I am currently ~310 lbs. I started CrossFit in October and did it fro 3-4 months. I felt like I was not getting what I needed from it. I did really enjoy the strength portions of the workout. In my early 30s, I lost a fair but of weight doing the simple and sinister program. In high school, my bench max was 340lbs. Pavel's stance that someone should be strong first resonated with me. So when I decided to stop doing CrossFit, I set a goal of reaching a 315lbs bench. I am 4 weeks into the reload plan. I am doing bench, rows, and pull downs. I would like to get to the point where I can do a few pull-ups at some point. This is my progress so far. When I tested before beginning the program, I maxed 255lbs. I was able to perform 5 reps with 80% of my 1rpm. This all meant that I was supposed to start at 154 and progress 12.75lbs each week. From the beginning, I have always felt like I had more in the tank. Week 1 I felt good and started at 165. For week 2, I started with 180lbs, but felt good and bumped the weight up to 195 for the last two sets. I increased my weight by 20lbs for weeks 3 and 4. Today, I lifted 225lbs for 5x5. Today was pretty tough though. I think that I am going to bump the weekly jump down to 15 for next week and see how it goes. If I keep the weekly jump at 15lbs for the rest of the program, I will lift 270lbs for 2x2 right before I max, which will set me up to max 285-300 I am guessing. I am fully expecting to get a response of "stick to the program!" Is it a bad idea to extend the 5x5 by a week or 2? Or should I just do another cycle of reload?
