ME Black Box

[Robert Wolf]

Since Coach Rutherford is the next CF-live guest it got me thinking aobut the ME Black box template...who is working on this? What have your results been thus far. I'd like to look at this in April of '06 at the one year mark but some discussion prior to this would be interesting.
Robb

[Neal Winkler]

What is the black box template?

[Chris Forbis]

Basically scrap the middle day of every 3 WOD cycle and replace with a Maximum Effort lifting day.

I've been doing it for about 6-8 weeks now. Not following Coach Rut's protocol exactly, but pretty close. Every middle WOD I replace with one of these four workouts (rotate through):
OHS/Front Squat/Back Squat 5x1/5x1/5x1
Shoulder Press/Push Press/Push Jerk 5x1/5x1/5x1
Squat Clean 3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1-1
Deadlift 3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1-1

I've increased my deadlift by 40 pounds, back squat by 30, squat clean by 20. I keep setting a PR nearly every workout, so I'd say that it is working. And this is while losing a couple of pounds.

[Steven Stackpole]

Hey Rob
I've been following it also, but not as long as Chris. I am doing the basic exercises like Coach Rutherford laid out, but am varying the reps and sets. 8 sets of 2, 10 singles, 3-3-3-1-1-1, that kind of thing. As much as anything I enjoy it cause it allows me to lift a little bit more. Its hard to pinpoint exactly where my gains are coming from because I'm also following the Dan John "One lift a day" routine, for a little more variety.
I wont be able to hear Coach Rut live, but is there anyway I can find out what was spoken about after the fact??

Thanks

Robb,

We are working yet another variant with our current project. Five on, two off schedule with one random "easy" day and one random ME day per block. DL, Squat, Bench, Push Press are the movements we have rotated through. Only four weeks into it. No insight other than the fact that all gains have been neurologic -- too soon for anything else -- but gains have been seen.

We will try to stay on this schedule for the next three months. I'll let you know more when I know more.


Mark T.

[Chris Forbis]

Mark-

Could you clarify a bit?

When you say random ME day, is the day of the week randomized? Or do you randomly select one of those four exercises? What rep scheme?

Same question goes for the random "easy" days. Got any examples of the "easy" days?

[Steve Shafley]

Steven: The CFLive archives will have the Rutman edition up probably the day after it happens.

I am becoming a bigger and bigger fan of the "Black Box" way of thinking. You lose a lot of time if you have to understand why something works, instead of just doing it.

Steve Shafley,

Should we also eat that with our doritos?

Chris,

The day is randomly chosen, and the recovery day "usually" follows the ME day. Our version of an ME day is 3 sets of triples, 3 sets of doubles with weight increased at every set, then singles up to 1RM. The singles usually start within a few sets of the 1RM, maybe four singles are done.

My last DL day looked like this:
3x 135#
3x 185#
3x 225#
2x 275#
2x 305#
2x 315#
1x 335#
1x 345#
1x 355#
1x 365#

The movement is chosen based on the emphasis of the movements used in the CF workouts during the days preceding or planned for the days following.

Easy days might be as simple as a 30-minute row at low HR. Or a day of static holds, or something like the "Easy Ab Day" posted here: http://www.gymjones.com/schedule.php?date=20051013

In this week's case the "easy" day precedes "******* Friday" when we will try to break hearts and minds with a combination of leg-specific 1RM followed by something like "Carolyn's Sadistic" which is a Team Squat Ladder Bottom-to-Bottom, each player holds a KB or DB, player one does one squat and holds at the bottom, player two does one squat and holds at the bottom, player one does two squats and holds at the bottom, player two does the same, repeat adding one rep per set up to 10 for a total of 55 squats ... or you can go back down the ladder but if you do have fun walking afterward.

When I mentioned neurological improvements registered as increases in capacity I neglected to mention that the improved ability to recruit and express existing muscle tissue is seen not only on ME days but across all the CF workouts as well. We are only three weeks into this project and the raw material varies from untrained, non-athletes to professional athletes so the process is quite interesting to witness.

Mark T.

[Steve Shafley]

Paralysis by analysis. My biggest obstacle.