Fitness: 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Start at about 90% of where you left last cycle.
Performance: 92.5% x 1, 72.5% x 10
Post loads to comments.
e2/8
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3 Rounds For Time:
50 Double Unders
15 1-Arm Kettlebell Thrusters, Left 24/16kg
15 1-Arm Kettlebell Thrusters, Right 24/16kg
Post rounds and Rx to comments.
Joel W. warming up his bench press
- Do you have the Community Potluck on Saturday, February 21 at 7pm on your calendar? Head over to the event page to RSVP and tell us what delicious dish you’ll be bringing!
Not Competing In Iron Maidens, But Interested In Helping Out?
We are looking for a few strong women to volunteer during the day! Please email margie [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com by Monday, February 9 if you’re interested in one of the following jobs, and indicate which shift(s) work for you (all shifts subject to slight change).
Spotters
4-6 women who have experience lifting and spotting, and are relatively strong. You MUST be comfortable responding quickly to calls for spot and working with a team to keep the lifters safe. Shifts are roughly 9:30am to 1pm and 2:30pm to 5ish.
Check-in
1-2 women who can weigh-in competitors and take opening attempts weights. Shifts are 8:30-10am and from 12-1pm.
Scoring
2-4 scorers who are comfortable using USAPL software to enter competitors scores during the meet. Will train scorers on software. Shifts are 9am-2pm and 1pm to 5pm.
General
1 or 2 volunteers to fill in where needed, and help sponsors get set up.
Shifts throughout the day
Prepping for Iron Maidens: Advice on Modifying Group Classes
By Margie Lempert
We’re about one month out from Iron Maidens, which means there is still time to do some specific training. Below are suggestions for how to modify what you do in group class in order to prep for the meet. Our coaches are on-board, but always be sure to talk to whoever is coaching class about your plans so they can adjust logistics accordingly. And, of course, ask any coaches or me for specific advice on choosing loads/exercises.
If this is your first meet and you’ve never maxed out a linear progression, then you should stick to the Fitness track in group class with some potential additions/substitutions. If this is your second, third, or more meet, or you’ve done quite a few linear progressions, then you can play with some other training regimens, as well as accessory work to address particular weaknesses. Most important is to get the work in every week. Consistency = gains.
Here are some suggestions:
For Everyone
In the week before the meet, you should work up to one heavy triple for each lift. This should be a tough triple, though not necessarily an all-out max. No need to get ugly about it. This will be your opening weight at the meet. You should hit all your triples by the Wednesday before the meet, but they do not have to be done in the same day. Make sure you pause the bench press. (After Wednesday, your aim should be sleep, active recovery/light training, and food.)
For Novices
Squat
Linear progression
- Substitute front squat with low bar back squat so that you back squat 2x/week, increasing 5lbs/exposure if possible. Make sure you have at least 48 hours between squat sessions.
Bench Press
Linear progression
- Make sure you practice the pause command on your bench press. You can do this on your warm up sets throughout your training, as well as on your heavy triple day just before the meet. Get a friend/coach to cue you to press when the bar has made solid contact with your chest, or give yourself a one count.
- Consider adding in daily pushups via frequent, submaximal sets. Example: if max pushups = 5, aim for 5 sets of 3 pushups spread throughout the day. Do this 5 to 6 days a week. These should never be sets to fatigue. Each week, try to add one pushup to all your sets OR add one set of pushups/day
- Consider adding an overhead press exposure 1x/week during open gym. Follow a linear progression here as well.
- Special note: ladies, we can always do with more pressing. As long as your joints feel good, go for all of it.
Deadlift
Linear progression
- Replace Snatch OR Clean complex with DL so that you DL 1x/week. Warm-up to one workset set of 5; linear progression of 10lbs each exposure. All warm-ups should be sets of 5. Do not touch and go; take a breath and reset your back for each pull. If you have never hooked or switch gripped, start to practice this on your heaviest set.
For Intermediate Lifters
Squat
Substitute front squat with low bar squat on both days. Make sure you have at least 48 hours between squat sessions.
Option 1: Moderate volume, with heavy singles. Good choice for novice/intermediate who is looking for a little more experience with heavier weight.
Day 1: 3×5 linear progression
Day 2: Follow Performance track
Option 2: Lower volume, with emphasis on finding and driving out of the bottom. Good choice for those who have trouble hitting depth or get stuck at the bottom. Also works postural strength (i.e. extended back, knees out, even pressure through the feet).
Day 1: Performance track
Day 2: 3×3 Pause Squat, increasing each week. Two count at the bottom.
Option 3: Moderate volume, with heavy doubles/triples. Good choice for advanced intermediate who is able to put in a lot of work and manage recovery well.
Day 1: 2×5; 1×10 all at same weight (i.e. 155x5x2; 155×10) increasing each week
Day 2: Work up to heavy double or triple in no more than 5 total sets, including warm-ups. Try to beat yourself each week
Bench Press
Option 1: Follow Fitness track; pause at least one, if not all sets.
Option 2: Follow Performance track. Choose to hit a heavy single, double or triple. Pause your top set, but not your drop set of 10.
- If a coach approves, try to add a pulling exercise between each work set, i.e. chin/pullups x submax; or DB rows x 10-12 or Ring rows x 10-12. If there’s not space during class, get it done during open gym.
- Consider adding an overhead press day at open gym. Work up to a top set of 5 – this should feel like you have one or two left in the tank. Then drop 6-9% and hit sets of 5 until it feels as difficult as your heavy set (should take 1-4 sets, rest 2-3 min between sets).
Deadlift
Replace snatch OR clean complex with deadlift.
Option 1: Linear progression of one set of 5 reps
Option 2: Linear progression of one set of 3 reps; drop 6-9% and hit another set of 3-5
- Consider adding in a second day for accessory work or a deadlift variant to address weakness in your deadlift. This would be done at open gym.
- Options:
- Back: barbell rows from the floor, or heavy dumbbell rows; Pullups (weighted); ring rows (feet on a box). 3 sets of 10-12
- Weak off the floor: deficit pulls from 1 or 2″. 1 top set of 5, or 3×3; linear increase. (25# rogue plate is 1” and the dc blocks are 2”.)
- Weak past the knee: rack pulls, 1 set of 5 or 3×3, linear increase. Set the pins so that the bar is just below your knee. See this video for a thorough explanation.
Please feel free to ask me for clarification or advice any time: margie [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com.
Happy Training!
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Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 The Atlantic
Getting Through a Five-Year Setback Catalyst Athletics
Bench 137.5×1, 107.5×10. I also did a couple of heavy paused reps in warmup.
This WOD was awful. Awful, awful, awful. Rather, I am awful at KB thrusters, which require a certain amount of balance and coordination. I should have scaled the weight. 12:33 with 25 DU attempts. At least my jump rope is functioning now.
I bet Fox is going to ask every single class today, "Why didn't the Seahawks just run the football?" and he's not going to get a single satisfactory answer.
6am with Fox and McDowell. 3x5x160 in the bench. These felt good, though the last couple of reps were certainly less snappy than the ones that preceded them.
10:10 in the WOD with a 16kg bell. I initially pulled that one out as my lighter warmup weight. Yeah, no. 16kg was plenty. Double unders were pretty awful today. The first two rounds were attempts until I hit about 1:10. In the final round, they were better and I got through 50 in sets of roughly 8. The L sits and band pull aparts cashout was a nice spicy little finish.
6am where McDowell claimed credit for all of my fitness. Sorry, other coaches.
Bench: 135×5 / 165×3 / 195×2 / 212.5×1 / 165×10. The heavy single went up really fast, which was surprising and helps build my confidence that I can bench heavier weight. McDowell helped me set my theoretical 1RM of 230 last week and I was thinking "no way," but now I think I actually might hit that.
WOD: 10:38 Rx. Weak side thrusters were terrible. I had to break up the thrusters in 2-3 sets. I'd like to practice these one-arm KB thrusters more as they are a little bit awkward. First 50 DUs were unbroken, but I was so gassed after the 1st round that I was stumbling a bit in the last 2 rounds. I think I broke those up something around 10/10/30.
Big make-up post from the weekend:
5 Rounds
3 C+J at 225lbs
5 OHS at 90lbs
5 Butterfly C2B
Rest 2 mins
The cleans got heavy, but felt consistent. Tried to switch between split and push jerks. I've got to work on my butterflies, but they're slowly improving.
40 minute AMRAP:
25 Wall Balls – 20lb/10'
25 burpee box jumps – 24 inches
25 kettlebell swings – 24kg
25 calorie row.
I believe I got 4 rounds plus 21 burpee box jumps. This turned into a slog through the burpee box jumps to me – everything else felt fine. Tried to stay with MelLo for most of this, but she pulled ahead of me right at the end. Felt beat up after this, but I'm glad we're doing more long workouts.
SATURDAY
Front Squat
365×1
285×10
Felt easy and fast. Could go heavier.
Partner WOD with Alex B.
12 minute AMRAP
12 Dumbbell Thrusters – 45lbs
24 abmat situps.
Got 12 rounds + 10 situps total. Thrusters were the easy part here, should've got heavier. Situps got hard, but we stayed consistent for the whole thing.
SUNDAY
Quick lifting session before Super Bowl shenanigans.
HBBS
305×5
355×5
405×12
Starting a short Sunday Wendler cycle. Felt like I had a few more reps in the tank on the rep-out, but wanted to stay conservative.
PRESS
205lbs 3×5 – failed on the very last rep of the third round. This is frustrating because I've been working on my press for a while and feel like I keep getting stuck here. Next week.
Coach Fox, here is a possible answer for your Question of the Day:
In short, the Seahawks wanted the face of their franchise/MVP to be Wilson, not Lynch.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/196697/conspiracy-theory-surrounding-seahawks-last-play
Regarding today's workout, any exercise that involves KB's that is not a KB swing is probably invented by Satan.
I LERVE rings class man. Its going to be a goodly while before I get a muscle up but I am feeling much more comfortable with back levers. I am thinking I should set my sights on nailing an unassisted one over the next 12 months. (Somewhere Ken is enjoying a good laugh right now).
Another night of not so great sleep. Had what I guess you would describe as a nightmare. Details are very fuzzy, but I think it involved a terrifying female authority figure humiliating me due to my lack of interior design skill. Scary thing is, everything the dream lady was screaming about is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!
Hey, who won the Superbowl?
Rytas: PREACH!
Bench – Single was at 240 today and moved pretty quickly. I may have underestimated my bench 1RM. 190×10 moved well too.
Metcon: Struggled with the kettlebell thrusters. Finished in 8:36
Great couple days of training!
Sunday:
WU: rowing, calf/hip mobility and mash, droms/etc.
SQUAT: 45×5, 95×5, 135×3, 155×1
170x5x3
this is a PR for reps. no belt. good speed. can feel myself arching it up a bit on some of the reps, but overall this felt solid. i was nervous, but i will be more confident going into next week, as this number felt like a mental hurdle.
BENCH (pause work): 45×5, 75×4
Pause on first of each of these: 95×3, 105×3, 115×3
I didn't really feel dialed in until the set at 105, but this was fine.
Muscle-up playtime: did 4 kipping (1 at a time with a minute or so rest in between) and then one strict with a small assist from the great Ken H! happy to feel that I'm reasonably close to having a strict MU, too. gonna keep working this!
-focus on staying long (hollow/arch) and then working proximal strength on the way back down
Monday: was gifted some extra time today, so made the most of it!
WU: rowing, hip mobz, quad/itb mash, lat mash
2 rounds: 10 GHD sit-ups, 10 OHS with pause, 3 chin ups
DEADLIFT: 135×5, 165×3, 185×2
205x3x3
drop set: 165×8
-SQUEEZE tension out, don't rip the bar off the floor
-LATS in start position
SNATCH:
HHPS+HPS: 63x1x3
63, 73, 83, 83, 93, 93, 103, 113F, 113F, 113F, 113PR!!!! (5#)
-1st attempt I had the bar up to my chin, just didn't get down. mental.
-2nd attempt, I got under it well, but just didn't reach up, got soft, and let it go
-3rd attempt wasn't as smooth of a pull, a bit further out in front. got down, but wasn't quite there.
-I would've stopped after 3 misses, but Fox encouraged me to hit it again. Glad I did. Focused on not rushing first pull and then just punching that sh!t to the ceiling because I knew I could get under it. THANKS FOX!!!
LBBS
45 x 5, 95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 205 x 5, 220 x 5, 230 x 5, ( PR for reps) 215 x 5.
This was really heavy. My knees are coming forward too much. Margie watched and I hit depth on every rep at least! Definitely felt a little crushed by the bar on the fourth and fifth rep of the heavy set and it was so hard to keep my chest up!!
12pm group class with Fox and Arturo.
Bench Press
45 x 5, 65 x 4, 85 x 3, 115 x 1, 122.5 x 5 x 3 (PR for reps)
Somehow completely ran out of time and ended up having to skip the WOD so I could finish my sets. I had to fight for the last rep.
Rack Pull
135 x 5, 185 x 4, 235 x 3, 270 x 1, 300 x 5 (PR for 5) Heavy as f$&@k!!
Not a bad day of lifting especially considering my tequila consumption yesterday.
Pre-Class
Using the Jerk Blocks..
Power Jerk + Split Jerk
40kg x1,1
50kg x1,1
60kg x1,1
70kg x1,1
75kg x1,1
80kg x1,1 (x2)
85kgx1,F
85kg xF, x1
85kg x1
Power Jerks were feeling great today.
4:30 Pm Group Class with NORO Medicine Show
2 Rounds NFT
10 OHS
10 Body Rows
20 Hollow Rocks
Bench Press
(45×5, 115×5, 145×5, 160×2)
170x5x3
DU/KB WOD @ 20Kgs
Cleared 2 Rounds + 50DU, 10KB Thrusters (L) before getting time capped
I knew that was going to suck but it was worse than anticipated! I usually don't experience a huge asymmetry between my left and right arms but it was quite apparent here.
4 Rounds NFT
:15 L-Sit on the Ground (no Parallettes)
15 Rev Flys on Crossover Symmetry
Great training day
6:30pm
Bench Press LP: 180x5x3
Pretty much according to plan, no real difficulty here today.
DU/Thruster WOD with 20kg: 9:29
Thrusters were unbroken first round, then 8/7 each arm then 5/5/5 and 8/7 for the last round.
Doubles unbroken until the last round, where I tripped after reps 31, 35, and 40.
Couldn't stay for all the cash out, sad to say…
Clean+Jerk
220
264
286
308
330
341
Clean+Front squat+2 jerks
308
319
Clean+FSQ+Jerk
352
Dips w/25#
10×3
Chin-ups
10×3
190 on the bench component.
20kg on the KB. Finished around 9:30ish. With a mild hangover.
Really surprised how much worse my left arm was than my right.
WOD in my basement
DB Bench. 5 paused reps with 15#, 20#, 25#, 30# DBs. Then did 3 x 8 with 35# DBs. Wanted to try the 40# DBs but they just felt so heavy setting them up by myself.
Alternated with 15 russian twists with a 25# DB.
WOD in 11:35 with 12kg KB. Very awkward. I squatted and pressed more than thrusted. DUs were surprisingly smooth the first two rounds. I had sets in the 20s which is rare.
Still continuing the linear progression on the bench from last cycle for Iron Maidens 😉
3×3 at 92#. Hoping to hit 100 on the day of for 1 rep so I feel like it's finally attainable!
WOD in 7:47 with a 12kg bell and 25 DUs (stringing together 2-5 reps at a time usually).
Took a couple of breaks (mostly on the left side).
I might work these DB thrusters into warm ups at open gym- I kind of like them!
Warm up #1
Bench Press w pause
45×5
65×5
85×2
90x3x3 – this finally feels fast and steady
3 RNDs for time (12kg bell)
50 DUs – not great but not a complete disaster
15 KB thrusters right – fine
15 KB thrusters left – real wonky
8:48
Cash out at home x4
:30 planks
15 supine band pull aparts
All Hail the Single Arm Dumbbell Thruster!
10am
Bench
210x2x6
Snatch Pulls
295x3x3
8:30
Pause (knee) Snatch
143×1
154 (M)
143x1x4
154×1
Awkward pausing…Was jumping forward a bit at first but fixed it.
Clean and Jerk
176 x2x6
In The Air Tonight is maybe the most amazing song to lift to.
8:30pm. Olympic lifting sans Frank. Apparently Long Island trains weren't running. Stupid snowy Mondays. Still, a good showing of oly lifters. Good vibe tonight. Snatch (2 transitions from power position + power snatch + overhead squat): 132x1x2, 143x1x3. Had been working at 132 last week, but it felt good tonight so I bumped up the weight. Hardly even noticed the difference. Clean&jerks: 154x2x1, 165x2x1, 176x2x3. Cleans felt good. So did most of the jerks. They were all jerky, but had a slightly leaned back body position on at least one rep. Head through. Why is that so hard?
6:30 w/ Coach Noah & Ro
Bench:
135×5, 170×5, 185x5x3
(I hope that means 185#, 5 reps, 3 sets. If not, please let me know.)
WOD:
Awful.