tfarny's metcon design page page

[tfarny]

So, background: I'm done with SS for the next couple of months - time to lean out, lay off the milk & whey, and get some conditioning. I'm not joining crossfit after the reading I've done on joint injury incidence, I like simplefit's concept but the execution (endless air squats, no pure strength aspect, no press) leaves me wanting a bit. Plus I'd get bored. So the next two weeks I'll be trying to design a "moderately simple home metcon program" that works in my house, with gear I have, and addresses my specific needs. I'm sure there is the right program out there for me if only I'd look, but I like making stuff up.
I'll be using pushups, chinups, front squats & overhead press. Allowable equipment includes my pullup bar, rings, cheapo barbell w/ about 100lb of weights, and a backpack to load with weights. That's it.

I'll be posting my workouts here along with notes to self. You are extremely welcome to make suggestions but this is kind of "my" thread - more like a journal than anything else. No need to congratulate, etc. though. K?

[tfarny]

First workout attempt:
For time: 80 pushups, 40 front squats, 20 overhead presses. Done in any order that works, but try for sets of 20/10/5.
I started the bar @ 50 lb for both weighted exercises - that's another principle, I don't want to change up the weights on the bar mid-metcon.

@ 15 minutes, I had finished up the squats and press, and was scraping the floor trying to hit pushups one by one - I got to 73 before the pecs gave out for good.

Notes to self: I'm not as good at pushups en masse as I thought - this would have been more "balanced" with 60 pushups and I would have finished in under 10 minutes with little need for breaks. maybe 60/40/20 reps but with 60lb on the bar next time?

[primalrob]

i found that i had crap for endurance when i stopped stronglifts. it's amazing how quickly it comes when you've got the strength though. 73 with the squats and presses in 15 minutes is pretty damn good...i think you're better at pushups than you thought

[Coach Palfrey]

Hey tfarny - the stuff I post at Sandbag Fitness is nearly all met con so feel free to adapt some of those using whatever equipment you have. There are over 150 met cons there so take your pick!

[tfarny]

Thanks coach, you can bet I'll take some cues from your site and Al's site too. But part of the reason I'm doing this is that I just like making stuff up. I also like more "regular" programs as opposed to more random ones. I think I"ll end up with maybe 3/4 wods that I rotate through. Today I'm going to try something with light deadlifts in it but I only have about 100 lb weights to use. New pullup bar has not arrived yet.

[tfarny]

Second workout attempt (my new pullup bar is not installed yet, so this is pretty limited) -

For time: 60 deadlifts, 30 push press. Try for sets of 12 dl, 6 pp. Finish with 1 set plank variations to failure. Remember to activate glutes on all pulls.

I loaded up my bar with everything I had = 95 lb for this one. Finished the weights in 7:31, did them all at 12/6 each, but then I only lasted 40 seconds on the plank. This one felt short and rather easy - I could have added in one more setof 12/6 to get roughly ten minutes of work + the plank. Shocking how weak I was on the simple plank. difficulty of exercises = roughly balanced. Another possibility for expanding this - adding difficulty and variety - would be to add 4 chins to each set for 20 total chins. That's probably a better move.

[tfarny]

Yesterday: Day off. Today I still have some DOMS, surprisingly, but it's not crippling "oh that's what muscles the squat works" pain.

Today: Fort Greene stair sprints. Bicycle to Fort Greene, Brooklyn, do the sprint, walk back down and do a set of pullups in the playground at the bottom. Rest. Repeat until your last set of stairs cannot be called a "sprint" by any definition.

It's about an 80 meter sprint, with 100 steps in three equal sections - maybe 4+ stories. For you LA types, it's similar to Buinwalk at UCLA. That was my first true sprints since I started strength training in October, I think. Kicked my royal ass. I managed only 4. Next time try for 5. This is a killer workout for my program.

[arthurb999]

I would still incorporate a pure strength day.

I do love the strength/sprint workouts like sandbag clean and presses then a 100meter sprint, walk back. repeat

[tfarny]

I think I will - this is a work in progress. But stair sprints + pullups is a good workout (for me).

[tfarny]

This is the only thead I'm posting in for the time being.

Today wod: 60 deads, 30 push press @ 100 lb each, 40 pushups. 5 sets of 12,6,8. 10:28

This was fine, but I just can't believe my pushups suck so hard. The only thing that really got me here was the push press - I had to rest briefly mid-set on the last set. If I go up much in weight the deads will be fine (they are just cardio, really) but the push press will get tough. I think chins would be better here than pushups though - two upper pushes is a lot of pushing.