Competition is good for you

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Mobility/Prehab:

2 Rounds, 10 reps each:
Air squats
Hip Circles
Side Plank Leg Raise
Prone PVC dislocates

Classic Strength:

5 x 5 High Bar Back Squat

Notes: Athletes using the 5 x 5 protocol may pick a weight for all sets, ideally around 75-80%, or build up to a maximal 5 set max, which should be saved for the last set. If you stay at the same percentage then the next time you do a 5 x 5, in case the percentage slightly across the sets. Regardless, the weight should not be so heavy to hinder squatting as deep as possible.

Advanced Strength:

1 x 20 rep High Bar Back Squat

Notes: The recommendation is heavier than last week, but still able to finish all 20 reps. Make sure to hit absolute depth with every rep.

Conditioning:

3 Rounds:
200m Farmers Carry (70,53)
10 Strict Pullups
30 Jumping Squats
-12 minute cap –

Cool Down:

2 Rounds:
Stretch Quads/Hamstrings, 30”
Hollow holds, 30”
Reverse Snow Angels, 20 reps

Emmett.

 With the summer right around the corner, southern California is a hot spot for Crossfit competitions. They all have slightly different characteristics/variations as well: individual, partner, team, novice, intermediate, advanced, land based, water based, ones with an adventure race, some raising money for charity, large events, small events, multiple wod’s, multiple days of wods, etc etc. The point is that there is no shortage of options and no shortage of reasons why you should do them.

 Competition adds purpose to your workout. It allows you to set goals and forces you to truly stick to them. Otherwise, your performance will be affected. Everyday we compete against others and ourselves in the gym, why not try to see how you stack up against other people who you probably don’t know and may never see again. All too often we work out with the same people so we automatically know, who is better at gymnastics, who is a faster runner, who has better OLY lifts. In a competition, you know nothing about the other athletes, and they know nothing about you, so now is your chance to display all your hard work and test your abilities in an exciting atmosphere.

 Win or lose, you will always learn something from competing. Did you push yourself to a level you didn’t think possible? How did you respond to the crowd watching you? Did you get enough sleep? Did you eat healthy clean meals leading up to game day? Did you train enough or too much?

 I’ve completed about 6 competitions in the last year, and every single one I have learned something new. In the first wod of very first competition, I was so nervous that I missed my heat. Then I was so fired up that I came out of the gates too hot and pulled a DNF (did not finish). The second competition I wanted to redeem myself so I trained my ass off only to get sick on the day of the event because I clearly over trained and didn’t give my body adequate rest. Another competition I was doing extremely well and probably would have won the wod but I wasn’t paying attention and knocked the weight off a sled during a bear crawl sled pull. I took an energy drink before a 17 min wod in 90-degree heat resulting in a massive hamstring cramp 10 minutes into the event. The examples go on and on of my boneheaded mishaps, but I’ve learned something from every misfortune that has occurred. Mistakes will happen, no one is perfect, what you learn from them will only make you a more intelligent crossfit athlete and make you more excited and prepared for your next competition!

 I’ve had many “learning experiences”, but I also had a blast every time I’ve competed. Competitions are kind of like sky diving, right before you start your first wod, your probably going to be thinking,”Why the hell am I doing this?” But right when it’s over, you feel such a huge sense accomplishment; I guarantee you will think about it for days, maybe even weeks afterwards. There is almost no better feeling than having random spectators and fellow competitors congratulate you on an amazing effort. Crossfit gives us the rare opportunity to act like kids again and “play” a sport in front of a large group of people cheering you on. And at the end of it all, after the winners have been announced, you get to go home in smelly sweaty clothes, with a smile on your face, and celebrate with your team over a cheat meal and some non-paleo beverages.