CROSSFIT MONCTON. 4 lessons from the crossfit games. August 2018

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1 August 2018 CROSSFIT MONCTON 4 lessons from the crossfit games 1. Run, don t jog, to the finish line. Whether it s a literal run to the finish line or just pushing through the last few reps of a workout, finishing strong is even more important than starting strong. Those last few reps or seconds could be the difference between qualifying for Regionals, making the podium at a local competition, or even just beating that really annoying guy at the gym. In Brent Fikowski s case, it was another competitor s jog to the finish line that (sort of) cost him a spot on the podium at the 2016 Games. During the final workout, the race for the bronze medal was between Fikowski and Patrick Vellner. Though Fikowski squarely beat Vellner in the event, he still needed a little help from Vellner and Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson in order to make the podium. Vellner kicked it into high gear and sprinted to the finish line. Guðmundsson jogged and placed just behind Vellner. Had Guðmundsson sprinted and beat Vellner, Fikowski would have surpassed Vellner with enough points to just overtake third place. Of course, this was all out of Fikowski s control, but it just goes to show that what an athlete does in the last moments can make a huge difference in the overall result. [! 1]

2 2. Communicate with your judges. Judging can be one of the most frustrating parts of a competition. And judging styles and standards carry a increasingly small but present amount of subjectivity. Other than exaggerating movement, there s not much an athlete can do about standards. At some point, you too will get no repped. That said, communicating with your judge before the event starts can make a world of difference. Like your reps counted out loud? Tell your judge. Can t hear your reps? Tell your judge. Limited range of motion? Show your judge. Confused about a standard? Ask your judge to clarify. During WOD 4 of the Masters competition of the 2016 Games, athlete Mathew Wiebke found himself confused when his judge wasn t counting his toes to bar reps out loud. There wasn t anything he could do at the time, and Wiebke estimated that the confusion may have cost him a few seconds. The sprint WOD only lasted around 2 minutes, so those few seconds lost sent him tumbling down the leaderboard. 3. Mix up your equipment and environment. Even though CrossFit is all about constant variance, we are creatures of habit and will often use the same equipment during training. Everyone has their favourite barbell that spins just right, or their favourite muscle up station with the perfectly coarse rings. The problem is that in competition, everything is foreign. You end up with a brand new barbell that rips your hands and spins like mad and rings that are crazy slippery. There s no way to totally replicate competition scenarios, but you can help yourself by forcing yourself to mix up your equipment in training. Even little changes make a big difference. Try lowering or raising the height of rings, working out in different weather or at a different time of day. Even facing a the opposite direction when you lift can help you get used to performing well in different environments. Mat Fraser attributed his 2016 success partly to constantly mixing up his training habits. Even though most of us don t have the luxury of life revolving around training, that doesn t mean we can t suck it up every once and a while and head to a 6am class instead of a 6pm class. Will it suck? Absolutely but your body will thank you when you re doing an early morning competition and you know what your body feel like at that hour. 4. Hydrate with care. This one was a hard lesson for everyone in the community to learn. We all watched as athletes were demolished by the heat during Murph at the 2015 CrossFit Games. That image of Kara Webb zig zagging to the finish line just never gets out of your head. Though the 2015 Murph situation was a perfect storm of environmental and physical factors, it taught us regular folks a lot about hydration in hot weather. We know that HQ did their best to educate Games athletes on the dangers of dehydration, heat stroke, and excessive hydration, but everyday athletes may not have as much knowledge about the range of risks when working out in super hot weather.!2 via BarBend

3 CHICKEN SALAD WITH BACON & SCALLIONS Ingredients 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts 8 slices nitrate free bacon 1/2 cup homemade mayo or Paleo friendly mayo 2 scallions green onions, thinly sliced 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional) salt and pepper to taste via Paleo Running Mama Instructions Take your bacon and chop into bite size pieces. Brown the bacon in a large sauté pan over med-hi heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside to drain on paper towels, leaving the rendered fat in the pan. Pound the chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness or cut them in half so each piece is 1/2 inch thick. Turn the heat down to med. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with garlic (if using), salt and pepper and put in the pan with bacon fat. Cook about 2-3 minutes on each side or until the inside is no longer pink. Put the chicken in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until cool. If you haven't made your mayo yet, now is the time! When the chicken has cooled down, chop roughly into bite size pieces, and in a large bowl, toss together with the bacon, scallions, and mayo. Mix to fully combine. Taste and add salt/pepper if needed. Serve right away or snap a pic for Instagram before you shove the entire bowl in your face. Oh yes, you will!!!3

4 ATHLETE PROFILE FRED DESJARDINS When did you join CFM? Had you been involved in other gyms or fitness programs before? I think I started in May Previous to CrossFit, I have always been active but not in a specific program or setting. Do you have an athletic background? Played a lot of basketball and soccer in my teen years. Once in University and throughout my young professional years, I did whitewater kayaking and mountain biking. What made you decide to join CFM? My wife knew Patrick Arseneau from high school and she noticed CrossFit as a recurring theme on his Facebook. She talked to him about it and then proceeded to buy me an intro course for my birthday. What are your fitness or skill goals? I have something to look forward to everyday and have a sense of accomplishment every time I leave! Have you accomplished any of them? Increased strength and skills on bar. Aside from overall bar skills, linking pulls-ups and double unders would open up a whole new world for me. For accomplishments: Every month I have at least one PR on the board and feel good about those. I have been working towards my 500 class goal which I will have reached by time this comes out. Do you remember your first workout? Details, please! To be honest, I don t remember what was my first workout. I do remember the feeling afterwards being gassed and wondering what had just happened a feeling that continues to be familiar 4 years later.!4 Stats: Deadlift: 340 Press 150 Bench 215 Grace - 4:30 C&J m row - 1: mile run - 7:15 5k run - 23:39 Murph: 41:47 (unweighted)

5 Which of the 10 components of fitness have you found to be the most challenging? In which ones have you seen the most improvement? Flexibility is a challenge for me. I have always been tight in the hips and hamstrings and it s a limiting factor for me on technical lifts. Although I would like to stronger still, I think my strength has seen the most improvement. Describe the atmosphere at CFM. After four years, I still love the atmosphere at CFM. It s an environment where you can learn, push your limits, succeed and fail without judgement. Give us a few words of advice for someone in their first month of CrossFit. Don t get overwhelmed and think about the others in a class, what they can do and what you think you can t do. Just show up, work hard and listen to the trainers, the rest will come. What would you tell someone who is hesitant to try CrossFit? Start with an on-boarding program, everyone there is a beginner. Once you get into the classes, no one will judge you. It s a very supportive environment. What is your best (and worst) WOD memory? Best Any workout that leaves me exhausted on the floor at the end. Worst can t remember the exact workout but it was the first time I did 300 squats within a WOD and couldn t walk normally for 5 days. What is your favourite lift? Favourite WOD (or type of WOD)? Favourite lift... Cleans Favourite WOD longer WODs, chippers and grinders where you go to your place and just complete work.!5

6 Tell us a little bit about your nutrition. What s your routine, challenges, and how has your nutrition aided in your success? Routine is pretty consistent: - Morning is usually a super shake (full of awesome goodness, vitamins and proteins) and coffee to start off the day. - Pre-workout to get the blood sugars up before working out. - Post workout and protein shake. - Late lunch around 2:30 (usually left overs) - Sensible supper with the family. The challenge is trying to incorporate as many healthy meal options as possible while contending with discriminatory tastes of three kids. I have seen a significant impact on my recovery and mental and physical overall performance as my nutrition as improved. Nutrition is something that I want to dig into and learn more about. What s the best cue, correction, or tip you ve ever received from a coach? Fast elbows on cleans. Do you have any CrossFit competition experience? Tell us about it! None I should do something about that. What would you say is the greatest benefit you've received from joining, (not including fitness?) I used to suffer from anxiety and go through a cycle of depression a couple of times per year. The combination of stimuli through physical activity and the complete disconnect with everything external for that one hour has changed my life. I have something to look forward to everyday and have a sense of accomplishment every time I leave that will carry me for a couple of hours. I have never felt better!!6

7 WHAT S HAPPENING IN THE CFM COMMUNITY? GO RUCK with CFM In rucking, you can have someone with 10lbs and someone else with 45lbs and they can walk at the same pace while talking and the ruck can still be challenging. We will be rucking on Tuesday evenings from 7-8pm. Schedule will change in the coming months. ALL are welcome! 12 Month Nutrition Plan Habits are created by doing small things over and over. And we have a PROVEN plan to get you there. The Precision Nutrition program starts with a questionnaire. We dig deep into your life, your current habits and your goals. This will allow a fullycustomized approach to YOUR plan. Here s how it works: Every day you get a lesson to read and a small task to do. Every week you measure and record your progress. Every 2 weeks you get a new habit to try and practice. Some will have Level 1 or Level 2. Every month you upload a photo as part of your progress tracking. We ll start with concrete habits and evolve into more open-ended habits midway though. This gives you a chance to create a solid foundation and build off your successes. Lastly, you re not left on your own. While the platform to this program is online, you will have a coach following you through your 12 month journey with unlimited support. We are here to motivate you, help you through struggles, and answer any questions you have. BONUS!! With any option, you get to meet with your coach every month, in-person or through online video, to help keep you on track. GET STARTED TODAY!!7

8 Girls, Heroes, and MAD PRs. This is SUMMER AT CFM. Interested in joining? Come for a FREE No-Sweat Intro. Leave your money at home. We don t want to sell you anything; we just want to talk about your goals and see if we can help. Book your FREE consultation at: CROSSFIT MONCTON Baig Blvd. Moncton, NB or info@crossfitmoncton.com!8