I know when my body needs a break, and I listen to it

I know when my body needs a break from working out. I always listen to it.

This past Saturday I did an incredibly difficult challenge at CrossFit, called Murphy. It consisted of:

  • 1 mile run
  • 100 pullups
  • 200 push ups
  • 300 squats
  • 1 mile run

You can see my re-cap just a few posts back. I’m taking a break from CrossFit this week because my upper body is sore.

A lot of times, CrossFit creates a ton of controversy. Whether it’s safe. Whether it’s good for you. You can call yourself “hardcore” and push through the pain, but in reality— you may be doing more damage than good. Please have a read at this article. Here are a few quotes.

The real danger is to new athletes, like those who flock to the thousands of CrossFit facilities looking for a great workout. Word of mouth is powerful in the CrossFit community, and maybe the most dangerous element. While the workouts can be performed by beginners, their immature muscles can’t tell the difference between training to failure and simply getting a good workout. In fact, most beginners don’t know when “too much is too much” and don’t understand the unique demand of an exercise session, says Eric Cressey, C.S.C.S., a shoulder and injury prevention expert and owner of Cressey Performance in Hudson, Mass.

This much is certain: When done correctly, CrossFit is not inherently bad or ineffective. Like other training methodologies before it, CrossFit is a form of high intensity exercise, an efficient model of exercise that has helped many people lose weight while improving strength and endurance.

I will repeat myself, and say listen to your body. Let it take a break.

Read more here.

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