Before every workout, our coaches go through the movement standards and technical steps on how you are suppose to perform the movements in the workout itself. We make corrections and sometimes may advise a recommended weight or a scale you should use in order to achieve the correct amount of intensity you are expected to experience during the workout. As coaches, our main priority is that you are moving safely and efficiently. We would rather see quality repetitions instead of how fast you can complete the workout. 

When it comes to intensity, we are referring to how hard you can go through a workout and how much you can push yourself to another level, maybe even higher than you expected yourself to. Overall, your goal is to perform more work in a shorter amount of time. This includes cardio based workouts, as well as, lifting weights when they are programmed in a workout. The balancing act with intensity comes into play when deciding if you should stick with a lighter load that you can move at a faster pace, or a heavier weight that you can still move quickly, but will challenge you a bit more to allow you to get a completely different workout. There may come a time that you are not sure which weight or type of intensity we may be looking for in a workout, don’t hesitate to ask your coach on what they recommend. 

If you look at the line graph above with intensity being on the left side and form being on the right, you’ll notice that as you move closer to intensity, you move away from form, but as you move closer to form, you move further away from intensity. We want to see you at the peak point of the graph, right in the middle of intensity and form. Here again comes the balancing act of being able to perform the highest intensity with the right amount of weight while still able to keep perfect form throughout the entire workout. For newer athlete and for those who may not be as experienced, we always recommend going lighter in weight until you are comfortable performing the more technical movements, such as snatch, clean and jerk, push jerk, etc. Everyone struggles with movements, but once you perfect your form and you are moving more comfortably with these movements, then you can start increasing your weight load, which in turn will increase your intensity. 

Those who have more experience with weighted movements, we will recommend to push yourself a little further (find that dark place), but still holding on to form without completely throwing it out the window. You want to be able to push beyond your limits and see what you can really do. All of our workouts are score based; whether it’s for time, total reps, and even the amount of weight lifted. Sometimes the workouts that are programmed for time and total reps, there may be times where we want to see you move heavier weight rather than complete the WOD a minute faster or gain those extra reps. Those workouts are where your body will receive a different intensity as opposed to staying with lighter weights. 

Moral of the story is, you know your body better than anyone else, and as coaches we can give recommendations on how the workout should be perceived. Always be aware of form and the cues coaches give you throughout the workout, we all want you moving SAFELY. 

Active recovery? Rest days? What’s that? If you find yourself asking these questions, then you most likely aren’t incorporating enough of these days in between your workouts. 

We get it! CrossFit can be addictive. You come to the gym, get your sweat on, and you leave with a sense of accomplishment knowing you gave it your all for the workout. You start seeing results and from that point on, all you can think about is going harder, faster and farther. Before you know it you’re working out six to seven times a week. In the long run, this will leave you feeling mentally and physically burned out. It also puts you at an increased risk of injury. 

What most athletes don’t realize is when you perform these high intensity workouts six to seven days a week, then you’re not giving your body adequate time to rest and repair itself. Our muscles break down when we workout and it is important that we allow a day or two for healing. Why hinder your progress when you can simply add in a few active recovery days each week? 

So what do you think of when you hear the words “active recovery”? I’m sure some of you are hoping to be able to lounge around on the sofa all day and miraculously repair your tired, sore muscles. Sorry to inform you, but you’re still going to have to actually get moving, hence the word ACTIVE recovery. Some options for active recovery days may include swimming, walking/light jogging, yoga, foam rolling, cryotherapy or even a sports massage. Pretty much anything that gets you moving to help your body recover from the physical demands placed upon it while training. You may even come to the gym and scale back the workout of the day by using very light weight, decreasing reps as well as moving at a slower speed. Rowing and cycling are more great options to get the blood flowing on these rest days. 

Your goal is to choose two days each week to use as your active recovery days. I know it will be challenging for many of you, but in order to see the best results you must first trust the process. Test it out and see how you’re feeling after a few weeks. You may even be surprised by the decrease in muscle soreness and overall increase in performance during workouts. Who’s ready to achieve some new PR’s by incorporating active recovery days?

It’s finally Friday, so that means we have another delicious recipe to share with you all! After a long, hot week I’m sure one of the last things you want to do this weekend is meal prep. Good thing this recipe takes no time at all! With just 10 minutes of prep time, you can set a timer for 35 minutes and let it cook in the oven while you go back to relaxing on the couch. Then BAM! You’ll have 8 healthy meals ready to go in no time! You can find the whole recipe at https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a51551/cheesesteak-stuffed-peppers-recipe/. Here you can watch a video of how the recipe is prepared, plus you can add all of the ingredients to your shopping list with just a click of a button! How easy is that?? Just print it out and take it to the store with you. 

Ingredients:

• 4 bell peppers, halved
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 16 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 lb. sirloin steak, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 16 slices provolone
• Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325º. Place peppers in a large baking dish and bake until tender, 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onions and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, 6 minutes. Add steak and season with more salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning.
• Add provolone to bottom of baked peppers and top with steak mixture. Top with another piece of provolone and broil until golden, 3 minutes.
• Garnish with parsley before serving.

We hope you enjoy, feel free to share 🙂

Welcome back to Wisdom Wednesday. Today we’ll discuss a very important topic that many of us probably don’t want to hear.

To Rx or not to Rx?…that is the question. For so many of us it seems like having that Rx next to our name at the end of a workout is the most important thing at the gym. Unfortunately, I’m here to tell you it’s not!

As a coach who has Rx’d plenty of workouts over the years, as well as having to scale accordingly on various occasions, I’ve learned that you have to set your ego aside and focus on performing good, quality reps. That is our main focus in CrossFit, especially here at Ole Glory. I may not have the fastest score, or the most reps at the end of the day, but I know that each of my reps are done correctly with proper form. If you’re flying through a workout, doing mediocre reps, just to get a top spot on the whiteboard, then you’re setting yourself up for failure! Sure it’s fun to compare scores, but you should really have the mindset to compete only against yourself; to be better than you were yesterday.

So how do you know when you should scale? This may be running through our minds as we read over the workout. Each workout has a stimulus, which means there is a particular way the workout should be done. Some workouts may be written to be finished in a short amount of time, while others may involve a long workout that requires you to find a steady pace to keep moving for the duration of the workout.

Lets take Diane for example, 21-15-9 Deadlifts at 225/155 and Handstand Push-Ups (HSPU). This workout is designed to be a sprint. For an advanced athlete who has mastered these skills, they should be able to complete the WOD in less than 5 minutes. If you are not efficient at these movements, or you feel like you will be resting between reps frequently, then you should scale. This may mean lifting a lighter load for the deadlifts and performing HSPU on a box. The goal is to have everyone performing the workout at the same stimulus. There is no shame in scaling!

Workouts that involve heavy lifting should never be used as the time to build your strength. For this reason strength days are programmed so we can work on our form and technique. Over time, you will notice an increase in your strength and you will be able to use heavier weights in future workouts. Don’t let your friends bully you and try to dictate how much weight you put on the bar. Stay true to yourself and the results will speak for themselves. The key here is PATIENCE. Building muscle and endurance takes time. Trust the process!

RX’ing movements before you are fully prepared not only develops bad habits that are hard to break, but it’s dangerous. You put yourself at a higher risk for injuries because of poor form. It’s just not worth it! Once you have done hundreds of reps to enforce proper body mechanics, then you can add intensity to your workouts and challenge yourself to set new PRs. As long as your movements are done correctly, don’t be scared to push yourself!

Most importantly, trust your coaches! If we’re advising that you scale, it’s not to hold you back, it’s to benefit you and your fitness. Set goals and work towards them everyday. Or you can schedule a Strategy Session with a coach to help you achieve those goals. That’s what we’re here for! You’ll thank us later when you’re hitting max numbers for your lifts while maintaining excellent form. Stay smart and when in doubt, ask your coach. Happy Scaling 🙂