Take some time to rest and recover like Willis this week 😉
It is less than a week before the Titan Challenge. At this point, your performance capability is definitely fixed. There’s nothing you can do in these final few days before competition that will solicit a meaningful adaptation from your body. Workouts break us down. Rest brings on super-compensation, solidifying the adaptations we elicited through the workouts. It is imperative that you focus on ensuring your body is completely rested (adapted) from all your previous workouts when your competition begins. The only exception is skill-specific work that you might see in the challenge, for example bar muscle ups and 360 pullups. You can improve your coordination on a specific skill over the course of a few minutes on the morning of a competition.
Your rest schedule in advance of the competition is critical. At this point, more than ever before, you must believe that rest will benefit you more than additional workouts. At the risk of being repetitive: You cannot solicit a meaningful shock/recovery cycle from your body in a week. Any attempt to do so will leave you less prepared for the competition because your body will not be fully healed on the days you intend to stress it most. Louie Simmons says that someone who is afraid to rest in the days before a competition lacks confidence in their training. I agree.
In saying that, everyone has their own ideas of what the best way to get ready for a competition, but if you have not done a competition before, I would taper and rest this week. If you have competed before, you may find that your performance is better when you keep the momentum going. If this is the case, just make sure that you are not doing any movements that are out of the ordinary for your body and will make you ridiculously sore. Keep moving, but be smart.
Take care of your body…Â roll, stretch, mobilize and go see Dr. Salmon or Dr. Deane for a tune up!
Here is a schedule that I found online to give you an idea on how to taper in the last week before competition. On a side note, for the future, I would disagree with the rest days on the weekend leading up to the challenge. You want to get used to training and doing 2-3 wods a day at the same time/days as your competition.
It is time to start thinking about prepping and packing for the comp. Make sure that you pack everything you need ahead of time so you are not stressed out on Friday or Thursday night and can’t sleep. I have made a competition list of what I personally need to bring when I compete. If you would like a copy of it, let me know. Remember all your shoes (running, wodding, lifting, cleats), long socks, long pants for rope climbs, skipping ropes (bring an extra just in case yours breaks or gets lost), foam roller, lacrosse balls, and food to give you some ideas.
Spectators – make sure to get your tickets! http://crossfitvic.com/taranis-winter-challenge/
