Below I have compiled a list of general
advice for anyone interested in making the most of competitively training. Most of these are taken from other sources
and people much smarter than myself, but I have compiled what I consider to be
the essentials with my own spin on a few things. Some of this may be information you already know, but I am
sure that there will be at least one thing on here that will be new or of use.
Without further ado, a list of 6 things:
1. Trust the
program.
Repeat after me: Trust. The. Program. I cannot emphasize this one
enough. If somebody had grabbed me three years ago and yelled this in my face, I would be infinitely better off. With the vast range of skills, lifts,
time domains, etc that can be tested in competition, it is easy to get caught
up in thoughts of “am I doing enough?” or “should I be doing this or that or
more of this,” or “what about my endurance/strength?” Push these thoughts
aside. As long as your program has heavy lifts, conditioning, intervals, and skill work; you are in good hands. Every one of our competitors has been following the same
program for roughly eight months now.
We have all gotten significantly stronger
AND better conditioned during that
time. If you do all of the work that is programmed each day, and you do that
work as best as you can on that day, you will get better at everything. Crossfit punishes the specialist; you
need to be able to do everything. Which brings me to my next point.
2. Effort
You are going to have good and bad days. This is a fact. Sometimes, you will have one bad day for
every ten good days. Sometimes, it
will be the opposite (though unlikely). Some days the weights are going to feel
like feathers, while on others, your warm up lifts are going to feel like a one-rep max. Pick and choose
your battles. On those days when
things feel light, maybe you go heavier than you normally would on the
lifts. On the days when things
feel rough, take it light and work on form and speed. No matter what,
do your conditioning with intensity.
Don’t get caught up in times or scores on workouts. If you give a conditioning piece all
you can, you will have gotten better.
If you do that consistently, your scores and times will get better. This is another fact. Make the most out of every day in the
gym.
3. Form
This is the other end of the seesaw that you have to balance
your effort with. When giving all
you can on these workouts and lifts, you need to do so with good form. As a coach, I would rather see a
beautiful rep done at 50% of your one-rep max snatch than you set a PR by 2
pounds by pressing the bar out/falling to one knee/bouncing the bar off your
head. Everyone loves a strength
PR, and when you stick with a program, you are going to see plenty. However, in competitions, a one-rep max
is rarely tested as an event. Most
events are some sort of metcon or complex or 5,6,7 rep max. When it comes to these events, those
who are able to move most efficiently and with good form are usually the ones
who are going to come out on top. None of what I just said is revolutionary,
and I am sure that you are all aware of everything I just said. So how do you get better? First and foremost, ask your coaches and
fellow athletes for critiques and advice. These are people
who see you work out on a regular basis and will be able to give you honest
feedback. Second, watch
videos. There is this wonderful
thing called YouTube. I have
spent more hours than I care to admit watching people
snatch/clean/jerk/squat/muscle up/etc.
Watching people who are significantly better than you at performing
these movements will make you better.
Here are some great Youtube channels and websites to get you started.
4. Warm Up and
Cool Down With a Purpose
A proper warm up and a proper cool down are the two most
important things you can do outside of actual training to make yourself
better. Every day when I walk into
the gym I am doing some variation of the same warm up. Every successful
competitor is doing the same thing. Here are several articles about warming up
to get you started. Here is what I
do on a daily basis. It normally
takes between 20-30 minutes.
3-5 Mins of Airdyne or Rowing at an easy pace (if there is either rowing or airdyne
in the workout for the day I will pick that one)
3 Minutes of Foam Rolling (sometimes I skip this if I am not
feeling too sore)
5 Minutes of Dynamic Stretching
3-5 Minutes of Static Stretching (for me I am doing a lot of
thoracic extension and ankle flexibility, but for each person this will be
where you focus on your problem areas)
Squat Therapy and here is a longer explanation
Glute activation exercises (Important for everyone
who sits during the day)
Barbell specific work for whatever lifts we are doing
When it comes to cooling down, this is just as important as
warming up. I know that the last
thing you want to do after working out hard is to sit around and stretch. However, you guys just spent 1-2 hours
moving around and getting yourself loose, now is the time to permanently
increase that range of motion.
Pick a few stretches, hold them for at least 30 seconds, and do these at
the end of each workout. You will
notice a difference in a week.
These ten minutes stretching post workout will save you time in your
warm up for the next day by greatly reducing your levels of soreness and making
you more mobile.
5. Nutrition
I want to keep this simple. For many of you are just beginning competitive training,
your body is going to need more calories than you are giving it. Specifically, your body is going to
need more carbohydrates than you are giving it. It is very easy to get stuck into meat and veggies and fats
when doing a paleo-style diet.
While this is a great way to eat for someone doing 3-4 one hour classes
a week, it is probably not yielding enough energy for a competitive
athlete. CARBS ARE YOUR FRIEND. So here are what
I deem to be essentials when it comes to nutrition and training.
**Remember, nutrition is individualized, and you are going to
have to play around a little to find what works for you, but these are the
essentials.**
-
You NEED to be drinking a post workout shake containing carbohydrates and
protein. I accomplish this via
Gatorade powder and whey protein.
Protein will help your muscle fibers heal that you just spent all that
time beating up. Gatorade powder
is a source of simple carbohydrates that will replace the stores of sugar that
your body just burned. Guys, about
two scoops of Gatorade and 30-40g of protein after a workout. Ladies anywhere from 1-2 scoops of
Gatorade and 20-30g of protein..
-
You should be having carbohydrates a pre workout as well. I do this via a scoop of Gatorade
powder that I drink while warming up.
You can also do this via fruits such as berries or bananas. If you were to eat fruit, I would do it
about half an hour before you start your warm up.
-
You should be eating either white rice, white potatoes, or sweet potatoes with
two of your three main meals throughout the day. In addition to the Gatorade, this will ensure you are
getting enough carbohydrates. This
includes days you aren’t working out.
These are the basics.
I will get more into supplements at another time.
6. Have Fun
Don’t forget this.
The minute that training stops being fun, you’re doomed. Realistically,
none of us are going to win the CrossFit Games. But you are going to get a whole lot stronger and
fitter. This will come easier if
you are having fun. There is
nothing better in the gym than training with a group of like-minded
individuals. It is made even
better when there is some music playing loudly and everyone is having a great
time, cheering each other on and lifting heavy things. Push your training partners to get
better. Be happy when they beat
you. This will only make you
better. Make the best of every
day.
