It took almost 3 hours from Albany to Killington, Vermont, the home of the Spartan Race and tomorrow’s Beast.
I met with several athletes at the local Steakhouse for dinner. Some are doing the race for the first time and some are doing a triple Beast this weekend. The energy was great already and will be overcharged tomorrow. I should get a good night’s rest.
It rarely happens any more but I’ve had this nagging lower back / hamstring pain in the last two weeks. With the extreme mountain race this weekend I decided to throw everything I know at recovering from this.
The Kitchen Sink Mobility Mob
– MobilityWOD – 6 different drills on hamstring, posterior chain and back
– Warrior Yoga
– Cold/Warm therapy
– Homedics rapid relief – surprisingly effective for me
– Dynamic and static stretches
– Plenty of rest today
The world is whole again. Ready to race…
Photo – Yoga at CrossFit Del Rio
Since the Spartan Race organizers warned us that Saturday’s Spartan Beast race is not for the faint of heart – I decided to take 2 days off. This will help me relax but may not do much to warm up the weather for the race as it is currently a cozy 55F (10C) in Killington, Vermont.
Got a cool WOD on at CrossFit Harmony with the family before the mandatory rest sets in.
WOD “Chief”
5 rounds of 3 minutes each for maximum reps:
– 3 power cleans 135#
– 6 pushups
– 9 squats
1 minute rest in-between rounds
My wife recently joined CrossFit and with that we became a full-fledged CrossFit family. One thing is sure, the casual mention of AMRAP will be more accepted at the dinner table. I do think it is important for families to have an intelligent discourse about what fitness is, how to achieve it and have the commitment and responsibility to share in that exciting journey.
Another fun WOD day at our new CF box at CrossFit Harmony.
Baseline
Mobility then
2 rounds
– 15 KB swings
– 10 goblet squats
– 5 inchworm pushups
Strength
– 5 x 5 front squats @ 185#
– 4 x 10 strict pullups
Metcon
7 min AMRAP
– 3 shuttle runs
– 15 pushups
[6 rounds]
While Rich Froning may not take a rest day, many of us follow CFHQ’s guidance of 1-2 recovery days a week. The (sometimes hotly debated) question is whether rest days should be active or not. Since complete rest needs no guidance, let’s talk about active rest. What do you do? Here are some common active rest day routines.
1. Running / Cycling / Swimming
Many athletes revert to moderate or sometimes even time trial speed endurance days – arguing that endurance is a different modality (oxidative) and is rarely practiced in a typical high intensity CrossFit workout. While running can be harder on the joints, cycling is definitely low impact and swimming is arguably a phenomenal functional mobility workout. Unless you are competing in an Olympic distance triathlon, these will definitely augment your weekday CF workouts.
2. Learn and practice new sports
There is nothing like a rest day to finally master ultimate frisbee, canoeing, rugby or any family backyard team sport you have been neglecting. It is unlikely that this will match the intensity of the WODs, so I consider them active rest.
3. (Warrior) Yoga
After two thousand years yoga needed an adjective like ‘power’ and ‘warrior’ to make it OK in high intensity circles. So be it. While my flexibility is certainly not on par with even beginner yogis, nothing fixes up my tight muscles and tendons like a good 30 minutes of Ashtanga Yoga.
4. MobilityWOD
I can’t imagine life without my Voodoo bands, lacrosse balls and daily stretches so well designed and dished out by Mr. K-Star.
5. New Skills
I left it last because some of us are prone to turn a slow form practice into a full-fledged WOD. What starts out as an effort to fix something about that false grip quickly evolves into a madman’s rush to make the Iron Cross that day. Don’t do it. Skill training on rest days should focus on slow form and one or two technical glitches. Without breaking a sweat.
