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Stop Chasing the Dragon (PRs, Hedonic Adaptation, and being happy with your training)
Stop Chasing the Dragon
For those of you not up to date on your Cantonese slang, ‘chasing the dragon’ refers to burning heroin or an opiate on foil and then ‘chasing’ the vapor with a straw to get your fix. It shouldn’t be surprising that a drug reference would apply to training in the gym when you think of the chemicals naturally released during exercise and when you hit that new PR (personal record). In this case, the ‘dragon’ is setting that new PR.
Getting Hooked
When we first start tra…
CrossFit 2018 Online Age Qualifer Breakdown and Tips
CrossFit did not disappoint this year with the workouts! Wow! Not a ton of things for the bodyweight folks and no single heavy lift, but a lot of heavy stuff and rope climbs to boot!
Overall
Watch the video for the full run down. I am going to only hit the high points here since I am covering all four workouts.
Be ready for repeats! This is not the time to do a ‘one and done’ approach. This is the time to make every increment possible count!
Have ‘friends’…
CrossFit Open 18.5 Breakdown and Tips
I guess we did get a repeat, if we wanted it or not! 18.3 is a repeat of 11.6/12.5. It is a 7 minute AMRAP of thrusters and chest to bar pull ups with the rep scheme 3,3,6,6,9,9… This is the first time a workout has been repeated 3 times!
I guess we’ll have to wait until next year to see those shuttle runs, db overhead lunges, or pistols.
For the record, 50% of the people voted for this one, and 43% voted for 14.2. I think the reason is that many people real…
CrossFit Open 18.4 Breakdown and Tips
Bringing back a classic! If you weren’t aware, “Diane” has shown up in competition at the Regional and Games level many times. We have also seen heavy-ish deadlifts with HSPU two times in the Open before! 21-15-9 Deadlifts and Kipping Handstand Push ups doesn’t seem that taxing (you can either do them or you can), but it can be VERY taxing if you are halfway decent with these and you finish in under 6 minutes.
The more interesting thing is that they have added …
CrossFit Open 18.3 Breakdown and Tips
Holy Whip Marks Batman!
18.3 is a 14 minute AMRAP of 100 double unders, 20 snatches, 100 double unders, 12 ring muscle ups, 100 double unders, 20 db snatches, 100 double unders, 12 bar muscle ups… If you finish two rounds (hahaha) you can log your time instead of your reps. (Technically it is two rounds for time with a 14 min cap, but let’s be honest, the VAST MAJORITY of folks will just getting as many reps as possible in 14 min.
Overall
This workout will be very different depending on wh…
5 Reasons Why Repeating CrossFit Open Workouts Is a Bad Strategy Long Term
I got a great question from Craig K. about why I am not a fan of people repeating the Open workouts:
‘I would love if you would elaborate on how it ruins progress to do a workout twice? How does doing one workout 2-3 days apart from another workout cause a big problem with process? … What is the science behind it or even the thought process of why it is so bad?’
First, I’d like to say that it doesn’t ‘ruin’ the progress if someone does a workout twice in a few days. Our programming should…
CrossFit Open 18.2 Breakdown and Tips
A two point scoring opportunity, how awesome is that!
18.2 is 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 dumbbell squats followed by a max effort clean. You have 12 minutes to get both completed. If you don’t finish the couplet, you don’t get to attempt the clean.
Overall
This is a great test of lighter weight movements performed at high speed combined with another test of strength (metered by the fact that you have to perform the metcon first). I was thrilled the first time the…
CrossFit Open 18.1 Breakdown and Tips
CrossFit Open 18.1 Breakdown and Tips
This year is starting out with a real grip burner! I’ll cover tips to save the grip, how to pace, and other ‘gems’ that will help you perform your best to get this season started out right!
Overall
I think this is a great workout. I like the smaller sets. I like the combination of movements. I even like that it is an AMRAP!
Grip will be a key factor for many people. Even if you have the engine to perform these movement…
Programming During the CrossFit Open
*** UPDATED FOR 2011-2018! ***
It is that time of year again.
I can hear the collective cheers and groans from CrossFit gym owners around the world… Another CrossFit Open!
I had the luxury of programming for 6 years before the first CrossFit Open in 2011, and I still had a lot to learn those first 7 years since then! In this article I am going to outline some of the best practices (and things to avoid) when programming during the Open. It is my goal to save you time during the stressful ti…
The BIGGEST Thing Holding Back Your Progress.
There is a person inside of you that is always rewriting history. That is always comparing yourself to others. That is constantly worried about what other people think. That prevents you from learning because it tells you that ‘you already know this’. That is sabotaging your future self by trying to stay comfortable now.
This is your Ego, and it is your biggest enemy.
(Read Time: 4:30) TL;DR Notes:
- Learn to tell you ego to fuck off.
- Become a student in everything.
- Document reality, not …