Ellen
Workout of the Day
A.
Every minute, for 10 minutes:
10-15 Wall-Balls
Right into:
Every minute, for 10 minutes:
8-12 Ball-Slams
Right into:
Every minute, for 10 minutes:
30-50 Double-unders
Sunday Schedule: We will be closed all day Sunday, October 9th since the majority of our coaches will be competing in Asheville this weekend.
Competition Preparation
I advise people use Friday as a complete rest day (do nothing) or as an active recovery day (do something to get the blood flowing, loosen up), but not a training day. After your 5-hour car-ride on Friday, stretch when you get to your hotel. Do some ROMWOD. Do some of the warm ups we do in class. Go for a walk. Move around a bit. Do something so you’re not as stiff as a board when you wake up.
Nutrition
This is one a lot of people over think and get wrong. This is not a time to try new things because you think it may help your performance. The last thing you want is a stomachache or other intestinal problems, or loss of mental clarity and focus because you’re nervous and under pressure.
Here’s what I recommend leading up to and the day of competition:
Have some pre made meals of food you eat on a daily/weekly basis. Foods you know don’t cause you intestinal distress. Pack 2-4 meals for the day before and 2-4 meals for the day of. I know you’re headed to a new city and probably want to hit up that restaurant people told you to try, but remember you have a competition the next day, and if you eat something your body isn’t accustomed to, it may have some consequences that you don’t want to deal with, especially when you’re on the competition floor. If you respond well to the following, maybe ingest a few more clean carbohydrates the day and night prior to competition, but keep it to sources to foods you know you tolerate well.
Nutrition the Day of:
Eat breakfast. It’s going to be a long day, with multiple workouts to complete, so your body needs to be properly fueled. You may not be hungry, as your nerves will be running high and you may be slightly anxious, but make yourself eat anyway. You will need it and it will help performance. I would also keep you carb and protein intake a bit higher than your fat intake. If you usually have a protein shake post workout, I’d recommend doing the same on competition day. When you have a longer break between workouts, eat a protein and carbohydrate rich meal. Drink when you’re thirsty. Again, as with food, this is not a time to see if hyper hydrating or drinking coconut water for the first time will help with performance.
Stick with what you know.
Sleep:
Get as much of it as you can in the days leading up to the competition. Recharge your batteries. Muscles grow and recover when you sleep, not when you workout. Here are a few tips for good sleep hygiene:
-Keep whatever room you’re sleeping in cool (between 64-68 degrees)
-Make sure the lights are off and the room is as blacked out as can be
-Sleep with the TV off
-Make sure your bed is comfy
-Sleep naked or as close to it as you can
-Take a hot shower before bed. This will relax you and get you ready for sleep
-Don’t look at your phone or computer 30-60 minutes before bed
-Think of all the things in your life you are grateful for and keep the negative thoughts tucked away
Mindset:
This is a big one. A subject many, many books have been written about. I’ll try to keep it simple.
You have already put in the work, now it’s just time for the test. It’s like any discipline, physical, educational, or what have you. If you have put in the training, or studying, you should feel confident going into the competition or test. Right now, you are as ready as you’re going to be.
Visualize exactly what you need to do and then execute. Leave the doubt and resignation behind. Don’t let your vision be blurred by uncertainty and thoughts of unpreparedness. You’ve put in the work. It’s time for the test. Give it your best. Forget the rest.
If one of your workouts doesn’t go as planned: Good. Learn from it. Get up. Dust off. Re-load. Re-calibrate. Re-engage. Re-focus. And go out on the attack!
