HORIZON STRENGTH | Week 9: Fortress

Amy Petersen headshot
Amy Petersen
ACE-CPT, Sports Performance, PN-1, PATHFINDER Founder & Director of Programming
October 31, 2025

At Week 9 in Horizon Strength, you've reached peak posture and core prep. Many of these exercises are very similar to work you've done in previous weeks. We want repetition at this stage of the game to continue refining your postural strength.

The sandbag clean to squat and split squats challenge your hips, while rows and dead bugs lock in your trunk strength. Your core’s job in Horizon is resisting any postural collapse -- this is where you'll feel the payoff on Event day. Mentally, focus on being deliberate in every rep. Don’t chase any additional weight. Instead, chase stability.

NOTES

  • You will need: Ruck, Sandbag, and Kettlebell or Dumbbells
  • This workout should take less than 50 minutes.
  • If needed, rest 1-2 minutes between rounds.
  • Always do your warm-up to help prevent injuries.
  • Some video demonstrations may depict exercise tools other than what we suggest - the same cues and form will still apply unless otherwise noted.

REMINDER:

  • Soft count: 1, 2, 3, 4 ... this is when both (or all) limbs perform the exercise at the same time.
  • Hard count: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4...this is when only one limb does work at a time.
  • Each Side: Do all reps on one side before switching to complete all reps on the other side.

WARM UP

 REPS EXERCISE COUNT
8 x reps Ankle Rocks EACH SIDE
8 x rep Cat/Cow
10 x reps Banded Pull Aparts
10 x reps KB Goblet High March HARD COUNT

WORKOUT x 3 ROUNDS

 REPS EXERCISE COUNT
8 x reps Sandbag Squat Cleans
8 x reps KB Split Squats EACH LEG
12 x reps Standing DB Calf Raises*



10 x reps Renegade Rows HARD COUNT
10 x reps DB Lat Pullovers**
8 x reps Dead Bug w/ Ruck Press Out EACH SIDE

NOTES

  • * Box not required for Standing DB Calf Raises if unavailable.
  • ** DB, KB, or ruck held horizontally all work for this exercise. The movement cues are identical regardless of weight.