Below is your weekly dose of 4 Thought Friday, a short list of idea’s, thoughts, and experiments from a few members of the Mako Team. Enjoy!
Carlos: The Importance of Intensity and Scaling Workouts.
In the past year, I’ve learned a lot about the benefits of intensity and how it’s going to translate to my performance in the gym. Intensity is one of the core principles that lie at the heart of the CrossFit training methodology. I’ve also learned that I shouldn’t be afraid to scale workouts; the main goal is to hit the right stimulus- at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how heavy you did the workout if you did not hit the expected intensity. Who doesn’t like to click the RX button all the time? It looks cool! But sometimes, it’s better to lower the weight or pick a different movement in order to get the most out of it. For example, a workout like Fran (21-15-9 Thrusters and Pull-ups) should be a short/ high-intensity workout- if this workout takes you more than 10 minutes to finish because you had to do singles on pull-ups since the first set, you are not hitting the stimulus of the workout. Instead, scale the pull-ups to ring rows and hit the workout with full intensity. That’s how you’re going to get better and win the day! Next time you are going to do a workout ask yourself “What is the objective of the workout today?”. My advice for this week is to show up every day without excuses or complains, hit the desired intensity of the day, and I PROMISE you’ll be better than yesterday.
Kyle Purchased:
I recently purchased the BrainWave app. This app uses different binaural programs to help with sleep, focus, relaxation, energy and more. You can set a program and play your favorite audible, music, or podcast. I mainly use this app at bedtime. The biggest difference, I noticed, is that I don’t wake up in the middle of the night. I also experimented with it when I need to focus on getting work done. The Focus and Alert programs help me concentrate on the task at hand. If you used your headphones a lot I recommend this app for you. Happy listening!
Brandon: Better Night Sleep
I am getting better sleep by doing these three things:
- I wear blue-blocking glasses if I am working on my computer or watching TV after dark. Blocking blue light at night can help maintain your body’s circadian rhythm and improve your sleep quality.
- I work on breathing drills. Right now, I am enjoying a program from powerspeedendurance.com. The stretches and controlled breathing drills take about 10 minutes and I am always amazed by how much easier it is to breathe after.
- I do light foam rolling to relax even further. I usually always hit the back well and then work towards whatever needs it. I focus more on the lats and upper back after pull-ups, hspu’s, and dips. Then work more of the calves, hamstring, and glutes on days that emphasize on squatting and running.
Preparing the body and mind for sleep can really improve your quality of sleep. I have found that I can get less total hours in if my quality is on point.
Seth’s Experimenting:
Dianne got me a Sous Vide for my birthday, not just any sous vide but the Joule which is made by Chef Steps. This has been game a game changer when it comes to cooking, sous vide cooks with water at low temps. Traditionally you had to buy extra equipment and have a good working knowledge of temperatures and how long to cook, but the Chefsteps team put together a Gem of a product, as this sous vide works with your phone and all you need a is a large pot for water and gallon zip lock bags. The app allows you to choose what you are making then specify how you want it done, and voila a few hrs later you have perfectly cooked Steak, Salmon, or whatever you fancy is. I’ve been greatly enjoying learning how to make new recipes and put a twist on old favorites.
