The Open starts on Feb 16th. That's just 3 weeks away! This is like our 'race'. We've been training, some of us longer than others, and now we get to test (or get a baseline) of our fitness. Think of this like the 5K we signed up for. It's a chance to see what we've got.
You may be thinking, "But, I'm not doing this to compete. I'm just here to be healthy." That's totally ok. In fact, that's most of us. But in our pursuit of health and fitness, it is helpful to have goals and tests along the way to see how our health and fitness are improving.
How do we prepare? Just like running a 5K, we need to be mindful of how we're going to prepare for it. Here are four things to be thinking about:
Intensity: How are my workouts going? Am I working out enough? Is every workout leaving me in a pool of sweat for a few minutes afterwards? This is the kicker. It is ok to have one or two workouts each week that leave us on the floor for a minute or so. But most workouts of the week don't need to take us to that dark place. It's ok to have to take a knee or sit down for 10-15 secs to catch our breath, but then we should be able to get up and move around. Too many dark places lead to an overtaxed NS (Central Nervous System), which is going to impact our recovery and ability to hit it again tomorrow. Which brings us to...
Recovery: Are you taking enough rest days? Are you sleeping enough? Do you have any nagging injuries? What about your ability to manage stress in the rest of your life? Your ability to recover adequately from workouts has a direct impact on your ability to improve.
Nutrition: Are you eating enough to fuel your level of activity? Are you planful about what you are eating or just grabbing what you can? What about your hydration?
Skills: Are there any skills you are wanting to obtain or some that you are just on the cusp of getting? Your ability to do toes-to-bar, chest-to-bar pull-ups (or pullups if you're trying to get your first), double unders, and your deadlift will greatly affect your success in the open. For our more seasoned athletes, getting that first muscle-up can be huge.
Thinking through these four areas can help you identify a few goals to focus on during the next few weeks.
Need help with any of them? Coach Nick is available to schedule some one-on-one sessions to help you get that skill you've been working on. Some set-aside time is all many of us need to help us jump over that last hump toward getting a new skill. And you can register for our recovery room to help make sure you are adequately recovering before and during the Open. We're here to help you succeed!
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