About a month ago, I came across the End of Three Fitness Homepage, when browsing different CrossFit pages online. I was very impressed by the content of the page, and wrote a recommendation on the blog. This lead me to get in contact with the guy behind EOT, Jerred, and he told me about a new strength-training concept that he was launching called “One Man One Barbell”. Long story short, I agreed to give it a try.
The overall structure:
- 5 exercises / 3-week cycle
- 4 heavy sets and then a lot of volume with semi-heavy weight
- The strength part takes about 45 min to complete and it’s possible to combine it with a specific conditioning (CF-inspired) program.
My experience:
First of all, it should be noted that I started the program just about when the 2013 CrossFit Games Opens started and for that reason, I ran in to some logistic challenges. I had to tweak the program a little, even though I would normally never do this for a review (my apologies, Jerred). What I did was basically just to condense the program into 2 days instead of 5 days. This meant that I left out 1 lift and combined 2 lifts into 1 training session:
Day 1: Deadlift + Push press + conditioning
Day 2: Back squat + Power snatch + conditioning
A part from that, I had 2 rest days and 3 ‘CrossFit’ days.
Overall, I really enjoyed following the program and especially embraced the fact that you have time (and energy) for supplementary workouts and skills. I did some of the conditioning workouts also, and I found them quite fun. In the beginning, I was a bit apprehensive starting a new routine while doing the Opens, but it turned out to be a really good idea! The OMOB program has definitely helped me maintain/develop my strength while doing the Opens workouts. For obvious reasons I have not gone for max attempts on the squat and deadlift – but I was able to set a new PR in power snatch and I also did a round of the Bear Complex with 75 kg (my old 3 RM front squat and 1 RM jerk).
I’m already starting a new cycle, and I’m excited to see how the program will perform in the long run. For this second cycle, I have chosen to occlude power snatch – I found that the high volume with this exercise was a bit too hard on the hands. Instead I have chosen to include weighted chin-ups.
Furthermore, I would also like to try this program with a bit more “weight by feel” approach. For some reason, I seemed that the percentages were a bit conservative for my liking… But then again, it appeared to work out fine for my boyfriend, when be joined the training sessions. Maybe women are just relatively stronger than men 😉
I would recommend this program if you:
- Normally like simplistic programming like Wendler 5/3/1 or Starting Strength
- Want a program that leaves time and energy for other sports/activities
In that sense, I think it is an obvious chose for CrossFit athletes in the competition season. – Ditte
For more information, check out:
http://www.onemanonebarbell.com/
FIT AS FU*K 
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