It's been said before and will be said again, I have an addictive personality. I discover something, fall in love with it, and then consume it with abandon. This reflects across all aspects of my life. Along with this comes an on or off issue. If I fall out of love or make a conscious decision to abstain it's gone or stops until I decide otherwise. This creates other problems such as having a realistic perspective on the present situation. I recently went back to school and this had a massive impact on my spare time. Coaching at Crossfit London had to stop while I found the time to study. Study time also ate into my training time. Not training, for me, has an impact on my emotional state. The positive effects of physical exercise on mood and self esteem are well documented. But if you have a personality such as mine it can lead to bingeing. A word we see in red top dailies but normally in conjunction with some teenager antics or shock survey about the state of our youth.
Where am I going with this? After a a not too short but long enough period of inactivity I decided to make a concerted effort to get back in the gym and put a whole months schedule together to provide structure and inspiration. You would think being an experienced coach I would consider things such as the relevant loss of conditioning and strength, age and current general wellness. But honest and independent thinking about yourself is hard. It is a psychological fact that we exaggerate our own achievements and struggle to give a realistic statement about our current potential. Look at PB's we record them and refer to them and measure our achievement by them but be honest how many actually reflect your present status. If we measured our age in PB's (year 30 being the best, or any age in the prime band) we would soon recognise that we are inevitably moving away from our best.
So having completely ignored any rational thought about how to approach my return to the gym I enthusiastically jumped in the deep end and started sprinting, while wearing a 10kg vest. I think that is a suitably stupid analogy. By the end of the week I was wonderfully sore all over and feeling proud I had worked hard. The following week the pain arrived. It started with a stiffness in both shoulders in the morning. It felt like The muscles around my shoulder girdle were in permanent contraction and I was loosing mobility. Sleeping at night was fast becoming a real issue, painfully an issue I could not lie on my sides and had to sleep motionless on my back. Lack of sleep was making me a very grumpy bear.
I applied the classic cure all method of rest, ibuprofen, do nothing and wait. Writing this down is like saying it out loud. I cannot believe how stupid I have been. Would I advise a client to do this? No! Why would I treat myself so badly. With the other issues mentioned above perhaps I have self loathing issues too! Anyway after about 3 months (yes really) I went to see an Osteopath who also happens to be a friend. I already had a good idea my left shoulder had impingement issues, my right shoulder similar but worse and different. In fact we suspected a tear in my right shoulder the pain was that sickening and I have a very high pain threshold, as most men do.
Byron has an almost superhuman ability to look at you and tell you what is wrong (OK it's years of experience and training but still always impresses me) and then poke the affected area with an acute accuracy. After my first treatment I could feel the tension lifting in my shoulders, the muscles relaxing. The inflammation would remain but I was now treating this and it would reduce. Immediately afterwards I had a very strange experience where I felt absolutely exhausted and actually struggled to get home where I just crashed out. This was explained as my moving from a near permanent fight or flight state into a rest and digest state. Just over a month of treatments complimented by re-hab in the gym I am ready to return to training, Crossfit that is. I have been able to run and maybe I will write about my return to distance running another day.
I am still recovering and have lost a lot, possibly all of my conditioning and massive amount of my shoulder mobility. I am still sore and tender in spots but massively improved. I am following a mobility program and about to start a simple strength program this week. My conditioning side at the moment is focused on running speed drills with a sub 6' 45" minute mile for 5k's or less and sub 7'30" for over 10k's. Fast dynamic shoulder movement is still not possible but it is getting better.
I do not write enough in this blog or maybe I do who am I to judge that? But I do intend to share my experience of getting back to Crossfit in the hope that it can both encourage and advise others. Today is day one. Standby, 3,2,1.......
Friday, June 28, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Ten Things Crossfit Did For Me
I have just given up my regular Saturday classes at Crossfit London. Two plus years of great coaching experiences. This time away has given me time to reflect on what I have taken away from all this. To follow is a refined list of some the best and by no means the complete list and to quote a popular TV show in no particular order.
1. HIPS. Before Crossfit I thought my hips were for holding up my jeans and showing off my dance floor prowess. Despite a junior athletic back ground I never realised their massive importance in explosive movement such as the long and triple jumps. If I only knew that back then. Come to think of it none of my coaches seem to recognise this either! Training focused on mono structural, isolated weight training, leaning towards hypertrophy and practicing the phases. Not once did we ever consider the explosive importance of my hips. Madness!
2. SQUAT. Functional movement why do so many people train solely for aesthetics, hobbies/sports but never consider being fit for life. Apart from the services Crossfit is the only regime that considers functional fitness. I look at my full time job and they consider a brisk shuttle walk as a reasonable standard and we always conduct our self defence lessons in training kit rather than what we actually work in. The squat is a classic functional movement simply getting out of your chair, preparing to jump, setting up to lift objects/people the list is nigh on endless. It has so many training applications too, body weight, weighted, kettle bell swings, box jumps, olympic lifts and so on. Get squatting its an essential foundation to all your fitness needs.
3. REAL FITNESS. In athletics we have five strands to fitness, Strength, Skill, Suppleness, Speed and Stamina. In Crossfit they have taken this further; Strength, Power, Endurance, Stamina, Skill, Agility, Flexibility, Balance, Accuracy and Coordination. Now arguably the five "S"s do cover these but Crossfits ten domains high lights the detail and details are important for total fitness. If you want to be able to claim that we produce the fittest people in the world then attention to all aspects is required. A friend of mine recently stated that Tri-athletes are the fittest people in the world and oft claimed title but if you compare them to the above ten domains they do fall short, in my opinion.
4. NEW SKILLS. I could go to any globo gym and learn a new skill. I could learn to rumba to music with others while holding a 3 foot weighted bar, I could learn to grape vine and step up and down in time to music or learn how to jab, hook and front kick to music too. Instead I went to Crossfit and learned how to squat (correctly), snatch, push jerk, dead lift (correctly), clean, muscle ups, hand stands (one handed too), back tucks, back levers, kipping and learned how to coach properly too. All to music but not necessarily in time. When I say these things out loud I sound awesome!
5. MENTAL FORTITUDE. I often say this but it cannot be said enough this should be number eleven on the list of fitness domains. By exposing myself to the intensity of Crossfit in a very short time I was able to take a minute plus, off of my 10k time. Simply by knowing I could push harder by getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. No other general population fitness system offers this outside of high end competition.
6. THE PEOPLE. We love being Crossfitters, we love to be stared at, talked about, even hated, it makes us feel even more apart from the perceived dullness of normality. We also love training together, helping and supporting each other, hanging out together, sharing our thoughts and experiences for the greater good, welcoming new people and talking to the inquisitive. We also love taking our tops off, wearing impossibly short shorts and doing hand stands at any given opportunity. Why not?
7. COACHING. I touched on this earlier before Crossfit I was a Physical Training Instructor and coached other disciplines too. But Crossfit has taken my coaching ability to a whole new level. Its not just the courses and the seminars, but the people you are surrounded by. The coaches are of such a high standard, their knowledge, enthusiasm and patience matched with a personal interest in your success makes them a fantastic resource. Then there are the coached, they are such a willing audience, hard working and committed they are joy to coach and only help you to grow with confidence. It is the perfect recipe for coaching development.
8. QUALITY . Coach wrote an essay some time ago about virtuosity, you should read it. I have learned there is no substitute for quality of movement. You should always be honest whether its range of movement, reps counted, performed correctly and safely. Never feel pressured to complete a WOD as Rx'd. If your not capable you know you will cheat on the ROM or drop a rep or two or take so long that you will have lost all intensity or all or a combination of these. Never sacrifice true reps for time. With consistent quality training you will Rx nearly all the WODS one day. Along side this you need quality nutrition, simple clean foods, along with quality rest and recovery. Patience is a virtuosity.
9. INTELLIGENT TRAINING. This follows on from the above but always, always be realistic with your goals. Unrealistic training is not clever and leads to disappointment and possibly injury. Realistic or intelligent training will set you up for success and in the main keep you injury free. Training is NOT risk free. But a strain or sprain is better than a herniated disc or torn shoulder. Agreed?
10. REAL STRENGTH TRAINING. In the past I thought I lifted big weights, bicep curling, lateral shoulders, cable tricep extensions all done for tons of sets of reps of ten. Read Starting Strength its not a massive book and its all simple and straight forward with lots of pictures so there is no excuse. Compound movements, lift heavy, linear strength program based on your 1RM. It does not have to get much more complicated than that. And remember its all about doing nothing and the biscuits. ;-)
1. HIPS. Before Crossfit I thought my hips were for holding up my jeans and showing off my dance floor prowess. Despite a junior athletic back ground I never realised their massive importance in explosive movement such as the long and triple jumps. If I only knew that back then. Come to think of it none of my coaches seem to recognise this either! Training focused on mono structural, isolated weight training, leaning towards hypertrophy and practicing the phases. Not once did we ever consider the explosive importance of my hips. Madness!
2. SQUAT. Functional movement why do so many people train solely for aesthetics, hobbies/sports but never consider being fit for life. Apart from the services Crossfit is the only regime that considers functional fitness. I look at my full time job and they consider a brisk shuttle walk as a reasonable standard and we always conduct our self defence lessons in training kit rather than what we actually work in. The squat is a classic functional movement simply getting out of your chair, preparing to jump, setting up to lift objects/people the list is nigh on endless. It has so many training applications too, body weight, weighted, kettle bell swings, box jumps, olympic lifts and so on. Get squatting its an essential foundation to all your fitness needs.
3. REAL FITNESS. In athletics we have five strands to fitness, Strength, Skill, Suppleness, Speed and Stamina. In Crossfit they have taken this further; Strength, Power, Endurance, Stamina, Skill, Agility, Flexibility, Balance, Accuracy and Coordination. Now arguably the five "S"s do cover these but Crossfits ten domains high lights the detail and details are important for total fitness. If you want to be able to claim that we produce the fittest people in the world then attention to all aspects is required. A friend of mine recently stated that Tri-athletes are the fittest people in the world and oft claimed title but if you compare them to the above ten domains they do fall short, in my opinion.
4. NEW SKILLS. I could go to any globo gym and learn a new skill. I could learn to rumba to music with others while holding a 3 foot weighted bar, I could learn to grape vine and step up and down in time to music or learn how to jab, hook and front kick to music too. Instead I went to Crossfit and learned how to squat (correctly), snatch, push jerk, dead lift (correctly), clean, muscle ups, hand stands (one handed too), back tucks, back levers, kipping and learned how to coach properly too. All to music but not necessarily in time. When I say these things out loud I sound awesome!
5. MENTAL FORTITUDE. I often say this but it cannot be said enough this should be number eleven on the list of fitness domains. By exposing myself to the intensity of Crossfit in a very short time I was able to take a minute plus, off of my 10k time. Simply by knowing I could push harder by getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. No other general population fitness system offers this outside of high end competition.
6. THE PEOPLE. We love being Crossfitters, we love to be stared at, talked about, even hated, it makes us feel even more apart from the perceived dullness of normality. We also love training together, helping and supporting each other, hanging out together, sharing our thoughts and experiences for the greater good, welcoming new people and talking to the inquisitive. We also love taking our tops off, wearing impossibly short shorts and doing hand stands at any given opportunity. Why not?
7. COACHING. I touched on this earlier before Crossfit I was a Physical Training Instructor and coached other disciplines too. But Crossfit has taken my coaching ability to a whole new level. Its not just the courses and the seminars, but the people you are surrounded by. The coaches are of such a high standard, their knowledge, enthusiasm and patience matched with a personal interest in your success makes them a fantastic resource. Then there are the coached, they are such a willing audience, hard working and committed they are joy to coach and only help you to grow with confidence. It is the perfect recipe for coaching development.
8. QUALITY . Coach wrote an essay some time ago about virtuosity, you should read it. I have learned there is no substitute for quality of movement. You should always be honest whether its range of movement, reps counted, performed correctly and safely. Never feel pressured to complete a WOD as Rx'd. If your not capable you know you will cheat on the ROM or drop a rep or two or take so long that you will have lost all intensity or all or a combination of these. Never sacrifice true reps for time. With consistent quality training you will Rx nearly all the WODS one day. Along side this you need quality nutrition, simple clean foods, along with quality rest and recovery. Patience is a virtuosity.
9. INTELLIGENT TRAINING. This follows on from the above but always, always be realistic with your goals. Unrealistic training is not clever and leads to disappointment and possibly injury. Realistic or intelligent training will set you up for success and in the main keep you injury free. Training is NOT risk free. But a strain or sprain is better than a herniated disc or torn shoulder. Agreed?
10. REAL STRENGTH TRAINING. In the past I thought I lifted big weights, bicep curling, lateral shoulders, cable tricep extensions all done for tons of sets of reps of ten. Read Starting Strength its not a massive book and its all simple and straight forward with lots of pictures so there is no excuse. Compound movements, lift heavy, linear strength program based on your 1RM. It does not have to get much more complicated than that. And remember its all about doing nothing and the biscuits. ;-)
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