Okay peeps, we are getting ready to jump into a new strength program for the next couple of months. As with everything, you are all going to be guinea pigs for this project and I am going to be pretty concise in tracking the numbers so I can establish the increase and new 1 RM’s. We will be conducting ME/Barbell training every Tuesday and Thursday for the next couple of months. So, if you want to get stronger and fitter, show up on those days, or you can work around them.
I will be putting all of your 1RM numbers into a spreadsheet program that automatically calculates the weights for each week’s lifting session. These data sheets will be kept in a binder under the stereo in the gym for easy reference by all of you participating in this fiasco.
I have started spreadsheets for all the folks who were present on Tuesday (1/12/10). What I need from everyone, including the aforementioned people, are your 1RM’s or similar numbers for strict press, Bench Press, Deadlift, and Squat (if you have them - if not we will work it out). If you have done 3x or 5x with those movements and those are the only numbers you have, please send them to me anyway. You can email them to us or PM them to me here on the forum board using the PM button that appears after one of my posts.
Here’s the skinny on how this works. The program was designed by Jim Wendler and he’s had a load of success with it. It’s based off of 90% of your 1RM. That number is taken and put into a percentage for the lifts each week.
The first week is all 5 reps and would look like 5x65%, 5x75%, and 5+ x85%. The second week will be 3x70%, 3x80%, and 3+ x90%. The third week will be 5x75%, 3x85%, and 1+ x95%. The fourth week will be unloading at 5x40/50/60%.
So, if you take 90% 1RM and calculate it by the percentages above, that’s what you will be lifting for that session. Yes, the first two sets will seem pretty easy, but the kicker is in the last set. You will notice it has a + sign by it. That means you will do at least the minimum (5,3,1) and then as many reps as possible beyond that. And now it will get hard! It is imperative that you record and save that final rep number as we will use it to calculate your gains insofar as 1RM’s.
We will do this by using the following formula- ( wt. x reps x .0333 + wt.= 1RM ) What this allows us to do is compare apples to apples each week even though the rep counts are different. This lets us see if we are maintaining, progressing or regressing. If you know what you did last week, you can do some math and figure out how many reps you’ll need to hit this week to match or exceed your 1RM calc’s from the previous week(s). The good in this is that it allows you to set a goal each workout and track where you are going. Once we are done with a 4 week cycle, we will start a new one and bump up the 90% 1RM number by 5 Lbs for presses and 10 Lbs for D/L and Squat. Then we go again.
Keep track of this stuff and enter it into your notebooks and on the side columns of your nifty excel spreadsheet. You can denote it as: 5+ x185(12) . Either you or I can do the math from there and see where it’s going.
This should be a good time and help a lot of folks build strength and some LBM. Remember, strength training is very important in life as it improves fitness and health in a myriad of ways.
If you have any questions, let me know. Remember, I need your 1RM or similar numbers ASAP so I can bang out the spreadsheets.
Back squat; 315x90% =285
Front squat; 250x90%=225
Bench press; 315x90%=285
Press; 190x90%=171
Deadlift; 400x90%=360
Week 1; 3 sets of 5 of 65%, 75%, 85% 90% of 90% of 1 rep max
Back squat, 5@190, 5@215, 5@240+4.
Front squat; 5@150, 5@170, 5@190+5.
Bench press; 5@190, 5@215, 5@240+7.
press, 5@115 5@130 5@145+5.
Deadlift 5@235, 5@275, 5@305+7.
Week 2; 3 sets of 3 of 70%, 80%, 90% of 90% of 1 rep max
Back squat, 3@205, 3@230, 3@255+7.
Front squat; 3@160, 3@180, 3@205+8.
Bench press; 3@205, 3@230, 3@255+8.
press, 3@120 3@135 3@150+6.
Deadlift 3@250, 3@290, 3@325+8.
Week 3; 3 sets total of 5,3,1 of 75%, 85%, 95% of 90% of 1 rep max
Back squat, 5@215, 3@245, 1@270+11.
Front squat; 5@170, 3@195, 1@215+9.
Bench press; 5@215, 3@245, 1@270+9.
press, 5@130 3@145 1@160+9.
Deadlift 5@275, 3@305, 1@345+7.
I am super impressed with the way this program worked. Ill do a max day sometime this coming week so I can get some new “true” max numbers for the 2nd go around of the “5,3,1” program.
So, after all the ME and Oly Lift work I have done over the winter, I can attest to an increase in athletic performance due to it. Of course, that seems so counter-intuitive - weightlifting and MetCon working together to improve overall performance. I’ve started integrating some harsh MetCon training in between my ME days and so far I like what I am seeing. Sure, I am a bit slower in time at the moment and my HR is up there a tad, but my current numbers and times aren’t that far off the mark. Cardiovascular capacity diminishes much quicker than strength capacity, however, it can be regained very quickly dependent upon background of the athlete. So, I don’t sweat it too much.
Anyway, the point being made here is that there is an obvious correlation between ME work improving your overall capabilities. This is done by improving muscular efficiency and action, as well as increasing your strength to weight ratio. Other positive aspects include improved bone density, increased strength in muscular and connective tissues, better structural integrity and resistance to injury. These benefits are seen now and in the future as we age. Weight training has been shown to have a very positive effect on the human body as we age and into old age.
The goal of CrossFit is to improve power output. Mathematically that is (force x distance) / Time = Power. In layman’s terms that basically means an improved ability to move a large load a long distance in the shortest amount of time. The faster you do that, the higher your power output, the fitter you are. Keep in mind that crappy CF programming involving nothing more than 30 Min WOD’s, nothing but burpees and pull ups is not going to make you that much better. You will top out at some point not too far off in the future. At that point, you need to improve your fitness with strength work due to the aforementioned reasons. If you can learn to squat, press, deadlift, etc. heavy loads cleanly and repetitiously you increase the muscle’s ability to exert force and thereby improve power.
Rob posted some good videos on many of the movements we use at CFC. It’s worth your time to check them out. There is also a humongous library of instructional videos available through the CrossFit Journal, which makes the $25/year subscription fee worth it’s weight in gold.
This is good stuff and it makes not only the general fitness enthusiast stronger, fitter, faster and healthier, but athletes of all kinds show dramatic improvements as well. On top of that, lifting really heavy crap you never thought possible is fun, improves confidence and provides personal incentive via constantly challenging yourself to improve. There is NO argument you can present to me to convince me otherwise that ME work is not a good thing. So, grab a bar, put some plates on it, and LIFT!!
New max numbers:
Back squat; 350x90% =315
Bench press; 340x90%=305
Press; 215x90%=195
Deadlift; 425x90%=385
Week 1; 3 sets of 5 of 65%, 75%, 85% of 90% of 1 rep max
Back squat, 5@205, 5@235, 5@270+8. (putting 1 rep max at 377)
Bench press; 5@205, 5@230, 5@260+9. (putting 1 rep max at 380)
Deadlift 5@255, 5@295, 5@330+7. (putting 1 rep max at 460)
Press, 5@125 5@145 5@165+6. (putting 1 rep max at 225)
Week 2; 3 sets of 3 of 70%, 80%, 90% of 90% of 1 rep max
Back squat, 3@220, 3@250, 3@285+7. (putting 1 rep max at 379)
Bench press; 3@215, 3@245, 3@275+9. (putting 1 rep max at 383)
Deadlift 3@275, 3@315, 3@345+9. (putting 1 rep max at 481)
Press, 3@135 3@155 3@175+8. (putting 1 rep max at 238)
Week 3; 3 sets total of 5,3,1 of 75%, 85%, 95% of 90% of 1 rep max
Back squat, 5@235, 3@270, 1@300+9. (putting 1 rep max at 399)
Bench press; 5@230, 3@260, 1@290+9. (putting 1 rep max at 385)
Deadlift 5@295, 3@330, 1@365+10. (putting 1 rep max at 497)
Press, 5@145 3@165 1@185+8. (putting 1 rep max at 239)
I’m looking forward to Week 4 to hopefully set some new PRs.
Last wed, I set a new pr on bench. My shoulder’s been sore since. I couldn’t get through the 90% reps for the Press warm up as a result (still sore). Any suggestions how to proceed. No probs with Deadlift, new PR.
What do you mean by “sore”? Do you have any problems lifting the arm…any range of motion issues? Does it hurt…is there pain associated with the shoulder? If so, what type of pain (i.e radiates, sharp, dull, etc.)?
There is pain and some weakness for certain movements like extending the arm straight out at a 45 degree angle or up. It is isolated to the cuff area, but it is not constant. Holding the arm straight up is not painful, but lowering it is. At rest, no pain.
Hmmm….So, there is pain when you extent your arm outward at a 45 degree angle, when you move it upward and when you lower it back down. But there is no pain at rest. Ok.
And the injury is a result of bench pressing. Form could have been a contributor to the injury.
There are several things that could be going on in your shoulder…Now let me start by telling you I am not a doctor, physical therapist, etc; however, I have injured my shoulder in a similar manner and these are some of the things I have done to aid in my recovery.
Good thing…you can move your arm. So we know it’s not a dislocation or a complete tear of the rotator cuff. However, several other things could be going on in the shoulder…you could have a small tear of the rotator cuff, you could have strained the pectoral/ bicep/ deltoid muscles or you could have an impingement.
Now there are several things that can be done to correct the impingement: Ice (because the tendon is inflamed, ice will help with the reduction of the inflammation), anti-inflammatories (Motrin, etc), posture (straight back with your shoulders back), rest (it will allow the body the time necessary to start repairing itself) and strengthening/rehabbing the rotator cuff region.
Remember, I am not a doctor, but here is some information that may help you in your recovery. Above all, contact your local doctor and have them evaluate your shoulder. But in the mean time, you should rest, ice your shoulder 3 to 5 times a day and take some anti-inflammatories.
You can workout but minimize any heavy or repetitive movements with the shoulder.
Well it could be a couple things. A micro tear in one of the small muscles of the rotator cuff is a strong possibility and is not uncommon. However, in those cases you usually know it right away. Sometimes you can actually hear a tear in the shoulder and movements of any type or ROM hurt. The other and more likely possibility is a pull or strain of one of the muscles. In this case, a particular position, not necessarily a full range of motion, will cause some discomfort. The muscle is inactive and moved to an active position where it hurts. You move up past it and the muscle is inactive again and doesn’t hurt. I am actually having the same issue at the moment.
You may be able to dig in there with your thumb and feel a very ropey, strained muscle. This muscle is most likely aggravated and compressing one of the many nerves that run under it. A particular position makes it fire off, both by the muscle being strained and the nerve being squished. Sometimes some direct pressure therapy along the length of the muscle will cause it to spasm and release. Massage is always helpful to aid the recovery process as is stretching. Just be sure not to get crazy with the stretching right off the bat especially in the early stages of the injury. This should be followed by some direct icing. Leave it alone for a few days or a week and do squat or deadlift variations with some other stuff thrown in that don’t bug it - you can’t go wrong with squats and deadlifts.
Once it gets to feeling better, start working in some rotator cuff exercises at light weight before every workout. It could be an impingement, but even if it is, the recovery is still the same. Feel it out and go slowly.
I wouldn’t go running off to the doctor just yet. That’s everyone’s first reaction and most doctors are quacks who will tell you something which will freak you out and make you think you have something worse going on than is the case. I am of the mindset that I won’t go to a doctor unless death is imminent in the case of massive bleeding that ain’t gonna stop anytime soon. The indians didn’t have doctors and they seemed to to okay. The weak ones just died off, so it’s natural selection…
I shit you not, half the time doctors make it up on the fly. You tell them a couple symptoms, they ask you to cough and then say “yup, your conflagatory muscle of the erectus canoodle has gangrene due to something you did”.... yeah, okay….
This stuff comes and goes. I can’t tell you how many times I have been just aching in joints all over. A few days off and some treatment and I come back fine. It’s the cost of business and it all heals. It’s pretty hard to really screw yourself up structurally where it’s a serious deal. 99% of it is soft tissue stuff that heals up. The pain is from a muscular spasm/strain and the nerves around it being irritated and compressed.
Anyhow, let it be and it will be fine in a short while. Do some preventative work on it as regularly as possible and it will remain good. Congrats on the new PR’s!! That’s the kind of stuff I want to hear. Keep up the good work, Tom!
I would agree…not every doctor understands sports medicine, but the same is true with any profession. You have a carpenter and an electician, both are in the construction field, but neither could do the others job. The same is true with medicine.
Now, I’m not telling anyone to go straight to the doctor if they injured/hurt themselves. And remember there is a difference between injuring oneself and hurting oneself, but that is a whole different blog.
If you experience a significant amount of pain (hint, this is a clue from the body) from working out, and the pain persists longer than a week or two with no reduction in pain…this is clue that something is wrong. No amount of vodoo, visits to the late night thai massage lady, visits to the chiropractor, use of legal nacotics and/or a combination of all of them will ever fix the problem. This is where the advise of a properly trained “sports medicine” doctor comes in handy.
Suck up the pride…this isn’t the 1950’s and your grandfather just slice off two fingers on the table-saw and tells your grandmother its a flesh wound and it will heal itself, just grab him a budwieser for the pain….I think we need to put the past ideology behind and start using commonsense (I know…I should follow what I preach…since I have been working out with a shoulder injury for over six months…again that’s a whole other blog).
So, if you are injured/hurt and the pain hasn’t gone away after two weeks, take the time to go to a sports medicine doctor so he or she can evaluate your injury. They went to school for a long time and they did their residency evaluating sports injuirs, so who better to go too!!!
But in the mean time…rest, ice the injury 2-3 times a day and take some anti-inflammatories.
Thanks guys! 6 days in and ROM is getting better. If rest and rehab don’t work I’ll visit a sports doc. Most importantly…My canoodle remains unaffected, and nothing is gangreenus!
Many of you have heard Ian and I talk about Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 Strength Program. If you are interested in starting the 5/3/1 program I’ve attached Wendler’s 5/3/1 book and logbook/weight calculator. If you have any questions, please let us know.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attach Wendler’s 5/3/1 Manual due to its size. We are working on getting it posted. If you would like a copy of the manual, let me know and I can email the manual to you.
