What to expect...

I was talking one of our athletes who decided to take on the STRENGTH SERIES. Last night he said,”I feel more tired than I had when I was mostly doing CF wods, why is this?” Good question, and one that has an even better answer. Remember that with any physical training there is a cycle of stress-recovery-adaptation. The stresses that our bodies feel when loads are relatively light in relationship to our overall strength capacity, and reps and intensity are high, are mostly focused on metabolic adaptations. Not to say that you are not getting stronger and that your muscles are not growing, but pure strength cannot be developed with high reps and low loads. The physical skills developed from that type of training are mostly stamina and endurance.

 When we focus our training on higher loads with lower reps, we create certain physiological changes to occur which require the “re-building and recovery” of body tissues such as muscle.  So, the answer to the question is yes, you may feel a greater energy drag when adapting to strength training where there is consistent progression of loads on a 48-72 hour cycle. This is not to say that over-training is acceptable, but that your body is “working” on recovery to adapt! Adaptation is the key. Nutrition, active rest, sleep and other stressors all affect the way your body can and will adapt. During the STRENGTH SERIES, insure that you are consuming enough protein (1.0-1.5g/lbs. of lean body mass), adequate antioxidants (omega 3/6 fish oil, vegetables, berries), proper hydration and lots of sleep. Your body is working on developing thicker muscle cell walls and this takes energy. This morphological change is different than the adaptive energy response that your metabolic system has when performing CF wods. Here is an analogy to compare the two. The metabolic re-fueling or adaptation of your body is similar to that of improving the delivery, quantity and efficient consumption of gas for your car, but the adaptation that occurs in the muscle cell walls (super-compensation-hypertrophy) is like building a stronger, bigger engine and frame for your car.

Remember don’t underestimate the stress that strength training with progressive loads can create on your body. Consume adequate nutrition immediately following your training session and then listen to your body before, during and after each workout. Expect to grow stronger, if you don’t, something is wrong!

Checkout this post by WHOLE9 on 9 things to do when you’re all banged up

http://whole9life.com/2010/01/all-banged-up/

Coach D

WOD

Three rounds of;

Run 800 meters

Deadlift, Front squat, Push press - Complete 10 reps each before moving to the next lift(use one bar and build/strip weight as needed throughout the wod, choose wisely)

CF FTW North Headquarters, high altitude training center! LOL!

BOX hours modified tomorrow for SPUR ON 5k/10k. BOX will be open at 9 and 10 am for Muay Thai only tomorrow. Come join us for a 5k run. You could still make the 10 am Muay Thai class.

Comments

Tina Neuwirth commented on 09-Sep-2011 07:49 AM

Great job to everyone this AM. Welcome to our newest member, Tyler. I did the strength WOD: BS 5-5-5 (165), not altogether happy with my depth on them so I might have to stay at that weight one more WOD. DL 5: 175 (felt good). PC 5-5-5 (95) - felt good
but need to follow my own advice and finish my movement and be patient with my arms! Happy Friday!

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