“An evolving journey and exploration of the connection between spirit, mind and body WHILE attempting to discover physical potential WHILE leading to discovering purpose and producing longevity of oneself.”

– James Fitzgerald

Part I of this series of post can be found here.

The metabolic pathways. To understand fitness at a biological level you must have basic knowledge of the 3 metabolic pathways which provide the body with energy to perform. They are known as the phosphocreatine, glycolytic, and oxidative pathways. The first pathway, the phosphocreatine system, provides sources of energy in very short yet intense bouts. Think of it as picking something heavy up just one time, sort of like a one rep max. Since the body does not have time to react, take in oxygen, and produce ATP, it relies on a readily available storage of phosphocreatine found in the muscles. The kicker is that there is not very much of it and after about 10 or so seconds your storage is up and the second energy system kicks in, the glycolytic pathway. The glycolytic system is the most commonly associated with more moderate levels of training (going off the notion that a 1RM is a high level). This is where the majority of CrossFit WODs are performed at. This system operates both aerobically and anaerobically. The more efficient you are anaerobically, the faster you can work through a given time frame (higher power output). The more power you produce, the more that favorable adaptation will occur. This is where the good stuff is, where fat storages are tapped into and lean muscle building thrives. The glycolytic system works up to about 10 minutes in duration. If the intensity is lower than it takes for the glycolytic system to initiate, the aerobic or oxidative pathway takes over. Long, sustainable energy output like that used on long runs or bike rides is due to the oxidative pathway. This system’s main source of energy is carbohydrates found in the blood, liver, and muscles and needs a constant supply of oxygen to maintain ATP output. If you were to be on a long run and suddenly a dog starts chasing you out of no where, you can bet the primary energy system in use would switch back from oxidative to glycolytic. Below is a graph explaining the three energy systems’ production as a function of time.

Note: the glycolytic system is referred to as the “Lactic Acid System” in this graph.

What does this have to do with fitness? Greg Glassman says is best:

“Total fitness, the fitness that CrossFit promotes and develops, requires competency and training in each of these three pathways or engines. Balancing the effects of these three pathways largely determines the how and why of the metabolic conditioning or “cardio” that we do at CrossFit.”

Anaerobic training. Interval training is the key to developing the cardiovascular system without loses in strength, power and speed. Just ask co-owner Ben O. who recently finished his first marathon well under 4 hours largely due to interval training and not a lot of  the typical longer, more aerobic training. Interval training can be done in a variety of ways with added rest or shortened time intervals of high effort. If you train more in the anaerobic zone, you will see benefits in both strength and endurance (oxidative system). Training in the oxidative zone will not yield benefits to strength, speed and power. Look at the bodies of these two completely different types of runners and tell me which you think looks healthier and better suited for a more well-rounded performance.

It is important to regularly vary combinations of rest, work and repetitions when training with interval patterns. Lucky for you, this is what we do everyday at the box.

Rips. If you’ve ‘hung’ around the gym enough, you’re sure to come into contact with a ripped callus at least once. Rips are well known around the world of CrossFit mostly due to the amount of emphasis we put the gymnastic and barbell movements. Anything that will twist the skin of the palm and base of the fingers in a repetitive motion will cause some level of trauma to the hands.

Grooming

Ever heard of the saying “you have to tear ’em down to build ’em up”? Well this is true for callus formation too. As a newbie, you might walk away from a WOD feeling some discomfort in your hand which could last for hours or even days. Initially, this is to be expected on some level. The body will respond by thickening up the skin and building layers of dead skin over the contact points on the hand. This is natural to a certain extent. It is important to know the appropriate time to take care of your mits! Once calluses start to accumulate, the goal is to keep them smooth and level with the rest of the surrounding skin. A rough and protruding callus will eventually tear around the sides or the base, thus producing another tear. A good rule of thumb is that if you can pinch the raised edge of a callus, it generally needs to be filed down. Calluses can be filed down with pumice stones, nail files, sandpaper, or cuticle scissors. Remember to lube your hands, too! All that repetitive chalk usage will leave your hands dry and an easy target for a tear. Chalk is not meant to stop tears only to reduce moisture and slipping.

Grip Technique

Calluses at the base of the fingers can start to become painful, especially if your gripping at bar at 6 in the morning! Grip technique is something to think about to instead of just mashing those puppies down and grinding out another ten toes-to-bar. A better way to grip the bar is to place it between the metacarpals and the proximal phalanges (the crease between palm and fingers). This video by Mark Ripptoe explains better grip technique.

After the Tear

If you have a tear and are lucky enough to still have a flap of skin hanging over you tear then LEAVE IT! I see so many of you guys just tear it off mid-WOD or come back the next day with it cut off and bandaged. Your old skin actually acts as a natural bandaid for the raw skin underneath. When you get home, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. Apply some Neosporin and bandage the sucker up during the day to keep out any unwanted bacteria.

Further Prevention

Gloves and tape are two ways to prevent tears during a WOD. I know it might be a pain to take these extra measures but for some of us it might be necessary. Here is a step by step diagram on how to tape your hands. Reebok also introduced a glove to wear similar to a batting glove in baseball. Here is a complex review of the gloves. If you need to take this step.. Do it! Anything to prevent tearing.

And remember: If you feel or see a tear coming on mid-WOD then tell me immediately! It is better to switch up the movements really quick than to tear and be out or limited for 3-4 days.

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300 Challenge is coming May 12th…. Everyone is encouraged to participate!

What is fitness? The term “fitness” is one that loosely floats through magazines such as Men’s Health and Cosmopolitan without really having a clear and concise definition. A quick search on dictionary.com yielded the the one word definition of “health” as the primary definition of fitness. Big help there. Outside magazine once crowned Mark Allen, a professional triathlete and winner of 6 Ironman triathlons, the “fittest man on earth”. Is this true? Have we really found the one person that is fitter than everyone else on the planet? No, we haven’t. Not to take anything away from Mr. Allen, because it is obvious that he was in remarkable shape to be able to pull off such a feat, but do you think he is fit in categories such as strength, power, speed and coordination? Probably not so much. I would say that a balance of these as well as the high endurance and stamina levels that he already possesses would make him even more fit.  When I think of fitness, I think of being well rounded and at least decent in every facet of healthy movement imaginable. This might sound lame but my definition fitness is kind of like the the quarterback in high school movies. You know the guy who also is dating the head cheerleader, makes straight A’s, wins homecoming king, and is captain of the chess club. Basically, fitness should be about being good at everything.

Let’s break down what I mean by everything. CrossFit has come up with a list of ten general physical skills that should be highly regarded in defining fitness. An individual who possesses competence in all of these skills is more accurately titled as fit. Here is the list:

1. Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance – The ability of body systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen.

2. Stamina – The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy.

3. Strength – The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force.

4. Flexibility – the ability to maximize the range of motion at a given joint.

5. Power – The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply maximum force in minimum time.

6. Speed – The ability to minimize the time cycle of a repeated movement.

7. Coordination – The ability to combine several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement.

8. Agility – The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another.

9. Balance – The ability to control the placement of the bodies center of gravity in relation to its support base.

10. Accuracy – The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity.

The application of these ten skills are equally important. Being ready for anything thrown in front of you. Imagine there was one of those lottery ball machines that randomizes the balls then spits them out with different number on them. Only instead of numbers, there were a wide array of physical challenges written on them. Being able to be ready and preform adequately for the unknown and unknowable is of huge importance. This example suggests that your fitness can be measured by your capacity to perform well at these randomized physical tasks in relation to other individuals.

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Sign up for the 300 Challenge happening May 12th. Let me know if you are planning on attending. The workout is scalable so NO EXCUSES!!