Fitness: Front Squat 3 x 5 Linear Progression
Add 5-10 pounds to last week’s exposure.
Performance: Back Squat 3 x 5, Volume Day
Add 5-10 pounds to last week’s exposure.
Post loads to comments.
e6/8
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Fitness
Triple Tabata Mash-Up
1) Double-Unders or Attempts
2) Kettlebell Swings
3) Push-Ups
Rotate through the movements for six rounds of each, so 18 TOTAL rounds.
Performance
For Time:
70 Double-Unders
15 Shoulder-to-Overhead 135/95
60 Double-Unders
12 Shoulder-to-Overhead
50 Double-Unders
9 Shoulder-to-Overhead
Post time and Rx to comments.
Coach Jeremy watching over Uzef’s 6am squats two weeks ago. Do you prefer low bar or high bar back squatting? In case you need a reminder about the differences between the two, check out this post that Coach David wrote last year. And if you want a stronger squat…
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This add-on membership allows our 2x/week Strength Cycle to attend two additional classes per week, outside of the regularly scheduled strength cycle classes. This includes group classes, open gym, and Active Recovery/Yoga/Pilates.
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If anyone is confused as to which cycle they belong in or has any questions, they can contact Jeremy directly at Jeremy [at] crossfitsouthbrooklyn.com to discuss placement.
- Coach McDowell and Nate P. are playing a full band show with Nate’s band, Union Oil Co, at Threes Brewing tonight from 9pm to midnight. Come hang if you can!
- Happy birthday, Katie M.!
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From Tuesday eve
7:12 @ 135
DUs were costly
6am with McDowell and Arturo. I did the performance back squats at 205. This is a 5 rep PR for me, but they still moved pretty well, one kinda squirrelly rep in the last set notwithstanding.
I did the fitness metcon and completed 177 reps total. After hitting 25 DU's in the first round and 17 in the second, they fell right apart. The kettlebell swings (24kg) we're mostly in sets of 10 with 2 sets of 9. The push-ups were also mostly sets of 10 with one set of 9 and one of 8.
QOD: I prefer high bar, but I think that's mainly because I have way more experience with high bar, so it's very much my comfort zone.
6am with McDowell and Ro.
Perf back squats: moved well today and I felt like I had good bounce out of the bottom. Went up 10# from last week to 275#. Will continue to climb next week.
Perf metcon: 6:52 Rx. That was slightly more painful than I thought but still not as bad as Monday's. I feel like I am out of practice with cycling the S2O movement and had a couple of awkward presses because of it. I was doing double-unders across from Chris P. and spent the whole time trying to keep up with his metronome-like consistency. Nice work man!
QOD: Literally the same answer as Shawn.
7:30 last night with… Whit and JB… Noah? I honestly can't remember:
Perf. Press:
45×5
95×5
120×3
130x5x3
The last set might have been 6 reps. I realized about halfway through I hadn't been counting reps and was either on 3 or 4, so I made sure I didn't cut it short. These are definitely improving a lot since the first two weeks where I was failing at rep 9 or 10 of 12.
Metcon: 7 something Rx. I had no gas. Bad sleep, crappy diet, and lots of work related stress over the past week and a half were made painfully obvious by this workout.
Did the 5×10 hollow rocks as one set every 45s.
6am with McD and Ro:
Pef. HBBS:
45×5
135×5
225×5
275×3
320x5x3
Everything felt pretty good today. No loss of position at the bottom as far as I could tell, and the bar speed seemed pretty quick still – though the last few reps of each set were definitely more of a grind than the last few weeks.
Perf. Metcon: 8:31 Rx. First two rounds of double unders in 2 sets each, the last had a bunch of trip-ups. The S2O were done as 8-5-2, 5-4-3, and 4-3-2. This was a real slog for me. Had intended to do each round in two sets, but just felt weak and fatigued from the get go. Think it's a combination of pressing at 7:30 last night, getting shitty sleep lately, and not eating very well the past few days. Work deadlines have passed now though, so time to right the ship.
Cashed out with some banded hip distractions and couch stretch. I've been finding this to clear things up almost instantly if I feel any hint of back pain coming on, and with all that overhead work, seemed like a good idea to do some preventative maintenance.
I like low bar better, but I'm learning to appreciate high bar.
First 7 AM class in more than a week. I missed it! Squats at 155, WOD with box jumps, one-armed swings at 16kg, and plank holds. I think I should have done situps instead of planks to get more of a conditioning stimulus. 108 reps? I think? I always forget how to count where tabata is involved. 😛
Forgot to chime in on the QOD:
I like High Bar better. With all of the front squats, thrusters, wall balls, squat cleans, OH squats, and snatches, etc. that we do, high bar just seems to have more transference than low bar, in that it's a more upright position closer tothe other movements. Aside from that, racking the bar on your traps just always seemed more intuitive to me.
I like high bar better. I haven't really played around much with low bar, and I think I actually have a pretty low-barish hbbs, but now that I am working on oly lifting I am sticking with something that doesn't reinforce my already-strong tendency to overemphasize my hip drive out of the bottom.
Oly Cycle Yesterday:
5×3 snatch complex @ 63,trying to stay more upright at the bottom.
Lots of light clean and jerks (63, 73, 83), focusing on landing low and bending the back leg. These felt good today. I know everything is still really light but I am hoping I can start adding on some weight soon while keeping my form!
Started to squat but my hip and back still hurt a bit so I worked up to one set of 5 HBBS at 135 and called it a day.
Then came in for an evening sesh:
5×3 Press @ 75. Felt difficult, but definitely had more room in the tank.
WOD in 4:57 Rx
Wednesday AM:
On not enough sleep and not enough food since my last workout. Felt pretty crappy.
Subbed Push Press for Back Squat, which did not make any sense given that I jerked and pressed yesterday and had S2O in the WOD. Did one set of five at 105, and failed on the fifth rep in my second set (which I shouldn't be doing at this weight.) Called it there.
WOD in 6 something. Started at 93# but my form felt terrible so I stripped it to 83#. Felt a little dejected at this point so kind of slogged through. Oh well, at least I got a workout!
I'm excited to go home to California for the next couple of days and get lots of sleep. I feel like I haven't been able to reset lately!
6am with Ro and McDowell
Low Bar Back Squat
3 x 5 at 240#. These are still moving very well. It I stay connected and concentrate the entire time taking big breaths in I can get through with limited grind. Today felt great.
Perf WOD Rx'd in 8:16.
DUs were very dialed in today. First round was all 70 unbroken, second round was two planned sets of 30 and third round was two planned sets of 25. I feel like I can be much more consistent with shorter planned sets like this and I trip up less.
Push Jerks were heavy but manageable at 135. Broke them up as 5/5/5, 4/4/4, 5/4.
QOD:
I hated Low Bar when I first started because I didn't have the shoulder mobility and the rack position hurt. Now I feel like the bar is in a much more secure position in the low bar rack. I'm a Low Bar guy for sure but I trade back and forth between high and low every cycle.
My thinking on high bar vs low bar has changed a great deal over the years. I've done both, and both have worked for me at times.
The more experience I get, the more I find that it's less about which squat is better, which lets you move more weight, which transfers more, etc. and more about which squat works better for YOU as an individual.
Things like limb length, mobility, and basic comfort are all factors that I now look at when advising someone on which way to go. Really, high and low are just distinctions we make for easy classification- there is lots of room between. If the person can keep the bar balanced and their back flat, that is their squat. High and Low serve more to give people tips to maximize efficiency in the position that they've already chosen due to their unique blend of characteristics.
Dr. Mike sent me this article from his favorite coach and lifter, Bill Starr. His non-dogmatic approach really blew me away, and is the mark of a true master- he doesn't want you to use HIS squat, he wants you to be the best at yours:
http://billstarrr.blogspot.com/2012/01/you-are-individual.html
Finished a Smolov mesocycle last week and have been testing my 1RMs throughout this week, numbers thus far @186 bodyweight:
HBBS: 425 (10lbs PR)
Front Squat: 335 (20lbs PR)
Deadlift: 485 (45lbs PR)
I think the deadlift is the most surprising as I don't train it directly and that lift was done on a whim — heavy pulls and squatting transfer nicely.
re. QOD:
Am a proponent of squatting in general. Made the switch to high bar this past year as my shorter femurs, long torso, range of hip abduction seem to give me a mechanical advantage in this particular movement. The numbers keep going up, knee and hip pain have gone down, so I'll keep doing what works for me.
HBBS: 260 x 5 x 3. Last set moved best. I guess that's good.
10 mins and change @135 on the WOD. As you can see this was a slog. The DUs were fine, but as anyone who has endured my complaining knows, shoulder mobility is not a strong suit. So really took my time in an attempt to achieve virtuosity on the push jerk. Virtuosity was a long way off, but I think my last nine reps were more solid than the first 15. So I will take that as a positive.
QOD: I don't know how long my femurs are. And I don't even know what hip abduction is (but after countless AR classes, I probably should. Sorry Fox. Sorry DO. yanking your chain a bit, Dan.). But I'm told that the movement on the high bar is more analogous to oly lifting than low bar. I need all the practice I can get with anything oly, so I'm now a HBBS guy.
12pm with McDowell and Arturo.
WU
3RNFT
15 KB swings @ 20kg (Russian)
10 x push-ups
5 T2B
LBBS
45 x 5
115 x 4
165 x 3
185 x 3 x 3 ( pause)
Wasn't feeling amazing when I came in so went lighter, did less reps and added a pause. I think that was a good decision for me today. Felt good.
WOD (performance!!!! This is a big deal! I can NEVER do the performance option!)
70 x DU
15 x push press
60 x DU
12 x push press
50 x DU
9 x push press
6:18 @ 65#
You guys!!! I did all the DU's!! Can't quite believe it. Maybe could have gone heavier on the S2O but this felt right for me today. I really enjoyed this workout!
Felt soo much better leaving, than when I came in. Yay!!
QOD- I prefer low bar- I've tried high bar and as soon as I get to around 200, I start low bar-ing with the bar in the high bar position which is not a good idea. Maybe I should try harder or stick to lighter weights until I get it right, but I am pretty sure I can't help it; I'm just drawn that way 🙂
HBBS: 235x5x3 – still working my way back up after being derailed by illness.
WOD: lost count.
QOD: When I hear 'abduction' I start thinking about Charles Pierce. Or extraterrestrials on a er, probing mission.
But: I've been HBBS'ing the last year or so after LBBS'ing for a while. Dunno if I have a true preference.
Front squat: 205x5x3. Felt heavier than I'd hoped. Used a belt on the third set.
Metcon: 4:15 Rxd. Doubles were unbroken. I tried a new rope and it was awesome! Failed the last rep of the S2O at just over 4:00.
Major gainz went down
HBBS, 5RM, -5%, 10%x5
431×5** 1# PR for 5
407×5
387×5
Press behind the neck, same as above
203×4, failed 5th
198×5
176×5
Clean pulls, Heavy 3×2
419x3x2
Tabata assault bike, 53 cals
QOD:
Noappologies makes solid points.
Unless competing in power lifting, or restricted by mobility, I don't see that utility in low bar back squatting. Most everything in life worth doing is done with an upright torso and a vertical back, I think…
5:30 with NoDowell
FSQ 225 5×3
Hit 235 for 3 reps but couldn't get through 3 sets of it so I dropped down.
I'll try going to 230 next week.
Perf WOD in 6:25. The DUs felt pretty good but the s2o were tough.
Broke them up 7x5x3, 7×5, 3x3x3 with quick rests.
7:30 with Arturo and Whit
HBBS 162x5x3.
Tabata with 20kg KB (Russian). Lord knows I didn't count my reps, but I typically got 20+ DUs, 12 KB swings and 7 push-ups.
Qod: I am partial to high bar back squat, even though apparently I have long femurs and this is why I tend to be slightly less upright during them. It just feels more natural to me I guess. Who knows…
Storm:
Agreed. In his article Starr basically says he ideally wants everyone squatting with an upright chest, and that lower bar position is either due to personal style/comfort or very specific intention. That said, I've met lots of people who it just doesn't work for.
Monday's workout of 53# strict press, and WOD in 5:25 with 62# power cleans felt really good. I felt like a real crossfitter because my quads were on fire and I kept going hard!
Today felt surprisingly good, considering the night I had last night. 100# front squat moved pretty well. DUs are a real challenge and I never practice them because they really frustrate me. I gotta get over that and practice! Did ~3 single/single/DUs per round, with a bunch of misses in addition, white KB and strict pushups: averaged ~12 swings and 6-8 pushups. This workout was a lot more fun than I anticipated.
I agree with what Jenny said about HBBS; being upright def feels more natural.
Almost made it to threes, but went home instead. Hope the gig was good!