I wanted to do a run after my regular workout, and I was thinking an 800 m run would
CrossFit Assault Bike
suffice.
Well, there’s a workout I have been wanting to do all week that is 2 rounds of a 400 m run and 21 thrusters (a front squat into a push press) at 65 lbs.
Why not do this one, I thought.
Not the best idea. Even though I love thrusters, after DT yesterday (a CrossFit Hero workout that involves deadlifts, hang power cleans, and push jerks at heavy weights), it wasn’t the best idea. Luckily, it was a short workout.
3 Lessons Learned from Recovery Workouts
Make sure your recovery workout is just that: a recovery
Listen to your body: don’t overdo it
Make it light, easy, and fun
The best part about working out is how you feel afterwards. Enjoy the work, but then celebrate the accomplishment!
Another needed workout. Heavy clean and jerks, which I have little confidence in and bar muscle ups.
My bar muscle up form sucks, and I’ve been struggling with them. I struggled today. But once I got over the hump so to speak, I got them again.
CrossFit Chest to bar Pull Ups
For me, nothing is really easy in CrossFit except body weight exercises and the long game. Everything else is a push to the end.
Overcoming Mental Barriers
In CrossFit, so much of this sport is overcoming mental barriers. You see a workout and you think, “I can’t do that.” And then you do and you wonder what why you thought you couldn’t.
Our bodies will do whatever we tell them to do–if we tell them to do it enough. This is the essence of building strength. With enough practice and repetition, human bodies can do anything–almost anything. We can’t jump to the moon!
How do You Overcome Mental Barriers?
There is no easy way to overcome mental barriers except to push them. Until you do them or push to the edge, your mind will tell you that you can’t do it.
For instance, heavy clean and jerks. I suck at them. They are hard for me. But I keep doing them. They don’t really get any easier. But in my mind I know I can do them; whereas, before I would doubt myself.
Ring muscle ups. I still don’t have them. I took a break from trying to do one because I strained my right arm. It’s finally better, so now it’s time again to take them on again.
No part of me wants to, I’ll be honest. It’s not going to be easy.
But when I finally get one, that moment will be magic.
Has this ever happened to you? You show up to do your WOD/workout and it was exactly what your body needed that day?
This happens to me occasionally and today’s workout was exactly what I needed after my CrossFit competition on Saturday.
I warmed up with cardio: an EMOM (every minute on the minute) of row, burpees, and double unders–perfect to get the body warmed and work all your muscles.
Rowing in CrossFit Competition
The workout was 5 rounds for time of:
15 cal row
10 bar-facing burpees
5 power cleans, climbing in weight each round
I had so much fun doing this I did an extra round! It was one of those workouts you never want to stop. You just want to keep going and going and going…like the Energizer bunny.
I polished it off with some strength work and felt amazing even though my arms are still incredibly sore from Saturday’s CrossFit competition.
Recovery Tips for CrossFit Competitions
Hydration. You used a ton of energy in one day and you need to replenish. Drink water till your heart’s content.
Active Recovery. Take one day off and then get moving! Get your muscles working to get rid of the lactic acid build up and start feeling better sooner.
If you’re sore in some areas, work the others. Give your body time to rest, but that doesn’t mean don’t do anything. Work your legs if your arms are sore and vice versa.
Don’t kill yourself in the next few days, trying to beat the best guy in your box. The last thing you want is a strain or injury.
Listen to your body. Do what it’s telling you: rest, recover, light exercise, massage, etc.
Every CrossFit competition is different. After some CrossFit competitions, I’m fine and not sore at all. After other CrossFit competitions, I’m wrecked and need more recovery time.
Find a workout that’s right for you where you’re at right now. You’ll feel so much better afterwards and be on the road to recovery. Happy Competing!
For the past 2 months or so, I’ve been extremely unmotivated to do CrossFit. My arm was messed up for a while (it’s much better now). I got frustrated with ring muscle ups. And I’ve been fighting bloating issues for two weeks out of every month–which leaves me feeling drained and blah.
Tips to Regain Motivation
I’m at the point now I need to get re-motivated. So how do you do that? Here are several ideas I’ve had:
If you don’t feel like working out, don’t. The workout will only be half-hearted and you’ll leave feeling like you wasted your time.
Do a different sport. Run, swim, basketball, biking, hiking, soccer, etc. Do a different activity that takes you away from the barbell.
Hire a private coach. Nothing is more motivating that having to show up and do what you’re told. Try a couple sessions for an added boost.
Get an accountability partner. Nothing pushes you like someone else. Set a time and place and show up and do the work!
Finally, let time pass. Soon enough, circumstances will change and a switch will flip. Try not to get impatient and let time do her thing.
Staying Motivated
Am I there yet? No. Still muddling through the days one at a time, but I know it’ll come again.
After all, the CrossFit Open is 6 months away. That’s my motivation…
Looking for a CrossFit Hero Workout that was short, I picked Artie. Named after Police Officer Arthur “Artie” Lopez of New York, Officer Lopez was killed in the line of duty in 2012.
It is a 20 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 air squats
5 pull ups
10 thrusters at 65 lbs
This is Cindy with some thrusters, I thought. No problem.
It turned out to be a problem.
About round 3, I kept thinking, This sucks. I don’t want to be doing this.
After each round, I’d check the clock and think, Ok, only 14 minutes left. Ok, only 11 minutes left.
Those were some LONG minutes!
I finished with 9 rounds overall. I was elated to be done, and I went on my merry way.
The next day, I wasn’t quite so merry. My quadriceps were screaming at me. My arms were sore.
The workout of the day (WOD) was 100 double under buy-in followed by front squats and burpee box jump overs. I did really well and did the double unders unbroken.
Before this, I was feeling blah. Workouts were tough. Getting to the box was tough. Everything was tough.
Crushing a WOD boosted my confidence, and I left feeling a thousand times better. I left looking forward to the weekend and some rest days and ready to hit the box on Monday all in.
CrossFit is tough. There’s no question about it. It wears you down. You go through seasons where it’s everything inside of you just to get to the box and go through the workout. There there’s the opposite spectrum where you’re gung-ho, ready to conquer every move thrown at you.
Perseverance. Grit. Determination.
These are the characteristics that define CrossFit and the people who do it day-in and day-out.
And it’s when you perform your best that gets you through when you barely perform at all.
So relish those WODs that reinforce why you do CrossFit. They are few and far between, but we all need them.
Because when you crush one, your day is infinitely brighter!
Officer Arthur “Artie” Lopez of New York, Officer Lopez was killed in the line of duty in 2012.