Name: Walt
Age: 46
Height: 6′

Walt’s Training Program

Walt had significant mobility and range of motion restrictions when he came to me. He wanted to improve his movement patterns and get stronger. As a Master’s Athlete, some modifications to his programming were necessary, but I still began him using a Starting Strength linear progression in my Solace Strong class. He took three 8-week cycles with me, each interspersed with periods of CrossFit classes. I modified his strength programming as he progressed through each cycle to permit continued progress.

Duration of Training

Three 8-week Cycles.

Before & After Statistics

Starting Weight for Lifts (lbs):
Squat 135×5 (with depth issues), Press 85×5 (with significant shoulder flexibility limitations), Bench Press 145×5 (with R/L arm imbalances), Deadlift 165×5 (with difficulty setting back tight), Power Clean 85×3
 
Ending Weight for Lifts (lbs):
Squat 225x5x3 (1RM = 260), Press 130×5 (1RM = 150), Bench Press 185×5, Deadlift 265×5 (1RM = 345), Power Clean 135×3

In His Own Words

“For years, I would spend time lifting weights at the globo gyms. For years, nothing really changed. Not from my body perspective; not from my strength perspective. One day, I looked around at all of the people who were in the locker room and they all looked the same. And always have. I realized that I needed to change whatever it was that I was doing.

Back in May of 2015, I walked into Solace and started to do CrossFit. By September of 2015, I committed to it full-time. Only at that time did I find out just how weak my legs were and how incorrectly I had been lifting weights all this time. I spoke to Coach Hayden about Starting Strength and signed up for my first cycle in October of 2015.

The first time that Hayden saw me squat, I thought he was going to faint on the spot or kick me out of the program. Whatever I was doing was THAT bad. But he did not quite faint. Or kick me out. Hayden very patiently worked with me on my squatting. His pointers and vigilance to the program and what needs to be tweaked in the program resulted in my squatting properly for the first time in my life. But not only that, much to my amazement, my numbers began going up. I was lifting more and more. Not only on squats, but with the other lifts. I was suddenly deadlifting, bench pressing and pressing correctly. I was now also doing a more dynamic lift such as the power clean.

After my initial strength cycle, I returned to CrossFit and was amazed at what a difference the extra strength made. I have now done 3 such cycles, all with Coach Hayden overseeing me. His attention to detail and not allowing me to slack off has paid off in that I can now lift heavier weights than I ever have in my life. All of this, helps me on the other side of the floor with CrossFit. I have committed to several such strength cycles per year. Thanks to Hayden, my goals for what I can lift keep increasing.”