Reminder about Memorial Day Murph this Monday (5/26) We will have no morning or evening classes! Only one WOD (Murph) going down at 10:30 am. Come ready to eat and hangout after the workout. CFH will bring the meat you bring the sides!
On Saturday May 24th we are hosting the WOD for Warriors– at 10 am. We will have 8 am and 9 am regular classes. All members are welcome to come to the 10 am, but it might be a little more crowded! We will have no 11 am on Saturday! Come down and support a great cause.
Mark your calendars Saturday June 7th at noon, coach Jamie will be dropping nutrition knowledge on Recovery and Gains. This is a free seminar for all CFH athletes! Jamie is pursuing her masters in nutrition and has worked with all types of athletes doing one on one nutrition consulting. She will dive into how to fuel your body to recover fast and make gains. I am pretty sure at least one person a day asks me how to recover faster and get stronger! If that is you then I will see you at the seminar!
CrossFit Rest & Recovery
By: Jamie Reisinger
Muscle growth occurs outside of the gym. Ever wonder why you feel so fatigued at the end of a workout, or are so sore it hurts to sit the day after a ton of squats? Ever heard the saying “No Pain, No Gain?” Well, that saying is not necessarily true in that you do not have to be in pain to get results. However, during a strength workout, you are actually causing teeny tiny tears in your skeletal muscle fibers by putting a taxing strain on your muscles. In theory, this sounds like it would not be good for you. In this write up, I will discuss the major ways that you can turn those micro tears into stronger muscles, but keep in mind that muscle growth occurs outside of the gym.
Below are the 4 main components that will carry you on the road to recovery from tough workouts and allow for gains every week. I personally believe that one is not more important than another. You must work to find the proper balance for you among the 4 components and exercise.
Rest
There is no set amount of days you should work out before taking a rest day. This is entirely up to you and how your body feels. If everything hurts and you barely have the energy to get out of bed, that day should be a rest day. Once you are in a regular exercise routine, you should get a feel for if your body can handle 2, 3, 4, or maybe even 5 days in a row of CrossFit before needing a rest day. Although, keep in mind that the goal is not to push your body past it’s limits but rather to take some time off before you get injured.
A rest day could be a day that has no activity at all, but does include a 60 minute relaxing massage or some form of the recovery methods listed below. A rest day could also be considered an active recovery day where you skip the gym and get outside for a hike with friends, a stroll by the harbor with the pups, or a bike ride around town. Staying active will prevent lactic acid build up in your muscles which can occur after just one really tough workout or heavy lift and will lead to DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) – you know, when you are sore 24-48 hours after a workout?
Rest also includes sleep. I know many people who live by the mantra, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” but that will not help you burn fat, build muscle, PR a lift, or beat your Fran time. HGH, human growth hormone which stimulates muscle growth and metabolism, is primarily stimulated and released during the first part of the night while we are sleeping. A later bed time and lack of sleep can stunt the stimulation of HGH, preventing muscle regeneration and growth. It is recommended for most people to get between 7-9 hours of sleep every night and to aim to fall asleep prior to 10pm for the greatest benefits.
Stretch/Massage/Foam Roll
Some type of stretching, mobility work, or foam rolling should be done for at least 15 minutes every day. This can be broken up throughout the day if you prefer, or you can do it all at once. I like to get about 15 minutes of mobility work and foam rolling in before a work out and then follow up the workout with another 10 minutes of stretching and maybe some additional foam rolling. Of course I always find myself stretching various muscle groups throughout the day when I am sore.
The importance of stretching is that it helps to lengthen our muscles and tendons after we have so diligently worked to shorten them during our workouts. The shortening of a muscle is called a contraction which, over time, will lead to an increase in strength. Without stretching, this will also lead to overly tight muscles contributing to poor posture, soreness, and possibly injury. Foam rolling is like giving yourself a massage. It helps to release built up tension or “knots” in muscle tissue that will allow you to move more freely and with less pain and soreness.
If you don’t know what to do with a foam roller or would like some new stretching or mobility ideas, come to my Mobility Class held at CFH every Wednesday at 5:30pm.
Nutrition
I feel that proper nutrition is very important, and yet a large missing piece of the recovery puzzle. Since I could go on and on about this topic, I will keep it brief and save the details for a later post. Key components:
Eat Breakfast. Every. Day.
Consume at least 10-15g protein with every meal (Protein = eggs, chicken, turkey, fish, beef. If you’re a vegetarian- beans, quinoa, brown rice, tofu, greek yogurt, cheese)
If you hit that mid-afternoon slump every day or are just having a tough time recovering from workouts, have some combination of a small amount of protein, a serving of leafy greens, and some complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, brown rice, beans, or winter squash. This will boost your energy and keep you going whereas that energy drink, cup of coffee, or sugary treat will make you crash and burn later.
Consume a 2:1 ratio of carbs:protein within an hour (preferably 30 minutes) post-workout.
Drink at least half your body weight (lbs.) in ounces of water. Ex: If you weigh 160lbs. aim for 80oz. pure water every day. No, coffee does not count – sorry!
Eat clean as often as possible. When you make the conscious choice not to, enjoy every single bite. On your birthday you decide to have a piece of chocolate cake. Close your eyes, take in the smells, hold that first bite in your mouth and taste all the flavors. I am dead serious, if you do this every time you have a “cheat” meal I guarantee you won’t want it anymore after about 3 bites.
Supplements
Supplementation is somewhat of a difficult topic for me. I want to start by saying that before you consider taking any supplements, do a detailed evaluation of what you are eating and make sure to consult with your doctor. I whole heartedly believe that it is possible to get the proper amount of nutrients from our diet alone. The problem lies in our lifestyle choices which often lend towards a need for supplementation. I cannot give specific recommendations because each should be individualized, but if I were give general recommendations to a CrossFitter, it would be as follows:
1500-3000mg Fish Oil – decrease inflammation, improve brain, skin, and heart health
300-800mg Magnesium – relaxes muscles and decreases soreness, muscle cramps and twinges, is critical for over 300 reactions in the human body
1000-5000 IU D3 – pertinent for calcium absorption, strengthens bones, improves gut health and immune function **Important to get Vitamin D levels checked by your doctor every year**
5-10g Creatine Monohydrate – an amino acid made naturally by the body that aids in muscle tissue repair specifically after bouts of high intensity training
20-25g protein powder – Use this any time of the day for a quick and easy snack/meal if you struggle to get in enough protein throughout the day. Also a great post-workout snack when paired with a piece of fruit like a banana.
*Please keep in mind that bigger is not always better. Higher dosages are recommended for therapeutic needs and will not always be beneficial to everyone. Check with your doctor before starting a supplement routine.*
Resources
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21116024
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19036894
http://www.purepharma.com/us_en/products/purepharma-m3.html
http://www.purepharma.com/us_en/products/purepharma-d3.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/17/magnesium-benefits.aspx
http://www.livestrong.com/article/196936-do-fish-oil-tablets-lubricate-the-joints/
Skill WOD
Take 10 min to find an unbroken triple Power Snatch
(no score, work on skill)
WOD
Buy in: 500 M Row
5 Power Snatch (115/75)
10 Push ups
15 Air Squats
7 Rounds
Cash out: 500 M Row
Score is total time
Lauren, Alexa, Melissa, Kim, Ben and Becca fighting through Nancy!
The overall opinion for the Comp WOD was to train for the 2015 CF Open. A few people just had a goal of excelling in local comps, but I can assure that this will still help you with that. I will be looking at the programming now as a season. Right now we are in a strength and skill building phase. Our main concern is you staying injury free and getting stronger. Please remember that all the reps you do should be viewed as competition reps. In this class or the regular class. If your goal is to prep for the open you can not miss reps, count chest to bars when your chest does not hit or not fully lock out each rep. As coaches we will hold you to a high standard, but you should be honest with yourself also.
Competitors WOD
275 Front Squat (in case any of guys or ladies needs a little motivation)
1) Back Squat: 1X6@70%, 1X6@80%, 1X3@90%, 1X2@95%
2) Front Squat: 1X5@65%, 1X4@75%, 1X4@80%, 1X4@80%
3) 20 Unbroken Clean and Jerks Test (no rest anywhere)
4) 7 x 7 Unbroken C2B’s rest 40 seconds after each set
Along with seeing how we are progressing as a group and looking back at the last week I use a few different sites for ideas for the competitors WOD. One that I turn to often in Competitors Training by Ben Bergeron. He uses the 20 rep max test for a few different movements. In CrossFit I think this can be a powerful tool for us to work from. If you can continue to build on a cycle of 20 unbroken reps it will increase your strength and confidence in moving weights quickly and efficiently. So here we go 20 clean jerks!