Rest Day Thoughts

img_2720

I found two recent writings by our friend Mike at CrossFit 324.  In my opinion, Mike has the ability to put into words what we do, what we feel, and what we seek, very well.

First, remember how you felt just before you started Fran last week?

“I’d be lost without it.

Adrenaline is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland in the body of many animals. When it is produced in the body it stimulates the heart-rate, dilates blood vessels and air passages, and has a number of more minor effects. Adrenaline is naturally produced in high-stress or physically exhilarating situations.
The term “fight or flight” is often used to characterize the circumstances under which adrenaline is released into the body. It is an early evolutionary adaptation to allow better coping with dangerous and unexpected situations. With dilated blood vessels and air passages, the body is able to pass more blood to the muscles and get more oxygen into the lungs in a timely manner, increasing physical performance for short bursts of time.”

And second, regarding the recent Trevor Memorial Workout (300 pull ups, 400 push ups, 500 sit ups, and 600 squats):

“I purposely posted the rules of the wod in order to invert them, i.e. the opposite of break them. Instead of four people we were only two. My original plan was to do the wod alone. One of my caring colleagues replied to my lofty goal that it was a recipe for rhabdo. My reply was that saving the world might be a recipe for rhabdo also but it’s a risk we have to take. Needless to say, I found a willing accomplice since then and she shouldered half of the load. My first suggestion was to do 1/2 trevor but then I did the math on some of the other high volume wods like Chelsea and realized that the numbers were no longer intimidating, even with only two people. Steph agreed and so off we went. She suffered a 1:1 work to rest ratio while I had the advantage of resting while she muscled through broken sets of real pull ups. After the pull ups we went nonstop doing ten sets of each exercise before moving on to the next. Time was 57:01. Moral of the story: I’ll never do this wod again with four people when two will do. For the team/mission oriented crowd, what do you do if one or two men go down? Answer: you keep going. History is replete with determined souls who have, by necessity, accomplished more with less. Most of you have heard the annoying adage that one is none and two is one. The corollary is that, if necessary, one becomes two, maybe even three. How far can you stretch yourself until you break?”

Again, well said.  Are you ready?

sara-after-workout


2 replies
  1. Bill Miller
    Bill Miller says:

    Had um..fun…with Barbara yesterday at Blackhawk in Wichita:
    “Barbara”
    5 RFT
    20 pullups
    30 pushups
    40 situps
    50 squats
    (rest 3 full minutes between rounds? We missed that part, but I bet the overall time would have been faster?)

    49:02

    My coaches and comrades at Hypoxia are my inspiration. You are ALL amazing and I’m missing you.

  2. F Cook
    F Cook says:

    We are missing you too, Bill. But I am so glad you found somewhere to work out while you are away!! Keep up the good work!

Comments are closed.