Introduction

My friends at the Performance Menu asked that I share my training template from the recent USWF Masters Nationals. I had a successful Sunday on a relative scale. My return on investment of time (ROI) was excellent. I placed first at a national competition on essentially two training sessions per week while maintaining a high level of fitness incorporating the CrossFit mixed mode training technology. This version of the ME Black box might be useful to you.


Assumptions and Limitations

This program will work for an intermediate to advanced lifter that is looking for results while not necessarily specializing. If you are a beginner or you have large technical issues then this approach may not be ideal. I also believe that you need to have a sound strength base. You should possess both a clean deadlift and back squat of 1.5 bodyweight. With that being said, I am not a model of technical excellence. You should also have a solid conditioning base. I believe ideally that you have been practicing the CrossFit approach to general physical preparation (GPP) of training for twelve weeks prior to launching into this template.

Better and more established lifting coaches would suggest more sessions and more technical focus. They are likely correct. For these coaches, this approach may turn out to be a swing cycle or bridge approach to the next competition. This is a minimalist approach.


Advantages

I believe that the advantages for this approach are as follows:

-Large ROI.
-You can bring great focus and intensity to your training. I consider this low volume training.
-Leaves time for other activities. You need not worry about being a specialist. I have been a frustrated golfer from birth. I would prefer to have my handicap drop to single digits than jerk 150kg. I had time to work parts of this passion. I also enjoy reading and spending time with my family. This approach allowed for me to be all things to all people.
-Perfect for a Masters lifter with reduced recovery skills.
-Builds tremendous confidence. If you are lifting within 90-100% of your goal on the practice platform you feel really confident when you compete.


Disadvantages

-Limited time for mechanics of the lifts. If you have issues with your technique they may not improve with this approach. I used barbell complexes to warm-up and to cement certain techniques I needed to improve.
-The focus and intensity required may prove psychologically taxing to some.
-You may be under prepared. I found holes in my training as I approached the competition date.
-Your injury potential increases as you increase the intensity. I believe that during February and early March I was on the skinny edge of overtraining.


Subject Background

Leading into this focus competition I had only competed in two meets. My third would come eight days prior to this focus meet. I initially wanted to participate in this meet starting two years ago. Prior commitments precluded my participation. I’m largely a self-coached lifter. I seek out tips from more experienced coaches whenever possible. It was my oldest son’s interest in competing that piqued my interest in entering an event.

I’m a generalist who enjoys a number of different sports and fitness activities. I’ve practiced a randomized approach to fitness for many years. Even before I learned of the term CrossFit, I was coaching and practicing high intensity short duration workouts.

At 47 years of age and 90kg, I can deadlift 195kg almost any time and back squat 150kg. Within the last year leading up to this event I snatch squatted 115kg x 3 and 90kg x 15. My general fitness is strong for a 47 year old male. I routinely rank in the 90th percentile in any of the benchmark workouts. I can row 2K around the 7:00 mark.


Movement Pool

As a minimalist my approach to training took on a Spartan look and feel. For me, being good at weightlifting means to be good at the snatch and the clean & jerk. I basically practice one lift per session until the final weeks. So beginning on January 9th, 2006 here are the movements I practiced. I did not practice these for the entire duration. Beginning February 6th, I dropped the snatch grip deadlift and hang movements. I was now down to snatching and cleaning and jerking.

Snatch Emphasis
Snatch Grip Deadlift
Hang Snatch
Snatch from the Deck
*Front Squat
*Abs
*Reverse Hypers

Jerk Emphasis
High Hang Clean & Jerk (HHCJ)
Hang Clean & Jerk (HCJ)
Clean & Jerk from the Deck
*Back Squat
*Behind the Neck (BN) Power Jerk
*Abs
*Glute Ham Raise

* These movements were at a fixed 3 sets of 5 reps. The load varied based upon the other movements and their completion.


Meso Cycling 

DATES	SETS	REPS
1/9-1/27	5	3 to 5
1/30-2/3	Unloading Reduced volume by 50%
2/6-3/10	10 to 24	1 to 3
3/13-3/17	Unloading Reduced volume by 50%
3/20-3/31	10 to 20	1
4/3-4/7	Unloading Reduced volume by 50%

I do not select specific intensity for a reason. The objective was to lift the best effort possible for the session on the final reps. If I did not feel good, strong or had misses on the way up I would conclude the session. My journal only shows two sessions where I terminated a workout.

I also did not reduce the intensity during the process. Why climb half way up a mountain to return and then come back down? I kept the loading intensity high. I did pay attention to how I was feeling.


Micro Cycling

I start my workday at 5:00 am and conclude several evenings at 7:00 pm. I have a son at home who wrestles during the winter months. Saturday and Sunday sessions were next to impossible. This is the weekly cycle that I followed for 13 weeks.

Monday: CrossFit Mixed Mode*

Tuesday: Snatch Emphasis Session

Wednesday: CrossFit Mixed Mode- or Recovery Session with dragging sled.

Thursday: Jerk Emphasis

Friday: CrossFit Mixed Mode

Saturday: Limited Snatch and Clean & Jerk Session

Sunday: Rest & Recovery Hot Tubs Cool Contrast


Beginning with February 6th, 2006 until March 20th, 2006 I reduced the movements again.

Monday: CrossFit Mixed Mode*

Tuesday: Snatch, Behind the neck power jerk, back squat

Wednesday: CrossFit Mixed Mode- or Recovery Session with dragging sled.

Thursday: Jerk, Snatch

Friday: CrossFit Mixed Mode

Saturday: Limited Snatch and Clean & Jerk Session

Sunday: Rest & Recovery Hot Tubs Cool Contrast


Beginning with March 20th, 2006 until contest time I pared down the training to look like this.

Monday: CrossFit Mixed Mode*

Tuesday: Snatch, Jerk

Wednesday: CrossFit Mixed Mode- or Recovery Session with dragging sled.

Thursday: Jerk, Snatch,

Friday: CrossFit Mixed Mode

Saturday: Limited Snatch and Clean & Jerk Session

Sunday: Rest & Recovery Hot Tubs Cool Contrast

* My every other day CrossFit mixed mode approach can be located at www.coachrut.blogspot.com


Odds & Ends

I used a Zone 4-block, 3-times fat post workout recovery meal. I know this helped my typical hypo-caloric intake practice. I slept an average of 7 hours per night. On some weekends I was able to log up to 10 hours of sleep. The extra hours were helpful in bridging me into the next hard week.

I competed in a meet exactly 8 days prior to my focus competition. I totaled 230kg on that afternoon. I felt solid on all my attempts. I narrowly missed a 130kg jerk attempted and set a personal record on the snatch at 105kg. This was confirmation that I was ready.


Results

I competed in the 46-49 age group lifting in the 94kg class. I was light that morning even with a breakfast of eggs and fruit. I weighed 88kg down slightly from my normal walking around weight of 90kg. I hit a personal best total of 232kg. (102kg snatch and 130kg jerk). My Sinclair-Metzler-Malone was 328. This total was good for first place by 19kg. I placed 4th overall in my Sunday morning session, which included the 105kg and 105+ lifters.


Conclusion

I believe that my total could improve another 2-5% with a similar approach but more work on my snatch second pull. My shoulder that was painful for almost a year and forced me to jerk with a right foot leading has finally healed. I believe that this should allow for more jerks and handstand push-ups.

I’ve received questions from some in the CrossFit community as to how I adjusted intensity with regard to the Monday, Wednesday and Friday sessions. Generally, I went hard but not to the cashed out stage. Cashed out is a term we use in our practice to describe the athlete out flat on the floor. These were still considered hard but not to collapse.

I want to thank a few individuals. Coach Whitney Rodden, Coach Tom Cross and the entire Mid American Nazarene College athletic department for allowing me to train in a weightlifting friendly environment. Mike Burgener forwarded a couple of thoughts on my second pull. These drills gave me a nice warm-up routine. Finally, Gene Gilsdorf, an excellent lifter in his own right, paced my warm-up and helped me become successful on that particular Sunday.

I salute all of my fellow Masters competitors. There were some amazing lifts over the weekend. I was an honor to lift with other folks who respect this sport.