Crossfit 585 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

You’re a weekend warrior, better yet a WEEK warrior, you’re an endorphin hunter and will catch your high no matter how tough the challenge! You’d come to the gym 10 times a week if your schedule allowed. Maybe you’ve come in and have been told, “No WORK OUT FOR YOU”.  You’re a paying customer, you know your body and you’re an “adult” and can do whatever you want; so who are we to tell you what to do???? Well, let’s be honest here, we are totally all of the above .. BUT we also know when to say when and want you to know WHEN when is.

We ask that you take your recovery seriously for several reasons. Yes, we know… we ALSO let our egos get the best of us sometimes too, but we are constantly reminded to keep that ego checked at the door. Sure we’d love to see your beautiful and handsome faces, but we also want you healthy and happy, not sore and sulky. No one wants to have an injury or exercise induced illness to keep them out of the “ring” for days.

So- back to the subject- rest & recovery- I’ve heard a lot of people say, “Jess, you’d be proud of me, I worked out 5, or sometimes it’s 6 days in a row!!!!”  My reply is always, “well I hope that you’re giving yourself some rest!” This is usually returned with, “yeah, I give myself a day off, I work 6 then one off.”

I reflect- this used to be me… sometimes I’d even go twice a day, especially if I missed a WOD (work out of the day). Then one day I was that person saying, “you’d be so proud of me, I haven’t missed one day in a whole week, in fact I’m sitting in the gym parking lot right now and am going on eight” The reply I got was, “Ummm… drive home, right now, YOU NEED REST” (thanks to Stash three years ago). I didn’t really get it until I saw my scores improve quicker with the rest than without the rest… hmmm interesting concept. Perhaps our society can learn something from the Italians and the Spanish…. you know, the long breaks for lunch… or something from the Dutch- more vacation time. You see… this rest thing.. it not only applies in the gym, but also in our daily lives. You don’t get enough rest and relaxation your productivity at work goes down, you don’t get enough rest- your body can’t keep up at the gym… you don’t get enough rest or space in your personal relationships… you end up fighting or building resentment towards your friends and family… must I go on????

Here’s the watered down A&P (anatomy and physiology) behind the rest concept-

Your body needs time to replenish and repair damaged tissue that DOES occur whenever we physically exert ourselves past what is the average work load. Our muscle glycogen stores deplete (energy stores), fluid depletes, and micro-tears in the muscle occurs. We need a day or two (depending on your current fitness level) for repair and recharging. Without this time our bodies would continue to breakdown. When we “over train” (don’t rest) we can expect to see the opposite effects of what we want to achieve from exercise- a feeling of general malaise, staleness, depression, decreased sports performance and increased risk of injury, among others.

In short, GIVE YOUR BODY A VACATION and you’ll not only be a happy camper, but you’ll be a stronger one too!

-Jess Hayden

*In the next issue of CrossFit 585 Blog: “Recipe for Rhabdo” Signs, Symptoms, and Prevention