AMRAP 12 min
15 Alternating Dumbbell Snatches [75#/55#]
200 M Run
* Dumbbell weights should be heavy, but you are able to alternate 15 reps without much pause or rest.
Then...
EMOM 10 Min
20 Seconds (cumulative) L-Sit on parralletes.
* feet out in front of you, arms locked out in support. once feet touch ground your time stops. Goal is to get 20 seconds total L-Sit per min. The faster you cumulate 20 seconds, the more rest per round you get.
Many CrossFit athletes do not eat
enough carbohydrates. Are you one of them? How might this be
impacting your life?
By Bryan Boorstein Owner of CrossFit Pacific Beach and Wes Piatt's Coach.
When do you feel
most “energetic” and “mentally clear” throughout the day?
The majority of athletes with whom I
converse, say that it takes a few hours to “get going” in the
morning. Maybe you wake up in a fog, maybe energy is a bit low, and
maybe you depend on coffee to get that extra boost in the AM. This
seems pretty “normal” by most standards, but is it? Stay tuned…
Do you find that
you get a “second wind” later in the day (maybe early evening)
and feel great at night? Does this create difficulty falling asleep
as the mind turns, and a whirlwind of thoughts swirl around in your
brain?
The majority of people that feel foggy
in the morning will also find that they can relate to the above
sentiments. This may seem “normal” because so many people suffer
from this same detriment. However, this is not ideal - it’s a
manifestation of some serious hormonal dysfunctions in the body. Stay
tuned…
Do you find that
you lack motivation to get yourself to the gym? Maybe you aren’t
super excited to attack the WOD, but you regularly feel fantastic
once it’s over? Do you ever CRAVE that exercise-induced endorphin
rush to feel great?
Once again, this may seem NORMAL. In
fact, it’s a sentiment that is promoted in the mainstream media as
a reason to begin exercise. While exercise will inevitably make you
feel great, you should not DEPEND on exercise to feel great, or to
break out of a mental funk.
What does this all mean? All of this
stuff relates to specific hormones in our bodies. Many of these
hormones are effected by excessive exercise (overtraining) and/or
nutritional components (carbohydrate intake), sleep patterns (lack
of), lifestyle components (stress, anxiety) etc...
So, how should we function optimally?
What hormones are effecting the way we feel on a daily basis?
Cortisol –
This hormone regulates our “fight or flight” response. Going way
back, to the Paleolithic days, early Homo Sapiens would wake up with
one goal in mind: find food. This required them to wake up,
immediately engage in physical activity and be mentally alert. In the
relative ease of our 2014 lifestyles, many of these innate
characteristics that have defined us for a million years are now
lost.
In perfect hormonal
balance, Cortisol is at its peak as soon as you wake up. Cortisol
will progressively decline throughout the day, until bed time, at
which point it should be completely depleted, signaling the need to
go to sleep. Then it will regenerate through the slumber, and once
the supply is full, this will signal the body to wake up (without an
alarm). Unfortunately, in most people, this process is all skewed. We
wake up tired and find energy increases throughout the day, then we
“decide” to go to sleep, based on a nominal time.
Testosterone
– Prevalent in both men and women, but substantially more dominant
in men. Testosterone is responsible for consistent energy throughout
the day, aggression (vital in lifting weights), sense of well-being,
fat-loss, muscle-gain, and libido, among others. Low Testosterone is
a result of over-training (CNS fatigue), improper nutrition for
recovery, as well as other lifestyle factors (lack of quality sleep
etc…).
Adrenal Hormones
– The adrenals are vital to proper daily function. All of these
hormones are inter-related and affect each other. Many factors can
cause adrenal fatigue: Intense mixed-modal training (CrossFit) in the
absence of being properly fueled (nutrition) is the primary culprit.
The state of having adrenal dysfunction is called “adrenal
fatigue,” and takes a LONG TIME to fully recover (if ever).
Generally, adrenal fatigue will occur in unison with Cortisol and
Testosterone issues.
How can we ensure that we avoid
becoming a victim of these prevalent hormonal issues?
Nutrition –
Carbohydrate intake is vital for an athlete training intensely with
mixed modal work. In many circumstances, doing nothing except
increasing carb intake can positively influence all of these
hormones. The “Paleo” diet is a fantastic diet for an inactive
human, because the sedentary lifestyle doesn’t require Glycogen
(stored carbs) for energy. On the other hand, the active lifestyle
requires carbohydrate intake to provide an optimal platform for the
function of an “athlete.” Here are some quick fixes you can
implement immediately:
Bracket carb/protein intake around
your workouts. About 1-2 hours prior to training, try to consume 15%
of bodyweight in protein and carb grams, and 5% of bodyweight in fat
grams. For a 200 lb athlete, this means the pre-training meal should
consist of 30g of protein and 30g of carbs, and 10g of fat (for
example, eggs or small serving of animal protein with fruit).
Within 20 minutes of your workout,
consume 25% of bodyweight in protein, 50% of bodyweight in carbs,
and little to no fat (Fat slows the absorption of the protein/carb
mix). So, for the 200 lb athlete, this means 50g of protein, and
100g of carbs. Then, 2 hours after this post-workout feeding,
consume a FULL BALANCED MEAL, consisting of protein, carbs (starch),
and fat. A perfect example would be grassfed beef, veggies, and rice
or potatoes.
Increase carbohydrate intake
throughout the day. The major misconception about carbs is that if
you eat them and don’t immediately use them, via exercise, they
will store as fat. This is true in a sedentary individual, but the
body of an athlete is programmed differently. The body is aware of
the inherent need for the carbohydrates in future days, because you
live a lifestyle that has conditioned the body to this process.
Therefore, athletes will store the carbs as Glycogen, to be used the
next time you engage in an intense workout.
Sleep, Training,
Lifestyle – I am combining these three factors into one
category to briefly touch on these areas:
Sleep –
Work to get 7-8 hours per night. Sleep in a dark room, and try to go
to sleep at the same time, and wake up at the same time each day. Try
to get as much sleep at night as possible. Sleeping from 10pm
to 6am is substantially better for you than sleeping from 1am to 9am.
Training –
Overtraining is the important element to avoid here. You will know
that you are teetering on “overtraining” when you begin to lack
motivation and feel like training is a task, as opposed to an
enjoyable challenge. Don’t chase the endorphin rush. You should
have the desire to train, because you feel great and want to expend
energy, as opposed to feeling obligated to train. If you find
yourself approaching this (called “over-reaching”) you are very
close to over-training and would be benefited by just taking the day
off from the gym, or by engaging in “Z1” cyclical work. Z1 can be
defined as aerobic training that is about the same pace/ease as
walking briskly. I prefer to do my Z1 work on an Airdyne at a casual
pace (about 50 RPM) for 20-30 minutes, and then follow it up with
some mobility work. This flushes out toxins, and prepares the body
and mind to train intensely the following day.
Lifestyle
Factors – Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole you can do about
this. The goal would be to live in a very low stress environment.
Stress releases Cortisol, and this negatively affects the balance we
are trying to create (the depletion of Cortisol throughout the day).
You cannot control whether your boss yells at you, or whether an
element of surprise is introduced into your day. However, you can
control how you respond to this stress. This is all about individual
growth and the process of intrinsic realization. Strive to learn how
to handle stress and anxiety more effectively.
