The local crossfit gym owner asked me what I thought about a strength cycle for her crossfitters for a few months in the winter.  I tried to tell her that a lot of this comes down to priorities and if you want to get stronger you can't be as focused on gymnastics or conditioning (not that those are ignored, just not prioritized).  She's been thinking of something like a 5/3/1 system, but it really doesn't work well for the entire crossfit group with widely varied goals- and especially with varied workout intensities from the WODs.

My thought was that if she uses a 3 day/week system of deadlifts (Monday), OHP (Wednesday) and Squats (Friday) and use an RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) system where the deadlift peaks one week, OHP the next week and Squats the third week and each lift has a de-load the weak after peaking.
RPE systems work like this-

10 – Absolute maximum

9.5 – No more reps could be performed, but weight could be increased

9 – 1 more repetition could be completed

8.5 – 1-2 are in the tank

8 – 2 reps are left

7.5 – 2-3 reps are left

7 – 3 reps are left

This would allow the lifters to adapt intensity based on their crossfit workouts and recovery, but still push their max lifts in an undulating peaking format.

This would look like-
Week 1
Deadlift - RPE 7
OHP - RPE 4 (deload)
Squat - RPE 9/9.5

Week 2
Deadlift - RPE 8
OHP - RPE - 7
Squat - RPE - 4 (deload)

Week 3
Deadlift RPE 9/9.5
OHP - RPE 8
Squat - RPE 7

Week 4
Deadlift - RPE 4 (deload)
OHP - RPE 9/9.5
Squat - RPE 8

Thoughts?  Maybe bring all the RPE numbers down one notch for the first month, then back to these number the second and third months to get a better increase in weight the second month?

@Rolandofgilead
@HeavyMetal
@LawyerUp

(any other crossfitters I should tag?)

Not sure I'm tracking exactly how that works- I understand the RPE, but is it just one set? 2 or 3 sets?

Sounds interesting. I lift at my gym and jump into CF workouts occasionally for conditioning, and they do 5/3/1 in normal class. It works okay, but as you said it definitely effects the CF workouts and vice versa.

As I understand it (I haven't done this kind of a program myself) you just warm up and do a single set as prescribed.

I think one of the big concerns is that some of the crossfitters don't really like lifting, they just get through it when they have to.  So anything too dedicated to strength will have them dropping out for the winter.  It seems like this will let them keep whatever misguided focus they have and still gain some strength

A couple programs I've found.

CrossFit Football uses a linear progression SWOD (strength WOD), followed by your WOD.
Mon - Squats, Presses
Tue - Deadlifts
Thu - Squats, Presses
Fri - Clean

http://powerathletehq.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/PA-Guide-to-CFFB-v1.pdf

Another one is CrossFit Weightlifting.  More focus on weightlifting/strength training along with a daily WOD.  Burgener used to program it.  Uses 5/3/1 with weightlifting movement and WOD.

Mon - Snatch complex, Squat 5/3/1, WOD
Tue - Press 5/3/1, WOD
Wed - Conditioning, WOD
Fri - Clean complex, DL 5/3/1, WOD
Sat - Conditioning, Bench 5/3/1, WOD

Program begins on 11/14
http://crossfitweightlifting.com/category/wod/crossfit-training/page/5/

You can skim through what other boxes do.  Invictus has 3 programs, competition, performance and fitness.  Scroll through their history to find the start of a strength cycle and how they did it.
https://www.crossfitinvictus.com/category/wod/performance/

I don't think RPE and newb lifters will go very well.

Something like a basic 5x5, starting light but with a potential for accelerating progressions for those with the strength.

I'm partial to the below variant - 3 days a week, two alternating weeks - pretty straightforward yet can deliver a lot of newb gains quickly.

Ah I see.

Might be potential there, but I tend to agree it may not be great for newbs. They have NO idea what real exertion is. I see it on the 5+ sets on 5/3/1. They have no idea how to do a hard set like that.

For the intermediate guys it could be pretty cool.

I admittedly like 5/3/1 paired with CF though, but you're right a lot of weaker CF guys don't like it...because they're weak...it's a vicious cycle.

Makes me look good though

Good stuff, thanks Tanren37

RE: newb lifters, I don't consider them to be newbs at all, just not very dedicated to strength.  Their skill/technique at the lifts is great and most of them have been doing the lifts for a few years at least, it's just not a priority.  Most of them I think have a pretty good idea of what a max intensity feels like.

I ran Jordan Feigenbaum's RPE program earlier this year. Basically you did an RPE8 or 9 single before your work sets. Your work sets increased in RPE but stayed constant in reps

So something like this (going off memory here)

Monday (Competition Squat day)
Squat) 1 @ RPE9, drop to 3x5 or 5x5 @ RPE8
Bench) pause bench 4 @ RPE7,8,9,9,9
RDL) 7 @ RPE6,7,8,8,8

Weds (Competition Bench)
Bench) 1 @ RPE9, 5x5 @ RPE8
Squat) pause squat 4@ RPE7,8,9,9,9
Press) 7@RPE6,7,8,8,8,8

Fri (Competition DL)
Deadlift) 1@ RPE9, 3x5 or 5x5 @ RPE8
Bench) Touch and go, 4x5 @ RPE8
Squat) front squat 7x4 @ RPE8
Incline DB or BP) 8 @ RPE6,7,8,8,8,8

That's probably too much lifting for the crossfitters you mentioned that don't like lifting though, so you may want to cut out some of the volume. For example instead of doing a set at 6, 7, and then 4 at 8 just do three sets at 8. Probably can cut out some of the variations too (one of the bench variations? pause squats? add in cleans somewhere?). I will echo the above that RPE is hard for beginners who haven't been tested on true grueling RPE10 lifts before (whether they hit or failed them), and that it's a lot of math involved and hard to adjust on the fly. I made a spreadsheet to calculate my lifts for the day based on my last lifting session before I got to the gym, but if I got there and felt the weight was too heavy or light, I had to wing it a bit.

ETA also how many reps in your schedule in the OP, just basically have them stop when they feel they've achieved that RPE? Like if the goal is RPE8, pick a weight and start cranking out reps until they feel they only have two more in the tank, then stop?

exertion in a WOD is different than exertion on a strength movement...you know what I mean? Beginner lifters aren't good at judging that.

RPE seems to be the in thing right now.

Are the people in the gym going to be experienced enough (and honest enough) to correctly gauge it for themselves?

I was under the impression that it was a tool for advanced trainees.

How strong are you going to get in a few months?

Crossfit is still dumb.

Yep, but I think the coaches should be able to keep the less driven/inexperienced going.  It just seems like a strict 5/3/1 style where the weights and reps are set based on a 1RM isn't as good of an idea for them when they could have a tough WOD once or twice a week and artificially adjust their performance on the lifts.  RPE automatically adjusts for that.

Not very.  IMO it's a huge deficiency in the local gym, they don't focus on strength much at all and when they try over half of the pansies complain that they don't like barbell stuff, they want to do adult playground games.  I'm pretty sure if there was a timer involved they'd play hop-scotch and pay to do it.

I squatted their pre-WOD today, 4x5 @ 80%.  I have no idea what my 1RM is, so I did 345lbs and it was plenty tough for me.

Different issue, I think.  The idea behind the RPE is that you have good days and bad days, and especially with a daily crossfit schedule you could perform really well one day and really poorly the next because of a tough WOD.  The RPE doesn't care what your 1RM is, it's just 'could you have gotten one/two/three more?'  So it's really adaptable to highly fluctuating 1RMs.

After a few sessions, RPE just becomes % based the majority of the time, just with lesser percentage when “you ain’t feeling it”—at least that’s what it devolves to when I do it.

I wouldn’t use it on folks that aren’t “into” lifting, too complicated...(I personally like it though)