Any WOD (workout of the day) under 10 minutes is not my cup of tea. This is why I often don’t place at CrossFit competitions because due to time constraints most of the workouts are under 10 minutes. Any workout over 20 minutes I do good at and if it’s a competition, I usually win.
Today’s Workout was a 20 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of power cleans, burpees, and a run. This WOD was fun! It was light enough weight (95 lbs) and a good number of reps (7) to keep you moving. Naturally, when 20 minutes came, I didn’t want to stop. So I didn’t.
And because I was working out by myself and there’s no class after mine I didn’t have to. I just kept going.
individual CrossFit competition. I did this one last year and had a blast, so I signed up for it again.
This CrossFit competition did not disappoint. The day began with Fran (thrusters and pull ups), which normally I’m really good at, but for some reason I was a whole minute slower on Fran. The 8 am-10 am workout times are hard for me.
Then I had the floater which was a bike and snatches. This took place outside, and the weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm.
I won the second event of burpee box jump overs, toes to bar, and dumbbell deadlifts.
The third event had a lot of dumbbells, heavy cleans, and a row. The row slowed me down. It was fine.
I ended up second place overall in this CrossFit competition. CrossFit Sanitas is a great host. Great people. Awesome workouts and great Crossfit programming. Good day for competing!
I went to do a workout at 4:30 pm this week. Not late, right?
Well, for my body, it’s late.
I’m used to working out early in the morning. When I vary my routine, my whole body is thrown into a tizzy. I usually don’t feel good afterwards.
Why Routines are Important
Your body is conditioned for habit. In fact, you function better when you’re on a schedule. Every time you have to make a decision, you are adding stress to your life. The more daily decisions you have to make, the more out of control you’ll feel according to psychologists.
CrossFit One Arm Front Squat
When you program routine into your life, you:
Sleep better
Make better big decisions
Have more time for family
Have more time for hobbies
When you switch things up, be prepared for a major protest.
When it Takes Everything You Have to Get through a CrossFit WOD
This week, it took everything I had to get through it. There was a run programmed. I think what I did could be classified as a run, but a 5k race pace it was definitely not.
It was hard. My body protested every movement.
Lessons from Varying CrossFit Workout Routines:
Listen to your body. Scale when you need to scale. Half-ass when you need to.
Try to get extra rest the night ahead of time. This will help get you through the day and prepare your body for the variance.
Plan your meals accordingly. You’ll most likely have to switch up your eating times when you switch your workout routine.
Maximize recovery drinks and food afterwards. Drink extra water because your body will need it.
I love going to CrossFit classes with my community, so I will continue to strive to make it to classes even when my body protests.
Yesterday, I competed in a CrossFit masters’ competition at CrossFit Frontier in Cheyenne, WY.
I’ve never done a masters only CrossFit competition, and this one was fun. It was divided into 5 year groups, beginning with age 35 and then from 50 plus. I went with a couple others from my CrossFit Box and had support from my gym, which always makes for a sweet time.
The strength event I did better than I had hoped for. The second event that was predominantly body weight I did well. The last event almost killed me with single-arm dumbbell weights and a bike at the end, but I got through it.
CrossFit Frontier was a great host. Nice owners. Fun people. Nice facilities. I will definitely do this one again next year!
I wrote recently on the advantages of designing your own programming and working out alone. Earlier this week I was thinking how CrossFit is all about me.
HOW CROSSFIT IS ALL ABOUT ME
I work out when I want to.
I don’t feel the pressure to push myself when I don’t feel mentally or physically up for it.
I do workouts I want to do and ones that fit my physical state that day.
I can change workouts at the last minute when I feel a tweak or wake up exhausted.
I can practice moves and go really slow or do heavier weights and go really slow, which builds my strength without feeling pressure to finish or beat anyone.
Going slow I notice things about my moves I need to fix such as hand position, etc.
I do CrossFit for me. I do it for how it makes me feel, how it makes me look, and the accomplishments I achieve over time. CrossFit is all about me. And I love it!
