Name: Reinhold
Age: 51
Height: 6’2″

Reinhold’s Training Program

Having lost a fair bit of his strength during a period where he had to dial back activity as a result of bone marrow cancer, Reinhold came to me wanting to get back to where he was before the diagnosis. However, he didn’t just want to regain his strength – he wanted to do so with better form. His flexibility had presented him with significant limitations ever since he started CrossFit training (unable to squat below parallel, unable to press arms straight up due to shoulder tightness, etc.) and he wanted to remedy that. To meet Reinhold’s needs, I created a customized 8-week hybrid (remote and in-person) strength program based on the Starting Strength method in which I also incorporated a series of stretches targeting the joints in his body that were most restricted.

Duration of Training

One 8-Week Cycle (performed remotely with a few in-person sessions) based on the Starting Strength methodology.

Before & After Statistics

Starting Weight for Lifts (lbs):
Squat 165x5x3, Press 95x5x3, Bench Press 145x5x3, Deadlift 265×5, Chin-Ups: 1 Set of 12 reps @Body Weight.
 
Ending Weight for Lifts (lbs):
Squat 240x5x3, Press 140x3x2, Bench Press 207.5x3x2, Deadlift 385×5, Chin-Ups: 3 sets of 8 reps with 27.5 lbs.
 
CrossFit Total 1-Rep Maxes (lbs):
Squat: 285, Press: 150, Deadlift: 415. Total = 855

In His Own Words

I’ve been doing CrossFit for 3.5 years. I had to take a break last October for a few months after I was diagnosed with a rare, incurable form of bone marrow cancer. Luckily, a novel daily chemotherapy is helping me keep the tumor cells in check. Its side effects are manageable and mainly consist of nausea in the morning until noon or so. In January of this year I started to go back to CrossFit classes, but after a few months I felt that I wasn’t regaining my former strength. In addition, I struggled to make progress on mobility, especially in the squat where I had a hard time breaking parallel (since I had never done squats when I was young – I’m 51 now). So, I decided to focus my efforts and address these issues, while still being mindful of my cancer. Since Hayden had impressed me with his fabulous coaching during regular CrossFit classes at Solace, I approached him to design a custom strength cycle for me. I couldn’t participate in the regular morning or evening strength cycle program, and we agreed to a hybrid remote/in-person program, in which he would coach me in person on Mondays over lunch, while sending me custom workouts via FitBot that I would do on my own on Wednesdays and Fridays. I would take videos of my work sets, upload them to FitBot, and receive written feedback and critique from Hayden. The program was a spectacular success for me. Not only did I reach PRs on my lifts well beyond anything that I had accomplished in the past, but I also improved mobility significantly. Thank you, Hayden!