It is quite possible that there was a time (or two) when you have wondered whether or not you do enough for your witness in order to move forward when you train CrossFit for an hour a day or several times a week. The top. Regionals or Games athletes seem to undergo bigger training loads. But there is a huge difference when you spend 6-8 hours a day training and doing CrossFit mostly to just be fit. Which is why this post will take a look at why the intensity of your training is much more important than the volume and how to get the best out of the hour you spend at the gym. The original CrossFit methodology CrossFit by definition is is constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. But it is important to realize that this definition doesn’t mean you WOD every day at 100% and I’m not saying that it is good to do that either. Just by taking look at SugarWOD you see that some days we want you to give your 90-100% but then there are days dedicated to recovery when you should go at 60% (read more about intensity here). The biggest … Read More
What to add into your training mix?
My private session students often ask me about supplements, if they should get proteins? It doesn’t really matter if they want to lose or gain weight or get stronger, they often believe that the magic powder in the box will help them achieve their goals. When I challenge them and ask why do they think that they even need to add proteins into their diet and what do they eat during the day, they often don’t even know. So if you are one of them, remember, these all are just SUPPLEMENTS. The key here is to have your regular diet under control and then you can start to add. Another thing to consider is if your body and work out load really requires this dietary addition. If you train 3 times a week, you will probably be fine without them. If you hit they gym every day and you train elsewhere as well or more than once a day, it would be hard for you to get your energy back even if you eat well. In that case supplements are something to consider. So lets take a look at the two most common supplements. Protein concentrate Protein is the basic … Read More
3 Simple Steps to Stay Sane on Vacation
Before you read this please notice that this post is called “staying sane on vacation” and not “staying fit on vacation.” If you want to know more about working out while you’re vacationing there’s plenty of other resources online. One of the things I love about CrossFit is how it drives people to constantly improve. With the strong desire to improve comes the frustration of setbacks. Many Crossfitters (myself included) can feel disappointed with themselves after, or even during, a vacation. Let’s be honest, no one likes losing #gainz. However, there are several steps you can take to ensure that you enjoy your vacation guilt-free. 1. Realize that time away from the gym can be an advantage If you want to learn about the physical benefits of rest, just Google: “importance of rest CrossFit.” I’m going to talk about the mental aspect. Sometimes a week or more away from the gym can help you think about your training differently. You have time to reflect on what you’ve been doing and can start to formulate a plan on how you’re going to attack the box when you get back. Maybe you realize you’ve been neglecting some conditioning work. Your free time … Read More
3 very good reasons not to skip cool down
Do you ever wonder why your coach tells you to take 2-3 minutes after the WOD to go for a short run or to row and then stretch in the back for 5? It is because cool down should be an integral part of your training. Cool down aka getting your body to the state it was in pre-WOD. Cooling down is just as important as warming up, strength, working on your technique, or the WOD itself, you should never skip it. Sometimes we manage to get it into our 60minute class, other times your coach just gives you instructions and you are on your own. Here are three reasons why cooling down is so important: 1. It helps remove accumulated “waste” and reduces the chance of blood clots An intense WOD causes our bodies to create metabolic waste: lactic acid and hydroxyproline (amino acid). It is ideal to get rid of those before you rest to prevent muscle pain and to fasten regeneration. Additionally, during an intense work out, our blood vessels expand so that our muscles can properly wok. If we suddenly stop working out, our blood can clot in our legs and cause dizziness or weakness. 2. It … Read More
The Problem with Numbers
Heavier, faster and more reps! These are typically the three factors that many Crossfitters use to gauge their progress and overall fitness. However, using numbers as the only barometer to asses ourselves presents a host of problems. Are numbers helpful? Absolutely, but here are a few reasons why focusing strictly on numbers can inhibit you from becoming the most fit person you can be. Numbers don’t judge technique We’ve all been there before. We hit a new one rep max on our clean and it looks UGLY. Does it “count”? sure, but is that really how we want to be moving on a consistent basis? Definitely not. For most of the Crossfitters I know, fitness and overall health is the main goal. Moving well is going to help us get there quicker than moving faster or moving more weight. If we’re talking about a competition, then it’s absolutely OK to sacrifice technique. No one cares who’s reps looked the cleanest in the Crossfit Games, they only care who scored the best. When you’re training in your box, moving correctly and safely should be your biggest concern. If you really want to keep track of your progress regularly take videos of … Read More
Keep the recommended intensity
At the beginning of almost every class your coach tells you at what intensity you should perform during the WOD. Longer work outs usually require 70%, shorter interval work outs (shorter work out time with breaks in between rounds or sets) require 80-90%. But what is the purpose? Why is it better to listen to your coach instead of going all out at all times? It is actually a quite simple work out principle. In this case we are talking about a whole programming which includes hard and light days as well as regeneration days (for example right after the Open WODs). Why? Imagine that you work out every day with us at CrossFit Committed. The programming we follow is build like this. If you go all out every day your body won’t eventually be able to keep up and regenerate. In your best case scenario it will stagnate, in the worst case you will get hurt. Either way your fitness won’t go up and you won’t get all that you can from the training plan. And every plan in any sport is built on the same principle: Load – Compensation. „Load – Compensation“ Training helps your fitness to get better … Read More
Perform and look great. At the same time!
Great performance and athletic body, isn’t that what we all dream to have? The good news is, you can achieve it simply. Get on track and stick to it! CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. But if I had to choose one part of the definition that is not really it, it would be high intensity. The more experience we get the more we know about how to pace, i.e. saving energy, breaking up the movements, planning your rest. When is the last time you went all out without a strategy and almost passed out? If it was last week, wonderful. If you can’t remember then you should change the way you train. Hight intensity is the key to increasing your performance and starting up the hormonal changes that help us form our bodies. In an article in 2007 coach Greg Glassman wrote: “Intensity is the independent variable most commonly associated with maximizing favorable adaptation to exercise.” Favorable adaptation includes forming your body and improving your health. “Be impressed by intensity, not volume,” he adds. Which means, do more work at less time. not more work over a longer period (i.e. training twice a day). Instensity is something we … Read More
How was our first Dry January Challenge?
Our first CFC Dry January Challenge is over. We have got over 60 people (roughly 1/4 of our gym!) who decided to give up drinking alcohol for 31 days! In addition to not drinking every participant of the challenge had to choose one lifestyle or nutrition challenge or a habit that they were going to stick with for the month of January. A lot of people started meditating a few times per week, studied a new language, worked on a new skill, gave up eating sugar, bread, coffee, chocolate, sweets or decided to eat strictly paleo for the entire month. Why did we do this? Even though our challenge took place in January, it was not supposed to be a New Year’s resolution kind of thing. I personally do not like New Year’s resolutions very much, because I believe that if people want to change something, they should change it right now and not wait until next Monday, the 1st of the upcoming month or the New Year to start. The whole challenge was therefore more about taking a break from alcohol after the holiday season and about making changes that contribute to your wellbeing and creating new positive habits. … Read More
New years resolution
Hi folks, Yes it is the time of the year again. You are probably reflecting upon your achievements and memories of the past year and tell yourself that from next year on there will be a few things different. This at least is what numerous studies suggest. All articles I have read on this topic suggest that the majority of people either think about New-year’s resolutions or actually write New year’s resolution down. However all sources are telling the same story. The success rate of following through with these resolutions is very slim! For example, it is said that roughly 90 % of all people have new year’s resolutions. 80 % of those people give up on their resolution by the middle of February and the remainder of those people follow through only until the middle of the New Year. A very marginable number of people actually follow through until the very end of the New Year. So let’s face it. The statistics are against you. This fact should not discourage you but encourage you to tackle your very own New year’s resolutions and be one of the few successful people. Let’s start simple. Most people overestimate what they can … Read More
Be Economical “Save” Your Fitness
Everyone remembers the first time they had (what they thought was) a lot of money. I remember it vividly. I was in second grade and I had like $100. I spent an eternity walking up and down the aisle overwhelmed by all the different things I wanted. I finally settled for 3 G.I. Joe figurines, 2 Nintendo games and a brand new Super Soaker 50. Then I was broke. Two weeks later those three new G.I. Joe’s were no different than the 20 others I already had, my brother and I had conquered those video games and my Super Soaker 50 sucked compared to my neighbor’s Super Soaker 100. I really wished I still had that $100. This is a great life lesson, because it’s our first introduction to how real life works. This irresponsible and frivolous spending is fine for an 8-year-old. It’s not so fine for an adult with financial responsibilities. If we decide to spend more money than we have on things we don’t need as an adult, we’re left with something far more serious than envy at our friend’s killer water gun, debt. As we mature and move into the real world we begin to realize … Read More