Don’t Train Insane

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Thursday May 8, 2014

Prehab:

Foam Roll Thoracic Spine
Overhead/Lat Distraction w/ band
Hip Extension w/ Band

Warm Up:

:30s Backwards Double Unders
:30s Forwards Double Unders
10 Good Mornings
10 Snatch Balance
3 Press in Snatch
6 Hi Hang Snatch High Pulls
10 Lat Activations

Strength:

EMOM for 12 minutes:

Even: 2 Hang Snatches at 80%
Odd: 8 Strict Toes to bar

Notes: If you do not know your 1 REP Snatch or are new, use the warm up to work up to a a moderately heavy double and try to use that weight for the EMOM. If you cannot perform a full squat snatch you can perform this as a complex of 1 Power Snatch + 2 Overhead Squats. Scale number of TTB reps and perform knee ups if needed.

Conditioning:

4 rounds for total reps of:

1 minute Shoulder taps
1 minutes Jumping lunges
1 minute Hollow Rocks
2 minute Rope climbs

Notes:  Clock does not stop.  Sub rope climbs with rope lowers.  

Cool Down:

Test 5 Wall Extensions
Keg Drill
Doorway Stretch
Retest 5 Wall Extensions

I have been experimenting with and researching different accelerated learning techniques intermittently for the past 5 years. I applied these learning techniques in my college lacrosse and academic career with great success. Since January I have re-immersed myself in the literature and practice and will use them to be competitive in the “sport of fitness”.

Based on my experience I have put together a class to teach you how to learn any skill as quickly as possible. In the class we will focus on how accelerated learning principles apply to acquisition of physical skills in the fitness context, but what you learn can also be applied to mental skills. After taking this class, you should be able to get even more return on the time you put in the gym. This class will be capped at 8 people, so if you are willing to commit to rapidly learning and tracking your progress, email or send me a Facebook message for more details. The class will be free for Paradiso CrossFit members.

One insight that I would like to share with everybody is that if you want to rapidly improve at any skill you have to avoid insane training. To do the same thing and expect a different outcome is insane. To miss a snatch and not adjust your approach to the next lift is insane training. I suffered a very long plateau over the winter because I would approach every lift thinking I just needed to try harder than the last attempt rather than trying a different approach. As soon as I got some coaching and adjusted my approach to every lift based off of self-monitoring by videotaping myself and asking other coaches for feedback I saw massive gains.

So, if you struggle with a skill, a double under for example, approach it differently every time. In the accelerated learning class we will learn a few approaches you can apply to learning any skill and avoid training insane. One such practice is overcompensation. Overcompensation is simply summarized as training both sides so that you can find balance. A practical example is, if while performing a double under you spin the rope too fast, see how slowly you can spin the rope and still have it pass under your feet twice per jump. In order to properly practice overcompensation, you have to be OK with failing at the extremes. Make peace with failure, learn from it rather than reacting emotionally, and you will amaze yourself at the rate of progress you will experience.

So, the two action items for today are 1)get in touch with me if you are interested in improving your return on time invested in the gym and 2)Pick a movement that you are struggling with and apply the principle of overcompensation in order to find a balance.

Author: Matthew Walrath