Percentage Lifting Refresher
We have been using the percentage based lifting protocol for a while now at CrossFit Edmonton and have some really great success. With many new people in our program these days I thought I’d give us all a refresher of why we do it and also when we do it.
The particular template we have adopted was developed by Micheal Rutherford out of Shawnee Mission, Kansas where he runs a successful gym and CrossFit affiliate. Coach Rutherford has been in the strength and conditioning industry for many years and is highly accredited by his peers including Robb Wolf (NorCal Strength and conditioning) and Greg Evert (Catalyst Athletics). Coach Rut (as he is referred too) along with some of the other mentioned coaches also spoke at the first Black Box Summit, which was a CrossFit affiliate-run event that Chad got a chance to attend and spoke very highly of on his return.
The reasoning for adopting his strength template was to give our clients a more focused and planned approach to strength training. For each workout there is a specific amount of weight assigned by way of a percentage of your 1Rep Max to each set. This allows you to map out a targeted plan for that session. It gives you a training goal and removes the subjective tinkering we’ve all done to the ladder approach “just lift as heavy as you can, every time”. A successfully executed workout is one that lets you know your heading towards your goals and a unsuccessful execution allows you to dial in more closely a goal that is appropriate for you.
Now this is all fine and dandy for someone who has a solid idea of what their 1 Rep Max is for the various lifts, but what about the beginner, someone who doesn’t know their 1 rep max value? The beginner will approach the work out similar to how we used to, in that, over the assigned amount of sets the individual will lift up to a weight that feels close to a max in 1, 3 or 5 reps . Then a coach will help estimate a 1 rep value for you. For example if the work out was a Back Squat with 5 sets of 3 reps prescribed to it, a beginner will lift their first set based on what a coach may suggest and then increase the weight each set until the weight feels substantial. With the help of a coach you will be lifting a weight that is appropriate for your level as your heaviest set. If this all seems complicated, don’t worry, the details of the design is not important to you coming in and doing the work out, as always a coach will be there to guide you through each step.
With the benefits and the logistics laid out loosely we can now discuss how to maximise your strength gains. The percentage based strength program is threaded into our monthly planning in a particular way. To maximize the results of this method, it is important that you attend the specific classes in which the strength thread is prescribed. The following is an example of a 3 week cycle in which the target is to lift a previous 1 Rep max or set a new 1 Rep max.
Percentage based strength program- 3 week cycle
| Week 1 | Monday Movement #1 5×5 |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday | Friday Movement #3 5×5 |
Saturday | Sunday |
| Week 2 | Monday | Tuesday Movement #1 5×3 |
Wednesday | Thursday Movement #2 5×3 |
Friday | Saturday Movement #3 5×3 |
Sunday |
| Week 3 | Monday Movement #1 6×1 | Tuesday | Wednesday Movement #2 6×1 |
Thursday | Friday Movement #3 6×1 |
Saturday | Sunday |
Percentages for 5,3 and 1 rep work outs are:
| WEEK 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 |
| 5@55% | 3@63% | 1@70% |
| 5@63% | 3@70% | 1@77% |
| 5@70% | 3@77% | 1@85% |
| 5@77% | 3@85% | 1@93% |
| 5@85% | 3@93% | 1@100-101% |
If your still with me at his point, the importance of knowing this is to allow you to see forward what days will be strength days and allow you to plan your attendance accordingly. This is important because to best obtain your strength goals you must complete the 5 and 3 rep workouts leading up to the 1 rep test day. But don’t worry, you will still see great results in your fitness by attending the classes that you can when you can. This system is for the individual who hasn’t seen the types of gains they once did and is interested in dialing in the strength training a little more. If this is you then feel free to ask Auty, Suzanne or Brian any questions.
Bill cranking out some weighted ring dips!
Chad – I have some comments & a resulting question about this method. I find that sometimes, depending on the lift, the percentages we have for the 5 or 3 rep lifts don’t really make me feel like I’m doing a lot (i.e., even the highest percentage doesn’t feel very difficult). With other lifts, I can’t even do the listed percentages.
An example of the first case would be power cleans – I think because for me, they are more a technique issue than a strength issue, I find that even the last set of the 5 & 3 rep days are really quite easy. The second case would be something like weighted pullups or ring dips. With weighted pullups, for example, the highest 5 rep. max that I could do was only 33% of my 1 rep. max.
For those of us that are fairly familiar with our maxes & have done a lot of these grinders would you suggest that we start to tweak our sets a little bit to get more benefit? Or should we just stick with what’s listed as much as we can?
Hey Sandra, after implementing the percentage based strength WOD’s for a while now we have come to some similar conclusions. The template works best with the slow strength moves ie: Squat, Deadlift and Press variations, for most, you will see a nice linear progression of strength gain. As for the Olympic lifts, being more technical in nature, the percentage prescriptions offer an opportunity to refine our techniques at sub maximal loads. This in turn translates to bigger lifts during maximal test days or our 1 rep work outs. If your feeling the Olympic lifts are easy in terms of moving the weight at the 3 and 5 rep days, a shift in focus toward improving technique flaws would make for a more productive work out, I would recommend away from increasing loads beyond the prescribed percentages. I’m thinking introducing some of the transfer exercise for the Olympic lifts would be beneficial, especially for those fairly experienced with the lifts, ie: clean/snatch pulls, deadlift shrugs, hang cleans, snatch balance ect. The pull up and ring dip work outs I believe were a similar experience for most in that the percentages were far beyond the strength capacities of the individuals. My conclusions here is that smaller less complex systems of muscles don’t offer the same work potential relative to a 1 rep effort than the big system movers. For now the percentage approach at the least gives us a way to measure and log our efforts on those days, even if you are unable to succeed at the prescribes loads then at least you have a fraction of that logged and you can build on them in future work outs.
Thanks Auty – I agree with the transfer exercise idea & may do some of those that you’ve mentioned on a related grinder day. I know that hang power cleans are a good one for me because I tend to pull too soon off the ground, and the hpc really limits my ability to do this. Bougs has also covered a number of warm-up & practice exercises for the snatch that are really useful & would probably make for a good grinder. The snatch balance is an excellent one & would also have some carryover to the behind the head push press that I want to work on.
Thanks for the input; you’ve given me some ideas to think about. I’ll look at maybe replacing some grinders with some of these exercises to improve technique rather than just focusing on weight.
Sandra, I love when you have these epiphany moments to focus on technique
It may be obvious but of course I agree with Auty. The percentages work best with the larger movements and in the other scenarios the best options are to work up the percentages as far as possible when it’s tough or practice technique and transfer movements when it’s easy. Anyone new to our program knows they need to work on technique. Anyone that’s been around for a while often remembers now and then that they STILL need to work on technique. It’s never gonna hurt that’s for sure.
Beyond these issues of when these percentages aren’t exact, has anyone noticed a significant difference or improvement in their lifts since starting this method?
I have really been loving this strength cycle. It seems to train the muscles in a very well rounded way. The cycle of 5 and 3 rep workouts really contribute to gains in the one rep. Since starting this cycle, i have PR’d every one rep max i have attempted. I will attribute that fact to the program, excellent coaching, and amazing competition. I say competition but i really mean the comraderie of all members at the gym. Seeing the great numbers put up by people is a great motivating factor in pushing for a new PR as often as possible. I hope we stick with this program for a long time, because it has worked wonders for me!
Gee Chad, why have you never mentioned I should work on technique…?
Aside from that, however, I have noticed a huge improvement with this cycle. I have even gotten a few pr’s which hadn’t happened for quite a while. I found that before, with the more random timing of the grinders, I would sometimes go 6 months or more without doing a particular lift in a grinder format. I think it’s good that every second cycle seems to be the three ‘basic’ lifts (deadlift, press of some kind, back squat) as these are the foundation of everything else. I am really happy to see them more frequently and I like having a shorter WOD after as well. It would also be great if we could do something like a transfer exercise type of WOD or grinder (maybe after a regular grinder?). I remember one day we did just snatch balance practice as either the WOD or the grinder and it was very helpful.