Break Through Limits in the January Challenge

No matter how long you’ve been strength training or what your goals are, good form is the foundation on which all progress is built—and small form improvements can have a big impact. 

Set yourself up for long-term success in Tonal’s January challenge, Breakthrough, a four-week program launching Monday, January 5, designed to fine-tune your lifting technique and redefine your limits. 

“We should always be students of the craft,” says Jenna Moore, Tonal’s Senior Manager of Performance and Talent. “Whether you’re a beginner just starting your journey or you’re an advanced lifter trying to push past plateaus and move the needle toward your goals, taking a pause and focusing on movement quality is the best place to start.” 

With two tracks—Level I for beginners and Level II for intermediate and advanced members—Breakthrough meets you where you’re at, giving you a springboard to transcend your limits and reach a new level of progress through movement mastery. 

Level I Breakdown

In three weekly full-body workouts led by Coaches Ash Wilking and Tanysha Renee, Breakthrough: Level I provides a well-rounded lifting foundation for anyone starting from scratch, working out on Tonal for the first time, or coming back after a long break. 

With slightly shorter workouts and one fewer session per week, it’s also an option for more experienced lifters who have less time to commit to their training. Because Tonal’s suggested weights are personalized for your ability, Moore explains that this track will still offer a strength and intensity challenge for more advanced members. 

To promote movement quality, each block in these workouts pairs one or two main lifts with a bodyweight primer that activates similar muscle groups, and a mobility move to help you find a greater range of motion in your key lifts. “By incorporating these mobility movements, we're able to work on our joint integrity and resiliency, and immediately see how that improves our lifts from set to set,” says Moore. Every workout ends with a Breakthrough core exercise to fortify pillar stability. 

Each workout in the program has a specific focus with its own foundational lifting patterns, and each week has a new overall theme. Here’s what to expect in Level I:

Day 1: Grounded Strength (squat, hinge, push)
Day 2: Dynamic Balance (lunge, single-leg hinge, rotation)
Day 3: Integrated Movement (lateral, push-pull, anti-rotation)

The first week is all about developing proprioception, or in laymen’s terms, awareness of how your body moves through space. Use this time to get acquainted with fundamental movement patterns, including unilateral (or single-sided versions) that test your balance and compound lifts that work multiple muscle groups at once. “You’ll hear us focus a lot on education versus exhaustion in this program,” says Moore. The intent isn’t to finish each session feeling wiped out, but rather accomplished and confident about your abilities. 

While the exercises stay the same in week two, the emphasis shifts to linking your breath with your movement. Now that you’re more familiar with the movements, follow the coaching guidance on how to use your breath to your advantage. It’s easy to ignore your breathing—or hold your breath—while lifting. But, as Moore says, “being able to breathe properly can unlock a lot of potential in terms of building strength and muscle, and improving movement quality.” 

Week three introduces new movement variations and decreases the reps in key lifts. As reps decrease, the resistance increases so your goal will be maintaining your strong form under more intensity. To ensure your form stays on point, these workouts also feature isometric (or static) holds and slower lifting tempo. Follow the coach’s pace to keep moving with control through your full range of motion.

The final week of the program is your Breakthrough week. It’s time to put everything you learned into action with even heavier lifts and more demanding Breakthrough blocks. Expect to hit new personal records, and get your heart rate up in each workout’s finisher block for a boost of energy and confidence.

Supplement your lifting days with optional mobility and yoga sessions designed to promote recovery and build flexibility and range of motion. 

Level II Breakdown 

Breakthrough: Level II, featuring four weekly workouts with an upper/lower split led by Coaches Ackeem Emmons, Kendall “Woody” Wood, and Joe Rodonis, emphasizes form development through four essential barbell lifts. 

Even if you’ve been strength training for years, you can still benefit from stepping back to concentrate on form. According to Moore, Breakthrough: Level II is an excellent option for getting a new perspective on your training so you can attack your next program with a different intensity and outlook. 

“We can always learn something,” she says. “It could be something small but that small tweak could be a game changer in your execution and lead to larger gains down the road.” 

Here’s how each week will look, with each day’s key barbell lift: 

Day 1: Lower-Body Grounded Strength (barbell front squat)
Day 2: Upper-Body Press with Precision (barbell bench press)
Day 3: Lower-Body Dynamic Balance (barbell sumo deadlift)
Day 4: Upper-Body Posture and Pillar Control (barbell lat pulldown) 

During the first week, you’ll focus on alignment in each of your key lifts and gain familiarity with the program’s structure. In each workout, you’ll take on a priming block with a bodyweight move and an on-Tonal warmup; a block pairing your key lift with a mobility move; an accessory block targeting supporting muscles; and finally a core finisher Breakthrough block. 

In week two, you’ll slow down your lifting tempo to speed up your progress. “When we rush through our reps too fast we could be leaving gains on the table,” says Moore. She explains that moving at a slower pace has the dual benefit of encouraging you to lift with control through a full range of motion and increasing muscle-building time under tension. “It offers benefits from a learning and cognitive perspective but also from an outcome and training adaptation perspective,” she says. Don’t underestimate how challenging it is to move slow.

Your accessory and mobility moves get switched up in week three, but the real challenge comes from decreasing reps—and therefore adding resistance in many of your lifts. “Can you retain the skill, range of motion, and control with a heavier load? That’s the goal,” says Moore. 

Prepare to make your Breakthrough in the final week when the weights are at their heaviest. Reach for personal bests in your big lifts, and get ready to sweat in longer, higher-intensity finisher blocks. 

Each week also includes supplementary mobility and yoga sessions to speed up recovery between lifting days and help develop flexibility and range of motion. 

Stronger Together 

While your personal strength training journey is unique, you don’t have to take on Breakthrough alone. Join the Official Tonal Community on Facebook to find motivation, support, and accountability partners. Pop in to share your wins and ask questions about the program. Tonal coaches will be checking in throughout the month to give answers and advice. 

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