Hard Work
In: Blog
7 Feb 2010I had the pleasure of having a video conference call with a couple hard chargers focused on the CF games this year which got me thinking about a couple topics. (which was super fucking cool by the way). One of which is Hard work. A bit of our discussion focused around things i would consider minutia. Not unimportant but certainly not things that will swing their training to a new level. Things such as supplements, and micromanaging diet. Their argument was that if they can dial in all these little things they will add up to bigger gains in the long runs. This may be true but essentially we can cancel out most of these gains by missing a night of sleep or slipping up at a meal somewhere down the road. Then you are back to the drawing board.
My advice to them and to anyone wanting to improve their fitness specifically but quite honestly this applies to just about everything you can think of was to just work HARDER! Not work More or differently (provided you have decent programming) but harder. Put more weight on the barbell, rest less in a conditioning workout and keep your mind focused.
This can actually go past just the workouts and creep into recovery. I know many of you (you know who you are) show up at the gym on your “rest” day and end up working on “skills” and wonder why the next couple workouts are shitty, i mean after all you took a rest day right?
Rest means more than not starting a clock. It means sleeping, eating and not doing anything. Maybe a little bit of stretching and soft tissue work but with some of you, allowing even that will end up being pretty stressful. So, work harder at resting as well. Be smart and focus on your effort not the balance of saturated vs unsaturated fat in your diet…
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16 Responses to Hard Work
Miguel Garza
February 7th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
good post….hard work….no matter what your doing in life will yield satisfactory results.
Björn Uddenfeldt
February 8th, 2010 at 2:54 am
A lot of people underestimate resting, and a few of us even drink more beer prior to them, no very constructive
Jon Matzner
February 8th, 2010 at 7:59 am
I can’t imagine who would ever say such things…..
Good points though.
In my own defense, on the saturated vs unsaturated thing, it did actually help me not because of performance but because of my weight. I tend to be a bit on the “heavier” side and when I made the switch I lost about 5 lbs.
Again, good points though.
Miguel Garza
February 8th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Well quick question…what’s the problem with saturated fat?
dutch
February 8th, 2010 at 8:16 am
Miguel,
counter to popular culture, Jon was speaking of his switch from unsat to sat.
Right Jon? If not please explain, everybody wants that extra 2.3%…;-)
Monday, Feb 8th: Hard Rest « SouthBaltimore CrossFit
February 8th, 2010 at 9:04 am
[...] not be able to come in six days a week for a whole year without some sort of breakdown. Check out this post by Dutch Lowy on how rest is more important than the training minutiae such as meal timing or post-workout [...]
Jon Matzner
February 8th, 2010 at 9:44 am
Hey Miguel,
Sorry I wasn’t clear. I was actually speaking about my switch from unsat. to sat. fat.
I was eating a ton of almonds, walnuts, and pecans a couple months ago. I’ve since switched to more beef tallow, bacon/duck fat, avocados, olive oil, and coconut based fats.
I suspect a large part of the benefit from this switch is how easy it is to eat a ton of almonds. I could sit down and hammer back 90 almonds in 10 minutes. It is pretty tough to do that when you are dealing with bacon fat.
Jon Matzner
February 8th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Dutch:
It was at least 2.9 percent….
dutch
February 8th, 2010 at 10:36 am
every little bit helps… I suppose.
Miguel Garza
February 8th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
oooo ok…i was just making sure i was on the same page about consumption of saturated fat…..i’m the same…coconut oil straight from the jar, and cooking in animal fats
darc
February 15th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
I’m just dipping my toes in the (greasy) water regarding the sat v. unsat fats…at 51 it’s been difficult for me to wrap my previously brain-washed mind around this new (but admittedly very exciting) concept…and the idea that I can “come out” and eat my steaks with their fat sort of makes me tremble in anticipation.
I do have a question…where can I get beef tallow (is that the same as lard?) and duck fat? Any sources would be appreciated.
BTW, I love this post, I know I need to work harder in all areas, including rest.
Thanks,
dutch
February 15th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Darc,
I am glad you are feeling the freedom of tearing through some animal fat. I would caution to be wary of the meats source. Get good quality meats and eat everything including the bone marrow!
As for Beef tallow, my best bet would be your local butcher or google it, i am sure a local farm could help you.
darc
February 15th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Mmm…sucking marrow out of bones, now I really feel primal!
I just recently tracked down a few relatively local sources for grass fed meats; now I just need to get a second job so I can afford to buy it.
Thanks for the info, Dutch.
dutch
February 15th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Amen to that!! Why can’t it just be cheap and easily accessible…
darc
February 15th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
I think we need to become farmers.
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March 10th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
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