New to CrossFit; Want to Compete

[Braden Costello]

Hello everyone!

I'm new here. I've primarily trained with the standard bodybuilding splits with a little bit of HIIT, running, and swimming thrown in. I'm 26 years old, 5'11", male, and about 190 lbs.

My goals with CrossFit are to compete in the local competitions and eventually get to the Games. A secondary goal but still very important to me is that I want to keep my sexy, masculine physique while increasing my athletic performance. I don't want to shy away from CrossFit just because I'm worried about losing my shape.

I started writing an aimless post earlier but didn't post it and decided to read a bunch of articles and posts. I really got into the CrossFit Strength Bias program by Jeff Martin. It gave me a great idea to write my own program with a HEAVY influence by Jeff's ideas. I really liked the format for his workouts: warm up, strength, metcon, skills. Simple yet eloquent.

Anyways, I spent a couple of hours writing a word document to get an idea of how I'm going to do this. I will attach the word document to this post and I'll do a copy and paste in the next post for anyone who is afraid to download links from the internet (I don't blame you). I'd like to get some advice from the experienced folks on what I've written. Keep in mind that my goals are to compete AND to keep a shapely body.

Thank you for your time in reading this. I'm looking forward to this new pursuit and learning from all of you.

[Braden Costello]

Experimenting with CrossFit
How to Do This
• Perform a one-hour CrossFit workout in the AM at either HubCity or Capstone
o This should be done first thing in the morning
o Get up, get dressed, eat some food, get some coffee (or whatever), and go workout
• AM CrossFit Workout Format:
o Warm Up
 This should be VERY light
 It’s just meant to warm up your muscles so you don’t get hurt
 You should NOT be tired or breathing hard after this
 Stretch too since you’ll have just woken up
o Strength
 This is where you will build strength, size, and a super sexy body composition.
 Switch it up between max effort lifts (i.e. sets of 1 rep), strength lifts (i.e. sets of 2-5 reps), hypertrophy lifts (i.e. sets of 6-12 reps), and endurance lifts (i.e. sets of 13+ reps)
 Refer below for a list of exercises to do at this time
o MetCon
 This will be whatever HubCity or Capstone has you doing for the day
 If you don’t join an affiliate, just follow the main page and go to the TTU Rec.
o Skills
 This can be gymnastics moves, Olympic lifts, etc.
 Refer below for a list of skills to work on
• PM Aesthetics
o In the evening, after you’re done with work and school (about 7 p.m.), perform hypertrophy sets (6-12 reps) of exercises meant to develop your body composition
o Refer below for a list of exercises
Exercises for Strength and Mass
Note: These can be done at the CrossFit gym. Alternate between doing sets of 1 rep, 2-5 reps, 6-12 reps, and 13+ reps. Don’t burn yourself out with these. You still need enough energy and strength to do a Metcon. No kipping on pull-ups or muscle-ups when working on strength. This is about strength and not power.
Explosive Power Lifts
• Clean
• Hang Clean
• Clean and Press
• Push Press
• Snatch
Legs/Lower Back
• Deadlift
• Back Squat
• Front Squat
• Overhead Squat
Shoulders/Chest/Triceps
• Overhead BB/KB Press
• Weighted Handstand Push-Ups on Floor or P-Bars or Rings
• Bench Press
• Weighted Dip on P-Bars or Rings
Back/Biceps
• Weighted Pull-Up on Bar or Rings
• Weighted Chin-Up on Bar or Rings
• Bent-Over BB/KB Row
• Upright BB/KB Row
Chest/Back
• Weighted Muscle-Up on Bar or Rings

Skill Work
Note: This part is meant to be fun so enjoy yourself. You’ve just busted your *** in a Metcon so cool down and then have some fun working on these moves.
Gymnastics
• Handstand Hold on Floor or P-Bars or Rings
• Back Lever on P-Bars or Rings
• Front Lever on P-Bar or Rings
• Iron Cross on Rings
o Cross Pulls after getting the Iron Cross
o Butterfly after getting the Cross Pulls (you’ll probably never be able to do this; VERY hard)
• Inverted Iron Cross on Rings
o Cross Pushes after getting the Inverted Iron Cross
• L-Holds on P-Bars or Rings
o V-Holds after getting L-Holds
• Plange on P-Bars or Rings
o Maltese after getting the Plange

Exercises for Aesthetics
Note: These are exercises that aren’t typically used in CrossFit but can provide wonderful benefits to the appearance and shape of your body.
Shoulders/Traps
• Total Gym Laying Lateral Lift
• Total Gym Seated Posterior Cable Lift
• Total Gym Seated Anterior Lift
Biceps/Triceps
• Total Gym Laying UHG Curl
• Total Gym Laying OHG Triceps Extension
• Total Gym Laying RG Curl
• Total Gym Laying RG Triceps Extension
Chest
• Total Gym Cable Fly
• Total Gym Pull-Over
Back
• Total Gym Row
• Total Gym Upright Row
Legs
• Weighted Wall Sits
• Weighted Heel Raise
• Total Gym Laying Leg Curl
• Weighted Kick Backs
o Get some ankle weights
• Weighted Lateral Lifts
o Get some ankle weights
Abs
• Decline Sit-Ups
o Do NOT weight unless you want a fat looking stomach
• Decline Leg Lifts
o Same as above
• Floor Sit-Ups with a Crunch
o Same as above
• Floor Leg Lifts
o Same as above

Things to Try
• HubCity CrossFit
o Two week trial
• Capstone CrossFit
o One day trial
• Starting Strength
o 5x5 program for building strength
o Does NOT focus on hypertrophy or building muscle
o Single focus is increasing strength in Olympic lifts
• CrossFit Strength Bias
o You need to buy the journal for $25 per year to read the article

[Eric Montgomery]

That's a lot more thought than I would recommend putting into things. There's no need to spend a few hours writing up a program for yourself when there are plenty of existing programs out there with proven histories of getting people stronger and faster and competition-ready. Just pick one of those and stick with it for awhile rather than skipping around and sampling a bunch of different programs and gyms.

[Braden Costello]

Thank you for taking a look, Eric. I appreciate the advice. I have a habit of over thinking almost everything in my life. Could you recommend, by name, a few of the programs that you've mentioned. I'd like to take a look at them. The only ones that I'm familiar with at this point are:

CrossFit Strength Bias
CrossFit Football (I don't think this one's for me)
StrongMan CrossFit (done by Rob Orlando)
Gant Grimes' Program

The two affiliates here in Lubbock have some competitors and WODs/programs designed for those folks to get ready. I probably won't begin any of this until I start working out with one of them and get an idea of how this program operates.

[Eric Montgomery]

CFFB is a good program, so is 5/3/1 plus CF-style conditioning, or OPT's Big Dawgs programming if you want Games prep-style training.

[Blair Robert Lowe]

Skill work post hard metcon is pretty fricking useless, especially any of the intermediate to advanced gymnastics strength. HS and L work may the only thing doable in your list.

Kipping PU or MU are not even about power. Hopping PU as would be strict fast MU.

• Starting Strength
o 5x5 program for building strength
o Does NOT focus on hypertrophy or building muscle
o Single focus is increasing strength in Olympic lifts

WTH are you talking about? SS is not a 5x5 program nor does it have to do with the OlympicLifts. Some hypertrophy and building muscle mass can be done with sets of 5's.

[Braden Costello]

Thank you for your expertise, Blair. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I further appreciate you reading through my little document.

I apologize for posting misinformation with regards to Starting Strength. I'll edit my post as soon as I finish here.

Secondly, I appreciate the advice on not working the gymnastics skills post-Metcon. Would you suggest working skills prior to a Metcon, doing just one of skills or strength per day but not both, or something along those lines?

Thirdly, thanks for explaining the idea behind power with regards to the MU and PU. I was trying to say that I want to work slow, strict-form MU and PU to concentrate more on developing the musculature. Do you think it matters?

If anyone else has any thoughts, that would be great. Otherwise, I'll just let this go to the place where posts die and give this thing a shot. Thanks for reading.

[Lee Bowles]

Here is a thought... I'm no expert keep that in mind but I have prepped for 3 local comps and still prepping for a 10k while I do games WODs. How did I get here from couch potato..literally 6 months ago. Follow the .com WOD's and add a workout in strength or endurance based on what the WOD is. Example:
If The .com WOD is 1-1-1-1-1-1 push press then Do that as your strength wod and then do a metcon involving push press at a lighter weight like 40 Du 10 Push Press (60% ur max) 20 box jumps 10 pu's for 5 rounds.( I just mad that WOD up so don't quote me on it being an actual wod.) But you get the idea. The opposite would be if its a Metcon of say 135#DL and 10 pushups for 10 rds then when your done or before whatever your schedule permits go for max DL 1-1-1-1-1
As time goes on or as .com WOD's change you'll be figuring out your 2rm max 5rm max and still working through a metcon that day. That will increase your overall "go" factor and also improve your ability to go higher easily with weights. Also I alternate my Rest day with an Active Rest Day where it may be rest on .com WOD but throw in like a 5k run for time or 10k run Depending on weather and things like that. Id stay away from any weight training on those days though maybe break out the foam roller after your light run and work on any MOB issues you may have.

To back this training up I heard Mikko Salo uses a regimine like this only he takes little to any rest for longer than the 6 on 1 off. Maybe Ill get to be a beast like him one day for now this regimine has in 6 months taken me from barely doing a ring dip to 2 muscle ups and from ohs max of 95 to 225...etc. I know your trying to compete and obviously if we had more time during the day Id say morning do a strength and metcon and evening skill work and metcon but most schedules don't permit that.

Lastly before this gets way to long longer than it already is Go to local competitions...look around you will start to see the same faces over and over. This is your competition usually. More than likely they are coming out of your division and they obviously are there to compete and to win. Also you will get a feel for how different comps are structured. I went to one where it was 4-5 major metcons all day from 5 am to 8 pm and 3-4 skill test mixed in. That was the eye opener for me to say wow! I am nowhere near in shape enough for this back to the drawing board (whiteboard) time to keep grinding it out!
GOOD LUCK!