Say goodbye to Noviceland

Used to be, I’d hit a PR on whatever workout I decided to do, just by showing up. I was putting 10# on my squat and deadlift, shaving minutes off my met-cons, doing more work in less time on a daily basis. Slowly, though, those days started getting further and further apart. I started seeing weeks between max weight increases, and hitting the same met-cons with barely an improvement in results. I became frustrated, and beat myself up trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Was I not eating enough? Resting enough? Working hard enough? Could I actually be getting weaker? Finally, the answer ran up, kicked me in the crotch and then danced around me like a chubby little sticky-fingered 6th grade bully. After almost a year of training CrossFit, I am no longer a beginner, and therefore no longer entitled to automatic daily gains. Say goodbye, kids, to Noviceland.

Coach Rip defines a novice trainee as "one who can get a PR with each successive workout with simple linear programming where weight is added each time". Well, I no longer hit a PR every session. I now have to work for every extra pound, every shaved minute. It’s no longer a matter of neuromuscular improvements translating to weight and speed gains. I can no longer improve my bench press by riding a bike or put 20# on my deadlift by adjusting my starting position by an inch. Now, it all comes down to strength. And that comes an awful lot slower than I could have imagined back in the good old days.

I’m somewhat relieved to have figured this out, because I was starting to get kind of down on myself. I like being able to say I hit a PR. I don’t like pulling a 200# deadlift one week, and then being stuck there for three more weeks. And I really don’t like going backwards in results – like that same 200# deadlift just not moving the following week. That totally pisses me off. Plus, I’ll admit… since I’ve got 500 people reading about what I do every day, the ego really doesn’t want to admit to a less than impressive effort. Truth be told, it makes me feel like crap to have to post zero improvements in weight or met-con times. And there have been more than a few of those days lately.

So after doing a good deal of private bitching, whining and complaining about my current situation, I have finally come to accept my Intermediate-ness. In fact, I am trying to see it for the progress that it really does represent. My standards are higher, my accomplishments are harder fought, my gains are smaller but far more meaningful. This new stage also means a change in programming, a revision of goals and most importantly, a mental adjustment to how I personally measure my success on a daily basis. And here is the conclusion I’ve come to:

Those two little letters – “PR” – will no longer be the Paris Hilton of my workout log (constantly featured, just hanging out and looking pretty but lacking any real substance). Instead, I’m going to work my program in such a way that “PR” will be invited as a special guest of honor, the Prince of this blog, making fewer pubic appearances, but representing far more talent and welcomed with much bigger fanfare.

Stay tuned for more on programming theory (and an interview with CrossFit East Bay head trainer Max Lewin) tomorrow.

Buy-in

• 50 double-unders
• 10 pull-ups
• 20 cleans 16K (10L/10R)
• 20 swing/cleans 16K (10L/10R)
• PP practice w/ 45#, 55#

Push press, Wittenstein-style

• 3@65#
• 3@70#
• 3@75#
• 3@80#
• 3@80#
• 3@80#

I feel good about these. No more jumping, no more coming forward, my dip is slow and controlled and my drive/press is far more explosive. My max overhead is 85#, but I'm going to keep working at 80# until they really start flying up. Goal is still 100# overhead.

Cash out:

• 20 cleans 16K (10L/10R)
• 20 snatches 16K (10L/10R)
• 20 clean/snatch 16K (10L/10R)

My new York 16K is sweeeeet. I just have to remember to take my KBs inside at night. I had to drive with it in the passenger seat this morning, seat warmer on high. Which was less than effective.