Thanks, Mort! As much as I like the 5/4/3/2/1 rep scheme I don’t think I can do it for long periods of time. It’s a strength realization scheme. It’s designed to bring out your strength potential that you’ve built with other reps schemes (like the three phases leading up to this). I’m not sure how well it’d build strength on its own.
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6.2.18
Woke at 239.6 lbs.
I need to step up my eating game. I’ve been hanging around 239 for awhile now.
GSS&S W10 D4
BENCH superset with PENDLAY ROW
135 x 5 / 135 x 5
225 x 3 / 185 x 3
225 x 3 / 185 x 3
235 x 5 / 195 x 5
245 x 4 / 205 x 4
255 x 3 / 215 x 3
265 x 2 / 225 x 2
275 x 1 / 235 x 1
I set my timer for 45 seconds of rest after bench. I managed to get the rows done and back to the bench in that time. Everything was a bit more difficult but it moved.
OHP superset with NEUTRAL PULL UPS
125 x 5 / +40 x 5
135 x 4 / +50 x 4
145 x 3 / +60 x 3
155 x 2 / +70 x 2
165 x 1 / +80 x 1
Last two sets of OHP were push press. I couldn’t handle the short rest periods. I just alternated between exercises and my rest was changing the weights. I set the timer for 45 seconds like on bench but I couldn’t get the weights loaded in that time.
I think I’ll be subbing OHP for push press or muscle snatch soon. I’m leaning towards not joining a CrossFit gym to save a couple hundred bucks and offset the cost of my completely unnecessary tattoo. I copied down all of the workouts from CrossFit Invictus from May. I used the Performance group. I’m probably going to create my own strength workout for each day and then add the conditioning WOD after that. I’ll share what I come up with once I get it scripted out.
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Well this took about 7 minutes to come up with and it looks like a decent approach to maintain strength while trying CrossFit…
| Exercise | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 5 x 8 | 5 x 3 | 5 x 5 | EMOM | 5/4/3/2/1 |
| Bench | 5/4/3/2/1 | EMOM | 5 x 3 | 5 x 8 | 5 x 5 |
| Deadlift | 5 x 3 | 5 x 8 | EMOM | 5 x 5 | 5/4/3/2/1 |
| OHP | 5 x 5 | 5/4/3/2/1 | 5 x 8 | 5 x 3 | EMOM |
| Power Clean | 12 @ 80% | 10 @ 85% | 10 @ 90 % | 12 @ 80% | 15 @ 75% |
I’m not sure if I’ll be able to train five days a week so this could take longer to get through all of the workouts. I’ll simply start with Week 1 Squats and go down the list. I tried to apply a bit of the conjugate method to this and I think I did an okay job of that. It’s an experiment so it can’t be wrong! (Right?)
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The build for bad circuits is also just to be done for a short period of time.
And I like the approach af the new program, looking good.
Have you considered doing like in the darkhorse program, doing a variation of the lift with that rep scheme followed by the opposite lift comp setup for EMOM dynamic? Working on the weak link on the ME lift.
Then a WOD to follow, but writing it down here sounds like a lot of work.
Just a silly suggestion Big J. I think your program looks fine as it is.
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Looks fun man. Get them gains
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I haven’t had luck improving lifts when I don’t do the exact lift. Front squats didn’t help my back squat at all (I focused on those only a while back).
I’m also switching to a strength maintenance phase while bringing up my conditioning. I’m not going to try to lose weight but I’m anticipating some fat loss with the MetCon training. I’m hopeful hitting each lift weekly will be enough to maintain what I’ve developed over the past 10 weeks.
This is all new to me so it’ll be a lot of trial and error. I watched most of the Dark Horse video; that’s where I got the idea to spread around the different rep schemes. I double checked my rough layout and I don’t have two heavy sessions in a row for any of the lifts and that’s the goal. It might turn in to an upper/lower or push/pull split where I do two lifts per session. I could do my predetermined reps on squat and then do EMOM on deads like you suggested.
The thing I have to remember is that my MetCons will have some lifting aspects as well. I’ll be doing lighter loads of different squat variations, cleans, snatches, overhead movements, etc. Some days the MetCon might be an EMOM circuit like 2 hang cleans/2 front squats/2 push presses. It’d probably be good to put that on a bench or deadlift day.
I’m confident the CrossFit training will still challenge my body; I just don’t want to lose what I’ve worked so hard to get back. If I stop benching or squatting then you can automatically drop my 1RM by 20-40 lbs when I start doing it again. I’m tired of the back and forth. I want to make progress, plateau/maintain, and then make progress again.
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Muscle memory is real, man. If you reach a peak in strength, you can always return there fairly quickly, even if you take a break from lifting altogether. You sound like you want to do crossfit- do it! If your lifts suffer a few pounds you can get them back, and you will no doubt be leaner and have better endurance along the way. I don’t do crossfit but the WOD’s I’ve done have challenged me immensely. If the Marines taught me anything it’s that challenging yourself and coming out on top is always a good thing. Most of the people who talk trash about crossfit couldn’t last five minutes into a session, and it’s not just muscular endurance, it’'s mental fortitude.
Hell, all this talk about crossfit has me wanting to do some myself. Maybe if you jump in I’ll do some sessions and we can compare times, etc.
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I figured if I couldn’t decide on a WOD then I could just start attacking the benchmarks. Those would be easy to compare.
Used to do one that was a real ass kicker.
The goal is to hit 100 DB thrusters - I used 35s but would have to drop the weight at this point.
You start a timer, and do 5 burpees followed by as many DB thrusters as you can until the timer reaches a minute, at which point you do 5 more burpees and as many thrusters as you can. Every minute on the minute you have to stop to do 5 burpees and you don’t stop until you hit 100 thrusters total.
Burpees start by taking like 15 seconds and eventually take like 40-45 seconds, and the thrusters feel like death.
I did pretty much only front squats for like a year, now that I’ve picked up back squatting it feels really odd. I’m actually doing front and back squats with the same weights now.
The positive I feel would be that now if I wanted to push back squats I would be able to keep more upright due to increased quad strength, but then again, I could probably do that with the same weight if I had kept back squatting.
Being a tall guy front sand back squat differ quite a lot in terms of movement pattern (and I back squat high bar), I feel that someone who was on the shorter side could get a lot more benefit from it. Personally I’d still front squat rather than back squat, it feels a lot more natural to me.
Puke.
I can get better depth on front squats but I’m not so sure that’s a good thing anymore. I think it revealed or exacerbated my torn labrum in my hip. I haven’t done a front squat since surgery and I don’t really want to do one. If/when I do them again I’ll definitely go light so I can stop at or above parallel. I’m hoping to avoid having surgery on my other hip.
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Take a look at the Darkhorse again.
You don’t have to do front squats. I would suggest pause squats or box squats something that work the weak point, that’s the lift you do for ME effort, then you follow that up with deadlift comp setup 10 EMOM sets light working on technique. On DL day you do a DL variation deficit dl example and follow that with emom comp squat light. You still have your comp lifts.
The ME lift working a giant set of 4 exercises really bringing up your condition.
After the two lifts you can do a WOD of you choice … IF you have anything left.
I would be able to do it after upper body work but lower body I’m toast. Maybe later in the process I’ll be able to, but not right now.
I still like the setup you made 
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I kind of like that layout but I could just do the regular lifts. Squat day with EMOM deadlifts and vice versa followed by the WOD.
Some of the CrossFit programming has a strength portion now. There are two parts to the workout - strength work followed by the conditioning. This is done on most days of the week but not all of them.
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6.4.18
Woke at 241.6 lbs. Today is leg day and I’m supposed to hit 335 x 2 and 355 x 1 on squats. I’ll definitely extend my rest a bit to give myself a chance to succeed. I’m not exactly confident I’ll hit 355 but I’ll give er hell.
I recall hitting 365 for reps once upon a time but that was with my old form which was probably a half or 5/8 squat. I consider 365 to be my PR with my current form. I’m supposed to hit that next Monday.
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Guaranteed Simple Strength & Size W11 D1
2 LAP DYNAMIC WARM UP
SQUAT
135 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5 sleeves
295 x 4
315 x 3 belt
335 x 2
355 x 1
POWER CLEAN
225 x 2
260 x 1, 1, 1, 2
DEADLIFT
315 x 3
375 x 5
395 x 4
415 x 3 belt
435 x 2
455 x 1
REV LUNGE (SMITH)
135 x 5 ea
145 x 4
155 x 3
165 x 2
175 x 1
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Dude you are a bloody beast. I’m impressed with your numbers then I remember you are right off a major surgery rehab and I’m even more floored…
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Awesome Big J
As the Hog, I’m impressed too.
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So far the plan is working. When I started this program I wanted to get my squat back to the 350 range and my deadlift back to 450. I knew the deadlift would be there but I needed to go slow and this methodical program did just that. My squat needed every rep along the way.
I think I could pull 500 on a good day right now but I’m going to have to work for that 4 plate squat. I about blew an o ring Friday on my 345 single and today’s final rep definitely took a while to finish.
I really want to test my maxes on squat, deads, and bench. I’m resisting the urge to butcher the final week of the program. I might finish the 12 week program and max out on the big three the following week. I could do squat Wednesday after 5 days off. Bench could be Friday and deads Sunday. We’ll see how I feel. If 465 moves like butter next Monday then I’ll probably go for 500 while it’s there. If 465 is a grind then I’ll wait.
I noticed today that I’m a high bar squatter. I’ve always had the bar in the high position but I used more hips before surgery. Now I’m upright and it’s all quads. I don’t feel any stress in my glutes anymore and my quads get a pump up near the hip flexor during my workout. I’m also using a slightly more narrow stance these days. I guess I’ve made some adjustments to protect my hips since surgery.
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Smartest thing you’ve ever said! You can know it’s there and be patient to realize it.
The high bar thing is good for us taller guys
Did you even lift in that video? 
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