Alright, so if you're reading this than chances are you are part of the masses who have found CrossFit to be a beneficial and indisposable entitity to their daily routine. You've seen beneficial changes in your energy levels, strength, and body composition. However, today I'd like to rant about several realms of our lives where ANYTHING can be too much of a good thing.
To many of you, this is a known fact. Unfortunately, almost all of us fail to recognize what margin defines "too much." Seven months ago when I was in the midst of opening up our little sanctuary which is CrossFit Groton, I was working 3 jobs and driving myself into the ground. I failed to slow the pace because my eyes were set on my dream. Through the Spring and Summer, I found myself still running unbroken 12-16 hour days working multiple jobs seven days a week. It wasn't long before this lifestyle began to catch up with me. After realizing that the business had reached stability and it was time to slow it down a bit, I have finally sat back and utilized a little help.
I use this as just an example, but I'd like to use it to get the ball moving on other elements of our lives where this pattern is recognized a little less.
1) Work. Money is good, but working to the point that our health, personal lives, and workout begins to get slammed is bad. I know, you guys are all wondering, "who the hell is he to talk?" Nevertheless, I'm working on it!
2) Protein. If you're trying to gain muscle, the acceptable amount of TOTAL protein in your diet is 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. That includes your daily food. If you are trying to lean out or sustain bodyweight, just over 1 gram per pound of bodyweight is acceptable. Don't go ape-shit on this stuff. About 5 years ago, an FDNY recruit firefighter died on the training grounds. He was 33 years old. Like any other recruit going into any academy across the country, this gentleman was worried about "losing muscle." Upon the advisement of his friends, the recruit ate nothing but protein. His diet consisted of chicken breasts, egg whites, and protein shakes. While performing a very common 14 obstacle training course at the academy, the recruit collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. His issue? When protein is used as your primary energy source with a complete lack of carbohydrates or healthy fats, it can be extremely taxing on your renal system. This is usually a result of the high levels of nitrogen in your bloodstream. Case in point, take it easy on the protein. Be sure to balance it with a nice, well-balanced meal.
3) Fruit. I often hear, "I don't know what's wrong, I eat tons of fruit!" Remember, fruits still have sugar in them! If you eat them in high quantities or by themselves, you risk having a high blood sugar which can cause a multitude of the following issues:
1) A horrible cycle of being hungry all day
2) Insulin resistence/Diabetes
3) Weight gain
4) Laziness and fatigue
5) Muscle breakdown
and most recently they've linked high blood sugar to immune disorders, cancer risk, and heart disease.
4) Weight. Many of the recovering "meatheads" that enter CrossFit fear the loss of muscle mass. They supplement that fear by thinking that they always need to add weight to the RX'd. This is far from true. If you have a 6 minute Fran (21-15-9 of thrusters 95# and pullups), you have no business doing it with 135# because you feel like being tough. Master the metabolic conditioning and overall health and when you have a 2 minute Fran, give 135# a shot. Those that also have the propensity to do things like this are the same people that typically don't look at the total number of reps to be performed. It is an old school premise that as time/reps increase, intensity/weight should decrease. Use your head and when in doubt, ask your training. Then, do yourself a favor and don't argue with him or her when you don't like the answer he or she gives you. We usually know proper scaling because we've learned the hard way ourselves. But don't worry, we'll still love you if you do argue. It shows enthusiasm for progress.
5) Training. I don't doubt for a minute that our particular form of workouts have certain "addictive" properties. But don't turn yourselves into heroine addicts and keep uping the dose until you overdose. The lead physical fitness instructor at the fire academy always used the motto, "WORK THE BODY, FEED THE BODY, REST THE BODY!" With this goes the acknowledgement that one person's work tolerance is not equal to that of your own. Keep in mind that some people have been doing it longer and have quicker recovery and tolerance to training. Kris Clever has been known to run 5-6 miles in the morning most days of the week, do strength and metcon in the morning, and then do more strength or metcon in the afternoon. This is not a trianing regiment that I want to see any of you trying anytime soon!
So as a wrap-up, I just want to talk briefly about the real reason why I felt the need to write this deal. That is the following:
Each of us has a strong foundation behind our fitness regiment. We want to be healthier. We want to be stronger. We want to be more mentally durable. We don't want to die early. Whatever be the case, I'd like to offer up a principle that I've just come to realize myself. That idea is that abuse of any of the above-spoken excesses can be hyprocritical. In other words, if we try to hard to satisfy our physical and mental goals instead of occasionally relaxing, taking time to refuel, and cutting loose on occasion, we may lose everything that we have set out to obtain.
If you find yourself experiencing reduced results, excess muscle soreness, joint pain, or excess fatigue, take a friggin day off, eat a piece of cheesecake, drink a beer, and sleep in. We're entering cold season, and failure to administer proper rest and relaxation can really jam you up. Thanks everybody! See you in the box!
