Sunday Story…Hyrox part 2

 

So, what’s different about Hyrox? After all, it looks a lot like CrossFit with more running. And that is true. There is a lot more running in a race…over 8KM.

Here’s the primary difference in my opinion. CrossFit trains you for general physical preparedness. This is a broad and inclusive definition of fitness. You need to be strong, but you don’t need to be a powerlifter or a strongman. You should be able to run, row, or bike well, but you don’t need to beat a world-class marathoner or sprinter. We often say we want to out-run the lifter and out-lift the runner.  The other piece is knowing the unknowable. This simply means you never know what will be thrown at you, and you need to be prepared.

In Hyrox, all variables are removed. There are no terrain problems. There are no new standards or new unknown movements. There is no question of what you will be doing or what is expected of you. When we train for a Hyrox race, we train for a specific, relatively narrow band of fitness. It is broader than just marathon training or strongman training, but it still falls short of general physical preparedness.

Should you do some Hyrox training? Yes, you should. There are movements there that we rarely do in CrossFit (sled pushes and pulls). You will do them more often in Hyrox training. And you will run more in training and probably run farther. In CrossFit, we are going to do more variety and more varied time and modal domains.

So, mix it up a little. Throw a Hyrox class in. And if you want to get ready for a race, then do it more often.  Both things are good and good for you. See you on the turf!

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…Hyrox

 As you've probably noticed by now, we have some new additions to CrossFit Odyssey. We've started to do Hyrox training, so we put turf in the back. We've got new sleds, ropes, and sandbags. You might ask yourself, "What's this all about? What is Hyrox anyway?" Hyrox stands for Hybrid Rockstar. It started in Europe in 2017 as a small niche kind of workout. It’s a fitness race, and you're going to run 8,000 meters total, 1,000 meters at a time. In between your 1,000-meter runs, you'll be doing different tasks:

• 1,000-meter row
• 1,000-meter ski erg
• 80-meter burpee broad jumps
• 100-meter walking lunges carrying a 10kg (w) or 20kg (m) sandbag
• 200-meter farmers carry with 2 kettlebells—16kg (w) 24kg (m)
• 50m sled pushes with 102kg (f) and 152kg (m)
• sled pulls with 78kg (f) 103kg (m)
• 100 wall balls 4kg(w) 6kg(m)

It's the same race every time. It's done indoors, typically at convention centers, which removes weather-related variables. It also removes course variables like hills, trails, or other factors. It allows the race to be run the same way, whether it's in Berlin or Cincinnati. Over 700,000 people participated in a race last year. If you tried to get into the Dallas race last year, you noticed it was sold out almost immediately.

We're starting this training for people who want to run the race or just want a different cardio workout. There'll be some running, as well as other elements. Our program, which we get from Invictus, will usually include some strength work at the end. If you're interested in Hyrox, join us:

• Monday, Tuesday, and Friday mornings at 6 a.m.
• Saturday morning at 9 a.m.
• Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:30.

We'd love to see you there. For our regular members, there's no extra charge. Sign up and show up for the class as usual. See you on the Turf!

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…Beach Season

It's that time of year again. We're getting close to bikini season, or whatever you want to call it, and we start getting worried about how we look in our swimsuits. It's not too late. You can still do what you need to do to look better by the end of May, the first part of June, when you go on vacation.

What do you need to do? It's simple, not easy, just simple:

1. First, cut out the alcohol. This is the easiest, simplest fix. It pulls a ton of calories out of your diet. Your body responds to the toxicity of alcohol in ways that prohibit fat burning and muscle building.
2. Second, start limiting your complex carbs. By complex carbs, we talk about rice, pasta, bread, things like that. Make the shift to simple carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and squash. Then control your portions of those starchy things.
3. Third, work out more. Get on the bike for 20, 30, or 40 minutes a day in zone 2, which for most of us is about 125 beats per minute. Get some sprint work once or twice a week and lift weights 2 or 3 times a week. Go old school with back squats, deadlifts, curls, triceps extensions, and pull-downs.

If you do those three things for the next two months, hit it hard, your beach season will look better than it would if it were right now.

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…Pain Cave

At this point, after the last few weeks of intensity, we need to bring that intensity back down to sustain and increase our fitness. The wonderful thing about doing the Open and quarterfinals is that we get to find out where some of the holes in our game are, where we need to increase our fitness, what's lacking, and what needs work. Whether it's a gymnastic skill or the capacity to move longer, faster, or stronger, or to move more weight, we find out where those holes are by going all in on the pain cave. But I can't live in the pain cave. I can't live at 100% intensity; it's not sustainable, and it won't increase my fitness. It does show me what my maximum capacity is or isn't.

Daily, I can't go 100% every time I walk through the door. I can't try to do a 1RM every time I'm lifting; it won't move me forward. What I need to do is:

• do more reps
• increase the weight over time
• work at 70-80-85%

I will increase capacity with less intensity so that when I go and grab that 100% intensity, when I dive into the pain cave and hang out, my fitness will support that activity. You can't do that every day. Your central nervous system can't handle it. It's not good for you. Things will start breaking down, and we don't want breakdowns. It's good to test ourselves. It's good to have that 100% intensity and effort occasionally.

Now it's time to go back to work. Increase our capacity and our fitness by working at a lower intensity.

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412