Confessions of an Athlete

EIE Challenge Tip of the Day 15:  Be inspired and learn from your fellow challengers!  Our EIEC FB group is alive with pictures, recipes and questions, but lets hear some raw data (ie, lost weight, added muscle, improved performance, better sleep, etc) and what is you think is the secret to your success so far!

Weekly Programming Links:  Group Class, Barbell Club, Gymnastics

Monday, March 11, 2013

Mobility:

Overhead Band Distraction
Assisted Bottom of the Squat
Keg Drill
Wrist Mobility

Classic Programming

Strength:

Take 15 minutes to establish a 1RM Push Press or Jerk

Conditioning:

3 rounds with 1 minute rest between AMRAPs
4 min Amrap
Run 200m
12 Wall ball

Advanced Programming

Strength:

10 x 1 First Pull Clean + Hang Clean + Push Jerk – 60 Sec Rest

Notes: This movement is be performed as a complex from the ground.  Perform the first clean with a 3 second pause at the knees, then clean from the low hang position (at the knees).  A single Jerk should come after the second Clean.

 Conditioning:

3 Rounds for time
Run 400m
25 Wall Ball (20/14)

rest 1 min after first round
rest 2 min after second round

Notes:  Each round should be a full sprint!

Midline Strength:

50 Situps

Cool Down:

2x 10 Wall Extensions
Foam Roll Calves and Legs

John is one legged rowing after shattering his lower leg and ankle a couple months ago.  After 5 surgeries he is still on crutches, but staying active.  I’m sure he’ll be back on his unicycle before you know it!

Being an athlete means dealing with injury.  There is no avoiding this reality and learning how to deal with injury is an important part of living with an active lifestyle.  We are always looking for ways to improve your membership experience and change your perceptions of health and fitness.  We had almost 20 athletes request a hold to their membership due to injury in the months of January and February…and no, not all due to CrossFit!  About 10 people alone were related to skiing and snowboarding injuries!  There are all types of injuries, some catastrophic (like John’s above) and others are smaller tweaky pains in the wrists, shoulders or knees that just don’t seem to go away.  No matter what your situation, we believe that continuing to exercise is non-negotiable.  Check out our FAQ on the topic HERE.

More often than not, when people injure themselves, they want to take a break.  This is often due to doctor recommendations and feelings of not being able to do the program “properly.”  This is simply not true!  Taking a break from the gym would not be a problem if people were at home continuing to train, but that just doesn’t happen.  I can’t tell you how many former members that I have run into around town that say something along the lines of, “Man, I totally wish I could come back, I injured my shoulder playing volleyball 6 months ago and it still hasn’t healed,” or even worse, “Man, I totally want to come back, I injured my wrist snowboarding, but now I’m so out of shape I can’t even imagine getting started again!”  This is not abnormal, but you have a choice.

-Do not wait to get injured before you start taking care of yourself.
-Prioritize your mobility, warmup and cool down just as much as your workout.
-Prioritize quality movement over intensity and volume
-Buy mobility tools like bands, rollers and a pullup bar to do homework (still working on those damn mobility kits!)
-Ask a coach about substitutions options if you don’t know how to work around something
-Ask about recommendations for professional therapy services like massage, chiropractic, or physical therapy.
-COMING SOON!  We are working with our own Coach Steve, who is a licensed and practicing Physical Therapist, to develop in house PT services!

One of my favorite guys lately, Ido Portal, performs this once in warmup and up to 3 times during his cool down (along with a few other mobility routines as a circuit).  This is very similar to some basic rehab movements prescribed by a physical therapist.