Jeremy way deep in the bottom of the squat.
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
MBS Upcoming Programming Cycle Overview
Strength is upon us! You may say I’m a little excited about the program change…I’m going to tell you why. First, a friend just recommended a new book by Georges St-Pierre (GSP), who is a world-renown UFC fighter. In the book, GSP talks about his love for training and hatred of fighting. I’ve actually heard of that from several other athletes and agree to a point myself. Training, for me, is the fun stuff. It is the laboratory where all the experiments are done and where my lessons are learned. There isn’t the pressure of competition, but you can make it pressured if you want it. Why am I telling you this? Well, the programming that we are cycling back into is the “training” phase. It can also be referred to as the “off-season” phase. It is where we will re-focus our efforts on rebuilding, re-testing, and reshaping our thoughts on our limits. We are going to take our foot off the gas for a moment, take a look at our lifting technique, positions, and current limitations, then we will address those things individually and put all the pieces back together one piece at a time.
“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
I know this is going to sound weird, but I don’t refer to this as a strength program ENTIRELY because we will be lifting more barbells and following a set program with %’s. Mostly, I am referring to this as a strength program because it is going to make us stronger between the ears. There are going to be new movements introduced that you may have never done, or have not done in awhile. Sumo deadlifts, for example, we’ve done those once or twice in the past 6 months…well, hello again and I hate you! Have you heard of ice cream makers or back levers? If not, lets all get ready to suck it up because they’re hard as crap. Max time handstand and L-sit holds, sprints, lateral agility, max repetition sets, drop sets, and tabata with every movement we do, are all going to make you cry for mercy. And, if you’re one of those sick people that actually like that stuff, let’s just finish it off with heavy sled pushes! So, this new strength cycle isn’t going to be just about a barbell program and following numbers - I’d quit myself if that was the case. It is going to be about gaining strength, courage, and confidence by looking directly at our fears and hitting them head on.
“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.” - John F. Kennedy
**Disclaimer** Due to our effort on building strength, there will have to be give somewhere. That “somewhere” is going to be the long sweaty wods. I know they are a crowd favorite, and they are great in a performance cycle, but they are less favorable when you are trying to rebuild technique and strength. That’s not to say at all that we are ditching them entirely…you will still see them occasionally, but definitely less frequent.
Finally, I just want to wrap this up with a guide for increasing success. If after reading all this, you still have questions, feel free to shoot me an email.
Program Guide:
Get Your #’s Right!
When beginning a strength program, it is important to get off on the right start. Part of this, is taking a good and honest look at your current maxes. For our barbell program, we will be following a hybrid of the Wendler 5/3/1. A unique part of this program is that it runs off a Training Max (TM) that is 85% of your Real Max (RM). So, if you just back squatted 300 #’s last week, your TM would be 255, and all the %’s that you work off of from there forward would be at a % of 255, NOT 300. Ultimately, we want to build your numbers, but we want to do it with lifts that are done correctly, efficiently, and safely. We are confident that following this TM protocol will help you much more in the long run.
Consistency
Success in a strength program is just like everything else in life - be consistent and it will pay off. Barbell strength will be programmed Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in our WOD classes for the most part. Typically, it will take 20-30 minutes. Our lifts will be variations of Squat, Press, and Deadlift. I say “variations” because it won’t always be high-bar back squat, or regular stance deadlift…we will be using box squats, bench press, sumo-deadlifts, and plenty of other variations to the lifts. It doesn’t matter what the lift is, as long as you’re consistent and you push heavy weight. The priority is to hit the 3 days of barbell, even if you have to hit them all in one day!
Missing a barbell day isn’t optimal, but it is going to happen and that is fine. We want you to come in before or after class and use the weight room or portion of the gym that isn’t being used for classes, and make up your lift. If you are brand new and aren’t comfortable lifting on your own, grab a buddy! Or, ask a coach to give you hand. We are more than happy to help you out. If you miss a couple days, or even several, you can make up all your lifts in one session…it isn’t optimal, but it’s better than missing out.
Keeping Track
You should keep a logbook. Whether you use www.beyondthewhiteboard.com, or a notepad, it is real important to keep track of your progress. We will be working our weights up weekly and again after each cycle, and you will need to know your Real Max, Training Max, and daily performances. It really isn’t as hard as it sounds. If you have a question about keeping a logbook, you can ask me and I’ll show you a couple examples. **We are NOT following the regular 5/3/1, so I’m not sure if you’ll be able to use any of the free logbooks that you can find online. You will either have to post to BTWB or keep a personal logbook.
Other stuff
Its important that we understand that the goal of the program is to see improvements in strength across the board - NOT just the squat, press, and deadlift. Those are just the “big” lifts that we will be using and working percentages off of, but we can’t forget that we want to see improvements in KB’s, pullups, pushups, box jumping, Olympic lifts, sled pulls, and even your running. It sounds ridiculous that you could get stronger on your back squat and at the same time improve your pullups and 400 meter run, but it really isn’t at all. The point here is that, in order to get the full benefits of the barbell program, you will be expected to push the bodyweight movements, runs, and other fun exercises just as hard as you do the barbells. Don’t think for a second that we will let you act like an overweight muscle head in the workout!
Eat, sleep, and have sex
I’m only halfway kidding. The point here is to keep your hormones in check by eating healthy, sleeping enough, and enjoying yourself. It is very possible that this next week could change the rest of your life (I’m not even cracking a smile), and why would you jeopardize that opportunity by going to McDonalds? The optimal diet is high-quality protein from animal sources (they call that meat!), carbs from vegetables and little fruit, and plenty of good fats. It’s not rocket-science, but I know it’s sometimes difficult to figure out how to do it. We recommend reading the Whole 9 nutrition recommendations for most individuals. If you have questions about your nutrition, email Amanda@mbscrossfit.com or myself and get started on a nutrition program.
Finally….
There are plenty more details that we don’t expect you to know immediately, they will be picked up in class and presented along the way. All you need to do at this point is clear your schedule and show up at MBS a minimum of 3 days a week. If you want to build a nutrition plan and have questions about that, stay tuned on the MBS Facebook page for our next nutrition clinic.
If you were following Strength classes…
During our strength cycle, the Tuesday and Thursday “Strength” classes will be doing an Olympic lifting program that fits beautifully in the middle. So, if you were attending strength classes on Tuesday and Thursday, you should continue to do so. Just remember though, you will potentially be lifting heavy weights 5 days a week. Not that there is a problem with that….it’s called the strength class for a reason… just don’t bitch at us when you’re tired from lifting.
Workout of the Day
A. Warm up mini-wod
10 min @ 60% effort
5 HS kick up
10 Supermans
15 KB Sumo deadlift
B. Drills x4
P1 - 30 sec KB clean + thruster, right, 30 sec rest
P2. 30 sec Hollow rocks, 30 sec rest
C. Deadlift, 5-5-5-5-5 up to 5RM (same as Mon and Wed, reach a heavy 5RM, which will represent our Training Max that will be used for the Hybrid Wendler program that we will begin using next week)
D. 10-min KB snatch test. Use whatever weight you feel comfortable with. You may set the KB down and switch as often as you’d like. Total reps!
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