Yes, I was dead. After this lift.
Yesterday the WOD was;
Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
This was actually the FIRST time I found my one max rep deadlift, so I was really kind of nervous going into the workout. I’ve done a good deal of deadlifts in other workouts, but never finding the one rep max.
To clarify - one rep max is when you do one rep… and you can’t do anymore
Warm-up
Crossfit warm-up (10 oh squats, hypers, push-ups, sit-ups- skipped the pull-ups because of shoulder)
5 1.5 pood(54lbs) Kettlebell swings - to open up the hips and warm up the lower back for the DL’s
Deadlifts
3 at 53#
3 at 83#
2 at 103#
2 at 133#
Workout
153#
173#
203# PR
FAIL 3x at 203#
193#
198#
FAIL 2x at 198#
Cash Out
Tabata Planks (front, side, back) 20 on 10 off x 3 (9 rounds total)
This was tough. Actually, this was fucking hard. I’ve never done an exercise that requires your entire body to get together and scream “fuck you!!!” at the top of their lunges, but this was it.
I got the 203lb Deadlift up, it wasn’t exactly pretty but it was up. I have a problem with trying to muscle things up, as Greg puts it ‘You’re strong, but you’re not that strong.’ I don’t realize how strong I actually am, and as I’m told, that hinders my progress. I don’t advance myself because I don’t think there’s any conceivable way that I could lift more, or do more, or be more. For someone who is always striving to be better, I sure have a lack of confidence in my lifting.
I found out after that 203# DL that there is such a thing as mental defeat. After getting that weight up there, and trying again at the same weight- my mind just wouldn’t wrap around the fact that I could lift it again. I tried, and tried, and the bar wouldn’t budge. I thought I was pulling so hard that the bar would break before the weight went up, but in all actuality I was sticking my ass in the air and relying on my lower back and arms to try to lift the weight instead of pushing away from the ground and engaging the glutes and hams.
It was awesome to have the three other ladies around me - Leslie (Thor’s wife) who is an amazing powerlifter, understood immediately when I couldn’t wrap my mind around the weight and had to go lower. To be honest, I just couldn’t get that up there again- and as much as it pissed me off, it was a lot more rewarding to drop the weight and still lift the bar then to keep trying and not believing. It was all mental, and I was mentally defeated.
Actually, after that PR I couldn’t imagine getting the bar up again. I was so taxed, everywhere that I just couldn’t even fathom my body was capable of doing it twice. I’m sure it was that attitude that didn’t help in my second attempt. I do have to be a little easy on myself I suppose, as I’ve really only been doing CrossFit WODs for a little under 3 weeks and this was my first max attempt (I did 3 WODs in January after Elements and then took a little over a month off).
We keep doing things in Crossfit that make me want to do them more often, but there’s too many things! We did push-presses and push-jerks last week, and I got my PR of 100lbs. I came away from those workouts thinking I’d add more push presses into my everyday routine and get really freakin’ good at them. Then we did Helen and I thought my running could use a lot of work, so I decided I’d start running more often. Now deadlifts- I want to do them daily, get really good and deadlift 2x my body weight (which means I either have to get another 100lbs up or lose 30lbs… or a combo). So where do I stop? How do I hone my skills and work on everything? I suppose that’s exactly what Crossfit is trying to do, without having me stay in the gym for 3 hours a day, but I need to focus more on my skill work, but not have my skill work go in twenty different directions.
I also keep watching the videos in the Crossfit Journals and salivate over what the top girls are doing, which takes my skill work in another direction with each video I watch and each amazing feat these girls (like Caity Matter and Gillian Mounsey) make and each strong lift they put up. So- instead of focusing on some of the really heavy lifting- because it comes in most of our workouts, I’m going to focus on the basics and write out my skill work before the WOD so I know what I’m doing. And that’s not an excuse to not deadlift again until CF tells me to, or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.
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look at you maxing yourself out! its a great feeling, no?
Kelly Turner
http://www.everygymsnightmare.com
You are so hardcore. I really need to start strength training. I just bought 5lb. weights because I feel too self conscious to do these types of exercises at the gym in front of people. Not sure why since I have no problem on the treadmill/elliptical mouthing the words to the songs with silly expressions on my face! My boyfriend has an exercise ball so I plan to use that and my new weights in his apartment, and I ordered Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred — let’s see if I ever actually do that/stick to it though!
Wouldn’t it be great if we could work Oly lifts and heavy weights every day? Skill work is where it’s at, but there’s only so much of it we can do (heavy) and still DO CrossFit. Sigh.
Congrats on the PR!
-Staci
203#’s? Good for you! You little firecracker you. That is what I deadlift. That is also the most I have ever deadlifted (I need to buy heavier plates). I do it for 12 reps though
The SoG
I found that doing a Hybrid program and not following the mainpage workout helps me maintain the power and strength that I have built while working on my conditioning. Talk to the trainers there about what you can do to supplement the metcons to further develop power and strength overall.
Either way, 203 DL is a solid number.
Kelly- Feels awesome! I’ve done a fair share of 1RMing before, but never on the deadlift (a friend I know had to get surgery because of a foolish mistake deadlifting, I think I’ve ben chickens***t ever since. Good stuff!
Dori- I have Jillian Michaels book, making the cut and I have to say she’s on to something. She supports everything I put into practice (whole foods, little processed stuff, etc.) but the 30 day shred is the videos right? Not sure about the vid but I do dig her and it’s a great start to a weight program. The more you exercise, the better digestion is too- it’s a life saver.
Staci- I have Crossfit OCD! It’s nice to hear someone else does too- there’s just so much to do, and so little time (if you want any sort of other ‘life’).
SoG- You’re funny. Buy plates immediately! Or tell Ms. SoG to hop on the bar, she looks like she’s about that extra 50lbs you need (tiny woman!) to work your 1RM.
Jay- Interesting you should say that, I JUST heard from another crossfitter that a lot of people (when first starting the WODs) either scale down and supplement with a strength program, or don’t do the WOD’s at all at first and do a strength program. And thanks for the props. I didn’t really put it enough in the post, but I’m pretty damn proud of myself for breaking 200.
Yeah, the 30 Day Shred is a video, I have been reading about it from a lot of blogs. They all say it is a great, intense workout. It is divided into 20 minute segments so even if you’re crunched for time it is good. I am not a fan of videos, I can never stick with it for more than a few minutes, but I heard such positive things I decided to give it a shot. I also need direction when it comes to weights. I do cardio almost every day but really neglect the other stuff!
bee, what I do is hit the heavy/hard metcons on days I do a 3×3 or a 4×1.
For example:
Push presses 3×3
5 rounds for time of:
275# deads - 5 reps
10 burpees
then end with some gymnastics work (if I am able to)
IMO, the reason why we are seeing a lot of strength work on the mainpage now is because of the value it has in the metcons. Bodyweight stuff only goes so far, if your body can handle it it may be worth looking into.
Its an abbreviated strength program and not a Starting strength type of deal, but it does help.
On days where there is a benchmark I want to do, I will often forgo the strength work and just go for a PR. But if you look at my log/blog you can get an idea of what I do.
It may not be the way to go for you, but I would definitely talk to a trainer about what he/she recommends and how to work it in to avoid overtraining.
oh to add to this…
I found my PR’s keep on coming training this way. The heavier metcons do WONDERS for my conditioning and power.
Have you seen the strength standards (compiled by Ripptoe and Burgener I think). They’re separated by weight and gender.
I don’t know how much you weight, but I’d venture that the 203 deadlift is pretty friggan good.
doh! I probably should have linked the standards I was referring to above.
http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html
Dori- Sounds cool, and just up your alley! I found myself doing something similar with yoga, all I had was hour long videos, so I never did them. I got a great ‘am/pm yoga’ video that’s only 20 minutes long, and now I do it often. It’s not tough, but the stretching really helps with recovery. Sounds like the 30 day shred will really help you incorporate weights into your program!
Jay- Thanks so much for the advice. Sounds like a great idea- I was worried starting some sort of strength program that I’d miss the fun WOD’s, but you’re saying that I can still do the benchmarks, just do other fun stuff to work more on my lifting on other days, right? I’d love to talk to you more about this - I’m going to pick your brain tomorrow
The Hybrid strength+weighted metcons is where its at. Its what Leslie, Greg, and I do. It works even with our shitty diets (imagine what happens when we actually clean it up). If you remind me, Ill print you a copy of the newest CF journal article out on the CFSB (Crossfit Strength Bias). I can also give you a copy of our programming(which is just an offshoot of the CFSB with added Oly lifting).
These are awesome. Thank you!
BTW- turns out I’m intermediate/advanced on all my lifts. Feels good!
Oh man that would be awesome! I subscribe to the CF Journal and will search for it today, and would love, love, love to check out your program.
Thanks Thor!
hell, I would love to see that program myself.
[...] makes it all the more embarrassing and exposing. Maybe I haven’t trusted enough. Maybe it’s all mental. Maybe I am still terrified to expose myself, now that I see how easily I have lost myself in the [...]
Bee - Looking at the data above, I see you did 10 attempts and I am now wondering if that was a mistake - especially for a novice (in experience, not in capability - you were pulling some real weight up!) Remember that while a fail is not as physiologically taxing as a completed lift, it does come with a cost and you racked up a lot of charges for a new account holder that day and I don’t know if you have overdraft protection….you know what, I’m going to drop this metaphor.
Anyway, maybe next time since you are still exploring your high-end deadlift, peaking out in sets 4 or 5 for reference and then rolling back to a lower weight for additional form enchancement might be a better way to go. If you fail, you just take the fail - or try again, but count the previous as one of the reps.
And my take on the “Hybrid strength+weighted metcons” is that too much emphasis on strength and not enough metcon means you get punched out by Gerard Butler while on your knees on the railroad tracks.
Moon -
That makes a lot of sense (sans ATM reference), so thanks. And you’re right, I was absolutely feeling dead after that lift, and it would be a lot better (for a beginner) to work more on form than continuing to max out. Especially since the majority of the reasons for my failure’s is due to form issues.
Thanks for the insight, as always!
-BEE