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Thread: Alex Gustafson - An Honest 12 Weeks

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2022
    Location
    Louisville, KY
    Posts
    36

    Default Alex Gustafson - An Honest 12 Weeks

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    Hi, I'm Alex.

    # Demographics:
    35 years old
    6’3” 240lb
    Louisville, KY
    Freelance Web Developer

    # How I Got Here:

    I was fat, sick, and suicidal when I started CrossFit in 2019 and that’s what I’ve been doing since. I found Mark Rippetoe via the CrossFit Total article in the CrossFit Journal not long after starting but didn’t follow the breadcrumbs long enough to find Starting Strength as a training program.

    This summer (2022) I started feeling that I should be stronger for giving as much effort as I have over the last 3 years, for how big I am, and for how stalled I was on developing larger sets of strict pullups/chinups. I decided that after some immediate commitments, this fall I’d take on some kind of strength bias in my training for a time. I bought the blue and gray books in August, read them, and kind of sat on the idea of doing the novice linear progression while researching other options.

    Eventually that research turned into just listening to the back catalog of the starting strength podcast. This clip hit me hard:

    Can Strength Training And Crossfit Coexist? - Starting Strength Radio Clips - YouTube

    I decided that I could set aside 12 weeks and give the NLP an honest shot.

    # An Honest 12 Weeks

    Starting 10/21/2022, I’ve blocked off Fri - Sun - Tue for 12 weeks.
    Between now and then I’ll not be technically “doing the program” I suppose, but some 5s will be happening so I figure I’ll go ahead and start logging it. An appetizer of strength, if you will.

    # After that?

    I’m open to the idea of keeping this up after the 12 weeks. I will definitely go back to CrossFit for the CrossFit Open in February, but effective training will only help in that effort... so I'll figure it out when if we get there.

    I’m open to it. I don’t need to be convinced by anyone. I just want to see for myself how this goes.

    # Current lifts

    Back Squat
    3x5 @ 220lb on 10/7/22

    Press
    3x5 @ 110lb on 10/7/22

    Deadlift
    4x3 @ 305lb on 9/23/22

    Bench Press
    4RM @ 155lb on 6/17/22

    Power Clean
    1RM should be ~175lb, my best guess at 5RM would be 145lb

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Walled Lake, Michigan
    Posts
    6,681

    Default

    Welcome and best wishes. I'll follow along after you begin next week.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2022
    Location
    Louisville, KY
    Posts
    36

    Default

    # Followup

    Quote Originally Posted by carson View Post
    Welcome and best wishes. I'll follow along after you begin next week.
    Thank you Carson

    # Session 0.1

    Oct 12, 2022
    The Factory Gym, Louisville, KY

    Squat
    45 x5 x3
    95 x5
    135 x5
    185 x5
    225 x5 x3

    Squat 20221012 - YouTube

    Press
    45 x5 x2
    65 x5
    85 x5
    105 x2
    115 x5 x3

    Press 20221012 - YouTube

    Deadlift
    45 x5
    155 x5
    225 x5
    275 x5

    Hook grip on the working set
    Need to work on the setup for flatter back

    Deadlift 20221012 - YouTube

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2022
    Location
    Tallahassee
    Posts
    281

    Default

    Glad to have you! It's always exciting seeing people start.

    Quote Originally Posted by alexjgustafson View Post
    Between now and then I’ll not be technically “doing the program” I suppose
    What about the program will you not be doing? Why have you elected not to do those things?

    Quote Originally Posted by alexjgustafson View Post
    Power Clean 1RM should be ~175lb
    Is there a reason that you're concerned with your 1RM?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2022
    Location
    Louisville, KY
    Posts
    36

    Default

    Thank you for the welcome, Roy.

    Quote Originally Posted by Roy Thomas View Post
    What about the program will you not be doing? Why have you elected not to do those things?
    On Friday Oct 14th, my CrossFit gym is doing a CrossFit total. I'll be attending that as much for the community aspect of the event as the workout itself. But maxing out like that will certainly be a bit of disruption and isn't the program.

    Oct 15th through 20th I intend to do the NLP programming as written whenever at the gym, not avoiding any movements or anything. But I will be traveling and 1. have some unknowns about the gym I'll have available to me and 2. not sure which days I'll be able to go. So getting in 3 days with proper recovery between isn't guaranteed, though at least 2 should happen in that time I think. I understand that life happens and adjustments have to be made sometimes, but I didn't want a disruption right at the start to sour any feelings I might have about trying this out.

    From the 21st onward I'm putting myself on the hook to follow the program to the letter as best I can.

    Quote Originally Posted by Roy Thomas View Post
    Is there a reason that you're concerned with your 1RM?
    No concern; that was unclear word choice on my part. I do not have any recent lifts of just the Power Clean. I've done them at lower loads within many CrossFit WODS and as part of barbell complexes, and going off those I'm guessing the 1RM would be about 175. Only mentioned it for completeness sake to compare with end of the project.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2022
    Location
    Tallahassee
    Posts
    281

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by alexjgustafson View Post
    I understand that life happens and adjustments have to be made sometimes, but I didn't want a disruption right at the start to sour any feelings I might have about trying this out.
    Indeed, it does seem to keep happening. A small disruption right at the beginning like this shouldn't be a problem as long as you will do the program after you're back from your travel. Doing a true strength program like this will improve your CrossFit. Good luck!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2022
    Location
    Louisville, KY
    Posts
    36

    Default

    # Session 0.2

    Oct 14, 2022
    CrossFit Golden Warrior, Louisville, KY

    CrossFit Total

    New 1RM PRs on all lifts

    ## Squat
    Goal of 275

    45
    95
    135
    185
    225
    245
    265
    280lb

    Squat 20221014 - YouTube

    ## Press
    Goal of 140

    45
    75
    105
    115
    130
    135
    145lb

    Press 20221014 - YouTube

    ## Deadlift
    Goal of 355

    135
    225
    285
    315
    335
    355lb

    Deadlift 20221014 - YouTube

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2022
    Location
    Tallahassee
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    281

    Default

    You squat highbar?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2022
    Location
    Louisville, KY
    Posts
    36

    Default

    I'm just a fuckup novice still figuring out how to get in the lowbar setup.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2022
    Location
    Tallahassee
    Posts
    281

    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by alexjgustafson View Post
    I'm just a fuckup novice still figuring out how to get in the lowbar setup.
    Well, that's a little harsh. No sweat just didn't know if it was a conscious choice.

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