I just wanted to write this to communicate some changes to the last few weeks of this Druid cycle. To be clear, nothing bad has happened and no one has done anything wrong. In fact, you all have been crushing it. However, I think we can also agree that it has been crushing us in return.
One of the main reasons I love programming so much is that, along with the coaches, we get a good sense of how you all are doing. We can see the body language, observe the form, and hear all the moans and groans. We're there to celebrate with you when you achieve a PR. We're also there to provide words of encouragement on days that seem particularly tough. However, over the past few weeks, despite the great results, we've noticed a toll being taken - not just on the body, but more so on the mind. It's more than just the usual "rough week" of training. As we tried to warn you before this cycle started, the volume of work is significant. Moreover, three of the five days feel like a small to moderate test. The goal is to either improve on Monday's calorie count or successfully hit 100 reps on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This kind of pressure can be overwhelming for most people. It might not seem like it, but it adds up.
I believe it's important to distinguish between training and working out. Many people tend to confuse the two, but it's similar to the relationship between a square and a rectangle. A square is a type of rectangle, but not all rectangles are squares. Similarly, training is a type of workout, but not all workouts can be considered training. For instance, our daily physical activities can be seen as workouts, such as the "Workout of the Day" (WOD). We can put together various workouts each day, but that's not a structured training program. A training program involves organized exercise sessions that aim to enhance skills, knowledge, and abilities. I see it as the repetitive drills done during practice or when learning to play an instrument. Some kids in sports just want to get through practice to play the scrimmage, which they see as the fun part. However, they don't improve much or understand why they don't get enough playing time because they neglect the drills, skills, and conditioning. If you watch documentaries about successful athletes like Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, or Wayne Gretsky, they always emphasize repetitive drills as part of their training routine. This kind of dedicated practice is what defines training.
The challenge with training is that it can be exhausting and even feel overwhelming at times. We often put too much pressure on ourselves both mentally and emotionally, setting high expectations that can take the fun out of training. Many of us would prefer a quick and enjoyable workout rather than signing up for intense sessions. Let's be honest, most of us want a nice 20-minute EMOM with 3 power cleans and then 3 muscle-ups. Not many of us want to sign up for intense echo bike intervals with wall ball finishers afterward. There is a time for both. The fun stuff and the intense training. But make no mistake, to really get better at something, to truly see strength gains, to see watts improve on a machine, we need to have a dedicated training program. We can't randomly just hit something here and there and wonder why we have the same squat max, the same volume pull-ups, or no double-unders 6 years into CrossFit.
As I've mentioned before, I program slightly differently than the 'traditional' CrossFit method. I believe that when we all start, a variety of workouts can work for us. At first, everything feels like a personal record. We break a sweat and everything feels tough because we're still figuring things out, including our pace. But eventually, things start to level off. Yes, we're still getting healthier, but let's be honest, most of us also want to get more muscular, become faster, get stronger, learn fun skills, look better, and so on. We want to perform well, look the part, and be healthier overall. We want the same for you at PUSH! That's why we go through different workout cycles. We're not afraid to single out specific components of fitness and focus on them exclusively for a while before reintegrating them into our routines and re-evaluating their effectiveness. But we are also here to make sure that you are still having fun, moving well, making friends, showing up, being consistent, and not getting hurt.
I believe this training cycle has revealed and brought to light the fact that if we want to effectively train, we can't just get by with average sleep, high stress, limited mobility, poor nutrition, frequent alcohol consumption, and all the other factors in our daily lives. If these areas are neglected, intense training will quickly highlight these deficiencies. Striving to reach our limits in our workouts each week is tough. It's physically demanding to push, press, and squat ourselves to our boundaries. You have all done an amazing job, but with that said, we have made some adjustments for the final two weeks of the cycle. We are keeping in mind the exercises, energy systems, volume, and stimulus, but making a few changes to introduce some variety, break the routine, and assess our progress from this training.
WEEK 7
Monday - Last day of Norwegian 4x4
Tuesday - Normal pressing, people seem "fine" with the pressing/benching days. Nice pump and the last one of these press days anyway.
Thursday - No 10x10 back squat. We will use this day to test our 20 Rep Max Back Squat.
WEEK 8
Monday - Aerobic test involving our 4:00 averages across all four machines. You will take your best week of each machine, and divide that total up by 4 to get our average calorie for that machine. We will also have running between each machine. Specific details will be on the day of the workout, but essentially:
For time:
Echo - 4 minute average
600m run
Ski - 4 minute average
600m run
Row - 4 minute average
600m run
Berg - 4 minute average
600m run
I know, DOPE.
Tuesday - Normal last day of benching
Thursday - 20 Rep Max Front Squat test.
As you can see, we are still following the primary parts of this exercise cycle. We have a volume test for barbell squats, but with 80 fewer reps to avoid putting too much stress on our backs, knees, and joints. People seem to be more enthusiastic about challenging tests rather than challenging training. The variation of the NO4X4 test will be a tough one but in a dope way. Despite the difficulty, it will be interesting to observe how each person's personalized calories for each machine, performance, pace, and execution differ, especially since we have all put in the same amount of time on each machine. Also, how will the running impact our machine effort?
We hope that these adjustments won't frustrate or disappoint too many people. As mentioned before, we have noticed overall fatigue and want to ensure that things remain fun. We don't want to lose focus or motivation to show up. You all have done such a great job persevering through this. We hope that you have been able to see your progress and results through the fog of exhaustion. Don't let the day-to-day feelings take away from the amazing job that you all have done. I know this hurts, more than usual for some, but all will be ok and only make us stronger.
Work Hard. Be Consistent. Be Dope.
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