Sunday Story…Strength, continued

There are a couple areas of strength that are often overlooked or under-emphasized. They are stability, balance, and coordination. Those last 2 count as one by the way!

 Stability is the ability to prevent movement in one part of the body while creating movement in another, thus protecting vulnerable areas from injury.

Balance and coordination are the ability to perform movements with precision and grace.

As we age these become more and more important. The statistics that show end-of-life outcomes after a fall are frightening. If you lose your balance your core strength is what protects you from falling. Stability allows me to protect my back when I bend over to pick something up.

So now we need to add some work every week that will keep those things healthy as well. Luckily, many of the usual strength suspects can do double duty. A simple deadlift not only helps maintain strength in the posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings), but it will also increase grip strength as well as stability under load. When you warm up you can hang from the bar for some seconds and then do your pull-up. Jumping rope will help with balance and coordination.

Can you hang for a bar for 1 minute? There’s your first goal. Can you pick up ½ your body weight and carry it for 1 minute? Can you stand on 1 foot for 20 seconds? How about with your eyes closed? These are all objective tests that will indicate your readiness for your marginal decade! If you can do all of them…good on you! Now increase the time and weight! Get better, get stronger, and be intentional about being fitter than the average (insert age) year old!

Next week nutrition!

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

 

 Sunday Story…Strength

So, first is zone 2, second is the mobility piece, and third is strength and skill. This one is much harder to quantify. All of us need to do strength training. The how and what of it varies greatly, however.

In my case, I do 2 days a week dedicated to squatting. Another day to work on gymnastic skills and drills. Another day to do Olympic weight training. I also do bar muscle-up progressions (15 minutes) 3 times a week. I mix various progressions and skills to move my fitness forward. The exact part of this is less important than the doing of it. You must train for strength even if all you are doing is lifting an empty barbell or light dumbbell. This is one of the pillars of fitness and longevity. Stronger is better. Strong people are harder to kill. Muscles at rest require more energy (calories) than anything else in your body. If you are stronger, you can eat more (my favorite!)

You may be looking at that and saying that sounds like too much. I get it. But you really need to start prioritizing your health and fitness. You don’t have to try to be a world-class athlete unless that’s one of your goals. But if you want to be mobile and independent into your 70s, 80s, and beyond you need to make your physical health a top priority. We are seeing way too many people die when they could have made their health more critical.

Whatever time you spend on this I guarantee it will be time well spent. I would insist that you be mindful and intentional when you do it. 15 minutes of dedicated work will beat 60 minutes of mindless scrolling while on cardio equipment.

This stuff isn’t rocket science but it does require you to work. There are no free lunches in the aging cafeteria!

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…Mobility!

 

 

One of the big changes I have made in my training is the addition of mobility work. Honestly, this is something I have always paid lip service to but have never taken up as a diligent practice. So, since GOWOD was nice enough to gift me a free 1-year subscription to their service (one of the perks of being a games competitor) I decided to put it to work.

6 out of 7 days a week I spend 15 minutes doing a personalized protocol from GOWOD. Their system is simple. I did a test to see what I really needed to improve and then every day I ask for a 15-minute mobility routine. The system seems to be working well…I spent 3 minutes in a deep squat the other day which is something I have never done! There is no equipment needed but if you have some things (PVC pipe, massage gun, bands) they will use those also.

Here's the why:

One of the things that goes away almost imperceptibly is our mobility. When we are young mobility is a given. You rarely need to work on it, and you take it for granted. As we age things shift and we are not able to move as well. When was the last time you got in a deep squat for 1 minute let alone 3 minutes? All over the world people of all ages sit, talk, and eat while squatting (there is a dearth of chairs!) We don’t so we need to consciously do things to keep up with the constant pressure of decrepitude. After all, don’t we all want to go to the bathroom unassisted for the rest of our lives? I know I do.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…What now?

There is an old Zen saying that goes something like this:

Before enlightenment chop wood, carry water.

After enlightenment chop wood, carry water.

In other words, no matter what happens life is still going to life. In this case, after the CrossFit games, I will go back to doing what I was doing before the games.

Here’s what that looks like for me now:

45 minutes of long slow distance 3 days a week. I do 1 each of rowing, skiing, and air biking. I keep my heart rate down in the 120-130 range. At the same time, I am trying to increase my pace. In other words, do more work using the same or less effort as measured by my heart rate. For instance, my rowing pace is down to 2:15 or less per 500 meters. That translates to about 10,000 meters in 45 minutes. The goal is to decrease the pace to 2:00 per 500 and keep the HR down.

I also run a 5k every Saturday morning. Well, almost every Saturday. You can join me any Saturday you like. And we are keeping the pace down in that zone 2 range.

This is the biggest bang for your buck in terms of overall health outcomes. This zone 2 training refashions my cardiorespiratory response giving me a broad and deep base to draw from. When my HR goes up doing other work this base allows my heart rate to recover faster, it allows me to work longer at higher rates without feeling lightheaded or like I’m going to die. In the middle zones, the discomfort is minimal, and I find I can go even longer.

I’ll talk about what else I’m doing next week. In the meantime, it’s all about the LSD!

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

        

Sunday Story…2023 CrossFit Games Recap IX

The Last one!

So, I finished 9^th in my 5^th CrossFit games appearance. Not as good as I would have liked but, realistically, being in the top 10 65+ fittest men on the planet is nothing to sneeze at.

Looking back at the entirety of the week I realize 1 important fact…In life, we almost always remember our firsts. But you never know when you will do something for the last time. Every time I took the field over those 8 workouts, I realized that it may have been the last time I would ever have the honor and privilege of competing at this level. The entire experience is etched in my memory.

Over 5 appearances I have had many ups and downs, times when I performed unexpectedly well and times when the opposite was true. There have been some standout memories…the first place in the swim in 2022 and the 50-pound personal best in the deadlift ladder in 2014 come to mind right away. I’ll remember the crowd roar as I finished the 10^th bar muscle up in 2023 and forget the frustration of numbers 4 through 9.

Next year the Games are coming to Fort Worth. I am trying not to succumb to the temptation to switch up everything I am doing to make a run at it. So far, I am resisting. After the 2012 Open, I decided I really wanted to get to the CrossFit Games. Been there, done that. Now the battle is for the next 20 years.

So, the question we all need to answer is this:

Is the tree you are planting today the one you want to sit under 20 years from now?

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

 

Sunday Story…2023 CrossFit Games Recap VIII

 

The Final Day

Only 2 workouts today…Endure the Coliseum and Final Positions. Endure the Coliseum is all about the machines…50 Calories each of Ski erg, Echo bike. Ski Erg, Concept 2 bike with 75 double unders sandwiched in the middle and at the end. It’s an 18-minute grinder. But remember that whole tactical error thing that has plagued me the entire week? Well, I did it again.

I got through the first set of double unders well. Not great but OK. I hit the second ski and I’m tired but I (wrongly) think it’s a 15-minute time cap instead of 18! Why I have no idea. I get off the ski at about 12:30-13 minutes and think I need to go full send on the C2 bike. So, I do. I am crushing that thing! Somewhere around 14:30, I realize I haven’t heard the announcer saying anything about how much time is left. And it dawns on me, that I still have 3 minutes to go, and I am running out of gas! No choice but to hang on. I grab my rope to do the last set of doubles, but time is almost out and so am I! I manage 26 or so double before I get time capped. I can’t believe I made a bonehead error like that. But it is what it is. 7^th place.

The last event I am excited about is 10 bar muscle-ups and 45 dumbbell snatches. There’s a 6-minute time cap. I’ve been working hard on my BMU, and I fully expect to knock out 5-7 right away. Alas, it is not to be. I got a no-rep on my 3^rd one. Normally a no-rep is no big deal but for some reason, this one really knocks my beak in the dirt. I get off the bar and after that, it is a struggle to get one. My mount on the bar isn’t working and I am struggling to get 1 at a time. It is super frustrating, and I am losing my cool all over the field. Somehow, I managed to get the 10^th one (the crowd went wild by the way!). But about 5:30 has gone by so I only get about 12 snatches in. I got 5^th on this one but that’s a small consolation since I really expected to finish higher.

Next week will be the last recap on the 2023 games. Stay tuned!

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com 

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…2023 CrossFit Games Recap VII

Day 2 (part 2)!

In the briefing, the night before day 2 started I was excited when I saw this workout. Finally, we would open with a handstand walk. But like Charlie Brown and the football, it was jerked away at the last moment. We would not open with the handstand walk…we would open with the next element …the 30-box jumps! Oh well. Then they explained the movement standard for the one-legged squats (pistols). We would need to do 5 on one leg then switch to the next leg and complete 20 in total. But wait, that’s not all! You can’t put your foot down or behind you between reps or the rep you just completed doesn’t count. This is bad for me. The other elements…GHD sit-ups and toes to bar are no problem.

So, with Ellie's help, I spent the evening doing the pistols the best I could. I finally got to the point where I could do some. They aren’t easy but they are doable. And considering I didn’t think I would get any, that is a win!

3,2,1 go, and we are off. Box jumps and GHD sit-ups are easy but then the pistols! I managed to get the first 20 but not without a few no reps. 30 Toes to bar are next and then back to the pistols…I manage 17 more before the bell rings. Time capped (again!) but it is good enough for 5th. I guess I’m not the only one who found it challenging!

The last workout is simple…run a 5k (3.1 miles). It is a 3-lap course and all there is to it is to put one foot in front of the other and finish. When I get ready to leave the stadium for the last lap, I look at the clock and realize I am running a sub-9-minute mile pace! Woohoo. Just hang on and finish. I finished at 26:48. A personal best in quite some time and just under 9-minute miles. It is good enough for 6^th!

The last day is coming up in the next installment!

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com 

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412