Archive for Sport Science
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE and RECOVERY
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SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE and RECOVERY
Training Crossfit for 3-5 days a week is by no means an easy task for your body. You will become familiar with DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness) which will usually follow 24-72 hours after an intense workout (it usually comes just when you thought you managed to avoid it this time). DOMS is caused by micro-trauma to your muscles following a workout. Don’t panic, this is part of normal adaptation of your body to exercise.
While avoiding DOMS is difficult, there are things you can (and will have to) do both in and outside the gym to promote your recovery and to support high levels of physical performance. Following list is by no means complete but will provide you with a decent toolbox to use in your path to elite fitness.
THE ESSENTIALS
1. Sleep
Get a minimum 7 preferably 8 ½ – 9 ½ hrs a night in complete darkness (no lights from mobiles or alarm clocks flashing in the room). 7 hours from 10pm to 5am is better than 7 hours from 12pm to 7am. If this is not doable, try to take a nap during the day. Anything between 15 minutes to 2 hours is good, depending on your needs / possibilities.
2. Eat real foods
We advocate the paleo approach (organic meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar). Once you’ve got this down comfortably and want to take your performance to the next level we recommend you start controlling macronutrient ratios by applying Zone diet principles into your eating plan.
3. Keep yourself hydrated
Our bodies require a minimum amount of clean, pure, natural water each day to maintain a good level of hydration. Notice the emphasis on water and not coffee, tea or soft drinks (never mention alcohol). This is especially important for people following a high intensity training program such as one provided at Crossfit Dublin .
Your estimated daily water requirement is 1.25 litres per 30kg of bodyweight. E.g. 60kg athlete would need 2.5 litres of water per day to maintain adequate hydration. Add a small pinch of sea salt to every litre of water you consume in order to maintain a good electrolyte balance.
4. Eat a PWO (post-workout) meal
You’ve just kicked your ass by completing the WOD (workout of the day); your body needs the building blocks for recovery. Your PWO meal should contain relatively high glycemic index carbohydrates (e.g. sweet potato) and some lean protein consumed ideally within 30 minutes after the WOD. By eliminating fats (slowest to digest) from this meal you ensure fast delivery of essential nutrients to your body and will recover faster.
5. Take your fish oil
Numerous studies have shown that taking a fish oil supplement will help reduce inflammation in the body (and hence speed up your recovery from workouts). Not only that but it will also help you lose body fat faster. Start with 1-3 grams a day (about 1.25-1.5:1 EPA to DHA ratio) of pharmaceutical quality fish oil in either liquid (better) or capsular form.
Some good choices include: Eskimo-3 Liquid stable fish oil and Nature’s answer Platinum Liquid Omega-3 Fish Oil (my choice).
6. Take it easy
Part of being a smart athlete is knowing when to rest or to scale the workouts down. Having a stressful week at work or home? Feeling beaten up by last couple of workouts? Not getting enough sleep? Be smart, take a day off or come around, let your trainer know that you’re not feeling 100% and we’ll scale the workout to appropriate level for you.
I’ve got this down, what do I do next?
1. Cool-down
Fight the urge to just collapse after a workout! Try walking around (or cheering the ones who haven’t finished their workout yet) and then move on to doing some dynamic stretches and joint mobility exercises until your heart rate falls down back to normal. Easy? No, but you will thank yourself the following day for doing this.
2. Stay active
So, you’ve just beaten the hell out of your body and now you’re heading back to office to sit for 8 or more hours in a row. Sounds like a plan if you’re aiming for shortened hip flexors and some serious DOMS (delayed-onset-muscular-soreness) tomorrow. Try to take regular breaks and just walk around for couple minutes (even if it’s just to get a cup of coffee), maybe add in some quick stretches in there as well. How about busting out 10 nice and deep squats in the office to scare your work mates out (or get them to join you)?
3. Stretch
Stretching will not safe you from DOMS but increasing the range of movement in your joints will help you perform better in the workouts and help prevent injuries caused by lack of flexibility. Spending 10-15 minutes in the middle of the day or in the evening on stretching (focusing on stiff areas of your body) will pay itself back big time at the gym.
4. Spend time with your family and friends
Really, this will help reduce the amount of stress hormones (cortisol) in your system and therefore enhance your ability to recover from the workouts.
5. Contrast bathe
While not necessarily pleasant at first, contrast bathing will improve superficial blood flow and can help with muscle relaxation. Easiest way to get started is to alternate cold (10-16°C) and warm (35-37°C) water while having a shower. Always start and finish with cold, alternating 3-4 times, with 30-60 seconds of cold followed by 1-2 minutes of warm water. Do not shower your head with cold water as this will invariably lead to nasty headaches!
6. Get some soft tissue therapy
Getting good soft tissue therapy from a qualified practitioner (osteopaths, sports therapists, ART practitioners) can make a worlds difference on your performance, especially if you have any old, nagging, injuries. Releasing tight tissues will not only relief pain but will also increase your range of movement when training.
If you cannot afford this then using a foam roller is your second best option (although not coming even close to a good pair of hands). Make sure you get advice on proper use of a foam roller in order to avoid any self-inflicted injuries.
A guide on self-myofascial release is coming up soon..
If you have any questions regarding the above information, do not hesitate to come talk to one of our instructors for more advice. Always consult your GP before applying any of the above information if you suffer from any serious illnesses.
The “hook grip”
Posted by: | CommentsHook Grip in weightlifting defines the method in which an athlete grips the barbell, which is first gripped with the thumb, then the remaining fingers grip both the thumb and the Barbell. It can be used in multiple weightlifting events (i.e. in “SNATCH” and “CLEAN AND JERK”).
The Hook grip is considered to be a more secure grip compared to a Closed grip or Natural grip where the thumb remains outside the other fingers. Also, history of this sport reveals that athletes who use the Hook grip can lift more weight compared to those who use a Closed grip. The Hook grip may not be suitable for beginners as the thumb or thumbnail may suffer pain, although this can be overcome by regular training.
The following is an excerpt from Greg Everett’s Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches
The hook grip is a pronated (palms facing the lifter) grip in which the thumb is trapped between the bar and usually the first and second fingers, depending on hand size. For the pull of both the snatch and the clean, this method of gripping is a necessity to maintain control of the barbell during the violent second pull and the powerful turnover of the snatch.It’s important to understand that the thumb is itself wrapped around the bar inside the fingers and not simply pinned perpendicularly to the bar. This arrangement takes advantage of the greater strength of the thumb relative to the fingers–with the thumb wrapped over the fingers as it would be in a conventional grip, it will typically reach only the index finger and have a weak purchase on it.
By wrapping the thumb around the bar directly, we create a powerful hook on the bar, which can be reinforced by the grip of both the index and middle fingers, which serve more to support the hook of the thumb than to grip the bar directly. With two fingers over the thumb rather than only a weak section of the thumb over one finger, we also create far more friction to secure the grip. In short, the Hook grip optimizes the anatomy of the hands for this application.
Particularly in the snatch, the grip will be reliant almost exclusively on the thumb, first, and second fingers. The wide hand placement of the lift results in an acute angle where the hands attach to the bar, forcing the third and fourth fingers to have little purchase.
In the case of these two lifts, the integrity of the grip of the first and second fingers in combination with the thumb is critical. In order to ensure this integrity, the athlete needs to use the fingers to actively pull the thumb around the bar rather than simply pressing it against the bar. The hook of the thumb under the bar with the fingers reinforcing it is what provides the necessary grip power. The force of the fingers on the thumb should be the focus of the athlete’s gripping effort.
Typically the Hook grip will be uncomfortable if not considerably painful initially. Consistent use will condition the offending structures appropriately over time and the grip will ultimately offer no trouble. It will, in fact, become more comfortable than a conventional overhand grip. Covering the thumbs with flexible athletic tape can reduce the discomfort and, for some, improve the feeling of grip security by increasing friction. Lifters can submerge the hands in ice water for 5-10 minutes after training to help reduce pain and speed the adaptation.
CROSSFIT DUBLIN
Posted by: | CommentsWorld Class Fitness in 100 Words
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and NO sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.
Practice and train major lifts: deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics:pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstands, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast.
Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. ROUTINE IS THE ENEMY. Keep workouts short and intense.
Regularly learn and play new sports!
Just another day a the gym
The three metabolic pathways
Posted by: | CommentsCrossfit’s Dublins Third Fitness Standard for testing and developing fitness in our athletes
There are three metabolic pathways that provide the energy for all human action. These “metabolic engines” are known as the phosphagenpathway, the glycolytic pathway, and the oxidative pathway.The first, the phosphagen, dominates the highest-powered activities,those that last less than about ten seconds. The second pathway, theglycolytic, dominates moderate-powered activities, those that lastup to several minutes. The third pathway, the oxidative, dominateslow-powered activities, those that last in excess of several minutesTotal fitness, the fitness that CrossFit promotes and develops, requirescompetency and training in each of these three pathways or engines.Balancing the effects of these three pathways largely determines thehow and why of the metabolic conditioning or “cardio” that we do aCrossFit.Favoring one or two to the exclusion of the others and not recognizingthe impact of excessive training in the oxidative pathway are arguablythe two most common faults in fitness training. More on that later.
Info thanks to CrossFit HQ
The three metabolic pathways
