Wednesday 05.14.14

The foundations of CrossFit

Been a while since I posted one of my glorious rants. What better day to do so than Harrumph Day, I mean Hump Day. Let's talk about food. And drinks. And how both affect what you see in the gym. Of course this is not new territory for me. I have written about all of this before, but don't worry, this time I am writing directly to you (and to me). The ones reading this post. Right now. If you think this post is because of a conversation you had with Jacob or me, then you are correct.

So what am I talking about? I'm talking about the bottom of the pyramid above. We have folks that WOD three, four, fives times a week and we still get questions on how to get a six-pack, how to lean out, and how to lose that last 5, 10, or 15 pounds. The answer to those questions is this: it all comes down to what you are putting in your mouth. The old saying, "Great abs are made in the kitchen," is true -- you CANNOT OUT EXERCISE A BAD DIET. You cannot out exercise a nightly half bottle of wine. You cannot out exercise a diet composed of refined flour and sugar. You cannot out exercise your weekends full of cheat meals.

And you, over there, that's shaking your head disagreeing with all of this because the number on the scale is fine and your clothes fit great -- I'm looking at you, too. And I'll point the finger right back at myself because I'm riding high on the sugar train lately. My WODs are often sluggish because of the up and down rollercoaster that is composed of sugar highs and sugar crashes. I know my nutrition is coming between me and better performance in the gym.

So what's the solution? Start small, y'all. Leave the cream and sugar out of your coffee. Cut back on the meals out. Leave the bun off the hamburger. Don't keep the junk food in your house or at your desk or in your car. Cut down on the alcohol. Ultimately, you have to decide if how you feel and how you WOD are in alignment. If it's not, then it is time to re-evaluate. Start small. Cut the crap in half. And if you need a friendly reminder about what's considered CRAP, here it is.

WOD

7 mins to establish 1 RM snatch 

--

EMOTM for 7 mins : 

3 clean and jerk (155/105) 

max bar facing burpees in remainder of minute

*score is total burpees