May 23 – Big Training Day: Deadlifts, WOD & Hyrox Metcon

Today, Friday, May 23rd, 2025, was one of those all-encompassing training days that really tests your limits from multiple angles. It started with some focused strength work, moved into the daily CrossFit Birch Bender WOD, and then finished with a targeted posterior chain metcon designed with Hyrox in mind. I was feeling pretty beat up going in, a clear sign that it’s been a hard week of workouts and my CNS is definitely feeling fried. I opted for some slower transitions today, listening to my body. A rest day is probably in order for tomorrow, maybe just a light recovery run, but we’ll see how I feel!

Part 1: High-Volume Deadlifts

The day kicked off with a bit of high-intensity, moderate-weight deadlifting, focusing on volume and building resilience.

The Warmup:

• Deadlift: 135 lbs x 20 reps

The Strength Work:

• 3 sets of:
  • Deadlift: 225 lbs x 20 reps
  • Rest 2:00 between sets

My Experience: This was tough. Twenty reps at 225 lbs is a significant amount of volume. The first two sets felt manageable, but that third set was a real grinder. By rep 15, I was really feeling it and had to dig deep to maintain form and push through. It’s these kinds of sets that build mental fortitude as much as physical strength.

Part 2: CrossFit Birch Bender WOD

After the deadlifts, I jumped into the day’s workout programmed at CrossFit Birch Bender. This had a few distinct components:

1. Farmer’s Carry:

• 3 Sets of 100′ Axle Farmer’s Carry (Target: 205 lbs per hand)
• Rest 2:00 between sets

My Experience: The deadlifts beforehand definitely had an impact here! I attempted the 205 lbs per hand on axles but was only able to make it about 50 feet on the first attempt. My grip and posterior chain were already fatigued. To ensure I got the stimulus, I scaled down for the remaining distance and sets, opting for 106 lbs kettlebells per hand. I managed to complete the remaining 250′ (50′ of the first set + 2×100′ for sets 2 & 3) by running with the kettlebells, which turned it into a different kind of challenge.

2. Bicep Ladder (100 Reps Total):

• 4 sets of:
  • 25 DB Bicep Curls with 25 lb dumbbells
  • Rest 0:15 between sets

My Experience: This was super tough, primarily due to the incredibly short 15-second rest periods. The pump was intense, and maintaining form for all 25 reps in the later sets was a real battle.

3. Tricep Ladder (1-10-1 Rep Scheme):

• Banded Tricep Extensions (Purple Band)
• Rep Scheme: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
• Rest 10 seconds between sets

My Experience: This wasn’t too bad, actually. The progressive nature of the ladder and the short rests kept it engaging, but the band tension allowed for good quality reps throughout without complete failure.

Part 3: Posterior Focused Metcon (Hyrox Workout)

After the CrossFit WOD, I went back to my own programming for a nice posterior-focused metcon, keeping that Hyrox in Toronto this October in mind. My watch glitched once again on the heart rate for the initial part but decided to show up from item #12 onwards, so we can trust the heart rate data from that point.

This Hyrox Workout Blueprint: Posterior Chain Endurance

Here’s the structure of this metcon. The goal was to target the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back while maintaining a solid aerobic effort with the machine work.

The Workout:

• 3 Rounds of:
  • 400m Row Erg
  • 20 Slant Board Landmine Reverse Lunges (10 per leg) @ 90 lbs
• 3 Rounds of:
  • 1000m Bike Erg
  • 20 Landmine Curtsy Squats (10 per leg) @ 90 lbs
• 3 Rounds of:
  • 400m Ski Erg
  • 20 Ring Hamstring Curls

Movement Breakdown & Rationale:

Let’s look at why these specific exercises were chosen for this posterior-focused Hyrox workout:

400m Row Erg & Slant Board Landmine Reverse Lunges: The row is a great full-body primer that heavily engages the posterior chain. Slant board reverse lunges, especially with a landmine, emphasize the quads but also heavily recruit glutes and hamstrings for stability and drive, with the slant board increasing range of motion and knee focus.
Why I chose them: To pre-fatigue the legs and posterior chain with the row, then challenge unilateral strength, stability, and deeper muscle recruitment with the specialized lunge variation.

1000m Bike Erg & Landmine Curtsy Squats: The bike provides a longer aerobic stimulus, primarily leg-driven. Landmine Curtsy Squats are excellent for targeting the glute medius and adductors, adding a different plane of motion and stability challenge compared to traditional squats or lunges.
Why I chose them: To build aerobic capacity on the bike and then hit the glutes and inner thighs from a unique angle, enhancing hip stability and strength. 90lbs for the landmine movements provided a good challenge for 10 reps per leg in this metcon format.

400m Ski Erg & Ring Hamstring Curls: The Ski Erg is a fantastic metabolic conditioner that, while full-body, requires a strong posterior chain engagement for the pull-through. Ring Hamstring Curls are a very challenging bodyweight exercise that directly isolates and strengthens the hamstrings and glutes.
Why I chose them: To get a final metabolic blast on the Ski Erg and then target the hamstrings with a high-skill, high-tension bodyweight movement to ensure complete posterior chain fatigue.

My Experience & Key Takeaways (Posterior Metcon):

By the time I got to this metcon, I was definitely feeling the accumulation of the day’s work. As mentioned, I opted for pretty easy, slow transitions off the machines into the lifts to manage my energy and focus on form, especially with a fried CNS. The total time for this metcon was 32 minutes and 4 seconds. The Slant Board Landmine Reverse Lunges were very challenging, especially in the higher rep range of 10 per leg, likely due to the extended range of motion these allow for. For the Landmine Curtsy Squats, I really felt the glute activation on these, but they were otherwise much easier than the lunges; I’ll have to go heavier next time. The Ring Hamstring Curls were, as always, a humbling finisher for the hamstrings. The machine intervals were about maintaining a steady, sustainable pace rather than pushing for records today.

Why This Type of Multi-Part Training Day Can Be Effective (and Risky!):

Days like this, with multiple distinct training sessions targeting different aspects of fitness, can be highly effective for building overall work capacity, strength in various domains, and mental toughness. However, they also place significant stress on the body and nervous system.

• Benefits: Simulates long event days, builds huge volume tolerance, addresses multiple fitness components.
• Considerations: Requires careful attention to recovery, nutrition, and listening to your body to avoid overtraining or injury. Not something to do every day!

It’s clear my CNS took a hit this week, and a recovery day is definitely needed. Sometimes pushing the limits shows you exactly where those limits are and reminds you of the importance of rest and recovery in a hard training cycle.

What do your big training days look like? How do you manage recovery? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Posterior Legs Metcon Summary

• Workout Name: POSTERIOR LEGS (Metcon Segment)
• TOTAL TIME: 32:04
• CALORIES: 235
• AVG HR: 110 bpm (from item #12 onwards)
• Date: Fri, May 23, 2025 at 06:06 P.M. (Metcon Start Time)
• Synced: Synced from Watch
• Focus: Posterior Chain Strength & Endurance Metcon
• Type: FOR TIME – 32:04

Detailed Metcon Log (Posterior Legs)

#	TYPE	TIME	HR
1	400m Row Erg	01:34
2	20 Slant Board Landmine Reverse Lunges	02:19
3	400m Row Erg	01:36
4	20 Slant Board Landmine Reverse Lunges	01:53
5	400m Row Erg	01:41
6	20 Slant Board Landmine Reverse Lunges	01:54
7	1km Bike Erg	02:07
8	20 Landmine Curtsy Squats	02:24
9	1km Bike Erg	01:58
10	20 Landmine Curtsy Squats	01:28
11	1km Bike Erg	01:53
12	20 Landmine Curtsy Squats	01:56	145
13	400m Ski Erg	01:50	149
14	20 Ring Hamstring Curls	01:24	147
15	400m Ski Erg	01:47	135
16	20 Ring Hamstring Curls	01:28	142
17	400m Ski Erg	01:38	152
18	20 Ring Hamstring Curls	01:04	148

Row Erg Pace Analysis (Metcon)

Segment	Distance	Time	Pace (/500m)
1	400m	01:34	1:57.5
2	400m	01:36	2:00.0
3	400m	01:41	2:06.3

Bike Erg Pace Analysis (Metcon)

Segment	Distance	Time	Pace (/km)
1	1000m	02:07	2:07.0
2	1000m	01:58	1:58.0
3	1000m	01:53	1:53.0

Ski Erg Pace Analysis (Metcon)

Segment	Distance	Time	Pace (/500m)
1	400m	01:50	2:17.5
2	400m	01:47	2:13.8
3	400m	01:38	2:02.5