On Mark’s Daily Apple today in response to his comments about P90x and Crossfit the pros and cons, there were some great posts from fellow crossfitters about CF and sustainability. A number of comments got me thinking about how I approach my Crossfit training, why I do Crossfit and whether it is working for me and this body of a 45 year old with an injury.
I can relate to a number of points made by Mark including but not limited to:
1. “Ideally, we should be performing movements that support, enable, and enhance quality of life. Our exercises should make us stronger, faster, and more capable of accomplishing just about any physical feat the world throws at us. They should be enjoyable (pleasure-giving), brief (without sacrificing effectiveness), sustainable (lifelong), immediately accessible (to young, old, and untrained), and infinitely scalable (from beginners to elites). A fitness program, then, should meet these benchmarks.”
I need to come to the understanding that benchmarks for me may not include Rx’d wods. To reflect on one’s abilities and reach a level of acceptance knowing what you are capable of doing physically is wisdom learned. I want to perform those activities in Crossfit that I am capable of doing be it at a modified or scaled level, that do not put a strain on my body or stress me out mentally.
I need to be able to enjoy my life injury free without sacrificing my time, health or my lifelong pursuit of fitness. Is that so much to ask?
2. “A program you can’t keep doing is hardly a program worth doing. Fitness should be a lifelong endeavor. It’s not just for the young bucks with limber limbs and supple, indestructible ligaments. It’s for the oldsters, the washed up athletes, the wide-eyed beginners, the moms, the dads.”
I want to be active until I am in well into my golden years. Pretty lofty goal but not out of the question. My father, 75 years young, plays basketball – masters level, plays on an over 70 team in the senior Olympics. He plays 16” softball. He skied with his children and grandchildren last year in Utah. How can I not want to be that way at his age? A good gene pool, maybe. But more importantly, he knew the power and independence of being active all his life. I want Crossfit to be something I can do for the rest of my life. It needs to be something I enjoy doing with my partner or on my own. I want to enjoy the physical, mental and emotional benefits of Crossfit well into my old age, and by that I mean if I live to be 90 something like my 96 year old grandmother, then I want to be doing this physical activity even then.
3. “Next to inadequate or nonexistent training, overtraining is the biggest issue plaguing most trainees. If you don’t give your body enough downtime to recuperate, you’ll find it very difficult to get stronger/faster/quicker/more powerful. You may see some improvement over doing nothing at all, but you could just as easily undo any progress.”
Do I over train? Is that part of my problem? Maybe so. I often come to the box tired, eyes twitching, knowing my quality/quantity of sleep the night before was not adequate. I remember thinking I need more time for my body to heal. At this age I know how my body reacts to intense physical training. It breaks down harder than when I was younger. I don’t feel the pain the next day. No, it takes me a full 24 to 36 hours before I feel the soreness most feel the next day. I have to listen to that and know that I need more rest time. It is okay to not be like everyone else. It is okay to take time off. I used to think that I was weak and not pushing myself hard enough if I took that time off. I don’t want to feel guilty anymore. I want to make the smart choices going forward. I want to know that my decisions are the right ones for me. No more trying to do what the masses do. I don’t have to be that way anymore. I have learned what I need. My way can work for me. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t the “norm” for everyone else.
4. “If my fitness efforts result in an injury that prevents me from playing, those fitness efforts are counterproductive. I love Crossfit, but people do get injured. Either their form isn’t locked in, or they’re going too hard for too long and injuries do occur. Crossfitters will plainly admit that there is an inherent danger to going all out, day in and day out, and that’s actually part of the appeal.”
I think at my age, I’m not interested in pushing my limits anymore. But saying it and doing it are two different things. To mentally turn that switch off is a challenge since we as crossfitters tend to have that type “A” personality. To not go all out (even when injured and scaling) is incredibly hard for me. To come to the understanding that I need to slow down takes a tremendous amount of mental control.
5. “I’m sick of watching people hobble around with canes or old injuries. I want to see seniors bounding up stairs. I want to see people get six packs without actively trying to. More than anything, I want people to get stronger, fitter, and healthier.”
I want to be able to move my body in the way my body was designed to perform. To be able to follow a program for life, under any circumstances. To be able to work around an injury. To be able to scale things down for myself, the middle aged athlete. I want to be able bodied into my later years and to remain independent because I am physically fit and healthy.
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