In our last newsletter we focused on the power of consistency and working up to 5-6 days per week. This week, we layer on Intensity, or how hard you are working.
CrossFit was founded in many ways in contrast to the fitness trends of the day – spending multiple hours doing long, slow cardio or isolating specific muscles on a machine. The “constantly varied, functional movements at high intensity” was a way of being more efficient by increasing the work output (and therefore effort) of everything we do. You can get exceptionally fit with just one hour (or less) per day in the gym if you go faster and use compound movements that challenge multiple muscles together.
There is no question that Intensity (hard work) is effective, but only if we can still maintain Consistency. We’re in it for Lifelong Fitness. Similarly, Intensity is relative to your current fitness level, how your body is feeling, and whether you’re tired, stressed, etc. Even though you may have hit some benchmark in the past, your body and what is going on in life is different every day, and we need to match the intensity level to that. You have a fixed amount of daily energy, and many things including a stressful job or relationship, poor sleep, and fatigue from prior days all affect what you bring to each workout.
Here is a quick way to check in with yourself every day using a simple 1-5 to help gauge the right level for you:
1. How is my mood? 1 is “I broke up with my partner, my car broke down, and my boss is getting on me” 5 is “I’m feeling relaxed and upbeat”
2. How does my body feel? 1 is “everything is so sore I can hardly move.” 5 is “moving well and feeling strong”
3. Am I well rested? 1 is “I am exhausted and hardly slept.” 5 is “I slept like a log and I didn’t even think about coffee this morning.”
If you’re 4-5’s across the board, light the fire and take a big swing at the workout. Go harder than usual and see what happens. If any one of those is a 3 or less, take it a little easier. Many times as you get into it things will warm up and you feel good, but give yourself some space to scale.
If two are a 3 or less, today may need to be a “just move” day. Movement helps your muscles recover, but dial back the weight and/or reps so that you sweat, but you’re not lying on the floor after the workout. If you are a 1-2 across the board, get outside and go for a walk, ideally somewhere beautiful and full of nature.
Important Note: If you consistently find yourself at 3 or less on any one of these, let’s chat. There may be some simple habit changes to help you feel better.
We work hard, but within reason. Similarly, it may be only one or two workouts per week where you are really going for it, and very seldom do we ever try to find maximum intensity. The most progress happens with consistent, intentional, hard work done for a long time.
Thanks again for reading! By popular demand, the next few will be focused on Eating, and specifically how we can find sustainable food habits to fuel our bodies for long-term health and performance.
See you around the gym,
Erik