Sunday Story...Pain Cave

At this point, after the last few weeks of intensity, we need to bring that intensity back down to sustain and increase our fitness. The wonderful thing about doing the Open and quarterfinals is that we get to find out where some of the holes in our game are, where we need to increase our fitness, what's lacking, and what needs work. Whether it's a gymnastic skill or the capacity to move longer, faster, or stronger, or to move more weight, we find out where those holes are by going all in on the pain cave. But I can't live in the pain cave. I can't live at 100% intensity; it's not sustainable, and it won't increase my fitness. It does show me what my maximum capacity is or isn't.

Daily, I can't go 100% every time I walk through the door. I can't try to do a 1RM every time I'm lifting; it won't move me forward. What I need to do is:

do more reps

increase the weight over time

work at 70-80-85%

I will increase capacity with less intensity so that when I go and grab that 100% intensity, when I dive into the pain cave and hang out, my fitness will support that activity. You can't do that every day. Your central nervous system can't handle it. It's not good for you. Things will start breaking down, and we don't want breakdowns. It's good to test ourselves. It's good to have that 100% intensity and effort occasionally.

Now it's time to go back to work. Increase our capacity and our fitness by working at a lower intensity.

If you're interested in building muscle and strength, sign up for a free fitness assessment at www.crossfitodyssey.com or reach out to me directly, and let's get you started on your journey to extraordinary results.

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412