Charts for lifts and looking for suggestions.

[KingJustin]

I'm mostly looking for a couple dudes to look at the charts I laid out and tell me if I should change anything.

A very brief overview of my training:
I do the 15 lifts I laid out in my log, once each every micro-cycle. I sometimes do variations on the lifts (i.e. instead of deadlifts I might do rack pulls). Each microcycle is about 9-11 days long. In addition, I do about 3-4 cardio workouts (usually metcon type stuff, i.e. crossfit) each micro-cycle. I don't do anything else not listed, but the metcons hit some accessory stuff sometimes (and sometimes some heavier stuff). I usually try to separate stuff that hits the same muscles (i.e. front squats Mon, back squats Thr, deadlifts sat)

I've basically been doing this for the last 3 months with mostly good results, but I'm approaching a point where I feel like I could plateau if I don't progress smart.

The weights I laid out are guides and if I feel great I generally don't limit myself to what I wrote out, and if I have an off day then I just come back and try to hit the right weight next time. If I'm going for a heavy triple and the weight I have in mind was easy, I add weight. If I'm lifting a weight for reps and the reps I had in mind was easy, I'll do some more.

Things are slightly chaotic because the cardio stuff is usually draining and sometimes leaves me beat up in various places, so I have to switch things around a bit.

My basic goal is to get good at all these lifts by August 15. Then I want to slightly shift my focus to Oly lifting until collegiate nationals in April, while still doing the other stuff. Then I want to spend the following 12 months preparing for the CrossFit Games, which is pretty much my main goal.
I might also try to qualify for the world championships in indoor rowing at some point if they have those for 500m (not sure what I have to hit).

I'm 6'4 and about 210 lbs right now, and I doubt I'll gain more than 5lbs, partly because I eat overly clean and never eat enough, and partly because I don't care much because I don't want to be over 220 since it makes the cardio stuff impossible.

So, main question is, do you have any advice on how I should change my chart stuff to hit the numbers I have listed? On some stuff I might be pushing a progression too fast, on other stuff too slow... And basically my progression plan might be kind of stupid (i.e. a plan to go from 225x5 to 225x20 over 15 weeks would probably be dumb if my goal is to hit 325x1 or whatever).

[Ryano]

So, main question is, do you have any advice on how I should change my chart stuff to hit the numbers I have listed?

Charts won't help you at all. Just load the bar and lift it, as much as you can, as often as you can. You're WAY overthinking this.

[KingJustin]

So I should do a 1rep max every time?

[Ryano]

Every ME bench day, I hit an ME single, sometimes overloading with boards.

[KingJustin]

Do you think it's OK for me to do a max-effort version of each of these 16 lifts every time?

Also, I care just as much about, like, OHP, as I do about Bench press, so I don't really consider anything accessory.

[Ryano]

I have to admit, I didn't read your routine. Obviously you can't max out on 16 different lifts every week. You'd get overtrained very quickly. Just lift heavy, eat as much as you can, sleep as much as you can. You'll get bigger and stronger.

[Sensei]

I'm not really following the progression chart. Do you intend to make progress (as written) on all exercises each microcycle?

Honestly, I think you would be better off focusing on fewer exercises and doing those more frequently. I think I've hinted at this in other CF related threads. If you feel you must include them all, then put some of them on the back burner for a while and just do them at lower intensity/volume. For example, the sumo DLs, OHSQs, barbell rows, and hang cleans aren't essential and unless you foresee them being events at the CF games, I don't know why you'd need to focus on them particularly, especially if you are already going to be doing conventional DLs, RDLs, snatches, pull-ups, and cleans.

[KingJustin]

I think I've hinted at this in other CF related threads. If you feel you must include them all, then put some of them on the back burner for a while and just do them at lower intensity/volume.
I've been switching back and forth between the 2 methods. For me, the issue is that if I take something mostly out of my routine, then when I come back to it it takes me 2 months to come back and PR, and at that point the other stuff drops. That's very frustrating. By the end of this cycle it will be pretty much the first time I'm PRing at everything. That said, after that, I do want to really focus on C&J and Snatch for 10 months and just not let anything else fall.


I'm not really following the progression chart. Do you intend to make progress (as written) on all exercises each microcycle?
Yeah, I was pretty much going to follow what I have laid out. Of course, if I feel like I can move more weight than I have written out, I'd increase the weight.

So, as a typical 19 days (weights won't match up, but this is the general idea)...
1 - Deadlifts-450x3, Hang clean-205x5, Jerk-95kgx3x3, AbWork
2 - CrossFit metcon
3 - Rest
4 - Clean-110kgx1x3, Bench-260x5, Squats-265x7, RDLs
5 - CrossFit metcon
6 - Snatch-67.5x3x3, Dips-+85x5, Chins-+140x3, OHS-198x3
7 - Rest
8 - Rows-225x5x3, Front Squat-225x8x2, OHP-135x8x2
9 - CrossFit metcon
10- CF mc
11 - Deadlifts-460x3, Hang clean-215x3, Jerk-97.5kgx3x3, AbWork
12 - CrossFit metcon
13 - Clean-107.5kgx3, Bench-275x3, Squats-265x8x2, RDLs
14 - Rest
15 - Snatch-70kgx3x3, Dips-+105x1, Chins-+110x6, OHS-185x5
16 - CF metcon
17 - Rest
18 - Rows-230x5, Front Squat-225x8x3, OHP-135x8x3
19 - CF metcon

And on for like a few more months. So yeah the chart has the work sets for each day laid out. I realize it's relatively low volume, which was to account for the increased frequency of exercise in general.

[Sensei]

I've been switching back and forth between the 2 methods. For me, the issue is that if I take something mostly out of my routine, then when I come back to it it takes me 2 months to come back and PR, and at that point the other stuff drops. That's very frustrating. By the end of this cycle it will be pretty much the first time I'm PRing at everything. That said, after that, I do want to really focus on C&J and Snatch for 10 months and just not let anything else fall.
My point is who gives a flip about PRing in BB rows or OHSQs? I'm not saying don't do them at all, but unless they are a glaring weakness I don't think that you need to do them more than once a microcycle. I realize that as a CFer, you want to be strong across "broad modal domains" and all, but if you want to get strong, then IMHO, you'll trim it to the essentials. If you are planning on doing OL meets, then you'd better be doing the actual OLs more than once every week or two weeks.

I just think you could consolidate and simplify and probably do just as well if not better in doing so. Start by making your microcycle two weeks with 3 exercises on your non-metcon days. See how that looks. JMO.