Addressing Energy Leaks
Written by Conquer Athlete Coach Jerod Gordon
A lot of talk beyond the CrossFit Open begins with reflection of how to improve training for the next year. Perhaps you lack certain skills, strength, or found you need to continue to develop your conditioning. To that end, I’ve seen Coach Jason & Tommy already talk about those things and some ways to begin addressing them.
I’m going to take a slightly different perspective.
Maybe, you already possess the skills AND conditioning you need to be successful. However, you may have too many energy leaks that contribute toward your overall fatigue and expenditure – which prohibits you from expressing your true abilities.
Technique
The first, and probably most recognizable energy leak, is your technique. In things like rowing or double unders, poor timing or positioning of the hands in the jump rope can cause you to accumulate fatigue at a much quicker rate in comparison to your competition. Maybe your deadlifts & dumbbell snatches became too hinge heavy, and you weren’t able to shift your movement to utilize your quads to alleviate some of the burden. The list can go on, but, like any athlete in sport, working to continually refine your technique will make you more efficient, and thus better able to demonstrate your abilities.
Lack of Mobility
The second common energy leak I see is lack of mobility. If you’re not able to get into optimal positions due to mobility restrictions, your body is going to have to compensate in some avenue. That compensation takes energy - and typically in muscles that shouldn’t be handing loads for long durations. Take the overhead squat, for instance. You’ve seen poor positioning and how the shoulders fatigue at a much quicker rate. Couple that with intensity & the adrenaline from competition, and you’re essentially bleeding energy on every rep.
Breath Control
The third, and probably least obvious energy leak, is breath control. Even the best conditioned athlete, if hyperventilating early in a workout, won’t win or perform at their best. Inexperienced athletes, for example, may hold their breath during double unders and then wonder why they fatigue at a fast rate. This, like technique, needs to be practiced in training in order for you to optimize it when you need to. There isn’t a specific technique, per se, as each movement will alter the pattern of your breathing, but awareness is key.
These energy leaks have a cumulative effect, and build quickly. Your ability to minimize these will go a long way toward your ability to perform at your best in conjunction with improvement of skills, strength, and conditioning.
If you have any questions, want to make sure you’re on the right track, or want to learn how we work with athletes with our Individual Design coaching, email help@conquerathlete.com. Or, check out our website www.conquerathlete.com and set up a free discovery call.
