Verbum Humanum

Push Press: 8 reps @ 115#

My last 5/3/1 press was 6 reps @ 110#; so I added 5 pounds and 2 reps in a little over a week.  I don't consider this a small gain.

Warm-Up
Farmer's Walk 5x w/60# DB in each hand (one end of gym to the other)

Strength Work
Back Squat
2x5 @ 45#
1x5 @ 95
1x2 @ 135#
3x3 @ 150#

Then
5 rounds of
KB Overhead Lunge @ 15# (one side of gym to other) +
10x Pull-up

Here was his classic response:

"I'll never underestimate lunges again.  I woke up this morning and fell on my way to shut my alarm off.  My left leg was numb and I couldn't stand up.  I had to lay back down and go back to sleep for another 20 minutes.  It's felt weak all morning.  This Crossfit routine has twice left me feeling unright the next day.  I don't know why I didn't do it sooner."

While the WODs I am giving him haven't been strictly from the CrossFit mainsite, they are inspired by the CrossFit philosophy.

Power Cleans: 6 @ 95#

Normally I would have done more cleans @ 95#, but I knew what was coming in the 5-rounder, so I used the 3x3 as sort of a warm-up.

DL: 15 reps @ 280#; KB/Pull-ups: 12:45

Workout
Military Press 3x3 - 80#, 90#, 100# > 3
Then
30x Renegade Man-Makers

Press: 11 reps @ 100#; Man Makers - untimed (iPod died around the 4:00 mark; probably around 7 minutes total).

It should be reiterated that those are 11 explosive reps.  I probably could have grinded out another 2-3, perhaps more, but I am looking to build power, not just strength.  So when the bars slows down, I stop.  Sure, I push hard and do everything I can to make it explode in the later reps, but I know when I've lost the explosiveness.

These weights may seem trivial to some, and the workout above may not look difficult, but there is a method here.  In the last 2-3 weeks I have lost fat while remaining at the same body weight, which tells me I am building muscle.  The numbers also tell me I am getting stronger.  Perhaps more subjectively, I feel stronger all around, without feeling lethargic.  I can bound up the stairs easily, which I could not say when I was squatting 240# for 3x5.  The goal is athletic strength, not simply raw strength.

Today is deadlift day, and I am not looking forward to today's WOD. Stay tuned.

BS: 6 reps @ 190#

My legs are still very sore from the DL/Fran workout on Tuesday.  But on the other hand, I don't think I have ever squatted 190# for 6 reps.

Power Clean: 10 reps @ 95#; Pull-up/Push-ups: 19:03

DL: 12 reps @ 265#, Fran: 11:58

Today's Fran time proves my point that doing straight strength training kills your metcon abilities, or at least mine.  Anyway, this WOD was brutal all around.  It's almost an hour later and I'm still not right!

BS: 225#

5x3 @ 120#, 20x @ 75#