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
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
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
The Conjugate Method
There are so many strength programs out there, where are you to begin with making a choice? Mike Hedlesky, an accomplished American powerlifter and coach, wrote a great article where he talks about how you should choose a strength program. His 3 criteria for making that choice are: Is this going to make me stronger? Can I change things up (variation) when training stalls? Most importantly, is this something that I can follow for 10 years straight? Our current program, the Conjugate Method answers yes to all three of those. The conjugate method is the name of the strength program that we’re currently following at both of our gyms. And it looks much different than the more standard, linear structure that we’ve followed in the past. By the looks of it, it sometimes may seem that we’re not following a system at all! I can assure you though, that there is a method to the madness. I’d like to explain a bit about it, where it came from and how we’re implementing it at CrossFit Committed and CrossFit Committed South. The Conjugate method was originally designed by Louie Simmons, the owner of arguably the strongest gym in … Read More