Rest Day
Is Hanging From a Bar Worth Your Time? A CrossFit Reality Check
Social media says hanging from a bar will change your life. The AI voice guy promises superhuman powers by Day 10. But what does hanging actually do for your CrossFit training, and is it worth the hype?
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TEAMS of 3:
400m x 2 people
400m x 2person
- 5 min time cap -
@ 6 min, do the following synchro
80 Reverse Lunge (dumbbell)
80 ALT SNATCH (dumbbell)
80 Box Jump Overs
Hey Chris!
The older I get, and the more molecules of hubris leave my soul, the easier it is to take a rest day. Sometimes it’s an unplanned rest day, like yesterday when we decided to go hike a few miles and I postponed the workout to today. Active rest is still rest, right?
You know it! Last week our rest day at the gym turned into a spontaneous volleyball game with lots of cheating!
I haven't been keeping up with these like I need to... how's your workouts been going my man?
Champions Club Scaling Notes
RANT
I'd like all you veterans to marinate on this question for a minute: in general, is it more difficult to get yourself to work hard during a workout or to hold yourself back?
One of the things I have recently realized that I admire about CrossFit is their inclusion of Rest Days; the more I think about it for myself and the more I coach the Champions Club people, the more I respect how difficult it is to rest when we need it.
First off, resting takes surrendering. It takes surrendering because we are now letting go of control and allowing for other factors to do their jobs. YOU did rowing yesterday, YOU did muscle-ups yesterday... now it's your turn to allow your mind, spirit, and biology to do their jobs.
Resting also takes modesty, and this is where Coach Glassman has really done such a great job of demonstrating how such an unbelievable dose can be given from such a modest amount of work. This modesty comes from knowing that if the power/intensity is right, then a little volume will go a long way, both in the micro dose of the workout and the macro dose of the three-day cycle.
This means that resting takes patience, which I have wrote about on a few occasions in these Scaling Notes.
Ultimately, we land on faith, which is being sure of things we can't see. What can I see right now? The rowing machine, the rings, the sweat angel on the sidewalk, the veins bursting out of my arms, our chest rising up and down uncontrollably from breathing so heavy. What can't I see? Literally everything else. The things inside of our body reacting to what we just put it through. Monday's workout. Our body next Friday. The school demands next month. Ohio State's football roster in the fall. Our work demands next winter. Our life demands next year. To rest means that, even though we can't see them, we believe they are going to be just fine without our immediate actions.
Resting is something we receive, not earn. I may be speaking way out of line here, but I'd imagine a first-responder or Army veteran can tell you that: after all, you may be called on to work when you feel the most deserving of rest, and called on to rest when you feel the most eager to work.
I'm also starting to believe that resting doesn't need our help. (That work be working, right?) Resting needs us, more than anything, to get out of its way, like a point guard waving off a high ball screen. If we are to truly receive the rest given to us, we have to allow it to come in whatever form it may look like on a given day. You'll know it's rest because there's usually a little hint of guilt trying to stop you from doing it. You won't see the benefits of rest right now, but in time they will be obvious.
Love you guys!
My man! Great question and insight! I am somewhere in a similar mindset to Coastie. Much younger me would have said ‘I’ll get plenty of rest when I’m dead’. But, since hitting my 40s I have come to appreciate rest more, even if it’s active rest like Coastie mentioned. It has become less difficult to restrain myself during a workout and I am much more accepting of scaling than I used to be. A lot of that has been driven by listening to my body better. If one or more joints feel like they are not in a good place for the listed work (which is often now) then I will scale, sub, do additional warmup, and/or ease up on the pace/intensity - but restraining myself still has to be a conscious effort the whole workout most of the time. On any given day, I still have yet to master the art of doing nothing. I suck at sitting or laying down for very long and these days it is just plain old painful to do so - it hurts more frequently to remain motionless than it does to move.
You are much appreciated dude! We love you too!
Link, you know as well as I do that doing nothing is reserved specifically for 1) College football Saturdays and 2) the first two rounds of March Madness! Like Nick said, active rest can still be rest, just keeping it informal.
How have your workouts been going?
As I read this, my intentional full day of rest turned into me hauling, cutting & javelin throwing big limbs from several trimmed trees & one whole very tall (dead) pine tree out of the yard & into the woods & stacking what was salvageable...for 6 hours straight. Sometimes life rearranges the best rest intentions, as today was the only day the tree service could come. Clearly, I struggle with pacing myself, in workouts & in projects, but kind of like LK said, staying in motion once I'm in it, feels easier than stopping & restarting. Being closer to 60 than 20 sometimes enforces rest, like my angry left knee. Knowing that being able to work out or haul wood for hours injury-free is a privilege becomes more & more concrete as the years add up & that, lately, has a sobering effect on hitting everything full throttle, and although I still forget I'm not invincible, I am definitely more mindful of the importance & restorative impact of rest, and I try to incorporate it. I for sure notice I need it more in my vintage era.
Too many good comments here...Chris' reminder to be mindful, LK's recognition that doing less sometimes is better, and better for fitness than doing more, and BG's reminder of how lucky us older folks are that we can be super active far later in life than many of our peers. Favo's reminder is one I struggle to remember...thanks for the reminder, Favo. As for today...did an "active rest" day, of a leisurely 17-18 mile bike ride with my wife. Elevated the heart rate a little, moved blood, but was even better for the spirit and soul.
Love and miss you too, Chris. And I'll answer...LK's workouts, esp. his rows, continue to shine. Come visit us more often!
Chris, to be honest, the workouts have been...ok. The body still hurts in all the same places keeping that a mental challenge as well as a physical one with workouts, but I am in an unfamiliar place in my life right now that is affecting many things, to include workouts. I recently officially retired from the military after serving for more than half my life and have been in a repeating cycle of being at home doing home things, working out, and job hunting. It really feels like I am on pause right now and that has been making workouts more frequently feel like something I just have to get done rather than something I want to do. Well...at least until I get into it and then I feel much better after it is done. I'm fairly certain this will pass once I am back to work, but I am concerned there is a chance this feeling towards workouts may continue.
Jim, you are too kind. My workouts, to me, are about as shiny as stainless steel kitchen appliances these days. Both you and Favo are inspirational for me as you navigate aging and still staying in the proverbial fight with your fitness and ability to keep very active.