3/26-3/30 Training

I started my own programming this week with the help of a couple friends. I've got a basic template and will see how it works out over the next 8-9 weeks.

Sunday-Rest Day
Monday-Max Effort Lower Body Lift 1RM/3RM/5RM Followed by Short, Heavy Metcon
Tuesday-15-20 min of Focused Skill Work, Work Capacity Metcon
Wednesday-Max Effort Upper Body Lift w/ Supplemental Upper Body Lifting
Thursday-Rest Day
Friday-Olympic Lifting Technique Focus, followed by Crossfit Endurance Interval Training
Saturday-Strongman/Metcon using Strongman Implements

3/26
Strength - Overhead Squat 3RM - 185#
                 3x3@155#
1 Stone 2 Shoulder 95#/1 Tire Flip the 1st Min
Increasing Reps on the Min-Goal is 10 Mins
6 1/2 Rds Completed

3/27
8 min Cap-
1 Muscle Up-5 Thrusters 135#
2 Muscle Ups-4 Thrusters 155#
3 Muscle Ups-3 Thrusters 185#
4 Muscle Ups-2 Thrusters 205#
5 Muscle Ups-1 Thruster 215#
Finished 4 Rounds in 8 Min Cap at 155# Due to Sore Wrist


3/28
Strength - Push Press 1RM - 185#
                3x3 at 155#
Skill Ladder - 3x1-2-3 HSPU/Pistols
(Best Pistol Work Yet, Mobility on pistols is Greatly Improving)
Supplemental - A1-Band Pulls 4x25
                         A2-Db Curls at 25# 4x12
                         50# Wtd Situps 2x25

3/29
Running - 3.6 Miles/25:25
7:04/mile
Very Happy With Time Today On Very Little Run Training

3/30
Strength - Power Snatch 2RM - 135#
                Front Squat 2x3 at 210#; 2x2 at 225#
Work Capacity - 10 Rds - 5 Pullups-10 Hand Release Pushups-15 Dbl Unders
13:28 (Definitely will retest. I haven't done too many bodyweight movements lately and it showed.)

Is Crossfit Dangerous???

I have read many articles that point to the fact that doing high rep, heavy weights when you are tired or are pushing a time limit can be very dangerous. This is a major factor when talking to strength coaches about the use of Crossfit. This week while completing WOD 12.4 of the Crossfit Open I had an experience with that danger.

I completed the 150 wall balls around the 8 minute mark. I then finished the 90 double unders with about 1:45 left on the 12 minute clock. I took a few secs rest while walking over to the rings. On my first muscle up attempt the rings got behind be somehow. It all happened so fast and I wish I had a video of it. When the rings got behind me somehow my legs also went up behind me and I got parallel to the ground. I lost my grip at that point and fell to the concrete. With my hands behind me I was not able to catch myself at all. I landed directly on my hip and face. It sounded pretty cool actually. I knew immediately I had most likely done something to my teeth as they hit directly on the concrete. I sat up and realized I was bleeding all over the place, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I looked up to see that I still had 15 seconds on the clock and told myself I wouldn't let that fall stop me from getting at least 1 muscle up during this workout. I went ahead and knocked out that muscle up before time ran out.

I have had many thoughts in the last couple days on that fall, and I have come to the conclusion that while Crossfit can be dangerous, I cannot blame anyone for that fall except for myself. I have been able to do muscle-ups for at least 9 months. I can string multiple muscle-ups together and perform strict muscle-ups, so I can't say I was attempting them for the first time. I just got into a bad position and tried to hang in the rings to complete the movement because of my competitive nature.

So, what has this taught me? I will definitely be very careful about putting anyone on rings ever, even just for ring dips. I do not have a concern about ring pushups because the rings are so low anyways. I would not ever force someone onto the rings. They are very challenging and tough on the body, even when you don't fall. For the everyday person completing a move on the rings is not necessary to increase their fitness level.

Would I do it again? Of course!!! I chose to get on the rings and I will get back on them this week at some point. But, it is a personal choice. I was fortunate to play competitive sports from the time I was 4 throughout college. Injuries are a part of athletics and you get used to that. I love the challenge and a couple bruises, a busted lip and broken tooth can all be fixed. Here's some great pics of the massacre. Please be smart when programming "dangerous" exercises for the everyday fitness client.

-BM

1RM? 3RM? 5RM?

I found the following article on the Crossfit Victorious website. I always keep an eye on their programming to see how they base their daily metcon off of a max effort lift they complete right before the metocn normally.

One of their workouts would be:
Strength - Find 2RM Push Press
Metcon- 7 Power Cleans-5 Front Squats-3 Shoulder 2 Overhead
   Done at 70% of 2RM Push Press

I always thought this was a good idea for the metcons to challenge everyone at the same intensity level, rather than just following the cookie cutter model of most crossfit workouts.

So when I found the following article on the use of athletic maxes rather than 1RM's, it definitely brought about some thoughts and led me to read more on the effectiveness of 1RM's compared to athletic maxes in the 2-5 rep range.

Wait a minute!! What happened to the CrossFit Total????

Don't worry it has not gone away we have just modified it. About 3 years ago while training in another affiliate as an athlete I threw my back out attempting a 1 RM on dead lifts followed by a met-con involving wall ball shots.  Knowing that I already suffer from a herniated disc in my lower back, I went to my chiropractor to remedy my back. The very first question that he asked me was, "Why do you need to know your 1 rep max?" My answer, "Because that was the CrossFit workout of the day." Apparently it was not a good enough answer for him. Just to give you a slight background on my Chiropractor Dr. Steven Smith, he is very knowlagible in weightlifting and power lifting, having competed in several events himself during his prime.  So, I took that same question and went to seek an answer for it. I asked the head instructor/ owner of the affiliate that same question and got the same answer I gave. "Because that's what CrossFit does for strength WODs".

Well guys, "Because that's what CrossFit does." was not a GOOD ENOUGH answer for me.  I seeked out more information and took the time to correspond with several power lifting and olympic lifting trainers. I got a much different answer from them. Their athletes 1RM PR happens on the platform when it is worth the risk of injury and not on the training floor. 

That is why CFV uses a 2RM, because we truly want you to understand the movement of the lift.  Although a 1RM is a valid measure of strength at that moment, lifting something heavy one time does not necessarily mean you have completely grasped the movement or have attained the strength to repeat it on multiple occasions. This is why we like to incorporate strength days with 2RM, and periodize that movement through a 4 week cycle invo. Although we admire your eagerness to want to push big weight, we’d rather see you actually grasp and be comfortable with a lift. Here’s another awesome post from CrossFit South Brooklyn on why shooting for the heaviest 1 rep is a little over-hyped.

From CrossFit South Brooklyn Post

"Think of a 1RM not so much as a measure of strength capacity but as an act of strength performance. Veteran lifters will speak of owning a weight versus hitting a weight. Owning a weight means that you can get under a bar just about anytime you want and move that weight (assuming a proper warm-up and having not done back-to-back hero WOD’s that week). Hitting a weight is a much less reproducible feat. It means that on a day where you felt good, were well rested, timed your eating properly, had your weight belt sitting just right, heavenly bodies were aligned properly, and you managed not to mess anything up, you were able to squeeze out a higher weight than ever before. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a weight that you have only hit once isn’t something that you can just do on command. It’s an act of strength and will; repeating it doesn’t just happen. No sprinter expects to hit a PR every time they run a given distance, not in competition and especially not in training. There is no reason to just assume that every time you get under a barbell you’re going to PR.
We should also consider that not every one’s best event in lifting is the 1RM. Consider again, sprinting. All sprinters are fast, that’s why they are sprinters. However sprinters have different specialties, some are better in a 60m dash, others are better at the quarter mile. If we took a random group of sprinters and tested their best times at a series of distances, say 60m, 100m, 200m, and 400m, we would probably find that the rankings would look very similar across the events: the faster runners would tend to do well at all of them. However, you would also expect to see some shuffling of rankings based upon the individual strengths of the sprinters. Some are better at accelerating, some run the turns well, some finish well, etc. To bring this back to lifting, imagine a group of powerlifters from the same weight class. If you tested their 1RM, 3RM, and 5RM squat you would see something very similar: The strongest lifters would tend to be at the the top of each ranking, however you would also see some move up or down the leader board as the reps changed based upon their individual characteristics. This is relevant to us because the better you are at an event, the 3RM versus the 1RM for instance, the more likely you are able to reproduce your best effort. We should test our strength at 3RM’s and 5RM’s for precisely the same reason that Track and Field tests more than just the 100m dash as a measure of speed."

Don't be so quick to follow what other's are doing. Do some research and find out WHY you should be doing it. If you cannot find research backing it up or it doesn't seem logical to you, then DON'T do it! The same goes for your DIET. Don't follow what you see on TV or the internet. Find out WHY you should follow their diet and read the RESEARCH!

-BM 

Creative Programming

I am lucky that at my place of work I have access to a full weight room, track, stadium, pool, and open fields to do just about any workout you can imagine. Lately, we have been taking advantage of the surroundings to program workouts that just can't be done in a conventional gym or a crossfit facility for that matter. Yesterday a few of us did a brutal workout.

10 mins of Med Ball Getups with a 20# Ball

then
8 mins of:
110# Sandbag Carry up and down the bleachers in the basketball arena
5 DB Thrusters @ 50#

Check Adam out completing his first round. It got brutal after this.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2461972968074


We finished it off with 8x50m Swim Sprints on the 2:00 mark which was extremely taxing considering we haven't been swimming much at all lately.

Don't get stuck in a rut with your programming. Use all the tools you can find, and take advanatage of your surroundings to increase you and your client's athletic performance.

-BM