physically to succeed on those days.
nOne of the more common, underlying principles in the sport of weightlifting involves workout prep. Every week some workouts are harder than others. And every cycle some specific weeks are harder than others. There are always going to be ups and downs, peaks and valleys inside of the programming inside of a training week. The same truth holds fast in CrossFit. A good program is going to have higher intensity and more taxing weeks and days inside of a competition prep cycle. A great example of this is Emily Carothers. Her squatting cycle peaked today. Anyone who knows anything about Emily knows that her gymnastics and precision of movement are some of the best in the world. However her strength often keeps her from excelling in specific workouts. For that reason we decided to put her on a mini strength cycle in prep for the Games. Part of that strength cycle was a six week Russian squat cycle. The peak of that cycle happened today. I will forgo the details of what that cycle looks like as to not bore you to death but trust that today was one of the hardest squat days she has likely ever experienced.
I called Emily at the beginning of the week and told her that today would be an especially tough day. I arranged her programming to allow for that squat workout to be the focal point and bulk of her work for the day and the weak. With those facts in mind, I told Emily that she needed to arrange her day, her eating, sleep, and as much of her work schedule around that squat session. I knew it to be the hardest part of the program leading to the Games and I wanted to make sure she was successful during that session.
That’s a principle we should all pay attention to. We all have those workouts. Those workouts that have a lot riding on them and are specifically more exhausting than our normal workouts. It is important that you arrange your life around those workouts. Often those workouts are the crux of the program or a very specific building block for what comes later. For Emily today’s squat session served both to display her progress and also to prep her for the higher intensity squatting coming. Today was as much of a mental win as it was a physical win for her. For that reason it was important that she was successful today. Those exact points are true in your programming as well. When you look at workout and notice that it is going to be especially hard or that it’s volume or intensity is particularly high, then arrange your day accordingly. Eat more calories. Get a touch more sleep. Remove some of the more stressful elements of your work or your day in order to prep mentally for that workout. Arrange your day for success.
Often these workouts can be the catalyst for success months later. It is important that you be as best prepared mentally and physically as possible.