YES! What a great day; my 2 favorite exercises. I know I've said this a billion times, but this is a great site. Thanks for all the great advice and help through out the year. This site is awesome! Keep those quotes coming, too! They are very inspiring... to fatties like me!

Four days into crossfit. Was introduced to this site by Jim W. (one of the guys in your sensitivity pic ). yeah yesterday was fun. Anyway....today is that max reps on bench and pull ups? Wasn't sure

using 55 kilos thats all the weight I have with a body weight of 71 kilos.

#1 15, 16
#2 12, 13
#3 10, 13
#4 10, 11
#5 10, 12

I don't have a bench yet so I had to Clean them and then sit on my old situp bench. Hardest part was getting up after the sets.

BWT BP / PU
15 / 37
12 / 25
10 / 20
10 / 17
10 / 16
All BPs were done off the floor from 1 1/2 ton jackstands set @ 22 inches off the floor & all PU were done on a GROPERZ rock wall board therefore palms outward no thumbs. I just hope tomorrow is a "leg" WOD. My grip is fried & I can hardly type.

Michael P your the man. Your post is about the coolest thing I've heard in awhile. Just find a way and get it done. So many people look for excuses.

Interesting that this girl came back so soon.

Michael, cleaning and sitting with the weight sounds like a workout in itself!

Hey people!

Xfit virgin here and boy was i broke in hard! Did yesterday's wod and managed to spew my breakfast into my gym's prettily painted bins....sweet!

Training for the Royal Marines in the new year so will let you know how it goes....this stuff is the dog's danglies boys....thank you thank you thank you!

Managed a time of 22 mins flat and then examined the detail of the carpet for the following couple of minutes while i tried to get my breath back!

Once again lads and lasses........i'm in awe of what goes on at this site, thanks for making me train properly!

I am curious to know if most of you see a 'pull-up' and 'chin-up' as different hand positions, or do you always use the same hand grip? Is there also a width everyone typically uses to execute the 'pull-up' and 'push-up'?

Thanks,

Dan-
One of the journals described using a variety of pull-up grips, working on the weaker grips when possible. I'm not great at pu's myself, so I switch it up, even within the same wod, just to keep my arms fresher.
Hope that helps.

also didn't expect to see Lynne so soon. Did not really improve too much. pull ups were better but shoulders still pretty tired from 250 wall ball shots.
240
1-9/15
2-7/12
3-6/12
4-5/15(grip recovered after bathroom break):)
5-4/10

19/35
16/28
16/28
15/27
11/20
Took too much rest between sets due to "kid issues," so my reps did not diminish as much as usual.

"Lynne"
Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press (bwt=190#)
Pull-ups
immediate transition to pull-ups from bench, 2min timd rest b/w rounds
(4/15)(4/10)(3/9)(3/9)(3/9)= 17bench/52pu total (previous was 16/63)
pull-ups were atrocious this a.m., no excuses

Finished with:
10,9,8,ect... of the couplet
glut-ham sit-ups
reverse hypers

115# bench, Eagle Loop finger pullups attached to rings. 2 minute rest between couplets.

21-20
12-15
10-14
9-13
9-15

I thought I was going to be doing parallette HSPUs in place of bench presses this morning, but I found I can bench using the technique Fireman Tom showed me in Colorado - it places the bar just off the far side of the mending bone in my left hand. While it felt ackward, I think I managed a PR the first round and still had another rep or two left. Didn't go all out as I'm just a little cautious these days...

Pullups were no kip with a slow, controlled return to the hang position. I sure don't need any finger strain from ballastic movements right now.

Finished with some Clubbell fun:

5# cb for left hand swings to torch position
15# cb for right hand armpit cast or swipe

Alternated left hand swings with right hand casts or swipes for six rounds with each hand.

Lynne is an ass kicker.

Last time we did this, I combined it with OHS and 400m runs, so I blamed that for my low scores. Well, only my first round scores were much higher today, the rest looked as dismal as last time.

started with the warmup (subbing pushups for pullups), then:

140lb bench (bw)- 10,6,5,4,4
ledge pullups - 27,20,17,15,12

Finished with a bazillion swings, swipes, mills, catches, and presses with a 12.5lb clubbell.

Body wt 136

Bench Press 140# 6-7-7-7-7
Pull Ups 6-7-6-6-5

I increased BP by 10# and increased #of reps! Increased my Pull ups by 2-3 per set!!

I love CrossFit:}

I've been off the pace and under the weather for the past couple off weeks and already I am suffering from Egg-nog Syndrome... Trying to get back on track.

Combined yesterday and today's WOD with reduced volumes for:

3 Rounds and total time of;

400m run
25 db thrusters at 20 lbs
12 reps bench press at body wt (done on machine set weight at 210 body wt 190 - I think the machine lies!)
12 pull-ups - broken sets - yet again :(

Time = 22:20 with an additionial run

BW 165#
Bnch / PU
10 / 10
8 / 9
7 / 8
6 / 7
6 / 7

Total 37 / 41

How'd you do, Mike D.?

well this 1 was a good 1
bp/ db 45lbs. each hand 15 14 12
db 40 lbs. " " 12 12

pull ups 8-7-6-6-5

definately stronger than the last lynee
also did a couple of towel p/u on bar
need to do these more often

also between bp and pu skipped rope for
1 1/2 mins.

Was unable to complete yesterdays workout, busy at work. So, will double up today.
50 wall ball shots, 20lb ball
subbed 2 min. hard skipping for 400m run
4th and 5th set of wall ball shots broken at 25
Total time of 20:30
did 6th set off the clock for good measure

Will post weight numbers later

BW: 205
BP: 205
#1 8 / 12
#2 7 / 11
#3 6 / 8
#4 6 / 9
#5 5 / 9

Took 22 minutes

first time posting, been ghosting on crossfit for almost 2 months now...

BW = 185

B/PU
7 7
5 7
5 5
3* 6
3 5

*Felt good pushing 185 so I tried 205...quickly realized it wasn't a good idea without a spotter, went back to 185 and mustered up 2 more. Long way to go, but this and Chelsea are my favorite "girls" I've seen thus far.

BWT = 200

Bench 205/Pullups
6/16
5/14
4/15
3/12
3/10

BP Total: 21
PU Total: 67

3 weeks ago:
BP Total: 16
PU Total: 49

Unbelievable, Crossfit works. Coach, you're a magician. By just doing the WODs and regular MA classes, I was able to improve without focusing on either. I haven't done any benching since the last time we performed "Lynne".

Round...BP...PU
1.......17...23
2.......14...21
3.......12...20
4.......12...19
5.......12...17
Bodyweight=168lb., Bench Press=170lb.

WOD was workout #2 on the day. Early this morning I did an upper body lift session...which included heavy DB incline press and a fair bit of pulldowns and pullups (150 pullups in various flavors to be exact). The earlier work definitely effected my output here. Regardless, BP numbers are approximately the same as our last "Lynne", PUs are up a bit.

145 Bench, 50lbs assist.
7.5/13
7.5/12
5/10
5/11
5,5/9.5+1

Improvement! Then, ran 8.5 miles.

Did yesterday's wall ball extravaganza today (though I'm still very sore from 10 rounds of L pull ups on Monday).

21:54 w/ 20# wall ball. My dog accompanied me on my runs - she couldn't understand why I was running so slowly - if only there was a wall ball exercise for her!

BWT= 225

225 bench press / Unassisted pullups

4/8
4/6
4/6
3/5
3/5
Total reps = 48

last time, 38

Crazy! Only two weeks since last Lynne, and 10 more reps achieved. Awesome!

Weighning in @ 165 lbs.
BP 1: 14
PU 1: 27

BP 2: 10
PU 2: 18

BP 3 & 4: 7
PU 3 & 4: 7

BP 5: 5
PU 5: 12

Ran 15 trail miles and hiked another 21 miles for a celebration of turning 30yrs. young. The legs are a tad tender!

Sean P.

bwt 175#
bp/pu

13/12
11/11
8/10
8/7
8/9
switched grip on pullups

BW 145

Round...BP.....PU (all 20# assist)
1......145x3.....17
2......145x2.....15
3......135x2.....15
4......135x1.5...14
5......135x2.....13

1st time benching BW! Last Lynne couldn't do more than 135.

as rx'd
bwt=205
21/21
15/15
11/12
11/12
10/11

am 7 pds lighter but used same weight as last time and went 17reps total more!

12/14
14/12
13/12
9/10
9/12

Here's a new guy question that I'm still unable to figure out after reading the FAQs:

Say you can't safely bench your bodyweight w/o a spotter, and you have no spotter.

Do you lower the weight to an amount where you can only do ONE rep?

If not, what rep max do you lower it to?

Thanks for the much needed clue-in.

1- 23 32
2- 15 22
3- 14 20
4- 12 15
5- 12 18

total= 183

Whoops
BW=195

Bodyweight = 150

Bench/PU

13/12(PR!!)
9/6
5/6
5/6
3/4

My pull-ups have improved significantly since 6 Dec. I've added 5 to my max and 8 to my total. Good stuff. Thanks Crossfit.

BW 165

BP- 11/9/7/8/7
PU- 9/7/6/6/5

total BP-42 (36 3wks ago)
total PU-33 (26 3wks ago)

Some wod's, yesterday for example, leave you crawling for the door. After today's wod, I felt like I could break down a wall....with my head!

Steroids must feel like this.

Love these two exercises together.

BW 178; used 165 for bench presses.
Reps were 7,5,5,5,6

Pullups were 10,8,6,6,6

Improved 1 rep on BPs and 4 on PUs compared to last Lynne on 12/6.

BP PU
12/22
9/17
7/14
5/11
5/11
Slight improvement over last time. Bigger considering how terrible I feel. This didn't help.

-D.

Improved over last time:

Today:
used 105 lbs.
1: 6 bp/2pu unassisted
2: 8/4
3. 7/3
4. 8/5
5. 6/2

On December 6th:
Used 95 for bench – 4,5,7,7,8
Pull ups unassisted – 1,1,two attempts to halfway, 1,1

Oh yeah. Forgot. Ring pullups and 150#.

-D.

BP PU
15 20
8 15
8 12
10 13
6 13

body weight = 198#
bench press w\ 205#

all this after three 10 min. rounds of jiu-jitsu

BW 160

BP: 13-10-7-6-6 = +8 from last Lynne
PU: 20-12-9-9-9 = +5

Only completed four rounds. I am not feeling all that good right now. There has been a bug going around at work and I think I may be the latest victim.

Body weight 245

1. 8 Bench presses 10 pullups
2. 6 bench presses 8 pullups
3. 5 bench presses 8 pullups
4. 5 bench presses 8 pullups

OH I forgot - bw=120 so I am almost there! maybe next time.

BW is 180lbs

1. 18 BP x 4 PU
2. 16 BP x 3 PU
3. 15 BP x 3 PU
4. 15 BP x 3 PU
5. 15 BP x 2 PU

Still beat up from yesterday, I'm limping pretty good from 250 thrusters!

bwt: 215

1. 12 BP & 13 PU
2. 9 BP & 9 PU
3. 7 BP & 7 PU
4. 6 BP & 7 PU
5. 6 BP & 7 PU

I did this faster than last time, keeping the whole thing under 17 minutes, thus my later reps were lower.

-Phil

Okay. I decided to see if I can actually bp bodyweight after doing as many reps as I did with 15 pounds less. But I only can go up in 5's so I tried 125. I did it! One rep - new PR!

I, too, haven't been doing any bench press except when mentioned in the wod.

BWT= 155 kept it at 90 sec in between rounds, no stop between exercises.

BP/PU
20/24
15/15
12/12
12/12
10/10
Total= 69/73

Running the island later.

The second half of todays workout, went like this
BW 255lbs
255/2, 260/1, 265/1, 270/1, 270/1, 270/1, 265/1, 255/1, 245/1

Not strong enough to do multiple reps of my bodyweight, to make it worthwhile. So did my max without a spotter, single reps.
PU's were like this, 8,8,8,8,8,6,6,4,4
Did a couple extra sets, cause I was feeling good.
Steveo

BP/PU
5/26
5/21
5/22
5/20
6/16
BW=175. My benching needs work. Missed the last "Lynne", as I was sick.

Finished with Side Swipes with the 45 lb Clubbell, 5X8 - then Gama Cast to Squat , 2X12

Mark E.,
There is no fixed answer for your question. If you want a simple answer, though, lower the weight to what you can do 10 reps of in the first round, then see if you can maintain it for the five rounds. This way, you don't take too extreme a risk without a spotter and get a great workout at the same time.

Next time, for variation, you can reduce the weight as little as possible for one rep (or maybe by that time you'll be able to press your BW!).

I swore the other day that I would post my results, even (especially) when they're pathetic. Wanted to give those of us mortals a sense that we're all in the game.

Anyway, BW= 180. Failed at 185 BP (The spotter didn't even bother saying "It's all you")

BP lbs. BPreps Pullups
135 (PR) 4 11
135 4 9
145 (PR) 3 10
145 3 7
155 (PR) 1 7

Finshed up by trying planches for the first time. Will try to get better for tomorrow.

Mike

PS Way to go Big John!

Scaled bench presses down to 75% of BW this time (120 pounds):
1: 16, 14
2: 11, 10
3: 9, 9
4: 8, 8
5: 8, 8

How far away from the wall do you stand when doing wallball -- note that I'm not asking how high the 10 ft target is.
Thanks

no bar to use so I tried to sub HSPUs for bench. I can't really do HSPUs so I was stuck doing power drops. . .

1: 5, 10 (grip failed on large diameter bar P/us)
2: 5, 10
3: 5, 8
4: 5, 6
5: 5, 6
No breaks between rounds (just a short walk), total time: about 14 minutes

Feeling a bit under the weather today, and had to take a ton of ibuprofin (sp?) for a toothache. I was able to walk on my hands for 80 feet before the workout which is good.

bdywgt 185
bench press(185) 7,8,8,6,7
pull ups 13,11,11,11,10

My bench press strength stayed about the same but my lifts felt really solid. Pull up strength definitely went up.

BP PU
1) 6 18
2) 3 9
3) 2 10
4) 3 10
5) 3 10

BW = 185

Body Weight: 150
BP PU
1) (Used 155 ) 9/ 12
2)(Used 150 on this set and the rest) 9/8
3)7/7
4)6/7
5)5/6
I haven't done Bench Press in a long time, not impressed with my results. My pullups still suck.

For Warmup I did : 3 Rounds of: Sampson Stretch, OH Squat with unloaded (45 pound)Bar,Situps, Reverses Hypers on Swill Ball on top of a Bench, 5 Burpees.

BW 191 lb, bench 195 lb, pull-ups bodyweight
bench/pull-up
10/15
9/12
9/10
7/12
6/12
Bench went down from last time, pull-ups went up.

BW-215 Still not at the BW press yet, but close!
BP-175 (10lb increase over last time)
R1 6 7
R2 5 6
R3 6 6
R4 6 6
R5 6 6
Thank God no lower body work today. Legs needed more attention during warm up. On the positive side, OHS are looking stronger and better every day! Also worked some grip exercises in (holding the o-bar, static hangs) Abs still suffering DOMS from the L-pull up torture!

BW: 200
BP:
4x200 (2x100# db)
4x190 (2x95# db)
5x190 (")
4x190 (")
4x190 (")
Pull-ups (DH / kip)
30 (20/10)
25 (13/12)
20 (10/10)
20 (10/10)
20 (8/12)

Wife:
BP/PU (w/ legs supported)
5/10 - 65#
5/10 - 75#
5/10 - "
5/10 - "
4/10 - "

Body weight 195#

1. 17/17
2. 15/12
3. 9/10
4. 10/10
5. 8/7

BW=180
Much improved with my 2nd encounter with Lynne!

041206: BP 115# x 5/9/8/7/6 reps
Today: BP 120# x 14, 135# x 9, 150# x 5/4/5 reps. My glee is tempered by the knowledge that beginners typically improve their neuromuscular efficiency rapidly, not their true strength. Still gotta press my own BW, but I'm getting there.

Pull-ups were much improved too.
041206: PU 13+8+8+5+6 = 40 reps
Today: PU 13+12+12+11+10 = 58 reps
All reps with underhand grip, unassisted.

I finally set up my Tyler's Rings! Woohoo!

Ring Rows/70# BP
1-5/13
2-13/9*
3-5/9
4-5/8
5-5/7

*Rows were from an almost horizontal position, except for round 2, but it seemed too easy so I went back to horizontal and toughed it out.

So far 70 is my PR on bench press but not for 1RM - have not tried to max out yet.

This was hard today. I kind of went backwards from my last try.

BW 173
175 pound bench press: 6-4-4-4-3
pull-ups 12-10-7-5-5

Last time I did 15-10-10-8-7 for pull-ups.

Every so often I bust one out and post respectable score, but then I pay for it for days. I can still barely walk from Tuesday's workout.

Body Weight - 180 lbs.

7/20
3/8
3/8
2/5
1/5

This is the first time I've chimed in with a post but this site rocks. Referred by the forums on www.specialtactics.com.

P.S. all 5 sets took a total of 16 minutes. I probably should have taken longer rest stops in between sets but I was doing it on my 1/2 hour "lunch" break at 0400 hours (graveyard).

BW: 183#
Used 185

1 - 5 / 5
2 - 6 / 4
3 - 5 / 4
4 - 5 / 3
5 - 5 / 3

Hadn't benched in years and it showed. Although PU's numbers are pathetic, 5 was a PR. Never worked PU's because they has always been a weak point. Not until CF. Shooting for double digits now. Finished with a set of OHS.

Tim

BW: 175

BP: 175

round bench pull-up
1 5 10
2 6 10
3 8 8
4 6 7
5 6 6

Huge improvement over last time!

BW=126#
BP=80# rnd 1, 87.5# rnds 2-5
Pull-up assistance=52# rnds 1-3, 40# rnds 4-5

Bench 11 7 6 4 2
Pull-up 12 11 10 7 5

modified "Lynne"

Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press Pull-ups

I got no bench. Don't want no bench. Don't like bench! Got rings though, so did pull ups and dips, with a new crossfitter. We had lotsa fun in the local park with lightning for a dramatic backdrop.

#1 21 pullups 14 dips another 2 new records
#2 12 pull ups 8 dips
#3 11 pull ups 9 dips
#4 9 pull ups 6 dips
#5 5 pullups 7 dips

last time got total 42 pullups 34 dips
this time 58 and 44 wooh hooh!

#1 14 pullups 11 dips
#2 11 pull ups 11 dips
#3 8 pull ups 8 dips
#4 8 pull ups 6 dips
#5 7 pullups 7 dips

KevinW second crossfit workout

Thanks for the help Tony B.!

BW: about 212

BP: 140 lbs
PU: w/ 90 lbs on gravitron
Did BP and PU back to back, allowed breathing to return to normal before next round.

BP PU
1 13 12
2 13 11
3 11 7
4 10 8
5 7 6

BW=212, BP=213, PU's= kippers

BP: 4, 4, 4, 3, 4 = 19
PU: 16,16,16,16,16=80

I've lost a serious amount on my bench.

used 65 lb db cause have no other way to bench at home
that is about 75% of bw
bp 10/12/15/13/11
pu 5/5/5/5/5
improved from early december lynne overall though still disappointed in pulls

a day late, nursing a sore wrist.
BW: 185
1: 12xBP/20xPU
2: 10/12
3: 9/11
4: 6/8
5: 6/8

finished off practicing snatches with bar only...uuugly.

BW = 140lbs.

Bench / Pulls
5 / 10
4 / 7
3 / 5
4 / 5
3 / 5

Not too ashamed of the bench press, but my pull-ups definately need some work.

BW= 165

BP/PU
7, 10
4, 10
3, 12 (changed grip)
3, 6
4 (had a spotter), 6

Slight improvement in BP, good improvement in PU over last time.

bw - 160

1 - 15 / 33
2 - 10 / 19
3 - 8 / 19
4 - 7 / 16
5 - 6 / 17

Bench +2 rep increase and pull ups last time dead hang, this time w/ kip. Surprised myself with 33 pull ups - 40 is in sight! Great workout - 10 minutes later - and I'm still breathing hard!

bench 205lb/pullup
30/30
15/15
12/14
10/10
8/10

My son has just shown me this site and i can't wait to try a workout!

Bwt 112; bench 115
Elbow is too ruined to even contemplate pullups, so did 50 # db pullovers to try and torture the lat/shoulder girdle in a similar fashion.
Bench PO
20 15
12 12
10 12
10 12
11 12

Down a few reps in the bench since last Lynne; maybe due to extra tricep fatigue from the pullovers.

145lb BenchPress: 6,4,3,3,2 (failed 3rd)
BW Pull-up: 13,9,7,7,7

Benchpress improved, I got a few extra reps. Pull-ups pretty much identical, 1 less rep overall.

My BW actually went up 3kg since the last time, so I don't know what to make of the pull-up result. And this means I wasn't technically benching BW anymore.

I kept the same protocol (2 min rests) as last time for comparative purposes. Happy with the bench increase. My technique needs major work.

Better than last time.
bench 9,8,7,7,6
pulls 10,8,8,6,6

I am glad that my pullups are improving again.

I opted for strict full range, dead hangs with pause,no kip, touching pvc "rings" to chest... as expected, my #'s declined, but more than I expected!
167#bench (168#BW)/ PVC triangle PU's
8/20
6/15
7/11
7/11
6/11
34/68 totals
I've been training false grip,levers,MU's jump-to-support and I am thrashed lately and not improving,just getting stronger(I hope)

Round: 1 2 3 4 5
BP (155lbs) 12 10 9 8 6
PU 13 10 10 8 6
* Tokk 1-2 min between rounds Better than when did on 12/7/04. Results not in that date but will put them here.

12/7/04 Lynne
Round: 1 2 3 4 5
BP(155lbs,except 1st) (135)20 8 6 6 6
PU 12 11 6 7 5
Shoulder bothered last two rounds of BP