Once upon a time after a competition I would completely unplug for 2-3 weeks. You come out of 6-8 weeks of prep sore, tired, and drained.
I always used to underestimate how much metabolic waste my systems accumulated leading up to an event. What was the impact?
I would sit on the couch watching TV, and tell my brain stories about how much I deserved a break, how tired I was, and how overtraining was the devil. The couch is 5 feet from the fridge. Guess what would happen?
I’d go back into the gym 3 weeks later and literally start from zero.
Again.
That’s the curse of being a Masters athlete.
This month I’m trying something new. Maintaining fitness is the goal for December.
No crazy Christmas parties doing tequila shots. No eating half a cake because you don’t want it to go to waste.
Just showing up to class every day and scaling appropriately to maintain the work stimulus. Let me give you an example.
Today’s WOD was 10 rounds for time. 6 double dumbbell thrusters at 50/35. 8 hand release pushups. And 10 double dumbbell deadlifts at 50/35.
I haven’t done 50 pound dumbbell thrusters in 6 years. It’s no longer reality for my shoulders. At age 57, my RX weight is 35. So today I did 25s.
Pushups aggravate the AC joint in my shoulder. So I modified it to an “up-down” which is like the top half of a burpee to a tape line on the floor.
I did 35s on the deadlifts. 3-2-1-go!
The first round was 1:04. I came out too hot. What else is new? Breathe. Recover. Picked up the 25s at 1:14.
Today’s goal was simply to move well. No wandering off to look for chalk or water, or to tie my shoelaces. Never more than 3 breaths on transitions. The occasional extra breath mid-set if necessary.
Suave es rapido! Smooth is fast.
14.47. Mission accomplished.
It’s 8:43 am. I’m 50 g of protein into my day. Second cup of black coffee. Daily disciplines done daily create freedom.
The 2026 CrossFit Open is 60 days away.
