his doctorate from the U of Utah. During the next several decades, Pat would go on to be published in dozens of fitness publications and academic journals. He would also conduct and publish research on human performance, write several books, and provide seminars for the Oregon Medical Association. He was a true pioneer of strength and conditioning research, and his most famous work, Quantum Strength and Power Training is still regarded as one of the most comprehensive books on athletic training ever written. 

WHY IWT?

O’shea first first published the IWT protocol in an NSCA journal in 1987. Essentially it broke down to explain that it was a sophisticated way to cross-train for a wide variety of sports. He included that through proper manipulation of the load, intensity, time and other variables, an extremely high level of athletic performance can be achieved.

For those who are seasonal athletes (skiing, hunting, biking, running, etc) This is a phenomenal way to train strength and ‘cardio’ simultaneously throughout the year.

IWT provides a quality structure of workout that can be easily adjusted for a specific goal, population of trainees, or even equipment constraints. Its a highly effective tool for all levels of fitness!

THE FORMAT

IWT follows a specific format, but as you’ll see, can be manipulated to give us different results. These are guidelines, and many athletes over the years have had success pushing the boundaries with either more or less reps, different exercises, or different cardiovascular modes.

Part (1) - 3 Rounds

8-12 reps explosive compound lift (example: power clean)

1-3 minutes cardiovascular effort (example: 2 minute row)

1-3 minutes rest (adjust for intensity, athlete’s goal)

Rest 3-5 minutes after completion of Part (1)

Part (2) - 3 Rounds

8-12 reps slow compound lift (example: back squat)

1-3 minutes cardiovascular effort (example: 400m run)

1-3 minutes rest (adjust for intensity, athlete’s goals)

Part (3) - 5-15 minutes bodyweight exercises

*This part is where we can adjust for individual needs/goals quite easily. Typically at Altitude we do structural work here to improve midline stability, motor control, etc. We do a lot of intensity throughout the week so this gives us an opportunity to work on those weaknesses in a more controlled environment.

*This can also be a hard finisher. For example, a CrossFit athlete might use this to work a circuit of kipping toes to bar, bar muscle ups, and handstand push ups that are specific to their sport. A an elite runner might do a more controlled finisher with hamstring curls, theraband walks, and single leg exercises that will help reduce injury risk.

STRUCTURE WITH CREATIVITY

There are a TON of variables in each segment that we can change in IWT. Each of these can help us keep variety in training but there are almost limitless ways we can put our own “spin” on these workouts. 

It’s worth noting that the true intended version of these workouts requires an extremely hard effort. Experienced athletes should use loads around 60%-65% of your 1RM in the barbell movements, and the cardiovascular efforts should be at 90%-95% effort. That means you should barely be able to hang onto the pacing if you’re looking to truly experience one of Pat O’Shea’s intended sessions. Next time, I encourage you to give it a shot! Come in prepared to make it the most difficult workout of the week.

Questions on programming or exercise selection? Hit us up.