Yeah right 64 Reps ???

AND A DOUBLE FREAKING KNEE OPERATION

Come on guys stop trying to blow out peoples knees. Thats about the most dangerous thing I have seen outside the stupid "hurdlers strech"

Take it from an Orthopedic MD

DO NOT DO THIS EXERCISE!

Sven...you need to chill. I do that stretch several times per week...and I have never had any knee problems whatsoever (34 years and counting now). Thanks for proving (yet again) that doctors are often the most clueless people when it comes to how to exercise. I guess none of us should be running either, considering that Jim Fixx dropped dead of a heart attack while jogging. And there's always the danger of being hit by a car to boot.

Lauren...I take it we're going for reps when we try the backwards bend?

Actually, I heard that Jim Fixx, due to his running, lived about 10 years longer than any other male in his bloodline. They all died in their thirties due to heart disease.

I'm a doctor...I like to exercise.

Ditto re Will'scomment . For what its worth I'm also an MD

Guys...my comment was perhaps a tiny bit hasty/innacurate...but considering Sven's use of BIG BOLD WORDING to emphasize THE HORROR of backbends and hurdler's stretch, I couldn't help myself. Even 2 MDs such as yourselves must recognize that many physicians are hardly (1) knowledgeable of or (2) practitioners of exercise. I work in hospitals...I spend a great deal of time around docs...and I'm endlessly amused by watching some of the more unhealty humans I know dispense health advice.

As I wrote...I've done both the hurler's stretch and backbends for the better part of my 34 years, and I've never had any knee problems. To paraphrase Sven's blanket statement "If you do backbends/hurdler's stretch YOU WILL blow out your knees"...that's at best hilariously inaccurate. Knee damage has about a million possible injury mechanisms...to attempt to connect it directly to a fairly innocuous stretch is irresponsible and total hype. How many blown knees do you gentlemen know of that are directly and solely attributable to doing the hurdler's stretch or backbends?

I used Fixx as an example to illustrate the level of hype Sven is kicking out. You're right...Fixx probably extended his life by becoming a runner (and subsequently improving his health greatly...IIRC he lost like 50lbs.). But he died while running...so if we followed Sven's logic (hurdler's stretch/backbends = blown knees, therefore don't do either of them) then none of us should run or jog...because people die while doing so.

What is this 'kneeling backward' exercise supposed to do? Is it supposed to be a stretch or some kind of voga pose? Don't kill me, Matt G. Ha-ha. Just curious...

Actually I was just busting your chops Matt. I agree with everything you said, and think that Sven was being quite the alarmist.

For the record, I'm a DC, not an MD. However, I happen to be on a clinic staff of 130 MDs, 8 of whom are orthopedists. I doubt they'd echo Sven's comments.

Crossfit hasn't steered me wrong yet. I'll do the WOD as prescribed. Heck, with all the pullups we just did, where was Sven's warnings about all of us dislocating are shoulders??

So, instead of just the general alarmism, maybe Sven or any other orthopods (or anyone) would be willing to comment with some actual information on what about this might be considered bad for the knees and why? That would be more helpful.

I suspect that Sven was a troll from the land of no kip pullups. Yogis have been doing a pose similar to this for centuries.

Obviously I love it here @ crossfit endorse their brand of fittness/exercises..trust their judgement/recommendations.... & above all appreciate their good & sincere efforts to bring a new and much needed reassesment & definition of fittness to all of us . All this @ no cost to us ,but extraordinary time & effort on their part...the variety is extraordinary ... and our appreciation is unparalled....thanks CrossFit!

Carrie makes the excellent point. Specific information would be helpful. Just trying to scare the crap out of me won't help. I know the Crossfit crew and trust them implicitly; Sven, so far, is just a name.

My turn to ditto re Dave K's comments. IMO, it looks like a great quad stretch.

Quad stretch - yeee-OUCH!, felt like an ankle stretch to me! I didn't even get all the way down.

I guess I have something else to work on in my free time.

it seems this movement is designed to stretch the hip flexors, abdominals and lower back.

keeping the quads and abs engaged throughout will protect the lower back.

this is a modified yoga posture. and like most exercises on our site, there are potential risks if done incorrectly and w/o focus.

In the picture he is not flexing his knees to the point of injury. He is holding himself up and allowing only his head to touch, not just falling down between his legs.

Many of the exercises on Crossfit.com seem to go against the standard fitness teaching, but usually if you read the Crossfit journal it becomes clear that if done correctly the exercises do conform to the established standards.

For the exercises that do not conform, it is evident that they have done the research necessary to justify inclusion in their program.

The standards such as "don't go below parallel in a squat" were put in place as part of the fitness culture that is willing to sacrifice function in order to have programs requiring little instruction and minimal effort on the part of the participants. If done correctly the exercises Crossfit prescribes will strengthen the supporting mucles around the knees and lead to fewer injuries.

I too am an MD. While not an orthopedist, I know enough to see from the Crossfit Journal that these people know what they are talking about and have put in the effort to ensure that they are putting out a safe product.

Like Will H. above, I feel that Crossfit has not steered me wrong. Even though I was a competitive athlete in the past, in the 5 months that I have been following the program I have become more fit than ever before and far more fit than I ever thought possible. So I will try to do the workout as prescribed, although I don't think I can even do one rep.

Cool stretch! And I know I did not just blow out my knees.....

Matt, et.al.

I too did this stretch for years in Shotokan karate. Although no longer practicing MA, my knees feel great too (43 years, BW 225 - 235). Perhaps the danger comes from letting the foot/ankle collapse laterally out of the plane of the knee/hips, causing a rotational stress on the knee that it's not meant to take. Otherwise this stunt looks like normal ROM for the knees not unlike a deep squat. The hip extension looks like Dimas throwing a record snatch! My limited experience with crossfit, and my gut intuition, tells me the risk lies in doing it wrong, not in doing it period.

Alex M. said, "my gut intuition, tells me the risk lies in doing it wrong, not in doing it period."

Exactly!!!!!

Yeah, if you want to look up some stuff on this it is called Kapotasana in sanskrit. There are several different versions of this pose in yoga but a quick search will turn up some enlightening photos and tips for proper alignment.

In yoga, you don't usually do 64 reps, you go down and stay there for a while and then come back up, then repeat it for a total of 3-5 reps slowly so you can cultivate a deeper backbend. But certainly doing 50-70 reps has its place too.

As for your knees, you should be careful with them. If you use proper alignment your knees will be fine.

You will find it much more difficult to keep your legs parallel, but that is what you should strive for. The knees will want to move apart so you take the strain off the hip flexors but that will put more strain on your lower back so keep using your adductors to pull the legs together.

If you are barefoot try to press all 10 toenails into the mat. That will help keep the foot-ankle-knee alignment.

Guys,

The exercise looks to be a vaersion of the kneeling sissy squat. T-mag featured it a few issues ago and Jerry Telle had a workout based upon this movement on the now defunct dolfzine website. It is a quad killer! Make sure that you have plenty of cushion under your knees as our friend does in the picture. Use your quads to get you back in the starting position. I am assuming that since the power clean is a hip-dominant exercise, we need a quad fix.

I use a rope hanging from a beam to spot myself. It is good to have it there as a spot and it lets me relax into the stretch without worrying about getting stuck in the bottom position.
Matt

I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV! Seriously, I think Sven was a troll. Sad thing is. he got first post on the page!
If anyone does happen to blow out a knee while doing this maneuver, feel free to contact me; I am an attorney!!! ;)(insert evil laugh!)

First WOD since before xmas break...my movements felt tight and slightly out of form and I still haven't managed to get above 215 (bodyweight 185).
3 - 135
2 - 155
2 - 175
2 - 185
1 - 195
1 - 205
1 - 215
1 - 225 missed
1 - 215 missed

Did this on Saturday -- have no power rack or even standards for doing squats at my "weekend gym." Still working on technique for this one, slowly working up to more weight...

3x85
2x2 and 1,1,1,1,1 all at 105

Then practiced some of those lever pullups, still very hard.

I also wonder what benefit this back bending has. And I wonder why anyone who is not a competitive lifter would risk injury by doing heavy singles on any lift. What does it prove? I believe 5 reps is low enough for most athletes,OK ...let me have it..( Mikey ducks for cover)...

Hi Mikey,
I think you are brave for blaspheming against the crossfit workout (I'm really just kidding!) but there are really are good reasons to do low reps. I think it is good to question things though. I for one always like to understand the reason for doing something rather than just accepting it as gospel. Ok, on to reasons for low reps/heavy weights:

1) They are safer because you can keep good form and concentrate fully on each rep instead of losing concentration over longer sets.

2) You really work muscular contraction and the phosphagen energy pathway that leads to increased max strength. This builds real strength and dense muscles vs. bloated bodybuilder muscle size with less proportional strength.

3) Heavier weights demand respect and therefore people will keep their form more strict. Also, on shorter sets, the small stabilizing muscles will stay strong so form remains much better. Longer sets often prematurely fatigue stabilizers. For example, in squats, the back may tire faster than your legs.

4) Heavy weights strengthen connective tissue and cartilage more effectively than lower weights for higher reps. This benefit is also true of ballistic/reactive exercises.

I highly recommend reading some texts on this. The most accesible of these is Pavel Tsatsouline's "Power to the People". It opened my eyes. Others include Mel Siff's "Supertraining" and the NSCA's "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning".

Crossfit provides plenty of higher rep and fatiguing workouts so these low rep days are a nice change.
Hope this helps.
Good luck!
Matt

Hey Mikey
For what its worth,I echo your concern at these heavy single lifts. I've already undergone 1 operation to repair a herniated disc, not wishing for another one. I am fortunate that I have a cage to do these in. I have the weighted bar on one set of hooks where I pick it from. Then I make sure that I always have my spotter bars set properly, at the right height, so that if I'm feeling any difficulty, or discomfort, I just let it go. No big deal, just crawl out from under the bar, live to fight another day. The other thing I insist on doing is taking a minimum of 3 mins. between these heavier single sets. Gives me time to refocus, stretch quickly, and take a short break.
Matt, thanks for your answer to Mikey. It helped me. I'll look for those books. I think the best point made is when dealing with single rep. weights, it demands total respect.
Thanks
Steveo

Hi guys,
Glad it was of some help. One thing that helped me *more than anything* was to never go to failure. It has been observed that going to failure is what causes a large proportion of traumatic as well as overuse injuries. Moreover, going to failure does not contribute any more significantly to strength gains. You are training your muscle endurance when going to failure more than your strength. Tension is important for pure strength gains, not fatigue.
This one tidbit has made my body feel WAY better than ever before, has made me not dread my workouts anymore (not fraying my neurons on failure reps, so to speak), and has allowed me to really focus on all reps of my set instead of going through the motions while psyching up for that last failure rep.
This info was in Pavel's book and has been a huge help for me. He advocates leaving a rep or two in the tank, and this is how successful Oly lifters and PLers train as well. More effort is not always better. I hope this helps others as much as it has helped me. It is a big part of the reason why low reps and heavy weight work well, and relatively safely. Cya!
Matt

Went light and focused on form at first then tried a couple heavier lifts.

95-115-115-115-135-135-135-135-155(Fail)-155(Fail)

Like I thought, I can't do any complete reps of the stunt.

all the weight I have 55 kilos.

I was able to do 10 reps of the stunt. It felt like I had been doing Tabata Squats after.

Those of you with questions about why we occasionally lift heavy singles would do well to read up on muscle fiber recruitment. Also, consider the maxim of "train how you play, 'cause you'll play how you train"...1-rep, high weight efforts are unsurpassed for developing the body's ability to generate maximum force over minimal time...a key to many athletic endeavours.

For obvious reasons, you must always do a head check with respect to your own capabilities (and keep good form). I've yet to see anyone here advocate recklessness.

CF is what it is...something different than the standard pablum. This isn't about "proving" anything (Mikey)...it's simply a different (and very effective) approach to improving performance.

95
115
115
115
135 X1X5 (PR)

Left shoulder is angry, but contrast shower helped a lot. Lacking bumper plates and working on steel floors, on higher lbs, I walked the weight onto the rack, squatted it to the bottom, then crawled out from under it and half-deadlifted it down to the ground.

Anybody got a better way?

As Rx'd

All weights between 95 and 105. Could've gone much much higher, but wanted to concentrate on good form. Pleased with some progress in that area.

Maybe will grab a second workout today. (check's in the mail)

Mike Donnelly

It was recommended by a respected CF member that I rebuild this move....
So I did 40percent of max (135) and built to multiple reps of 5 focusing on MAX range,foot position/hip position, and accessing max posterior chain recriutment.
Ended with
5 rounds of:

10 OHS
10 foot to the bar leg raises

3x45kg
2x50,55,60kg
1x65,70,75,80kg 1x85kg(fail)

Could do 0 of the kneeling backward bend, got about half way.

bwt: 212

Power cleans
3x135
2x155
2x165
2x175
1x205
1x225
1x235
1x240 (failed)
1x240 (PR)

Squatting poundage may be dropping but my O-lifts
are moving up.

P.S. I sprained my ankle last week. The Kneeling backward - bend really hurts the ankle. However, I will try this one in the future.

Sandy: 105/115/125/130/135/140/145/150
Darlene: 95/105 (fail)/95/100/105/110/110/110

The stunt was really hard, no real complete reps, but a great stretch

Sandbag Power Cleans

80 x 3
80 x 2
90 x 2
90 x 2
100 missed
100
100
100
100

0 backward bends - could no get head off ground

crossfit warm-up.

Power Clean
95x3
115x2
135x2
135x2
135x1
135x1
155-fail
135x1
135x1

kls and i went snowboarding on friday. what a leg workout. my major muscles are fine and held up very well thanks to crossfit. some of the smaller muscles are a bit tight but still not too bad. did push pull workout yesterday.
3X45,2x55,2x65,2x70,1x75,1x75,1x80,1x75,1x75.
still have to go to the gym today to do back squats

BW 155
Power clean
95x3
115x2
135x2
155x2
165x1
175 (fail)
175x1
165x1

Did 9 backbends, good quad exercise.

Followed by 9:20 Helen (subbed 400m row for run)

125, 135, 145

Carrie,

I am also an orthopedic surgeon and the answer to your question is "I don't know." My lesser informed colleagues have been preaching for years that long distance running causes knee arthritis and advising their running pateints to quit running. A careful review of the medical literature reveals that runners are leaner, healthier, take less medication, and have a lower incidence of arthritis than the general population. I therefore treat my running patients with the goal of getting them back on the road, while also preaching a healthy dose of cross-training and stretching. I have referred a number of my seriously athletic patients to this website.

With regards to safe knee exercises, I am not aware of any peer reviewed medical study that states excesive knee flexion causes knee injury. Someone "blows out" thier knee usually getting tackled, falling skiing, landing incorrectly while playing basketball or cutting/decelerating. You don't tear you ACL, collateral ligaments, quad tendon, or patellar tendon while stretching. Vigorous knee twisting and/or knee flexion beyond an individuals "safe range" could cause a meniscal (cartilage) tear. I have had a yoga instructor tear her meniscus while someone grabbed and forced her knee into an excessively hyperflexed position. People have different levels of muscle flexibility, ligamentous flexibility, and bony alignment, therefore I would not recommend someone who never stretches or has particularly tight quads or ankles to go charging in to this exercise. Rather, take it easy, go slow and get a spotter or work towards an interval position, like the camel pose. The camel yoga pose is perfomed by arching backward grabbing your ankles with straight arms and then pushing the hips forward to stretch the lower back and shoulders. For the record, I am 45 years old, do ass to ankles squats, weighted pistols (1 1/2 pood), ashtanga yoga and run 30-40 miles per week for the last 25 years. My knees don't hurt. I would have no problem advising my patients to do the same as long as their leg flexibility is adequate.

I agree with Matt G.'s comments that most MDs are out of shape and know little about exercise. I think this mirrors the general population that is now more inactive and obese than ever. I feel doctors have an obligation to practice what they preach. This gives me free reign to tell my fat patients to get off their butts, put down the doughnuts, stop smoking and to start exercising. Unfortunately, most people want an easy fast solution that doesn't exist. Most medical conditions today are a result of the obesity epidemic. Diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, some cancers, hypercholesterolemia, and lower back pain, are all a result of obesity.

[bowing down to Todd H.]

Preach it!

[/bowing down to Todd H.]

Off to the gym.

Todd H....
Those are long over due and to the point and accurate comments. I too agree that you lead by example... surely there are over use related injuries..But most or at least many ofthe medical problems I see as an Internist/Gastroenerrologist... are related to under use life styles in general....and now it seems that we have more evidence that the over weight sedentary life style is indeed related to significant health problems...
Thanks again for saying so clearly what needs to be said.

still one workout behind,will catch up tomorrow. back squats
3x95,2x115,2x125,2x135,1x135,1x135,1x135,1x135,
1x135

3 x 65
2 x 75
2 x 85
2 x 95
1 x 100
1 x 105
1 x 110
1 x 115
1 x 120
0 reps of stunt shown. I can ease into that position for a quad stretch with help from my arms, but I can't come out of it unassisted.

cf warmup 2 sets

9 sets of power cleans 5 reps each
at 75 lbs

need to practice this more

3x135
2x135
2x135
2x135
1x135
1x155
1x175(BW)
1x135
1x135

I didn't wanna push too hard. Been feeling a little achy/stressed between my shoulder blades and upper back. I think it is due to having to tuck my head and roll when my headstands go awry. Hopefully be feeling better soon.

BWT 150#
70x3
90x2
110x2
130x2
150 PR
160 PR
165 PR
150
150
Guys I cant believe this... I'd been previously 'stuck' @ 140... missed 150 eadlier in the week and now 25# over my max all on the same day!
THANKS CrossFit !!!

All power cleans done with hook grip, including at the rack position. Hand can't take the bar on the fingers. Bumper plates and rubber mats are a wonderful thing - just dumped the weight after the rack to preserve the hand.

No max effort; hand pain was limiting factor. Setted in two very focused reduced kip consecutive ring MUs reps between each clean set - those went without a hitch, smooth and easy.

45/65/75/85/85/85/85/95/95 - three reps every set

5# clubbells:
10 each forward, backward, inside and outside circles per arm.

Could barely get beyond a 45 degree angle on the kneeling backward bend. Way too tight everywhere.

Living this coming week in a motel for a work assignment. Taking a few kettlebells, clubbells, a deck of cards, a timer and my imagination!

135X3
155,155,175 x2
180x1(fail)
180x1
185x1 (fail)
185x1 (PR)
185x1 (fail)
135x10
then did 30 x135# power cleans(touch and go) for time
Jeff 2:50
Jim 3:20

3 x 150
(2 x 170) x 3
(1 x 180) x 4
1 x 190
Bodyweight 167

Woo-hoo! A HUGE improvement over the last time I did this Power Clean WOD (September IIRC). Topped out last time at 150. Thank you CF!

I have some questions regarding form for the backbends. I was able to do 25...however my butt was on the ground, legs/ankles were split out slightly, ankles actually sitting immediately lateral to my glutes. That's a lot different than the picure. Am I OK, or did I "foul out" of this one? I can get into the pose shown in the picture and do the backbend, but can't pull back up.

3x135
3x155
2x185
2x205
1x225
1x230
1x235--miss
3x225

Did 11 on one side and ten on the other of yesterday's supplementary exercise, since I got them mixed up. That puts an interesting sideways stress on your knee (speaking of knees) that I would think if anything would strengthen your knees.

Ref: the above debate, I've noticed that there are a lot of exercises that will hurt your if you're weak or have bad form, and strengthen you if you have a basic strength level and do them correctly. O-Lifts are a prime example. For the record, I love that knee exercise.

Realized very much today how important good form is. Shoulders smoked, but there was something else too. Apparently my hands have been too wide and I was doing something wrong to my shoulders because they hurt like the devil at the joint. Subbed the cleans for deadlifts...try to do it right next time. Ah, Pain, the great teacher.

I did my stunt from the kneeling postion as shown in the picture. I frist tried it the way you are talking about Matt G. but it felt wrong to me. And even in "The Book" it says to do it the way we have on the site.

That's cool Mike P., I don't have "The Book" (may have to order it) so I didn't know what the "rules" were. Like I wrote...I could do the backbend but not get back up if I was set up like the picture, but if I settled down more I could do the down-and-up.

I'll just work on it.

sorry matt but I will stick to my way,I train how I play. It is important to have something left at the end of the game. Ive seen plenty of "strong guys" fade out when the game is on the line because of their one rep strength running low. I know something about "muscle recruitment" also. And I know plenty of people who got hurt with heavy singles even when using "proper technique".

Matt, you should definately get the book if you can it is really great. I think it is done the way the photo shows because it uses more of the thighs and to me seems safer than going between the feet where my knees will splay out to the sides some what. I just feel a lot more stablility that way.

CF warmup 3 times.
Powerclean 108(3)/120(2)/120(2)/120(2)/120/120/125/125/110.

Stunt was harder than it looks - I enjoy the stretch but couldn't get all the way up out of it. Need to develop more flexibility in quads and work on technique.
Worked on 1 arm pushups and got 6 in a row on each arm, PR! A few months ago 1 was hard. Good validation of progress.

Still learning all the Olyimpic moves..on this one I always end up cleaning to a virtual standing position..that's not good is it?!
3x135
2x155
2x175
2x185 PR (missed the second)
1x190 PR
1x205 missed
1x195 PR
1x200 missed
stopped
then went:
5 rounds:

[10xpower cleans@135
8xrt arm cable dips@180 PR
8xlft arm cable dips @180pds PR]

The problem with your thinking Mikey is that this is training...not a game. Leaving too much in the tank here is counterproductive to maximum performance IN the game.

And for every person you name who got hurt with heavy singles, I can name someone that got hurt with something well under their max or using a light-medium weight. Risk of injury is something we all have to live with. No one is holding a gun to your head, forcing you to do these workouts.

Warm-up
skipping, lunges, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups
power clean: 135x5, 185x1
Workout:
185x3
205x2
195x2
195x2
200x5
Screwed this work-out! Moved up in weight too fast. Have to increase the weight more gradually to allow proper warm up. I know I can go heavier than that. So started from scratch again, to practice technique
135x3, 145x1, 155x3, 165x2, 170x4. By the end of this second series, was feeling tired, but felt I had learned some technique. As for the stunts, will do them on my rest day.
Steveo

Shins are now, officially, ripped to hell.
110/3
130/2
"
"
150/1(BW)
160/1(BW)
165/1(PR)
Fouled 170 twice.
160/1
160/1

Did five consecutive reps of "the excercise" after alot of failed attempts. Found the sweet spot, kinda. If abled to counterbalance with my arms out I can do more. It's no easy task keeping fingers interlaced behind the head.

-D.

Don't know how I continue to misspell "exercise." It is written right here on the main page. Oh well.

-D.

sick of having a weak posterior, so after an OHS workout, did some box squats in Escalating Density format.

OHS
2x8x75
2x5x85
1x3x95

As many rounds in 15 minutes of:
115# Box Squats, 5 reps
Sitting Bicycle, 15 reps

10 rounds in 15 minutes. you dont necessarily have to maintain the reps w/ the EDT protocol, but i was able to. i probably went a little to light w/ the weight, but it was my first attempt at this one.

any suggestions for developing posterior chain? (i dont have access to a glute-ham machine)

Got 165 lbs. Failed on 175 attempt.

WOD # 2 of the day (make-up)

Push Press
3@95
2@105
2@115 (PR)
2@125 (PR)
1@130 (PR)
135 Fail
135 Fail
1@135 (PR)
140 Fail
1@140 (PR)

Mike Donnelly

I can't do the kneeling backward bend... I mean I just can't get back up, not a clue.
so I did another WOD instead.

Did GTG w/pullups 10 sets of 3

WOD:
3x135
2x155
2x165
2x185
1x225 miss (BW)
1x225 miss
1x205
1x215 miss
1x210 miss
This WOD kicked me in the teeth. My technique with cleans, in a word, SUCKS. I'm pulling the weight high enough just not getting under it. Very Frustrating!!!

Hey Matt I understand that there are many productive ways to train.Singles work sometimes and so do higher reps.I really enjoy this site , it has tons of useful info and many great workout ideas. I do some of the workouts,but most of the time I use workouts that have worked for me over my many years of training and competing.I do add alot of exercises and other training ideas from crossfit into my workouts.

135, 145, 155, 165, 170, 175 fail, 170 fail, 165, 170.

Weak today. I really think I might have done better if I was thinking about pressing it rather than just cleaning the weight.

The "stunt" was ten kinds of not happening for me.

Finished with some thickbar suitcase DL's and 120# sandbag DL's to smoke the grip.

BTW, I got a kettlegrip from Iron Woody yesterday, and I'm very pleased with it.

Todd H.: Thanks for the thoughtful post. Makes sense to me. I was also interested to hear that pistols are in your regimen, since knee injuries (meniscus) and pistols were an issue in another thread recently, but I've (so far) been ok with them, even with my currently very sketchy knee situation.

Ediddy: For posterior chain, deadlifts, good mornings, KB (or DB) windmills all come immediately to mind.

I am suprised at the number of Docs who CF. . . actually now that I think about it - I guess it isn't that suprising.

warmed up with 20 OHS with 75 lbs
(BW 210)

125 x 3
145 x 2
165 x 2 (PR I think)
175 fail, turned into a full squat clean
175 fail couldn't get it all the way up

175 x 2 GOT IT - New PR- just needed to focus
180 x 1
180 x 1
185 x 1 - final PR
190 fail
190 fail
190 fail (all were just accelerated deadlifts)

165 x 2 for good measure

cooled down with 4 reps of OHS at 105

couldn't do one of 'the stunt' today lack of ankle flexibility in my right ankle - it never healed right after I hurt it in September. In fact, it is still kind of swollen and makes lots of popping noises.

BW: 155

100 x 3
125 x 2
145 x 2
165 x 2 (pr)
175 x 1 (pr!)
190 x 1 (pr!!)
165 x 1
165 x 1
165 x 1

HUGE improvement (155 last time). Also, I kept up with Matt G on something! MWA HA HA HA!

Got 3 on the stunt.

Sandbag power cleans:

67 lbs (30 kg)
78 lbs (35 kg)
90 lbs (40 kg)
90 lbs (40 kg)
101 lbs (45 kg)
101 lbs (45 kg)
101 lbs (45 kg)

3x60kg
2x70kg
2x75kg
2x75kg
the "F" word popped into my head b4 my 80kg clean and naturally I "f'ed" it
1x60
1x75
1x75
3x5reps at 60kg
2min total (broken sets) at the frog stand

Using sandbag, worked up to 40 kg (88lbs)

Knew I could clean more (did so yesterday for the squats) but let down by my grip. The sandbag really hurts after a few sets, a tightly-screwed-on jar lid would be a challenge at the moment!

Did one kneeling back-bend and retired out of fear of injury!

Peter Galloway

200*3
220*2
220*2
220*2
240*1
250*1
250*1
240*1
240*1

3 x 75
2 x 95
2 x 115
2 x 125
1 x 135
1 x 145
1 x 150
1 x 155
1 x 165 (fail)
1 x 165 (PR/BW)

Tweaked my upper back a bit on the last rep (didn't keep shoulders back throughout). Worth noting: on the power cleans, back squats, and push presses the last three days, my max was IDENTICAL on each day. Also happens to be bodyweight.

Tried the kneeling backward bend, but the stretch along the top of my foot was too great to actually attempt.

Alright, this weekend was a mess workout wise. My wife wanted to do a TKD workout together friday night, I had a wedding Saturday night and had to entertain my parents sunday. So, I combined all 3 workouts into one on Sunday morning.

First I did the full x-fit warmup 3 times.

Then I did power clean/push press combo and then back squats. It went down like this:

Power Clean and Push Press:
135 x 3
155 x 2
165 x 2
165 x 2
175 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1

Squats (no,no,no)
225 x 3
275 x 2
295 x 2
295 x 2
315 x 1
335 x 1
335 x 1
345 x 1
350 x 1

I then did some arms and went to watch the Eagles beat the Vikings.

BW 202
185x3
190x2
195x2
200x2
205x1
210x1
215x1
215 (failed)
215x1
215 (failed)
Grip is a limiting factor. Always used straps until starting crossfit 3 months ago. Don't have the strength/confidence in my grip yet.

Power Clean

3*110
2*120
2*130
2*140
1*145
1*150—fail
1*150
1*155
1*160—PR!
1*165—PR!
1*170—PR!
1*175--fail

I'm making tremendous progress on all my 1RMs. Form is still far from good.

Tried that backbend thing. I can get down, I just don't see how it's possible to get up.

155x3/160x2/165x2/170x2/175x1/180x1/185x1/190x1/185x1
10 pullups between every set
Will try the stunts later.

CF warmup
3x135
2x155
2x175
2x185 (1 fail)
1x185
1x185
1x195
1x205 (fail)
1x195
Tried the stunt, did a couple and then could not get back up with hands on head.

Not a good day.

3x135
2x145
2x155
2x165
1x185
1x205
1x225 (fail)
1x215 (fail)
1x215 (fail)

Tried the back bend and ran into the same problems others are having. My knees fold completely, I lose the arch in the back after touching my head and find it impossible to get back up.

did this one yesterday, but forgot to post
crossfit warmup, 10 reps 3 rounds.
95# to 130# on power cleans.
I dont have the strength/dexterity to do the post-WOD exercise, but did a few supported reps.

body weight 175

3x135
2x155
2x165
1x185
1x195 new pr
3x200 all misses

finished up with an ab workout we did back in august. Nad weighted pull-ups and dips 35#'s each.

95/105/110/115/120/125/135/135(miss)/135(miss)

bw - 165

Power Clean

3X55
2X65
2X65
2X65
1X65
1X65
1X65
1X65

Rode up May Canyon...

BW = 168#
power clean
3x135
2x155
2x165
2x185
1x195
1x205 (fail - fell backwards & made quite the ruckus at 24hr fitness!)
1x205 *NEW PR!* (fear is a powerful motivator..)
1x205 (fail)
1x195

it took a lot of concentration not to drop into a squat clean, especially on the singles.

same problem as most on the back bend - i could get into it as shown, but not back up.

After hearing and learning from Mike Burgener, power cleans almost seem sinful!
Did these from the low hang (mid thigh!, below the knee, mid thigh. . .JUMP!)position with great success. For me anyway!
3x95
2x115
2x115
2x115
1x135 (way easy!)
1x145 miss(whaaa?)
1x145 (got deeper; it helped) PR!!!!!!!!!
1x145 miss (shallow knee bend)
2x135 (again, with ease!)
(begin ramble)
Matt G.,
YOU MUST GO TO A CROSSFIT SEMINAR!!! Dude, I can see you loving all the info you'll get and you can go head to head with Josh and Greg!! The info you are able to share with others here would only get stronger, if that's possible. Good responses to Mikey and his ilk. Maybe they should go as well. I hate to sound like a "Moonie" here, but hearing Coach Glassman speak and meeting him have been incredible experiences (plus I ate lunch with him and Lauren too!!).
Oh, and for anyone whose form in the clean, jerk, or snatch: Whenever you can get the chance, hear/learn from Mike Burgener. 3 hours with him have changed my life in the gym forever. I'm not exaggerating here. 3 hours and my whole outlook on lifting has changed. That, and I'll never look at PVC the same way again!!
(/end ramble)

Believe me Ron, it's on the plan for the year. A visit to CF HQ is definite, and I'd like to do a seminar as well. I'll have to see how things schedule out for me...but I've got to hit one or both.

Coach mentioned one coming up soon at HQ. 2 birds, one stone, eh, what!
February I see!

topped out at 205 for the cleans.

180 pr
then 30 rep with 135: 2:50

3 x 135
2 x 150, 150, 160
1 x 170, 170, 180, 190, 195 (missed)

Had a crisis of courage at 195. I need to train harder and more consistently to build confidence.

3x115
2x135
2x135
2x155
1x175
1x175
1x175
1x175
1x155

subbed squat cleans today:

3x85
2x105
2x105
2x115
1x120
1x125
1x130 PR
1x145 failed
1x135 failed
1x115

Power Cleans

95 x 3
115 x 2
125 x 2
135 x 2
155 x 1
165 x 1
185 x fail
175 x 1
155 x 2

BW=195

3x135
2x145
2x145
2x155
1x165
1x165
1x175
1x175
1x185 (fail)
1x185

First time I've recorded these, so I guess it counts as a PR. Or at least a baseline for the future.

Jay

A few days behind:

did some A to A squats: 3x155,2x165,2x175,2x185,1x225,1x225,1x225,1x135(10 second hold)1x135, 1x135, 1x135, 1x135

Power cleans: 9 sets of 3 reps with 135lbs

3x47kg
2x52
2x52
2x52
1x57
1x62
1x64.5 (BW)
1x67 (PR)
1x69.5 (fail)

Getting slowly stronger. Form on all oly lifts needs work.

Could not do the stunt. Sort of "fell" into position and couldn't budge from there; my back felt really tight and quads were slightly over-stretched. Think I may have some flexibility issues.

120x3
125x2
130x2
135x2
145x1
145x1
150 fail
150x1
155x1 PR

Kneeling backward-bend: Not in the realm of possible at this stage.

It's about time I started posting some results (I've been doing these workouts for a long time).
I'm a few days behind at the moment but hopefully will catch up soon.

95 x 3
105 x 2
115 x 2
125 x 2
135 x 1
145 x 1
155 missed
155 x 1 PR
165 x 1 PR

Then finished with some OH Squats (aiming for the 15 x BW which for me will be 135lb)

12 x 95lb
15 x 95lb
15 x 95lb
15 x 100lb

3 x 125
3 x 135
2 x 145
2 x 145
2 x 145
1 x 155 x 5