Sticking with the strength programme, there was also time on the bike, some actual running, and my fastest swim in years (ever?).
Back to an increase in volume next week, this has been a welcome change to proceedings but it’s time to pick up the pace, dial in the nutrition again and get back up to speed.
Nutrition hasn’t been “the best” 🍫🥚 🤣, there’s been some alcohol, and a few late nights. But that’s what holiday times are about.
Now adding in 2 x extra EMOMs per week, on Tues and Thurs to work on maintaining a particular pace and get movements in that I’d otherwise be missing. The only session I missed this week was Thursday evening due to a social event but I substituted Tuesday’s CrossFit session for Thursday’s strength session as strength is the focus for now.
Am pleased with the consistency of the Olympic Lifting numbers, particularly Snatch.
Also pleased with the improved pace in the sea, another major goal for this year that is progressing well.
Getting just about enough sleep, with balanced nutrition too.
The Snatch numbers aren’t big, granted, but over the last 4 weeks, they have become more consistent. Thanks to @stonestrengthweightlifting and in no small part down to my own determination and willpower to stick with the programme, numbers that were so inconsistent over the last few years have now stabilised.
I know that on a regular day, in the gym or the garage, I’ll hit 77.5kg and possibly more.
At the beginning of the year, I posted a goal as a regular 80kg snatch by the end of March. I’m only slightly off that and I’ll take it. I haven’t been able to hit all of the strength sessions due to “adulting” but have still become consistent in a manner I never have before.
More work to do but a bit of self-applause at this stage
The CrossFit Open is here again. It’s my 10th recorded one, my 11th overall; I did CF Open 12 unregistered while in Afghanistan at CF Leatherneck.
I’ve seen huge changes over that time, inc. reducing from 5 weeks to 3, from regionals to QFs and qualifiers and best of all the inclusion of scaled, foundational and adaptive categories.
The CF Open is a truly Open comp, catering for everyone and the broadest range of abilities. I do believe that. It gives us all a chance to compete against the very best in a way simply not seen elsewhere.
But should we scale or go Rx?
I overheard something recently that got me thinking, “I’m going to go Rx because even if I just complete 1 rep I’ll be above all scaled people on the leaderboard”.
For me, it is clear.
The Open is for us to compete against those of our equivalent overall fitness standards. It is not about ‘gaming’ the leaderboard in a cheap attempt to prove we are somehow fitter than those in other cats. If we do not yet have a particular skill, resulting in stopping early in a WOD but “technically” finishing higher up the leaderboard, then this is not in the spirit of the games.
I know, the Open is also the place that some find their first muscle up, or use the adrenalin of the competition to get a PR lift and that is great; on the whole, we should know how close we are to those successes before we enter, making an attempt worthwhile.
However, intentionally going Rx when we know it’s beyond us, just to get a few reps and score higher on a technicality does not make us fitter than those who have busted their arses off in a different cat. It is also pointless as it provides no reflection of our fitness and isn’t a tactic that will move us up the leaderboard to make any difference.
So, if you are not yet close enough to the reqs of the WOD (and the thrill of the event won’t make a difference) then do your best to come top of the scaled cat and ID those weaknesses for next year to work on. Please don’t pretend to others who have given their all in a different cat that you are better just for taking part in the Rx cat.
Another completed week of fitness.
With travel tomorrow, no chance for a swim so I’ll finish off with a run instead.
Dedicated strength sessions, strength-focused CrossFit sessions, partner workouts and interval training has all appeared this week. Feeling comfortable, no real niggles. I even managed to get in some work on Ring Muscle Ups and rebuild some confidence in time for the CrossFit Open.
Slightly unbalanced, with less dedicated Strength sessions than I would have liked. However, a good Front Squat session and lots of time on the barbell were well used.
Donating platelets is also a non-discretionary task for me, above my own goals. Too many have given far more than I ever have and this is a small contribution back.
A longer training week coming up, with a pool swim, and more dedicated strength, before the CrossFit Open kicks off a week later…but I’ll blog about that later.
I hope you’ve had a top week yourself. Hitting your goals still?
Are you doing what you can to ensure you are as healthy as you can be so that not only do you not rely on others but are in a position to support those who need it?
Acute conditions aside, it’s our responsibility to keep this machine we’ve been blessed with in the best condition we can. That doesn’t mean we punish ourselves and live without risk or fun, it means we do what we can so that we don’t cause chronic conditions for others to solve.
We should be able to solve our immediate situation, pull ourselves out of danger, help others who need it and just be able to enjoy everything this amazing world has to offer.
We shouldn’t allow ourselves to slide in to conditions that mean we give up the basic right of independence and that we have to rely on others because of failure to engage with education, lack of willpower or self-induced decrepitude.
Sometimes, things happen well outside of our control and there’s nothing we can do about it no matter how determined to be fit and healthy we are. But don’t let that become an excuse for not trying.
We should all take more responsibility for our own health and wellbeing.
Are you an asset or a Liability?
This won’t please everyone but happy to take thoughts below 👇
Depths of winter, water almost as cold as it’ll get down here (8C today but it’ll drop to 6), and still a top turnout by the beautiful group of Devon’s finest.
780m, working on just one change to my technique today – flutter kick.
By keeping my legs straight, gently initiating from the hip, and brushing the toes together, they’re much higher in the water and not being dragged along, flailing behind me. My overall pace didn’t show much of a difference but I hadn’t really expected it to. The current and chop always have a say in sea swimming, variables well outside of my control. I just have to trust that what I’m doing is correct and that I’d have been worse without it 😁
I think I’ll find a pool for a midweek swim, to get some extra time in the water to practice, especially once I get @coachmattluxton programming.
My Nomadic CrossFit Experiment 