Training FAQ

from John “Mac” McGriff

My Peeps,

If you have seen the different lengths of PVC & foam around the gym & you thought we were building some bizarre church organ you were…wrong.

Pre & Post WOD we will become more strict with our “myofascial release” & Post WOD stretching.
This will help with most surface aches & pains, improve recovery, & improve performance. These two areas are generally neglected the most & both have huge impacts on our goals.

If you haven’t “MYO’d rolled” before now is the time to start. The blue foam is great for beginners & most folks can try the PVC on the LOWER BODY fairly quickly as well. Be careful with the PVC as you advance to back & upper body therapy…it’s intense!!!
http://www.owresource.com/recovery/smr.php (http://www NULL.owresource NULL.com/recovery/smr NULL.php)

As for stretching, we need to focus on this primarly POST WOD. I know we do the “samson” PRE-WOD & it plays an important role there as well. The Samson stretch when done correctly is a quick, deep, dynamic lunge “stretch” combined with a good upper back and shoulder “stretch”. Make sure your front foot is far enough forward that it isn’t riding out over your foot. Your front knee should be at a 90 degree angle. Sink down onto your back knee and place that leg as far back as you can comfortably get it. Sink down at the hips and feel a great stretch in the front hamstrings and glutes and the back quadriceps. Interlace your fingers and push your palms to the sky. Really work the stretch in the upper back and shoulders.

The Samson serves mainly to prepare our posterior chain for the WOD by “firing” all the muscles, tendons, ligaments, arteries, nerves, veins that are utilized on our “back side”

POST WOD (even at home) PNF stretching has made a huge difference for me in several areas. As a firefighter we wear 60lbs of gear, a 30lb air pack, & a helmet sometimes for hours. Over the years this has caused “wear & tear” on my lower back & neck. I found PNF a couple years ago & am now a huge believer. Here are a few links you you to review:
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/pnf-stretching.php (http://www NULL.thestretchinghandbook NULL.com/archives/pnf-stretching NULL.php)
http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/pnfstretching.html (http://www NULL.sport-fitness-advisor NULL.com/pnfstretching NULL.html)

Your homework will be to do your own research & we will do a “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” session (no Sanjeeda it’s not what you think). Come tell or show me what MYO and/or PNF movement you have found & I’ll “trade” one of mine with you as well.

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CrossFit is designed to have you improve in all aspects of fitness. They are:

cardiovascular and respiratory endurance
stamina
strength
flexibility
power
speed
coordination
agility
balance
accuracy

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There are several things that you can do when you go out of town. Body weight exercises are perfect for a hotel room. A jump rope is easy to pack and is great for cardio, especially if you can learn to do double unders.

Tabata workouts are a great travel workout. You can put a Tabata workout together in many different ways, and can even do one using a treadmill, rowing machine or pool (often found in your hotel gym). Tabata workouts are done doing each exercise for a total of 4 minutes, with a pattern of 20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest. For example, here is a 12 minute hotel workout:

Do pull ups for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, pull ups for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds…and so on for the full 4 minutes before going on to Squats during the final 10 seconds of rest; continue this pattern for the squats for 4 minutes, then go on to sit ups.

Push ups
Squats
Sit ups

A treadmill Tabata workout would be done similarly, while having the incline as high as it will go and running close to your 5K race pace (within 5-30 seconds).

Some other great Tabata exercises are:

jump rope
pull ups
hand stand push ups off the edge of the bed
dips using a chair or coffee table
burpees
supermans
lunges
planks
plank twists
dead bugs
hollow rocks

and more….

Click HERE for a list of Travel WODs.

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It depends. There is a difference between a sore muscle and an injured muscle. Sore muscles will often feel better once you start to warm up and begin exercising. An injured muscle will continue to hurt and will cause actual pain, rather than just discomfort. If you are in pain, it is probably best to skip a workout and give your body a day of rest to see if the pain will go away quickly. If it doesn’t, consider seeing a doctor.

Keep in mind, that when you workout very hard, especially in the beginning, you will likely have very sore muscles. You will often be more sore the 2nd day after a workout than you were on the day of or the day immediately after your workout. This is normal. Consider doing some active recovery consisting of exercises done at a lower intensity. This can sometimes speed the recovery process.

Always incorporate rest days into your workout program. Your body needs rest days to heal. Recovery is why you get better!

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No! You do not need to get in “better shape” before beginning CrossFit. Because we scale the workouts to each person’s level there is no need to try to achieve a specific level of fitness before you start doing CrossFit. Chances are you will improve very quickly regardless of what level you begin at. Your progress is dependent on your dedication and effort.

What you put in is what you get out.

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It is possible that in a particular class everyone else might be (or seem) stronger and faster than you. But, every class is different every day because attendance varies from day to day. Regardless, everyone is very encouraging of each other. No one judges you for what you can’t do – everyone just encourages you to do more of what you can and wants to see you improve. We are not a judgmental group – we are like a very supportive family. We cheer each other’s successes, regardless of strength, speed, and times.

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The workouts (WODs) are different each day because that is part of the “magic” of CrossFit. Constantly varying what you do keeps your body guessing, unable to adapt and plateau like it would with a structured, regimented workout program that works body parts on scheduled days and does not vary much week to week. When you consistently follow the same running route, work each body part on the same day each week, do the same exercises on the same day each week, etc. then your body will get used to what you do. When that happens, progress slows and you fail to see the progress that you once saw.

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CrossFit does not use the typical single body part exercise machines that you find at a standard gym. There is a good reason for this. Those machines limit you to exercising one body part – single joint movements. When you lift a bag of groceries is there only one body part (such as bicep) involved? No, you use your legs to bend, and your biceps to lift. If the bag is heavy, you might even be engaging your back during the lift.

CrossFit’s intention is to train you for living. We want to train you the way your body moves – in multi-joint movements. We want you prepared for anything – lifting boxes up onto a high shelf in a closet, lifting a child or groceries, helping a disabled spouse out of bed, and so much more. Regular gym machines are effective for building bigger, stronger muscles, but they do not work your body the way it works in everyday living.

Why spend an entire hour working maybe 4 body parts and doing nothing aerobic, when you can spend just 10-20 minutes working your entire body including your lungs and heart?

Foundations Classes are just that – they are classes where you will learn the 9 essential movements of CrossFit, along with several other common exercises performed in CrossFit workouts. We will go in-depth and work with you to ensure you know what proper form is. This will allow you to participate in regular CrossFit classes feeling confident in yourself and your abilities. It will also help prevent injuries caused by poor form.

These classes are most definitely an important aspect to getting a successful start with CrossFit.