I think the knees are supposed to remain anchored to the same position that they'll be during the sticking point for the bottom 2/3 or so of the rep. Unless the goal is to go ATG for olympic lifting reasons.

Engine Builder - W3D2

10k run @5:37

3k easy
5k at marathon pace @ 5:14
2k easy

531 Bench Press - C1W2

Bench Press
50x5
55x5
62.5x5x5

Barbell Row
50x10x5

Ring Dips
6,6,6,6,4

Push ups
4x10

Plank
Around 2:30 in total, got interrupted once

Crossfit

Deadlift
Build to a heavy set of 20
90x20 (was easy)

For time: (13 minute cap)
200 Meter Run
27 Wallballs, 27 Box Jumps
200 Meter Run
21 WB, 21 BJ
200 Meter Run
15, 15
200 Meter Run
9, 9
200 Meter Run

13:30 RX

Bar Muscle up EMOM

10 minute EMOM
1-1-2-1-1-2-1-1-1-2

I failed one rep in the 8th minute. I failed it more because I'm not comfortable linking them rather than from an actual fail. The next time I do this I might do 2 every 90 seconds and forget about singles.

Engine Builder - W3D3

Bike - 6x45 sec, 3:30 off

18-17-17-16-16-16 cals

Yoga

1 hour

Nice start to the day!

531 Squat - C1W2

Squat
72.5x5
82.5x5
92.5x5x5

Barbell Row
55x8x6 (last rep RPE 10 in last set)

Ring Dip
10 minute EMOM - 3 per minute (fairly comfortable)

DB Lunge
15sx10 per legx3

Plank
3x1 minute, 1 minute rest

55 minutes total

Engine Builder - W3D4

12x1:45, 1:00 off (Run)

4:25 average pace

This was HARD, especially after squatting today. It ended up being around 4.7k at quicker than 5k race pace. Tomorrow will be a nice day off.



Squats from earlier today.

531 DL and OHP - C1W1

Deadlift
85x5
100x5
112.5x5
85x5x5

OHP
32.5x5
37.5x5
42.5x5x5

Pull ups
10 minute EMOM
4 every minute except for the last where I failed the last rep. In the last 3 or 4 sets, the last rep might have been questionable height

Dips
10 10 8 7 7

Curls



Getting my chest up while not lowering my hips is the hardest part of the setup for me. I am just not getting tight enough and am afraid this isn't safe when the weights get heavier.

Your hips may lower depending on your setup method, and that's sometimes fine. In order to pull with the most force you need to actually get your hips as low as possible while keeping your back flat and the bar over mid foot. Otherwise you would be doing a stiff-legged deadlift. Those reps look fine and you in general overthink the deadlift, IMO. Just try to find a rhythm that allows you to get in position to pull the bar as hard as you can with a relatively flat back.

Also, you'll need to lift heavier (and use straps or mixed grip) in order to reveal serious flaws in your form anyway. If you're double overhanding your top set then I'm pretty sure your TM needs to increase.

Thanks for the feedback and the reassurance, renton.

Regarding TM, it is fine. I used a 1 rep max of 155 (actual is 160, but I haven't deadlifted in a month due to the tweak in my back). My double overhand is also relatively really strong. I noticed this when we do percentage work in deadlifts during crossfit. I'm usually the last person to switch to mixed grip.

Engine Builder - W4D1

20x30 sec on, 30 sec off - Run

Average pace: 3:53

I did this same workout but with only 18 reps on Jul 15, and my average pace was 3:55. Before starting this run, I actually told myself to target around 4:00 since I think I've been doing these too fast. Today was actually me holding back a little. Cardio gains!

Kudos on the bar muscle up EMOM WOD! That looks mighty rough!

Thanks jd, gymnastics feels strong at the moment

Bench 531 - C1W3

Bench
52.5x5
60x5
65x5x5

Face Pulls
2x10

Single arm DB Row
20x10x2

Crossfit

Build to a Heavy Complex:
1 Hang Clean Pull
1 Hang Power Clean
1 Clean Pull
1 Power Clean

40
50
55
60
65
70
72.5f

This was my first oly session in over a month and it showed with that fail. I didn't keep the bar close to me at all.

For time: (10 minute cap)

50 power cleans @70
Every minute, do 5 toes to bar

Scaled it to 45, and finished in 8:58

Cleans were 10-6-6-6-5-5-4-4-4
Toes to bar were unbroken for 6 rounds, then singles for the last 3 rounds

The workout was all about grip strength

The back feels fine!

Engine Builder - W4D2

14k run at 6:00

2nd longest run ever behind my 10 mile race. I could have run at this pace for quite a while longer, but my legs just get really heavy after 11k or so.

Squat 531 - C1W3

Squat
75x5
87.5x5
97.5x5x5

Barbell Rows
60x6x6 (super setted with squats)

Ring Dips - 10 minute EMOM
4-4-4-4-4-3-3-3-3-3

Yoga

1 hour



The last rep seemed like a real struggle, then I looked at the video and saw it went up pretty fast. It was a nice confidence boost for the last 2 sets. My depth also seems to be a little lower, I think from all the mobility work I have done.

Wendler says to only do 2 cycles of 5x531, before moving to an anchor and I can see why. 102.5x5x5 in 3 weeks is not going to be fun. My squat better be going up, but it's hard to tell on this program




One leak of mine I have plugged is my weight. I weigh myself as often as I can on a fitbit scale and it uploads it to this site and gives me a lot of pretty graphs. I've been tracking it and trying to gain around 0.5kg per month.

Bar Muscle ups

Every 90 seconds
2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3

Engine Builder - W4D3

10x20 sec, 1:40 off (Bike)

11-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10 cals

3 ties my PR for muscle ups. I actually have a lot more in me, I would estimate maybe 5 or 6. I am just not good at linking them. 3 out of the 8 sets were me getting into a terrible position after the first muscle up and not attempting linking the second one. They were 2 quick singles. The last set was 3 linked.

The bike anaerobic intervals are death.

531 DL and OHP - C1W2

Deadlift
92.5x5
105x5
117.5x5
92.5x5x5 (70-80s rest)

OHP
35x5
40x5
45x5x5 (120-150s rest)

Barbell Rows
52.5x10x5 (9 minutes total, iffy form last few reps of 4th and 5th set)

Plank
4x1 minute, 1 minute off

I had only 50 minutes from the first set of deadlifts at 92.5 till the gym closed. I went home and planked.



I watched this video and changed my deadlift setup from the starting strength one. I hip hinged into it and also engaged my lats for the first time. I really think they look a lot better than before. Everything just felt natural and smooth for once, which deadlifts have never done for me. Engaging my lats also got me tighter. Thoughts?

531 Bench Press - C2W1

Bench Press
50x5
55x5
62.5x5x5

Face Pulls
5x10

Crossfit

Push Jerk (13 minutes to build to a heavy 3)
40x3
50x3x2
55x3
60x3
65x3
70f (failed first rep)

12 minute AMRAP:
21 KB swings @24
14 KB reverse lunges @24
7 push jerks @75

Scaled to 16 and 45 and did 3+35

So this was a really really bad crossfit session. I decided this morning that this crossfit session looked fun and would beneficial to me (oly and decent metcon), so I skipped accessories for 531 and did crossfit instead. My push jerk form was horrendous, and my lower back started hurting during the 2nd round of swings. It wasn't horrible like last time, but it was still the limiting factor in the metcon. It hurt during the swings and lowering the weight for the push jerks. I even scaled the weight down in anticipation of this, but it still flared up.

I have to keep relearning the same lesson - stop doing things when there is even a small percentage chance of it affecting my injuries. I will cherry pick my crossfit classes and stop doing olympic lifting until my back is 95%+.

I will continue to focus on strength and conditioning for now until the back is 95%. I would estimate it to be at around 70%. Deadlifts don't really hurt it. I actually feel it during my daily mobility work when I have to hold certain poses for 2+ minutes. Given all this, 531 + conditioning seems like a no brainer.

Engine Builder - W5D1

10k run @5:30
2k easy
6k MP @ 5:13
2k easy

I skipped W4D4 of the program which is a 10 minute test. It is programmed once per month and I think that is just way too often for an all out effort.

531 Squat - C2W1

Squat
70x5
80x5
92.5x5x5 (20% chance I did 6 sets)

Weighted Pullups
BWx5
10x4x5

Ring Dips
10, 7, 7, 6, 5

Lunges
7.5sx20 per legx3

Plank
2x1:30, 1:30 rest

Open Gym is only 45 minutes, and I really had to hurry to get the dips in. I went home and the only set of DBs I had are 7.5s, so I did these huge sets.



It looks like my back is caving in just a little on the last portion of the descent. I might try to cut my depth just a little

Engine Builder - W5D2

5x2 minutes, 30 sec off - Row

30, 30, 32, 31, 33 cals (average pace - 2:02.6)

I haven't used my rower at home in 10 months and started off at a pace I could sustain 10 months ago, which was too conservative.

Engine Builder - W5D3

5x1 min, 5 min off - Bike

22, 22, 22, 22, 22 cals

The anaerobic portion of this program repeats every month. There are 4 anaerobic workouts, so the same one shows up in weeks 1, 5, 9, etc.

I went in aiming to hold 22 cals, and just about hung on. Nice improvement from 4 weeks ago.

Yoga

1 hour

When doing bar MUs, aggressively push away from the bar as if you were butterfly kipping on the descent. Or just let yourself down slowly and then initiate your kip. The latter is way harder. The former might give you a SLAP tear if you don't know what you're doing.

531 DL and OHP - C1W3

OHP
37.5x5
42.5x5
47.5x5x5

super setted with hammer curls

Deadlift
100x5
112.5x5
125x5

We get a 30 minute 1 on 1 session every 3 months with our membership. I used mine with a great coach for her to check on my deadlift form. That's why I did OHP first. I also didn't have time for 100x5x5 on deadlifts and accessories. I'll do accessories tomorrow, along with conditioning.



The session was great. Key takeaways:

1. ENGAGE LATS. Everything feels tight after I do
2. Weight is a bit forward on my toes, try to keep it evenly distributed
3. The bar is getting away from me around my knees, so keep it closer. Perhaps a slightly wider stance with knees out as well.

I really felt solid in my setup after engaging lats. I felt like I could quit faffing around and just pull, which I have never felt before.

Thanks DM. Your post made me look up how to link bar muscle ups from my favourite crossfit youtube channel for instruction (wodprep). I really should have done this ages ago. The main thing is to lower myself and get into a hollow body position. I'm going to try them tomorrow and will get a video up.