The way I see it, the two most vocal groups on the recovery/rest issue are 1) the no pain, no gain folks who think you’re weak, and 2) the your-body-is-always-right folks who think the former are steroid abusing neanderthals. I’m just starting to formalize my thoughts on this issue, so chime in if you have a different opinion.

I just wrapped up a week’s worth of travel that included 48 hours of driving to and from Colorado, and little to no sleep on a floor in between. To boot, I ate like crap - sporadic and convenience oriented. During that week, I had what I feel were my two strongest lifting days to date. No PRs mind you, but the reps were higher and I simply felt stronger, like I brought more to the bar. I took the day off yesterday to “rest up”, which included a ton of sleep, paleo friendly food, and no training. Today, I’m lethargic, I feel weak, and I generally feel like I’ve been drugged. But I laced up for my training anyway. I put up the prescribed weight for my progression, yet if felt as if I’d doubled up the increase. I’d slated some conditioning work to follow up the lifts, but by the time I got to that point, I was tapped. So I called it.

This brings me to my point - sometimes, your body is right, and sometimes it isn’t. There is absolutely a difference between overloading and overtraining. Overloading is good, overtraining is bad. Assuming you don’t have a good coach who’s calling it for you, telling the difference between the two can be tough. I have some guesses as to what category the various personalities our clients and athletes bring to the table might fall under, but I’d rather discuss my own experience and how I manage it.

I’m a type AB personality - I fall into both categories, sometimes swinging into type A, and sometimes into type B. When my motivation is up, I can find myself on the edge of overtraining. That generally leads me to burn-out and a subsequent shift into no training at all. Then I’m fighting for the motivation to get my groove back. In the past, I’ve fallen victim to thoughts like, “Man, my body is begging to rest, so I should lay around for 3 months.” Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but you get the point. I’ve since learned to manage my training and balance the ebb and flow of recovery needs. It’s not perfect, but it’s getting better.

Given the outline of my last week, it’s no wonder I feel beat down. Poor food choices, poorer sleep, and general work/life stress to boot have simply primed me for overtraining. So today, I made some choices for the week: 1) condense my strength sessions to two days, 2) change my conditioning sessions to skill work and 3) move that skill work to non-strength days. This buys me a lighter load (no metcons), and more time for recovery over the course of a given day. I’m also forcing myself to be in bed at a particular time ensuring at least 8 hours of sleep. My workouts will be in the afternoons (normal for me anyway) so I’m not forcing myself out of sleep earlier than necessary.

I feel like these choices are a good middle of the road - I’m not giving all training, but I am scaling back. The general intesity of the week is lower. This isn’t new to anyone, though, is it? It’s called deloading. Deloading is an important tool in the arsenal of a strength/fitness coach and any athlete looking to improve their performance. Digging around, it seems most coaches are calling for a deloading week every 4 - 6 weeks. Seems fair, but I think it can/should be dependant on the athlete. This week marks the 6th of my 12 week summer strength cycle and given how shitty I feel, I think a deload is called for. But if you’ve got a good rhythm, if you’re making gains, by all means, stay in your groove. So long as you’re getting adequate nutrition and rest, ride that horse.

The issue arises, though, as to when you are actually in need of some dedicated recovery time and when you might just be feeling lazy. Here’s the questions I came up with for myself:

1. Am I sick or injured? If yes, then it is probably in my best interest to rest up.
2. What’s going on elsewhere? Is my nutrition and sleep up to snuff? Critical factors in many a good coaches opinion.
3. How long have I been feeling sub-par? If it’s just today, am I just being lazy? If it’s been a few days in a row, or if my previous 2 or 3 sessions have suffered, I should consider some deload/recovery time.
4. How long has it been since my last recovery/deload week? If it’s been awhile, even if I’m feeling strong, I might want to consider some deload time. It could ward off a future burn-out.
5. What does my programming look like? Am I overdoing it with conditioning work? CrossFitters are notorious for metcon addiction. Be wary. If you’ve just gone through several months of chippers, maybe it’s time to take a step back and re-examine your goals. And take a break while you’re doing it.

This isn’t rocket surgery, but it helped me to examine where I am this week. I’m comfortable with my decision to deload this week, but I’m eager to kick it back up a notch next week.

DGF

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I just put my dad hat on…

Little Ms. Shortstack is attending an awesome pre-school not far from where we live. She’s head over heels about this place. Her teachers are all great, and I dig all the stuff this tiny person tells me about when I pick her up. It costs a bit more, but it’s well worth it. Except for the food.

As a busy parent, one of the perks of this school is they provide breakfast. I prefer to cook breakfast for the two of us, partly because I know what I’d prefer she eat, but also because it’s a few moments of guaranteed time with her holding (relatively) still. But, being busy and still getting settled in the area, I’ve made use of the school breakfast a handful of times now. The first time I dropped her off with the intent on her eating breakfast at the school, they were having plain scrambled eggs, toast, fruit, and milk. Not horrible, not awesome either. The next time, she got Fruit Loops and fruit. Another time, after staying at her mom’s, it was pancakes with syrup. Noticing the trend? So I looked back at the menu they send us each week, and it’s awful. Sugar, highly processed foods, and very little quality protein (dairy included). Breakfast, lunch, and snacks, all the same.

Take today, for example. I had planned for the two of us to go to dinner after school and have a little frozen yogurt afterwards because she filled up her little responsibility chart dealio this week. We were bantering about her day, when she told me, “Dad! I had a donut with jelly inside!” She’s 3. This was amazing to her. I thought, odd, a donut in the morning. “No, for snack, Dad. The kids had pancakes for breakfast, with syrup and blueberries.” Yesterday was ice cream day, kicked off with more Fruit Loops. Holy Mary…

As a nutrition student, I’m highly engaged right now with what I’m eating and how my daughter eats. I’ve got her to the point where she asks me to cook breakfast because, “Fruit Loops are bad for us, Dad.” I’m proud of that, yet I don’t force her to eat as strict as I do. I don’t deny her sweets here and there, she isn’t reprimanded for her cravings, and I try to teach her moderation when we do splurge. I want her to eat healthy, and I’m at a loss with the disconnect here - awesome intellectual preparation, horrible nutritional foundation. This school has been open for several years; have other parents not thought it odd? There is so much effort towards preparing these kids for a bright future, yet they are being short changed nutritionally. The habits they form now around food will be carried with them into adulthood.

Nutrition in schools has long been a mess, we all know that. I suppose now that I’m staring at it, that it’s my child, and I’m paying top dollar for it, my blood is heating up. Take note parents and educators alike - healthy food is NOT more expensive, and the only way to see change is to demand change. I’m starting simple, with a polite letter to the school director this week. Who knows where that will go, but if it comes down to me providing our own food for her to take to school, so be it.

Taking the hat off…

Today’s Workout

Standing Press

2 x 5, 1 x 8 @ 83#

Front Squat

2 x 5, 1 x 10 @ 135#

Conditioning

4 rounds for time of:

25 x dumbell thrusters @ 20#/arm
200m sprint 

Screwed up the clock but I think I finished right around the 10 min. mark, maybe a little longer.

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Today I want to welcome and introduce a new contributer to Die Going Forward, Mr. Brian Noyle. Brian and I have been friends and co-workers since 2005-ish(?). We have similar backgrounds and life experience, and are both opinionated about how we individually chase health and fitness. I’m eager to read Brian’s contributions to this blog and the fresh perspective he can offer to what has so far been a solo effort.

Yesterday’s Workout:

Kicked off the strength LP again yesterday. I’m still lacking a little bit of gear in the garage, and am hoping to get that squared away soon. In the meantime, pullups and such will be harder to come by. As far as weight is concerned, I looked back at my journals and set my expected loads to 10% less than the last recorded efforts. I hit my rep numbers, but I am surprised that the level of intensity was so much higher than I expected at those lower weights.

Primary Lifts

Bench Press: 2 x 5, 1 x 10 @ 115# (previous entry had me at 1 x 16 @ 124#)
Squat:  2 x 4, 1 x 6 @ 165# (previous entry had me at 1 x 10 @ 187#)

Supplemental

OHS: Find 1RM in 5 attempts - 65#, 95# (fail), 75#, 80#, 95# 

My last OHS entry had me lift 85# x 12, so my 1RM result disappointed me. Again, the layoff is likely the primary culprit. The weakness was definitely in my shoulders, less so in my legs or back.

L-Sits: 60 seconds (cumulative)

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I knew it would happen. DOMS! My legs have been ridiculously sore since Monday’s workout. I thought I scaled it back enough, but I was wrong. Oh well. Rest on Tuesday and a light movement session yesterday seemed to help. I was able to do a full workout today without too much trouble. This week was my ramp-up towards restarting my LP strength program on Monday. In conjunction, I start classes with Integrative Nutrition Institute start on Monday as well. I’ll be doing a Whole 30 to celebrate the start of that year long nutrition and health counseling education. Take that, Monday!

Today’s Workout

Warm-up:

3 rounds of the following - 1 min. jump rope + 10 squats + 10 pushups + 10 situps + 10 good mornings @ 45#

Conditioning:

Followed along with EmerFit.com, but changed it to as many rounds as possible in 15 min.:

With a 95# bar, AMRAP in 15 minutes of - 5 deadlifts + 5 hang power cleans + 5 thrusters.

I got 6 rounds and stopped at 12 minutes and change.

I liked this workout. The deadlifts were easy, the hang power cleans started to tax my grip, and the thrusters just sucked. But, those 95# thrusters represent a boost in weight from my previous ground to overhead session by 15#. And that’s after this month long break. Pretty stoked with that result, and I’m even more amped to finish my LP and getting back to regular conditioning work.

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A quick recap of this past week’s effort:

5/2/11 - 5/8/11

Monday

Bench Press: 2 x 5, 1 x 18 @ 110#
Back Squat: 2 x 5, 1 x 12 @ 170#
Overhead Squat: 2 x 5, 1 x 12 @ 80#
Dips: 3 x 3-rung Ladders
L-Pullups: 3 x Max - 8, 8, 8

Tuesday

Frequency Chins: 4 x 3-rung Ladders (due to availability)

Wednesday

Hang Power Clean: 5 x 3 - 
Deadlift: 1 x X @
Conditioning:

5:00 max rounds/reps of -
6 Strict chest to bar pullups +
9 1-Arm DB Thruster @ 50#

2 rounds + 3 Pullups (33 reps total)

Thursday

Burpees: 5:00 max reps - 51

Friday

Standing Press: 2 x 5, 1 x 8 @ 90#
Front Squat: 2 x 5, 1 x 14 @ 130#
Clapping Pushups: 3 x Max - 14, 11, 7
Row: 6 x 250m sprints, 1:1 work/rest - 00:54, 00:56, 00:55, 00:54, 00:53, 00:52

Saturday

Frequency Pullups & Pushups:

Pulls - 8, 6, 7, 8, 8, 8 (45)
Push - 23, 23, 23, 23, 23, 23 (138)

Sunday

Rest - 2+ miles bike ride downtown

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The post-per-workout day is getting tedious for me (and likely for my coach who is reading this thing), so I’m condensing a week’s worth of effort into an end of week post from here on out. Here’s the recap for last week:

4/25/11 - 5/1/11

Monday

Bench Press: 2 x 5, 1 x 20 @ 105#
Overhead Squat: 2 x 5, 1 x 12 @ 75#
L-Sits: 6 x 20s work + 30s rest
Back Squat: 2 x 5, 1 x 9 @ 165#

Tuesday

Karate

Wednesday

Deadlift: 1 x 7 @ 255#

Thursday

Karate

Friday

Press: 2 x 5, 1 x 8 @ 87.5#
Front Squat: 2 x 5, 1 x 12 @ 125#
Ring Pushups: 3 x Max - 15, 9, 8
6 x 100m Sprint (1:1 work/rest ratio): 19s, 18s, 17s, 17.6s, 18.1s, 17.9s

Indoor 100m track for the sprints included corners. I think I’m faster than a 17 - 19s 100m sprint… 

Saturday

Rest

Sunday

Rest - 2+ hours walking @ Zoo with Zoe

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I’m tired today, but I LOVED yesterday’s workout. It involved some conditioning, which I haven’t done much of in a week or so, as part of an overall athleticism plug-in my coach and I are using in this current strength cycle.

Week 1 Day 2

Warm-up: 3 x CrossFit Warm-up

Deadlift

1 x 7 @ 255#

Notes:
The standard weight increase on the big lifts for this program is 5#. The weight I pulled is 55# more than I deadlifted last time. The last deadlift session was too light, and 5# just wasn’t enough. That said, I overshot it. My form probably suffered, so next Wednesday I’ll drop back down to 225# and work back up from there.

Conditioning

12 min. AMRAP of:

12 x 1-arm DB Push Press (6/arm) @ 35#
21 x KB Swing @ 24kg
250m Row

Completed: 4 rounds + 12 Push Press + 8 Swings

Notes:
In the first round, I mistakenly did 12 Push Presses per arm; call it extra credit. I seemed to be on pace with most of the rest of the class, but felt slow/sluggish. Maybe the deadlifts? Sleep and nutrition has been good. Could be the lack of conditioning in the last week or combination of the above. Will keep an eye on it.

Athletics/Gymnastics Work

3 x Max Chins

4, 2, 2

Notes: Yes, these sucked. I was spent.

3 x Max Dips

8, 7, 5

3 x Max Hanging Leg Raise

10, 12, 12

Notes:

Last two sets my legs were much more tucked, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t kipping ever so slightly.

Notes:
I kinda super-setted these, where I did chins, dips, and hlr’s in one go round before I rested a minute or so.

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