MEBB nitpicky questions for my situation

[Kelly Lamb]

I want to start on the MEBB program. Here's my situation:

I had established several 1RM's before having a pretty bad neck injury sustained while participating in the CF Open this year (shocker!). It's taken so long to get over that I'm sure I've lost strength (although I was able to clean near my previous PR in a 1RM attempt last week). Question 1: How do I create my own MEBB template if I don't know what my current 1RM is? Should I use my old, pre-injury numbers?

I currently have only 3 days I can dedicate to being in the gym (the others are reserved for endurance training or rest and I can't be flexible with those days right now). I'd like to work in short WODs (for lack of a better word) after my lifting attempts, only to work other skills in (ring work, etc.) Thus far, I've kept those "WODs" to a max of 10 minutes (again, not trying to cause an adrenal melt-down). Question 2: Are these "WODs" post MEBB training ok or am I doing myself a disservice? I'm open to a different design around getting the other skill-work in.

Thanks for any help with this!

[Dave Van Skike]

The only sensible route is to test your maxes and use those numbers as your maxes.

The second, less sensible route, is to work up to a heavy double or triple and guess what your maxes are.

The third route (and this is nearing nonsensical) is to take your old pre-injury numbers and subtract a reasonable guesstimate percentage from them. Say 10-20%. and use that as a working max for a time.

Why are you doing this "MEBB" progression in the first place?

[Allen Yeh]

DVS said it all in regards to picking max numbers.

RE: WOD and Skill work
IMO you'd be better off doing skill work prior to the strength work and if you want to do conditioning afterwards sticking with the 10 minute or less rule. I'd also pick skill work that wouldn't interfere with your MEBB lift, i.e. doing 15 minutes of handstand work prior to doing overhead press wouldn't be a great idea.

To echo DVS's question, with 3 day's a week why MEBB?

[Kelly Lamb]

Thanks guys.

Here's why MEBB appeals to me - I like the lifts and the aspect of being able to get a lot done and make gains in little time. I want to have some structure to a lifting program. I also want to complement the endurance training I do (swim,bike,run). Even though I'm in the gym 3 days a week, I'm getting 5-6 days a week of activity with the endurance training. Now, I do happen to have a decent set-up in my garage with weights, pull-up bar, KB's, some other stuff, however I do not have the variety of weights that I can use in the gym. So I want to max my gym time. If I'm able to, I'll use my garage for additional workouts. As the weather gets colder, I may even get an extra day or two of garage-based workouts in (vs. the endurance stuff).

I'm totally open to other options that have some kind of direction or schedule to follow and that gets me back into some kind of great shape like I was in pre-injury (knowing that with the injury, I may never quite be in that shape again). I could go back to the old trainer, but it's too expensive and frankly, I had chronic tendinitis from the sheer volume that he had us doing...I would describe it as CF-based moves combined with traditional bodybuilding for a solid hour, 3xs a week. I am female and also don't want to be THAT bulky again...but I found that once I went CF, I got less bulky all the while getting stronger.

[Allen Yeh]

What was the injury if I may ask?

What exercises are you picking for MEBB?

[Steve Shafley]

I'd really lean towards arbitrarily setting a training max and going from there. The reason is this: you should be in it for the long haul, what does it matter if you hit a PR in 8 weeks or 12 weeks, if you aren't under a time constraint. Best start light and really work on the skill of the movements.e

I also feel the the MEBB frequency precludes the classic OLs, not enough practice with the, but not necessarily precluspdes the power versions of those lifts. I would imagine this is a point of contention between many and myself, though. The results of, say, snatching 1x weekly would be quickly overrun by the results of, say, squatting 1x weekly

[Kelly Lamb]

Originally Posted by Allen Yeh

What was the injury if I may ask?

What exercises are you picking for MEBB?

Several cervical bulging discs...appeared to be severe triceps tendinitis in both arms (arms so swollen that I thought I had rhabdo)....when PT and weeks of rest didn't change the fact that my hands were numb, we looked into my neck. So a lot of time was spent chasing the problem and correcting the problem (hence quite a bit of time away from most lifting...still did lower body work). Pain is now managed with mobility and traction, but I am fearful of getting re-injured. Doc says anything is ok as long as I don't fall on my head.

I love Oly lifts, plus I plan to add DL's and front and back squats (I think box squats are way under-rated). I've been told to be cautious with presses, so I'd probably do mostly push-presses and jerks to use the momentum. I don't ever need to do a bench press again, although I like them (I could bench my bodyweight pre-injury). I'd like to add some strict pull-ups too.

Someone asked if I was going to compete in any CF stuff. No - any desire to do that went out the window with the injury sustained from CF (I'm going to totally digress...I'm pretty bitter...I worked at the CF gym where the injury happened and was told I was required to participate in the Open and that it would be fun. Being pretty new to CF, I wasn't ready and I feel that they allowed me to get away with sloppy form, esp. in the snatch Open WOD - I happened to get to the 100lbs. mark with really shitty form. Those "coaches" should not have allowed such shitty form. I took several Oly lifting classes from Holley Mangold's former coach this past summer. I care about good form.) I'm just doing this to serve 3 purposes: 1) For a woman, I'm giftedly strong, so I just have personal goals like snatching my body weight. 2) I'm a fitness instructor myself, so there's some pressure to look and act the part. 3) I feel that by building strength, it translates to the endurance stuff that I do. I'll never win an Ironman, but I want to be competitive in triathlon and mountain biking. Let me add a 4th also) I'm a mid-30's woman...I'm trying to stay as young as possible for as long as possible. I had a bone density test in January and was told it's phenomenal for my age and low bodyfat %. What can I say - weight lifting and Paleo are the fountain of youth!

Sorry for being long. Thanks for all the suggestions. I certainly don't disagree that just about everyone can use more practice on most lifts...esp. THIS one, who really had never learned to properly snatch until this summer