Reevaluating Fitness Goals
Now that spring is here and I’ve been squatting 3x/week for about six months, I’m switching gears. I’m a helluva lot stronger from all those squats, but I need a break too. During my six month strength cycle, I learned the basic barbell lifts, went through seven weeks of the Stronglifts 5x5 Beginner program, and did nine weeks of training on the Texas Method Intermediate program. I made some serious strength gains since October, due in large part to the solid foundation of technique I learned from Coach Keith of Crossfit Virtuosity (and all that dedicated practice and careful programming didn’t hurt either). Since I had never squatted, pressed, or deadlifted with barbells before, I have no benchmark to measure against (and I know it’s not safe to attempt 1RM with subpar form), so I can only use the numbers that I hit in the gym with Keith as a reference point.
Keeping that in mind, here are my before numbers:
- Squat: 245lb (5RM - 10/28/08)
- Press: 135lb (4RM - 10/28/08)
- Deadlift: 275lb (9/26/08 - we stopped here for form, not strength)
And my 1RM numbers after my strength cycle, from April’s Crossfit Total:
- Squat: 355lb
- Press: 175lb
- Deadlift: 470lb
I’m pleased as punch with my gains, but all that lifting and squatting made it very difficult to keep up with my conditioning. I maintained short, intense workouts while I was lifting 3x/week, but had to cut out longer/running related workouts to allow my body to recover. I’m also tipping the scales at 190 right now, which feels a little too heavy for me.
In the coming summer months I have a bunch of races to prepare for and will focus more on running, swimming, and overall conditioning while trying to maintain my strength and barbell technique. I’ll be lifting 2x/week instead of 3x and will be rotating heavy days with explosive/speed strength days. I’ll also mix in a back-off bodyweight strength training day when I think my CNS needs a break.
To keep me on task, here are my training goals for the summer months:
- 100 burpees in under 6 minutes. Current PR stands at 6:06 (10/26/08). No more putting this off!
- Incorporate sledgehammer training into my program. All those tire shops along 4th Ave have been taunting me long enough.
- Run 1 mile in under 6 minutes. I’m pretty sure I can already do this, but I can’t remember the last time I ran a mile for time.
- 30 Muscle-ups in under 8 min. I like these and want to get better at em.
- 12 Rounds of Work Capacity 101 in 20 minutes. My current record is 10.5 rounds (4/8/09).
- Eat paleo + dairy. This won’t be strict, but I’m going to try to ease myself into it. I’ll allow one cheat day a week.
