Recover

There are so many things that one needs to master in CrossFit and on of the main things we need to figure out is recovery.  We focus on strength, gymnastics, conditioning, and even mobility; although mobility tends to get a…

There are so many things that one needs to master in CrossFit and on of the main things we need to figure out is recovery.  We focus on strength, gymnastics, conditioning, and even mobility; although mobility tends to get a bit neglected.  Most of CrossFitters, especially those new to CrossFit, tend to ignore the most important element of the Sport.  Recovery is key to hitting WODs hard day in day out.  We do damage in the gym and we need to recover to get fitter, it’s as simple as that.

There first and most obvious factor of recovery is nutrition.  This is in the back of most of people’s minds, and the nice thing is as people work at a high intensity, they tend to start to eat better.  I’ve seen this trend occur especially in the CrossFit community.  You put in so much work in the box, why pollute your body with crap.  My approach to nutrition is “paleo” for the quality of food, and “zone” for the amount.  Blended together those two are awesome.  One isn’t better than the other, they just compliment each other nicely.   Competitive athletes may want to simply eat whole foods, and not worry too much about taking in grains.  But that’s a discussion for a different post. I guess I’m a little bit of a libertarian when it comes to nutrition since I firmly believe that people should really enjoy what they eat.

A huge part of nutrition is also supplementation.  The CrossFit community has always been anti supplements, and for good reason.  There is so much crap out there it’s hard to find a trustworthy product that is good for you.  Once I started taking certain supplements, my recovery as well as performance shot through the roof.  I did a lot of experimentation and found what works and what doesn’t.  I’ve always tried a supplements with an open mind, as well as a little scepticism.  Some were trash, while others worked but left me feeling crappy, then there are those that worked and I had to suck them down because they tasted like crap.  There are few supplements I recommend, and I’ve always recommended Fish Oil.  A pre workout is not necessary, just nice; if you can find one that doesn’t make you feel all jittery.  CrossFit is intense enough, so using a pre workout with a lot of caffeine, and other stimulants really won’t make you feel too good.  Biosteel is a damn good pre/during workout mix that keeps you fresh and taste great.

Recovery supplements are also key to effective recovery.  I’ve taken my share and when I take a good quality recovery formula I feel a lot more fresh and less sore the next day.  And yes, I still constantly get sore, that does not completely go away.  We are now going to have access to one of the best tasting products on the market.  Progenex makes one bad ass product.  Their Recovery protein has a lot of science that I’ll let those who wanna geek out look into.  This stuff simply works, and tastes great, the only thing that was stoping us till now was price.  We can now have to product at a price comparable to American pricing and not get ripped off on duty fees.  So we’ll have some available soon and you won’t have to pay $30-$40 in duty fees per order.

Sleep is another important aspect of recovery and progress.  If you’re not sleeping, or sleeping too little, you’re sabotaging your progress.  No matter how hard you work in the gym, you are not going to get to where you want to get if you are not sleeping.  Get into bed at a reasonable time, skip that show at night, it won’t kill you.  Read a book or a magazine for a few minutes instead.  Turning off screens and hitting a book or simply having a conversation with someone will allow you to sleep better for the night.

Finally, take the extra time to recover by rolling out, hitting those rehab or pre-hab exercises Dr. Wade is so adamant about.  Smash those tissues with the roller, and ball, and try spending a few minutes each day doing some static stretching.  I know some are against static stretching out there but screw em, just try it as you watch TV and you see the benefits when you all of a sudden start moving better and finishing lifts in better positions.

So get in that recovery, and hit it hard day in day out.  Being sore or tired should not be an excuse to miss CrossFit.  Those of you competing in the Open need to dial in that recovery so you can peak for this Open WODs.

I’ll try and make a few videos on recovery in the new future that will better explain these points.  For that check Snatches and Scotch on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/user/SnatcheandScotch