The 603 PTP Program, all in one place
We’ve been making an awful lot of references to our CrossFit affiliate’s strength bias in programming, and to our unwavering dedication to form and technique. During recent posts, we’ve specifically mentioned the 603 PTP program several times. For those of you who weren’t following our CrossFit stuff, our affiliate (formerly called CrossFit 603) programmed a five week “Power to the People” style cycle, focusing on deadlifts and presses. The program was designed to do one thing – make you stronger. We ran the original PTP program in July 2009, but we continue to receive a ton of requests for details – program theory, the specific workouts as written and weight and scaling recommendations.
The program can still be found in full on our CrossFit web site, but we thought we’d make it even easier for you to follow along. As such, you can find a link to the entire five week program on this “hidden” page on the Whole9 site. Our PTP program is outlined in full, including Dallas’ instructions, commentary at transitional points, WOD buy-ins and cash-outs and “extra” workouts programmed amongst the deadlifts and presses.
Enter all your program-related comments, questions and feedback here on this post. We’ll keep it monitored, and help you through your PTP cycle as best as we can. Feel free to post your results here too – we love to hear about strength gains and how they translate to all kinds of different areas of fitness. (Like, getting better at deadlifts will help you jump higher. True story.) Happy heavy stuff!
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WOW! that is great! Thanks =)
I am bookmarking the link today!
I will be doing your PTTP again at some point this year and having everything easily accessible rocksl!!
….Not only does pulling heavier deadlifts help you jump higher, its helped me run faster and have a heavier TGU!
Nadine
(you probably knew you’d be hearing from me with this post ;) LOL!!)
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am starting week 4 of the PTTP, and have been digging through your archives, so having it all in one handy spot is a treat!
Nice! Now that I’ve gone day-by-day and printed the whole thing out :) After I finish this, and get some rest, I’m thinking this would be good for power cleans and front squats.
I hadn’t clicked the link before, that page is awesome! Thanks!
That’s going to be really handy when I eventually come back to the program and do it again. Still though, 25 pounds DL PR, 15 pounds on my Press was awesome, and a I had a lot of fun on the program. I also inadvertantly added about 40 pounds to my back squat, without doing a single one the entire program. Go figure, heavy pulling and pushing work strengthens everything!
I’ve incorporated your philosophy a few weeks ago (right after going back to paleo after being derailed). I hadn’t been able to locate the program from July so I kind of made it up on the fly sticking with a 2×5, 2×5, 3×5, 2×5, 2×5, 5×5 progressive cycle on subsequent workouts for deadlifts and press. I added a wrinkle of doing single arm barbell deadlifts and presses to add some variety.
I can report that a) a nagging stinger around T6 has disappeared and b) a nagging shoulder impingement has completely gone away. Its merely anectdotal, but this programming has worked for me.
@Everyone: We are super happy to hear that people are still interested in (and working!) the program! Keep us posted as to how things are going.
And for Nadine, Jesse and JP… I can vouch for the secondary effects you’ve seen! Last summer, I took minutes off my 5K run without running anything longer than 400M at a time… just by picking up heavy stuff. And anything that makes me better at running WITHOUT having to run is awesome in my book.
Melissa
Awesome! Still some weeks ahead of me before I can get into a gym with any regularity, but the PTP603 will be my “welcome back” program fer sure.
This looks like an awesome program featuring my 2 favorite lifts! I actually just started the CFSB program from the crossfit Journal article as it fits nicely into the way I want to train, which is heavy. I think I might do the PTP program after my CFSB program as right now I want to get my squats up cuz currently i squat like a 12 year old lol. Following that with a press heavy program will be sweet. However I will be stealing some of the buy-ins and cash-outs from that page over the next 6 weeks. Also, Melissa you will be happy to know after reading through your old blog I am on day 4 of my 30 day paleo challenge!
-Jay
Can I ask a couple of questions for those of us outside of the 603? Is the buy-in the entire warmup (or do you do a CF warmup or something else too)? On a day like day 3, is the back squat increasing in weight each set or are the last 3 heavy triples? I know that at CF HQ a 5-5-5-5-5-5 would be working up to a 5 RPM, but I wasn’t sure about a 5-5-5-3-3-3. Thanks again!
@Jay: Nice to see you here. I owe you an email… I’ll get on that. You’ll have to come meet me at Atlantic one of these nights, too. Keep me posted as to how your Whole30 program is coming.
@Aaron: Good questions. You can read about our “Buy-In” and “Cash Out” here. You’ll still want to do a brief warm-up first, but I don’t do anything as high-volume as the CFWU. I’ll jump rope for a few, row for a few or do some KB work – just enough to, like, warm up.
As for our programming, unless we specify “sets across” (meaning, use one weight for all your sets), you’ll probably be working up in weight. Fives mixed with threes are challenging – if it were me, I’d work up to my 5RM, then add a bit more weight (5-10#) and start my first set of 3. Hope that helps.
Melissa
Thanks! I should have l looked a little more first. I really appreciate the help. Is there a section I’ve missed that explains the stretches (e.g. Tuckers’ fill-in-the-blank or Stripper- which I’m afraid to Google at work)? I’m sure I can find the yoga poses online and I already know where to find Boz’s and Burgener’s warmups. Thanks again.
@Aaron: You can Google those phrases + CrossFit Whole9 to see the older WODs in which we explained those movements.
Tucker’s walking lunge hamstring stretch: For the walking lunge stretch, lunge forward with the left leg. Back knee kisses the ground, torso stays vertical. As you stand back up, straighten out the front leg and bend forward, trying to touch your nose to your knee. Then straighten up, step forward with the right leg, lunge and repeat.
Tucker’s against the wall shoulder stretch: http://crossfitwhole9.com/2009/05/gym-nice-tics/
Tucker’s “stripper stretch”: This is like a good morning stretch, with hands out in front of you. Take a step to the side, slightly wider than hip width. With straight legs, send your butt BACK and maintain a tight back arch as your torso comes forward. Extend arms overhead and look out towards the horizon. Stop when your hamstrings tell you to. Hold, return to standing, bring your feet together and repeat. (The position looks like the against-the-wall stretch, except without the wall.)
Great to see everything in one place. I’ve been using the philosophy as well, about week 3 now. Deadlifting is one of my biggest weaknesses. I’ve got it scheduled out for the next 2 months. Should be interesting to see the results.
Ya Melissa I would love to, I def think I am outgrowing the Planet fitness with their 1 squat rack lol. Doing CFSB i pretty much hog it for an hour.
Day 5 of the whole30 going into the weekend and getting nervous I’ll have to stand my ground against any traps, but i think I’m ready. I bought a couple of those Larabars, they are pretty good but maybe a little too sweet, I could see them definitely being a gateway food. I figure I will only have them post workout a couple times a week as it is nice to have something on the drive home from the gym since whey seems to be off the menu for a little while. All in all I’m feeling pretty good 5 days in and I will keep you posted.
BTW I did this simple couplet today for my metcon and it didn’t look so bad on paper but kicked my ass, probably because I am out of shape lol.
10rnds.
10 135# deadlift
10 push-ups
Melissa -
I’m not that familiar with Power to the People. Is the program meant to be done specifically with deadlifts and presses, or are those just the exercises you chose to focus on for their bang for the buck? Could you do a 5 week cycle like this with back squats and bench presses, or front squats and weighted dips, etc. etc.?
What about O-lifts? Do you think the high frequency, low intensity thing would work for say, power cleans and push jerks?
Thanks, this looks great. And the website and articles are very helpful and entertaining.
Tom
@Tom,
The Power to the People program (PTP) works well with good, heavy, weight-bearing movements that can be scaled to be hard-but-not-too-hard for the 3-5 reps per set. DLs and presses are a potent combination for full-body strength, but at various times over the years, I’ve done it with weighted pullups, weighted dips, front squats, back squats, and bench press (back when I cared about bench press). It worked best for me with presses, weighted dips, and deadlifts (though I’m not certain why). You could pick 2 other exercises like FS and weight dips (that sounds like an solid combo), but we really value overhead and full-body strength, so presses and DLs seemed like natural choices. If you have not done a PTP cycle before, I certainly recommend DL and press as your movements. Also, if you’re creating your own PTP cycle, be careful not to overtrain yourself. Lifting heavy stuff 4 days a week requires adequate recovery, a principle that is integral to the PTP’s success. I’d recommend going through our PTP cycle in its entirety, because all the additional workouts factor in the DLs and presses you’re doing. Do NOT add a PTP to your current training program and think you’ll recover fast enough between workouts.
Concerning Olympic lifts, this program is not an optimal O-lifting program because of the huge neurological component to cleans, jerks, and snatches, and the plethora of variations on those movements that are required to maximize your progress. If you’re interested in emphasizing O-lifts, I highly recommend Greg Everett’s “Oly-centric” program at http://www.cathletics.com.
Glad you’re digging our stuff.
Dallas & Melissa,
In the event you’re looking for a blog topic, I would very interested in hearing your thoughts on nutrition and supplementation as they relate to pregnancy (pre-, post-, and during).
Thanks.
Dallas -
Thanks for the response. I’m planning on doing your PTP program in a little while (no can do right now because of a broken right hand). I was mostly just curious about the template. Thanks.
Tom
Thanks so much for this! I am going to give it a run at my gym and see how it goes. I saw in follow up you had a loss in interest from clients. I would be interested in hearing what the strength gains were for the people who stuck it out!
Thomni,
How’s the PTP going? I’d be glad to give you some feedback on how to maximize the Fun Factor while doing the PTP so you can get the most performance gains AND keep people’s interest along the way. I’ve learned some things from our experience, so I’d be glad to pass them along. Best,
Dallas
Melissa and Dallas,
I’ve been loving the PTP. I’ve done every day and been able to keep getting 5 reps every set. Day 22 though has temporarily set me back. My gym doesn’t have boxes so I was using the loading dock out back. It was raining a little and jump 30 sent me to the ER for stitches in both shins, a tetanus shot, and a round of antibiotics- I slipped at the top. I plan to pick back up on day 23 after I recover a little. Thanks again!
Aaron,
Glad your progression is (was…) on track. While it’s good to hit the 5 reps, don’t feel like you have to in order to keep making progress. If your 3rd or 4th rep goes awry, or doesn’t look gorgeous, stop the set. So sorry to hear about your serious run-in with the loading dock. I’ve turned my shins/knees into hamburger enough times to know how it feels (though I’ve never needed stitches in BOTH legs – nice work!). I mucked up my wrist last fall failing on a 58″ box jump, and it cost me almost 3 months of weight-bearing. I’m just NOW getting back to my previous jerk and PP weights. Grrr. So… happy healing, and best of luck. Wear your Whole9/603 scars with PRIDE!
I’m copying/pasting an email conversation here, because the question was great and I want our readers to be able to benefit from the exchange.
From Ewen: “Here is my question about DL gains using the 603 PTP model: Over the course of the program, you end up adding 40-60lbs to the bar on either lift. For the press, this means you will probably be approaching 90% of your old 1RM for an easy set of 3-5, which makes sense, since your old 5RM was probably around 85% of your old 1RM. Hence, you have made progress.
However, if you’re starting with a 400lb+DL, by the end of the cycle you are still only at 75% of your 1RM for a set of 3-5. This is a weight that you could likely lift 7-8 times before even starting the program. Where is the progress?
In this case, should one start at a higher percentage of 1RM, or make bigger jumps in weight? Or does the frequency of the workouts still provide enough of a stimulus to make gains, despite the relatively light weights? Thanks, Ewen.”
From Dallas: “Good question, and I’m glad to answer it. When I programmed the PTP for the 603, a lot of our clients were working on refining their DL technique, and simply getting more comfortable under significant load, so I purposely started them at a pretty low percentage in order to “guarantee” excellent form, to emphasize that concept of “perfect practice”… However, if you’re a strong, experienced deadlifter, by all means, step it up! You could start at 70-73% and go from there.
Also, obviously, the jumps in weight are going to be larger with pulls than presses, but part of the PTP (which I wrote about in the intro post) is intuiting, based on how you feel, when and by how much to progress. I like the “wave cycle” because it gives you at least two workouts with each weight (versus a linear progression). The frequency of the stimulus is the key with this program, but yeah, you’re absolutely right, you’d need to start at a higher weight AND probably make bigger jumps, maybe 10-20# each workout or wave. If it’s so easy that you practically fall asleep during your first work set, bump it up next time.
But… don’t be TOO aggressive about jumping right to a “hard” weight right off the bat, because you’ll quickly hit a point that is beyond your capacity, and miss the opportunity to use frequent, high-quality movements requiring minimal recovery time to make gains. Practice with “easy” weight, and aim to be challenged (or even fail to get 5 perfect reps in a set) within 2-3 weeks. Be well, Dallas.”
Hi Melissa and Dallas,
I just stumbled across old-whats-his-name’s blog about you. I had been reading his blog, because it inspired me, but his personal attack on you was so low! So T-Nation!
Your progressive loading is a beautiful way to build strength and practice lifting technique. It adds another option for Crossfitters to the Black Box programming and Jeff Martin’s CFST, which I am following. That guy must not have been reading the CFJournal, because Coach himself lays out some ideas for progressive barbell training in http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/BeginnersMay03.pdf and encourages people to invent programming that suits their own needs here http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/06_03_CF_Template.pdf .
Some people are trying to split us up, to divide us. To start internet flame-wars and get attention. He was just baiting you to see it you would say something bad about Crossfit and get on Headq’s bad side like brilliant but hot-headed Robb Wolf. Your reply was classy!
Here’s to the big diversity of Crossfit! Strongman, Endurance, Strength Bias, Gymnastics-centered, Oly-focused, whatever. Crossfit-Games-focused, or just health-and-strength-focused! If, eventually, there is a Crossfit on every corner, people will gravitate to one which fits their personality.
Just wanted to leave you guys a comment to let you know I’m working on your PTP program. Thanks for publishing this! I’m on day 3 now, but I know this is going to help me improve my deadlift form, since I’ll be practicing so often. I’m at a 1RM of 185 at the moment, which I am not happy with. Here’s hoping for 200# by the time I’m done!
Also, I’m wishing I could’ve justified the plane ticket to attend your seminar @ CrossFit KoP. I *love* their box, and visit every chance I get. I’m sure you enjoyed spending a Sunday afternoon with the great peeps up there. :)
DAY 37:
I went from 155 to 170 for the Press; Deadlift went from 375 to 405 (with better form).
I under-estimated my starting 1RM and I missed a couple of weeks due to injury (stitches in my shins), but all in all I’m pretty happy with the results. Thanks!
@Vanessa: Thanks for the comments, the support, AND the references. You speak the truth, sister. We’re staying classy.
@CWiss: Way to go! Keep us posted as to how your PTP program is going. If you work the program carefully and follow Dallas’ instructions, I’m betting you’ve got a 200# pull in your future. Stay in touch!
@Aaron. That. Is. Awesome. Holy results! Thanks for being a walking, talking testimonial for the PTP. We’d be interested to hear about how some of your OTHER fitness measures fared along the way… like, did getting stronger help you do better with anything else? (Like running, or met-cons, or gymnastics moves?)
@Melissa. I definitely saw improvements across the board. I think, along with strength, I increased my overall capacity for work/intensity/endurance. For example, yesterday I completed the deadlift/pushup WOD from “the site that shall not be named”, the day after my test for 1RM deadlift. Before starting this program I would have quit at round 6. Also, my running improved. I thought my max effort 400m was 1:30 (on a treadmill)- but, on Day 33, I didn’t have to do any thrusters because my time kept getting shorter (Rd. 3 was 1:24). So, I think I got faster, stronger, increased my endurance, and, maybe more importantly, redefined “max effort”.
I’ll have to get back to you on other new personal bests after I have a chance to test them.
OK wow, I just had to run over here and post my finishing stats!
Starting Stats
Female, 30, 5′10″
180lbs, 35%BF
Deadlift 1RM: 185# (pulled on Jan.22, previous PR from 2009 was 195#)
Press 1RM: 85# (which was a PR in itself!)
Results
Still female, 30, 5′10″ (haha)
174.5lbs, 30%BF
Deadlift 1RM: 215# (+30# BOOYAH!)
Press 1RM: 95# (+5#, I’ll take it!)
I added 30 pounds to my deadlift, 5 pounds to my overhead press, put on four pounds of muscle and lost 11 pounds of fat. That is a whole lot of win.
I have a complete review of my experience with the program written up on my blog with pics and everything. One thing I didn’t mention there that I will add here – last week I also PR’d on my 400m sprint, finally getting it sub-2-minutes (1m55seconds to be exact). I had always pegged that as a goal for some other time, some other program. I’m absolutely blown away by the efficacy of this programming.
Morning folks!
So I’ve decided to give the PTP program a whirl. I exercised for the first time since high school (for the most part) about a year ago, and discovered the-site-that-must-not-be-named in November and have been doing that with a pretty clean Zone diet (lots of lean meat, fruit, some, but not enough, veggies, no grain, no sugar mostly, but plenty of milk and cheese) since. Found Whole 9/UGD via one of Melissa’s posts on the CF forums, and glad I did! Started my (at least) 30 days of strict Paleo today, and will be starting the PTP program tonight. On to the stats!
Starting Stats:
Male, 29, 5′11.5″
172lbs, around 12-14% BF
Deadlift 1RM: 260#, March 3, 2010
Press 1RM: 115, also March 3, 2010
Both of those RMs were part of the CFT which I just happened to do on my b-day.
Probably going to start the first DL work set at 155, second at 140, then 70/65 for the presses. I’ll post more (perhaps with some actual thoughts/feelings/opinions) as time goes on and I get further into the program…
- Justin
Thank you for answering my previous questions. I’m glad you thought they could be helpful to other trainees.
This question is about missing a week of training.
My second-to-last week of 603 PTP got cancelled due to a week-long vacation with no proper gym access (original plans didn’t work out) . I ended up doing higher rep dumbbell work (heaviest available was 50lbs…) with various accessory lifts. So it was almost like a week’s rest and one less week ramping up, leaving me 10-15lbs away from my last programmed lifts.
In a “constantly varied” situation or if I were following a progression with no particular end date, it wouldn’t be a problem, but this basically cut the program short at the worst time. I’m weighing two options:
1. The hell with it, 1RM Press tomorrow and 1RM DL on Monday. This “off” week wasn’t enough to lose the benefits of prior training. Let’s see where I stand.
2. Scale back (to day 20 or so) and go another 2-3 weeks to finish the program properly.
Thoughts?
In looking at this training, where might I look for help on some of the exercises, mostly the gymnastics type moves? Could you also send the answer to my email?
@Amy: Sorry for the delay in response on this post – but your stats are AMAZING, as was the blog post you wrote up. Thanks – again – for the testimonial, and congrats on your success!
@Justin: How did your PTP work out for you? Love to hear how you did with that program PLUS the Whole30.
@Ewen: Eesh… sorry it took us so long to respond, we’ve been slammed this past month. In terms of taking a week off, which I assume you’ve figured out by now… you could have approached it either way and been fine. Let us know what you ended up doing, and how your results turned out. We’re going to be MUCH more on top of comments now, and again, sorry that we left you hanging here.
@Chuck: You can either Google, or check out the CrossFit.com main site and look at their exercise FAQs and/or Demos page. Some of the things we call “Tucker’s XXX” are things we learned while coaching the gymnastics certs with Jeff Tucker, and you may not be able to find those elsewhere. We had descriptions posted on our old CrossFit site, but we had to take that down, and we’re still int he process of moving those workout posts over to this site. If you have a question on one move in particular, please send me an email (melissa@whole9life.com) and I’ll hit you back.
Best,
Melissa
Melissa,
For the sake of completeness, here’s how it turned out.
I decided to go for 1RM’s.
- Press : 155, and several fails at 160+. So a 5lb PR, which I can’t complain about but can’t help but wonder if I could have pushed to 160 with an extra week of real lifting. Cut the P-Press/KTE workout short, that bar just wasn’t moving well. The press is a huge weakness of mine. I think shoulder/torso mobility issues are holding me back.
- DL : 455(F) x3. Going for an easy-to-load “opening weight” (5lb PR) annnnnd, couldn’t lock it out. Each time it was close, but at some point my body decided it wasn’t going to happen and my grip actually gave out. My grip has always been a weakness but I can usually do 420 in my sleep (or, say, a few hours after running a marathon), so I didn’t expect 455 to be such a big deal.
Looking at my log, I can only conclude that I’m a moron. Despite Dallas’ advice and against my better judgement, I somehow managed to play it too safe with the DL weights; I should have started higher and used bigger jumps. Live and learn, I guess. I’ll know how to approach this kind of cycle better next time.
Good morning to all.
Just read through the 603 PTP idea and all the posts that go along with it and I must say that I am intrigued with what I have learned.
Forgive my basic ignorance when I ask – what kind of press is to be used in this program? May be my lack of sleep talking but I cannot see a single tree in spite of the forest of information here. Thanks to anyone that can enlighten me. I certainly appreciate it.
Glenn,
We’re talking about a standing barbell shoulder press. On our site (and many other high-quality training sites), “press” is defined as a standing shoulder press, much like a “squat” is a high-bar, full range-of-motion back squat. Hope this helps. Best of luck, and keep us posted on your progress if you jump on board the PTP program.
Dallas
Dallas and Melissa -
I have been reading your sites for a while now, have enjoyed your upfront attitude with the whole 30 program and received some great tips about being/going paleo. I originally found your sites when someone posted the “big ups” video link of Dallas jumping on police cars in a local crossfit affiliate blog. AWESOME stuff. Today is my first day of the PTP program thanks so much for posting this and openly sharing so much. I keep looking for a seminar with you both in the Cincinnati area hopefuly that will come. I am going to start a blog to keep track of my progress, thanks again for your great work.
j~
Jason,
Look for us in Cincinnati… sometime. Or, better yet, talk to your local gym owner and get them to host a workshop! Good luck with your PTP, and keep us posted on your progress.
Do you have another link to Tucker’s shoulder stretch and the stripper stretch because the ones in the comments don’t work anymore. So far so good…
Guys, just a quick question: I have daily PT with my unit that I obviously can’t avoid doing, and lately we’ve been doing CF stuff that is definitely taxing. Would you recommend adding the PTP program on top, or would the training value be lost if it were layered as an afternoon session on top of morning PT? I ask because rest was such a big part of Starting Strength and I’m not sure if the same focus applies here.
@Jason: Sorry for the delay, we’ve been working hard to get the old CrossFit 603 posts imported over to the Whole9 site. It’s just taking a lot longer than we thought, given our travel schedule right now. As soon as we get them loaded, I’ll post the links here. Thanks for your patience.
@Max: The PTP is designed to be a stand-alone program, NOT to be dumped or added on top of other programs. The volume and intensity of the workouts you’re already doing rules out the PTP. Skip it until you can devote four or five weeks straight just to the protocol.
Best,
Melissa