We, at CrossFit Intrepid, have been on a linear strength progression since November of 2009. During the first week of 2010, we revisited our 1RM lifts and everybody PR’d. Well, the first week of March will be another test of our programming. We’ll be tackling the Total, which consists of the Back Squat, Press, and Deadlift (in that order), which Mark Rippetoe calls the “three most effective lifts in developing and testing functional strength.”

The basic rules are as follows:

You get three attempts at a max lift. Period. A fail counts as one of your attempts, so choose wisely.
Make sure your first attempt is a weight you know you can do.
Absolutely no dropping from the top on deads.
Add your three best completed lifts to obtain your “Total.”

To read more about it, click here.
And, since I know there will be questions about “what should I shoot for,” here’s Rippetoe’s estimate for rankings. While there’s some merit to this since they’re taking body weight into consideration, there are lots of other factors, so please don’t make this chart the end-all be-all to your Total.

There will be more details to come as we get closer to T day. Since a righteous Total workout takes well over an hour, we’ll schedule it on Thursday, March 4, 6-8pm, and Saturday, March 6, 10am-noon (so I don’t wanna hear the excuses!!).

WOD 02.16.10

Deadlift 1×5
Tabata Squats and Sit Ups