Sitting on a rower for 30 minutes is not exactly easy.
After 20 minutes, you’ve had enough.
After 25 minutes, you’re about to scream.
After 28 minutes, you convert minutes to seconds and just keep going.
Then try 10 minutes on the bike right afterwards.
I strained a muscle in my right arm again, so I’ve been doing no heavy weight. Today, I decided to row for 30 minutes and bike for 10 minutes for active recovery and because I felt like doing nothing else at the end of a long (and frustrating) week.
It’s been a while since I’ve done a 30 minute row. And, afterwards, I remember why.
Still, it strengthened my mental fortitude — something I need in CrossFit right now with the CrossFit Open right around the corner.
Today I got to work out for the first time after my surgery. It was glorious. To feel my heart race again and try and beat the clock. Magic!
For those of you who do CrossFit, you know you walk around in a state of perpetual soreness. Since I haven’t been working out, I haven’t had that. Today I got it back. I used to bemoan the fact I’m always sore. Then I accepted the fact I was always sore. Now, for the first time, I missed the soreness of CrossFit.
Today I got to work out for the first time after my surgery. It was glorious. To feel my heart race again and try to beat the clock. Magic!
At my last competition, the Turkey Challenge, we had a WOD with sandbags. I fell in love — so much so I bought two sandbags from Brute Force for myself for Christmas. One I filled with 35 pounds and one with 62 pounds.
Filling sandbags is not as easy as it sounds. Here are the steps and methods I utilized:
Working out with Sandbags
Buy sand (play sand is recommended) from your local hardware store or superstore
Fill the filler bags accordingly. A less filled bag is more unstable and will tax your grip and balance more. We used a funnel and a measuring cup that had a pour spout. This enabled us to accurately fill the bags with the same amount of sand.
Use a scale. After filling the bags, we would weigh the bags on a scale to make sure they were equal.
These Brute Force bags come with military-grade velcro. Velcro the bags and place them in the outer shell bag, shaking to make even.
You’re ready to begin!
WHY TRAIN WITH SANDBAGS
Sandbag training is utilized for unstable load training which is the ability to unconventionally move or lift an odd object that is unstable or has an uneven load efficiently. This type of training provides a much more dynamic and challenging training experience. You must engage your body’s stabilizer muscles, building coordinated strength and balance throughout your entire body.
Unstable load training is definitely challenging, no doubt about it. And fun. Once I’m healed from my surgery, I can’t wait to get started!
For the third year in a row, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving by doing a CrossFit WOD called
Preparing for Work
Murph. A hero workout named for Lt Michael Murphy, who died in Afghanistan serving our country, it consists of:
1 mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 air squats
1 mile run
This is one of the most famous CrossFit workouts and is traditionally programmed for Memorial Day around the country. However, I began doing this on Thanksgiving as well three years ago to commemorate the Fallen.
The weather was perfect: 55 degrees and sunny. I invited one friend and it was him and me who performed it. It was fun. It wasn’t my best time, but I wasn’t pushing all out. It was, again, just doing the movement and enjoying life. Thank you to all who have served our country and especially to those who have made the greatest sacrifice and given their lives. Words are not enough.
Last night, I went to bed at 6:30 pm. I was physically exhausted — something I am definitely not used to.
After a 2-day CrossFit Competition, and I worked out yesterday morning with no rest day (I squatted and did a workout with a run, hang power snatches, and burpee box jumps), I was dragging all day at work and when I came home, I was tired. I couldn’t even eat dinner. I just went straight to bed.
CrossFit Competitions will wear you out — emotionally and physically. You want to do your best, you’re disappointed when you don’t do your best, you stress over the details like the drive down and when to eat, and then there’s the actual workouts themselves, which are bears to get through.
The Importance of Sleep after a CrossFit Competition
Preparing for CrossFit Workout
All of this equals exhaustion. When this happens, listen to your body and get some rest. Sleep is so important with CrossFit to let your body heal, recover, and rejuvenate. Here’s my advice after a CrossFit competition or some other grueling workout, such as a Tough Mudder or Spartan Race:
Get extra sleep. This will allow vital tissues and muscles to recover and recuperate after what you’ve just put them through.
Drink more than you think you’ll need. I usually lose about 4 pounds every CrossFit competition. Most of this is water weight. At a CrossFit competition, you usually don’t drink much because you don’t want to have to go to the bathroom, you forget, or you’re just too nervous. Afterwards, you need to replenish. Drink extra water and recovery drinks for optimal muscle recovery.
Take rest days. I’m a hypocrite. I don’t do this. I don’t like to get behind on my training. Yet, you usually suffer if you don’t (or you’re so tired you lose a whole night!). Give your body some well-deserved time off.
Take inventory of what you’ve learned. I learned a lot from this last CrossFit competition. I learned once again I’m stronger than I think I am when I flipped a 300 pound tire multiple times. I learned I need to practice on a bar that I can’t touch the ground on. I learned I can still kick ass when the I have to, especially if the moves are in my wheelhouse. I learned I still have the fire to compete that I thought I had lost from burn-out. I learned I’m just as good as others, if not better.
The whole point of CrossFit competitions is to learn from them, push yourself, and be proud of your achievement. You probably won’t win them all. But within each competition, there will be a personal victory — either a move you did you didn’t think you could do or a workout you annihilated.
Keep in mind why you compete in CrossFit, and you’ll just keep getting better and better.
Two-day CrossFit Competitions are rough: You’re tired from Day 1 and you have another tough day ahead of you.
Day 2 of the Turkey Challenge began with a “Burden Run,” and, yes, it is just what you think it is.
Wearing a 10 pound weight vest, you had to run with a 60 pound sandbag on your back for 150 meters, do 10 back squats with the bag, 6 lateral burpees over the bar, and then do max calories on the rower. 5 rounds. 2:30 minutes each. 30 seconds rest in-between.
I actually did really well on this one, except once I couldn’t get the bag up. But I got 4th place.
I did 7 tire flips with a 300 pound tire (never done that before).
AND I won my final WOD: 10 rounds of 15 double unders and 1 rope climb.
Overall, a great day. It boosted my confidence after the first day and has got me wanting more. After I take a break and get my tooth fixed.
Lessons Learned from 2-Day CrossFit Competitions
Double Unders at CrossFit Competition
You get to do exercises you otherwise don’t: sandbag runs with a weight vest and tire flips.
I’m stronger than I think I am. I did 300 pound tire flips — 7 of them — and I didn’t think I could do one.
Overall, a great competition. Fun to watch. Learned a lot. Got remotivated for CrossFit. Good, albeit long, weekend!
On a snowy day in Colorado, today was Day 1 of the 2018 Turkey Challenge in Superior, CO, at the Sport Stable arena. I competed in the Masters competition and my daughter competed in the Teens Division.
I could have done better but tomorrow is Day 2, and I’m hoping to improve. I definitely need a break as I’m feeling burnt out on CrossFit competitions, and it’s showing.
It was fun to do with my daughter (this is her first CrossFit competition). It’s a popular one in Colorado, so it was packed. Lots of vendors, lots of excitement, and Matt Chan. What more could one ask for?
Matt Chan at Turkey Challenge Crossfit Competition
Pace yourself. Two days is a lot, and you want to save some in the tank for Day 2 of the CrossFit Competition.
Realize there are people better than you. I win some CrossFit competitions, but I lose many as well. It all depends on who shows up, and if the workouts play to your strengths.
Bring lots of food, water, and energy drinks. You’ll be hungrier than you think you’ll be.
Show up early to find out where the workouts will be held. With such a big venue, it’s easy to get lost. Take the stress out of your CrossFit competition, and be early to find your way around.
Teen Crossfit CompetitionSnatches at CrossFit Competition
If you’re like me, getting out of bed in the morning can be rough, especially if you’re exhausted, sore, cold, and sleep deprived.
This morning, the absolute last thing I wanted to do was workout. I’m sore still from heavy snatches. My wrist has been hurting for some reason. I just have no motivation, and my mental capacity is not there.
3 Tips for When You Don’t Want to Get Out of Bed
Have a motivating factor. For me, this is coffee and my space heater. I heat up the bathroom and sit in there for a few minutes. Then I drink coffee.
Go over in your mind your day. This helps me get started when I think of all the things I have to do that day, and all the things I just want to be over (like heavy snatches).
Keep in mind the end game. I love it when I’m done for the day, and I just get to sit and do my own thing (like blogging!). Work is part of life but we all live for play — whatever that looks like for you. Get work over with, so you can do what you want to do with the rest of your day.
CrossFit Training
3 Tips for When You Don’t Want to Go to the Gym
Do your own workout at home that caters to your needs. Today, I didn’t want to do anything heavy or any pulling. So I came up with my own workout of the day (WOD): 200 m run, 10 sit ups, 10 push ups, and 10 air squats for AMRAP 20 (as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes). It was perfect as an active recovery, and what I needed that day.
If you’re not there mentally, take a rest day. Today there was no way I was going to accomplish any workout cause I needed a mental break. Sometimes you don’t have to push yourself. Rest days are okay.
Go for a walk. I find being outside — no matter what I’m doing — is more exhilarating than a workout sometimes. Take a walk, listen to nature, and ponder the universe. We all need to do this occasionally.
You know yourself better than anyone. Listen to what your body needs, and don’t stress about a change in routine. Your mind and body will thank you!
Yesterday, I did a workout that was 5 minutes of work with 5 minutes of rest for three rounds. It involved a 400 m run, pull ups, and a bike. It was a great workout and I really pushed myself.
Today, I just finished a workout of 30 power snatches, 1 mile run and then 30-20-10 reps of kettlebell swings and thrusters.
Both were great workouts. But the first one I pushed myself, went really fast, but had rest. The last one I concentrated on doing the reps of the snatches, a run, and then directly into the other reps with no break except to change weight on the bar.
Both felt great but I got different benefits from them.
BENEFITS OF MODALITIES IN CROSSFIT
Mental conditioning. Knowing a rest was coming allows you to push yourself more because you know you get a break. Knowing you don’t have any rest is more of a marathon/pace workout where you don’t want to run out of steam too quickly.
Physical conditioning. You need to work all your metabolic pathways (Short distance training- anaerobic training and Long distance training- aerobic training), which makes you better at both.
Constantly-varied, high-intensity workouts. The reason CrossFit is so successful is it is constantly-varied and you get an amazing workout. You constantly keep your body guessing as to what it will be working and you never get bored, so you’ll be more likely to stick to your exercise routine.
Pushing yourself is important if you want to progress. Equally important is finding your pace and sticking it when you need to–so you can push your long-distance (aerobic training). You need both in constantly-varied movements to accomplish your fitness goals. Happy Training!
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.
My Journey to the CrossFit Games 