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In any sport or new activity, there is always lots to learn, which can often take time. CrossFit is no different. Not only does CrossFit’s methodology involve numerous gymnastics movements, technical lifts, and the need for a good cardiovascular foundation, but the different time constraints and styles of workouts calls for an entirely separate set of skills: the ability to pace appropriately based on the workout. 

Most CrossFitters fall into one of the following four pacing categories: 1) The Wild Man/Woman 2) The Accountant 3) The Shrinking Violet and 4) The Master. As discussed in a previous article, ‘The Wild Man/Woman’ stage occurs when the athlete’s capacity to finish a workout without completely blowing up has not been fully developed yet and they don’t have the experience necessary to know how to pace different types of workouts. Let’s compare this first stage of pacing awareness to the strategies used by ‘The Accountant’ (the second stage).

As the name suggests, ‘The Accountant’ is an athlete who is very calculated and takes their pacing strategies almost too far. Oftentimes, if they fail to adhere to their perfectly calculated plans; they often fall apart and have no strategy to fall back on. These types of athletes will start to create mental and literal spreadsheets of their split times. They often think that by doing the math ahead of time they’ll be able to will their bodies to go along with their plan. However, once fatigue starts to set in, no amount of willpower or sheer determination can keep them from staying on track. Instead of setting a rigid plan with no room for deviations, athletes need to learn how to adjust their plan on the fly based on how the workout is going.

Here are some quick tips for how you can avoid a rigid workout strategy and learn how to pace off of how your body feels:

• Descending sets are typically better than straight sets (such as 6/5/4 for a set of 15 pull-ups instead of 5/5/5).
• Don’t do more than 50% of your max unbroken set (for example: if your max set of toes-to-bar is 20, don’t do more than 10 reps at a time).
• Always leave two reps in the bank. Hitting just one rep that’s “two hard” can push you over the edge, cause you to fall apart, and lead to failure.
• When calculating your likely split times, make sure to build in extra time to account for fatigue. If you know that you can typically do 6/5/4 chest-to-bar pull-ups in 25 seconds when you’re fresh, plan for that to increase by several seconds each round due to fatigue, such as 30s, then 35s, then 40s, etc. 

Sources:

 https://wodprep.com/blog/crossfit-pacing/ 

The wod of the day is a 20 min amrap consisting of rowing cals, barbell clean and jerks, and bar over burpees. You start off the row at a blistering pace – holding 1600 for the first 10 cals. You then jog over to your barbell and rip through the 10 clean and jerks. You then finish the round with 10 of the fastest bar over burpees you’ve ever done in your life. Round 1 – done! You glance at the clock and it reads 1:15. Uh oh. You are in big trouble. Another 5 minutes ticks by and you are now pulling 900 on the rower, your clean and jerks have turned into sluggish singles and you are barely peeling your body off the floor after each burpee. This scenario may sound familiar to you and is common for many newer CrossFit athletes who don’t understand the concept of pacing.

Just like any other skill in CrossFit, it takes time to learn the art of pacing. In fact, most CrossFitters can fit into one of four pacing stages: 1) The Wild Man/Woman 2) The Accountant 3) The Shrinking Violet and 4) The Master. Let’s take a look at the first of these four stages and some strategies to better your pacing game.

The Wild Man/Woman

This is a common pacing strategy for most rookie CrossFitters and can often be defined by the following thought process:  “Go hard, see what happens, and hang on for dear life.” When most people start CrossFit, they are excited about the intensity of the workouts and tend to jump in full throttle without any regard for pacing. At this stage, the athlete’s capacity to finish a workout without completely blowing up has not been fully developed yet and they don’t have the experience necessary to know how to pace different types of workouts.

However, there is a way that newer athletes can improve their pacing strategy. Here are few options to practice:

1. Write down your split times the next time you do an AMRAP or ‘For Time’ workout. This will help you develop pacing awareness.
2. Shoot for negative splits next time you do a low-skill AMRAP or ‘For Time’ workout. (Negative splits means that you get faster every round.)
3. Integrate paced interval workouts into your training. With interval training, you are resting between rounds and have a better opportunity to adjust your pace depending on how your body feels. Here is an example workout:

4 rounds:

• 1 min ME row for calories
• 1 min ME alt. Db snatches
• 1 min ME burpee box jump overs
• 1 min rest

Start at a moderate pace and then try to increase your pace after each round.

Sources:

https://wodprep.com/blog/crossfit-pacing/ 

Have you ever experienced lower back soreness or tightness after a day of heavy squatting or pulling from the ground? Deadlifts are probably the most common culprit when it comes to causing lower back stiffness 24-48 hours after a tough workout. Is this normal? Should you just assume that your back will be sore after you deadlift or squat heavy? The answer is no. You may have good movement patterns, warm up properly and lift with good technique, but still experience some level of discomfort the following day. One answer to this problem might be that you lack the awareness or ability to activate your inner core.

Oftentimes when we think about our core muscles we always picture six-pack abs (or the rectus abdominis – see diagram below). It’s common to think that if your abs are shredded then you have excellent core strength. But in many of the movements that we commonly perform at the gym, such as toes-to-bar, v-ups, GHD sit-ups, hollow holds, etc., you are actually using your outer core muscles, which facilitates trunk movement and provides a broad level of  stability.

In contrast, the inner core provides your trunk with stability at a much more detailed level. Picture the inner core as a cylinder that wraps around your vertebrae. The top of the cylinder is the diaphragm (see image below), which sits below the lungs and is your primary breathing muscle. The bottom of the cylinder is the pelvic floor (see image below), which has several different important functions. In relation to the core, the pelvic floor helps the abdominal, hip and back muscles control the movement of the sacroiliac and hip joints, which are important for hinging and squatting. The front and sides of the cylinder are made up of the transverse abdominis (see image below), which is the deepest layer of abdominal tissue and provides support for the lumbar spine. Finally, the back of the cylinder is made up of the lumbar multifidus (see image below), which is an important stabilizer of the lumbar spine as well.  

So, now that we have a picture of what the inner core looks like and the different muscles that make it up, why should you care about it? Well, for starters, strengthening the inner core muscles can reduce chances of injury. That back soreness/stiffness that was discussed above? Proper engagement of the inner core muscles can help reduce and eliminate that kind of discomfort. Furthermore, learning how to brace these muscles correctly will help you pull more weight off the floor (think deadlift, clean and snatch) and improve your squat strength. Training your inner core will also help you learn how to breathe better which will increase your engine during conditioning pieces. 

One of the best ways to learn how to activate your inner core is to practice breathing correctly – through your belly, not your chest. Most members of the population fall victim to shallow breathing where only the chest and lungs expand during the breath; they take a long inhale (lasting for 5-10 seconds), but the exhale is quick and most of the air is released in a few short seconds. 

In order to change the way you breathe, it is important to develop an awareness of how you breathe. Set aside a few minutes a day to focus on deep, symmetrical breathing. Inhale through the nose, expand your abs (or belly), and then exhale through your nose trying to match your inhale tempo. To take it a step further, try to maintain a perfect posture while you complete these breathing sequences. Another breathing technique to practice is called ‘box breathing’. For this method, inhale, hold your breath full, exhale completely and then hold your breath empty. Try to complete the inhale, hold, exhale, hold for the same number of seconds (about 5-10 counts for each). Repeat this breathing sequence 10-20 times. 

Rectus Abdominis:                                          

The Diaphragm:

The Pelvic Floor:

Transverse Abdominis:                   

Lumbar Multifidus:

Sources:

https://www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/inner-core 

https://foundationphysio.com/5-basic-functions-of-your-pelvic-floor/ 

https://corewalking.com/abdominal-muscles-transverse-abdominis-function/ 

https://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/the-athletes-toolbox-the-lost-art-of-breathing 

Transverse Abdominis:                   Lumbar Multifidus: 

Sources:

https://www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/inner-core 

https://foundationphysio.com/5-basic-functions-of-your-pelvic-floor/ 

https://corewalking.com/abdominal-muscles-transverse-abdominis-function/ 

https://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/the-athletes-toolbox-the-lost-art-of-breathing 

Have you ever had someone come up to you and tell you that CrossFit is dangerous? They may follow up that statement by talking about some CrossFit fail video they saw on YouTube or Instagram. In reality, CrossFit is no more dangerous than any other sport. In fact, it is actually a lot safer than many contact sports and even running. So, why is it then that CrossFit gets such a bad rap? Well, like any other sport, injuries in CrossFit can happen and are not uncommon. However, there are several things that you can do to help prevent the occurrence of injuries.

Check your ego at the door. It can be easy to get caught up in the competition aspect of a CrossFit class (especially for ex-college/high school athletes and guys, yes guys). You see that one member across the gym who is lifting a few pounds heavier than you, so you slap an extra set of plates onto your barbell. However, it’s extremely important to stay away from comparing yourself to others. There is always going to be someone who lifts more than you, who is better at gymnastics than you, or who can run faster than you. Don’t try to keep up with them. Stay in your own lane and focus on your personal growth.

Seek supervision. Don’t hesitate to pull a coach aside and ask them to look at your form if something feels off. Sometimes this can be difficult for newer athletes because they are still learning body awareness, so in this case, make sure you are listening to the coach’s cues and suggestions regarding weight, movement substitutions, etc. They are trained to spot flaws in an individual’s movement pattern so take full advantage of their expertise.

Prioritize technique and know your limits. There are many difficult movements that are used in day-to-day CrossFit programming – technical Olympic lifts and advanced gymnastics movements. If performed with bad technique or before the appropriate amount of strength is developed, injuries can happen as a result. Therefore, it is extremely important to focus on using correct technique before adding weight for barbell movements and knowing your body’s limits before attempting more difficult gymnastics movements.

Warm up properly. The beauty of a CrossFit class is that it is coach-led. You don’t have to think about what workout to do, how to perform different movements, what warm up to do, etc. With that being said, it is important to take the warm up seriously. The coach’s job is to ensure that your body is warm and your muscles are prepared to take on strain before lifting or doing a metcon. This often means that your heart rate is elevated and you’ve already started to break a sweat. So, don’t skip the warm up because you think it’s too hard. There is a reason why the coach is putting you through the particular exercises they’ve chosen. 

Listen to your body. Recovery is also an important part of staying injury free. Things like getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, mobility, etc. all play a vital role in keeping your body in a healthy state. It’s also important to take 1-2 rest days per week. After your body has been under a high amount of strain for several days in a row, it needs time to fully recover. Listen to your body – if you’re feeling extra drained, take a rest day. If you didn’t get very much sleep the night before, do an active recovery piece instead. Your fitness won’t suffer because of it, but your body might. 

January is basically over, which means it’s time to take a pause and evaluate where you’re at with your new year’s resolutions. How did you do? Are you still on track to accomplish your goals? Making and keeping resolutions can be really hard. It’s easy to be motivated for a short period of time, but it can often wear off in less than a month. Why is that?

A common flaw in setting new year’s resolutions (or any type of goal in general) is that we often go to the extreme. We want to eat better, so we swear off sugar. We want to get fit, so we try to wake up at 5am every morning and hit the gym. However, if you’re used to eating junk food and sleeping in, then doing a complete 180 on these habits is not sustainable. For goals to be successful, you have to ease into them – aka, learn the process of habit stacking.

So, what is habit stacking? It is the process of using already formed habits to then stack a new behavior on top. Whether you are consciously aware of it or not, you perform hundreds of simple habits every single day. It can be something as simple as making a pot of coffee in the morning, scrolling through social media as you eat your breakfast, or changing out of your pajamas before going downstairs. These all sound like very simple tasks (which they are) but they are also simple habits that you have pre-established. Therefore, to be successful at forming new habits, you can use these pre-existing habits and stack your new habits on top. Rather than pairing your new habit with a time and/or location, you pair it with a current habit.

Here is the formula: After/Before [Current Habit], I will [New Habit]. Let’s take a look at some examples:

• After I pour my cup of coffee in the morning, I will journal for 5 minutes.
• After I sit down to dinner, I will say one thing I am thankful for today.
• After I go to the bathroom when I wake up, I will drink one glass of water.

This approach may seem over-simplified, but it’s successful because your current habits are already built into your brain so you don’t have to think about them. These patterns and behaviors have been strengthened over the years. Therefore, by linking your new habits to these already existing habits, there is a much higher chance for success. Once you master this simple pathway to creating and maintaining new habits, then you can start creating larger stacks by linking several small habits together.

The formation of a habit follows this pattern: Cue → Craving → Response → Reward

This cycle simply repeats itself over and over as new habits are formed. The cue is what triggers your habit stack, and the more specific the cue, the better. A cue could be as simple as getting out of bed, taking the kids to school, or eating lunch. When forming a habit stack around the cue, make sure you designate when the new habit will be implemented. Will you run 1 mile before or after you drop off the kids at school? Will you take your vitamins before or after you eat lunch? Etc. It is important to be specific and clear when creating a new habit stack. The more tightly bound your new habit is to a specific cue, the better the chance you will notice when the time comes to act.

Want to learn more about habit stacking? Check out the book Atomic Habits by James Clear

Source: https://jamesclear.com/habit-stacking