More is Not Better. Better is Better
In an effort to glean the most out of what you’re doing with your training you might think, “let’s do a 2 a day or a 3 a day.” Especially considering the fact CrossFitters are known for just putting their heads down and doing more.
Shoot. We brag about how awful this workout was and how much we couldn’t stand up after that workout!
What you may not know is you are playing with a delicate balancing act of stress and recovery.
Let’s Imagine a SeeSaw
Imagine a seesaw for a second and how it’s point of pivot is directly in the center. Place a child on either side who weigh about the same and not much will happen.
Now, instead of these children let’s put something else on each end:
On one end? The stress you put yourself through and more specifically for our example here, the amount of training stress you put yourself through.
On the other end? We will put your body’s ability to recover and regenerate after these stressors.
If you train hard on any given day, the seesaw will tip toward the stress side.
If you eat well, go through any recovery techniques you might know, and sleep well then the seesaw will tip toward the recovery/regeneration side.
If, on the other hand, you train hard and DO NOT recover well…
Either because you are not eating enough or the right things, you are not doing any recovery techniques for yourself, and you don’t sleep well…
Then the seesaw will be pinned to the stress side.
Have You Ever Felt Good Starting a Workout and Then Bombed?
Maybe it’s because you planned your strategies poorly for it. Or, maybe it’s because you’ve been training too hard and not recovering enough.
In my opinion, overtraining is possible to achieve but it’s more likely you are under recovering and there are several solutions:
- Back off your training volume a bit so you don’t pin yourself as deeply in the stress side
- Eat, not just better food but more of it, if you are going to train more
- Get massages, chiropractic adjustments, and spend some time in epsom salt baths if you are going to train more
- Sleep. That’s it. Sleep. You CANNOT recover if you do not sleep.
What About the Games Athletes?
The high level CrossFit athletes you see on social media are doing ALL of these things and then some. Yes, they are training way more than you or I train [which makes them physical specimens] but they are also recovering like mad.
They get body work done; they eat a lot; they eat relatively well; they sleep a lot; they use muscle stim to expedite recovery; they float; they use ice baths (I’m not condoning ice, by the way); and then some.
Most of us do not have the time or money to dedicate to these things.
One thing these men and women ARE doing, however, is putting everything into their training: they train hard [of course], but they also warm up with purpose, they do their accessory work with their full attention, and they enjoy doing it because they know it works toward their bottom line.
The Point is This…
More training is not better. Better training is better.
- Train once per day BUT train hard and with purpose.
- Warmup to this with intensity. Don’t half-ass it.
- Eat well and eat enough.
- Sleep well. 7 to 8 hours is the goal.
If you’re missing the boat on all of this stuff, don’t worry about trying to do it all. Start with one and work your way up.
And before you ask yourself, “should I do a second and third workout?” Ask yourself, “am I recovering enough?”
PS. Haven’t enlisted the help of an educated and qualified coach to maximize your results? CLICK HERE to setup your Free No-Sweat Intro and we will be happy to guide you!
