Member
What weights to start at for a former CF'er
Hi Rip,
I've been doing CF for about a year and half now and went from 5'11" 180lbs to 160.2 lbs. My CF total is: 260 BS: 125 Press: 385 DL. Typically in a CF workout I always experience muscle fatigue before Metcon meltdown. 95 lbs thrusters are hard and i genuinely just stuck balls at strength stuff. I'm sick of this bullshit. So I've decided to screw CF for a few months and tack on some weight both on the bar and my person. The problem, is that i have no idea where to start weight wise for one of your programs. This past week I tried the PP advanced novice program where it was:
3X5 BS @ 225 lbs.
3X5 Bench Press @ 165 lbs.
3X5 Weight Chin-ups @ 60 Lbs.
On Wednesday
3X5 FrontSquat @ 185 lbs.
3X5 Press @ 95 lbs.
1X5 Dl @ 325 lbs.
Sound good to you? Where would you start a former CF'er at my height and body weight?......And I am getting off the Zone diet just to tack on some weight. Thanks in advance.
Chad
TMPHBITEU
If I were you, I'd start at the plain old novice program and not worry about front squats for a while. Your biggest problem will be your squat form, and doing front squats right now will not help. And you have to do power cleans, so you might as well learn them.
Member
I would say it doesn't matter that much what weight you start at as long as it is not too difficult. You don't want to get stuck quickly because you started out too aggressively. Accumulate some moderately easy work before it becomes a challenge every workout. I would start day 1 at a comfortable weight, and ramp up aggressively for a few workouts and then taper it down when things become difficult.
Also, this isn't likely, but if you haven't done some of these lifts in awhile, I would make the first day medium intensity and lower volume to avoid debilitating DOMS (is there a better method to avoid DOMS? this worked for me). Getting back into the gym quicker is better than being out of commission for a few days.
Member
Alright thanks Rip, Obviously there is some balance of strength issues.(DL is to high as opposed to my squat and shoulder press) I'm fairly certain that my squats are all right. I'm still pissed i missed your cert at Cherry Point NC last month.
Chad.
Member
i find this post interesting, i thought just doing crossfit and the zone was suppose to make you as fit and strong as possible. i intended on starting crossfit once i had exhausted my interest in coach rip's strength programs, and by the way ive been at it for 8 months and theres no end in sight im enjoying it so much. but if there seems to be sub optimum strength benefits to the crossfit way i may have second thoughts about starting up.
TMPHBITEU
CrossFit is not a strength program, and has never claimed to be.
Member
in that case coach Rip i have misinterpreted something about crossfit, and i am yours forever.
✓ Member
That's not entirely true. Check out this quote from Greg Glassman in Girevik Magazine:Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe
This is almost certainly hyperbole and having done both a good deal of CrossFit and some Starting Strength, I can attest to the fact that you are not going to magically pull 500 (let alone 750) pounds off the ground by just doing the main site WODs. This is especially true if you start off with a 1 RM of 200 lbs.But here's the fascinating part. We can take you from a 200 pound max deadlift to a 500-750 pound max deadlift in two years while only pulling max singles four or five times a year.
So, CrossFit has made at least one claim about being a strength program. I think Coach Glassman's statement above would not hold up well under scrutiny and I would really like to see any evidence that someone came to CF with a 200 lb deadlift and two years later could pull 500 lbs without doing something along the lines of Starting Strength/Practical Programming.
Member
thanks for the back up guys, i thought this was something i could clear up. there seems to be a few people dissapointed with there strength levels while doing a decent amount of crossfit and looking towards "starting strength" to address it, which by the way i would agree is the way to go. not that ive tried crossfit yet but after experiencing Rip's program surely you couldnt do much better at this level. i have friends who want to come and train with me now at my garage gym and do nothing but what im doing. but in any case i dont think the apparently dissapointed crossfitters would be dissapointed if they didnt believe that crossfit alone was going to do more for them in the area of strength. so maybe they have been misled also. i dont mean in any way to put crossfit down, those guys are bad arses, its just an observation.
TMPHBITEU
But let's make damn sure we read the rest of Greg's comments about this:
Now, I know there have been studies done that seem to demonstrate that regimens that combine resistance training and endurance training in a single workout do not develop strength or endurance as well as regimens that develop them separately. It is true that if I train for the deadlift on some days and the mile on others, I will when tested for the deadlift on one day and the mile on another show better results for both than if I had trained with the deadlift and run combined - I'm sure of that. But what if I tested both protocols by running 400 meters then immediately deadlifting and repeating this four times without rest? Promise yourself that the mixed protocol will beat out the separated. The real point, though, is that running 400 meters followed immediately by deadlifting, repeated four times has dramatically greater application to sport, combat, and survival than superior performance for both performed on separate occasions.
Now, if you guys want to be assholes about this, you could. But I don't think you do. Understand what he meant, and get over what he said.
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