Conquer CrossFit Blog
Functional Fitness Tips, CrossFit News, & More
Addressing Energy Leaks
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.
Looking Holistically at Fitness
When you’re in your 20’s (or even younger), some things may not be as important for you to focus on, but as age, volume, and priorities change, it’s vital to take a look at the whole picture if you hope to continue down the path of progress.
The following elements all have a huge impact on your training, your improvement, and your longevity.
Micronutrients Matter
Welcome to a deeper dive into the world of sports nutrition, where we magnify the crucial yet often underestimated role of micronutrients. In this edition, we delve into essential vitamins and minerals that power athletic performance, how can implementation optimize fitness, and draw lessons from real athlete case studies on overcoming common deficiencies.
Thinking Long-Term
To maximize your athletic potential, long-term thinking has to be part of your mindset.
A big portion of that includes training smart, training consistently, and avoiding injuries.
Optimizing versus Adapting
For better or worse, the typical CrossFit athlete is focused on performance. How do I get a faster time or more reps? And in some instances, that can be a hindrance toward progression.
Exploring the Role of Leucine in Post-Workout Recovery (Part 2 of 2)
Recent studies have brought leucine to the forefront of nutritional science, particularly regarding its role in post-exercise recovery. Research from the University of Toronto and associated institutions has demonstrated that leucine-enriched essential amino acids are instrumental in enhancing recovery from muscle damage incurred during exercise. This benefit is distinct from the traditional mechanisms of protein synthesis, offering a unique avenue for muscle repair.
Leucine: Maximizing Recovery for CrossFit Athletes (Part 1 of 2)
CrossFit athletes, known for their rigorous training encompassing high-intensity cardio, weightlifting, and plyometrics, face unique recovery challenges. Leucine, an essential amino acid, emerges as a key factor in post-exercise recovery. Studies, including those from the University of Toronto, highlight that leucine-enriched essential amino acids are effective in repairing muscle damage after intense workouts—a common scenario in CrossFit. Leucine's collaboration with insulin in enhancing muscle protein synthesis is particularly beneficial for CrossFit athletes, who often engage in diverse and demanding exercises.
Training Approach for the Masters Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athlete
As you age, especially in the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you learn quite a few things. First, despite your age, you can still train extremely hard. Second, if you opt to do that with high frequency, you’re also looking at time away from the mat due to injury. So how do you find the balance?
All of it simply comes down to training smarter, not harder. With that in mind, here’s my take on training jiu-jitsu for the masters athlete.
How to Become a Better CrossFit Masters Athlete
This is single handedly the most prevalent question within the Sport of Fitness. Everyday I have this conversation, whether by phone, Zoom, or in person with aspiring athletes who are looking to progress up the proverbial CrossFit ladder. So, here I am going to build a framework around what I project (as of this day) are and will be the driving principles that will give you the tools to do well within CrossFit. This is not a manual that you can open and find a one, two, three step process. This is more of an outline around three guiding principles that will set you up for success to be a better CrossFit Masters Athlete.
Cultivating a Champion's Mindset for Master’s Athletes
Masters athletes, individuals who continue to compete in sports well into their adulthood, often face unique challenges as they strive to maintain peak physical performance while dealing with the demands of daily life. To excel in their chosen sport, especially such a complex and taxing sport like CrossFit, Masters athletes must not only focus on physical training but also develop a strong mindset. The saying, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks doesn’t hold true when you are talking about masters athletes. They are some of the most adaptable athletes out there, however, the mindset and mental approach to training and competing can be a new landscape if they haven’t come from a background of sport. So, below are a few ways masters athletes can work on cultivating a strong mindset.
Boosting Your CrossFit Performance: The Need for Speedy Carbs
If you're looking to elevate your performance and dominate those grueling WODs, it's time to delve into one critical aspect of your nutrition strategy: fast-digesting carbohydrates. While they may not be as flashy as the latest workout gear or as talked about as protein, these carbs are your not-so-secret weapon for conquering the CrossFit arena. So, let's dive in, dig deeper, and uncover why you should be best pals with these lightning-fast fuel sources.
How To Use Concurrent Periodization in CrossFit
CrossFit, known for its dynamic and diverse training approach, demands a combination of strength, endurance, agility, and more. To excel in this multifaceted sport, athletes need a training strategy that optimizes various fitness attributes simultaneously. This is where concurrent periodization comes into play. By blending different training components within a single training cycle, concurrent periodization empowers CrossFit athletes to enhance multiple facets of their performance.
W.I.N. - What’s Important Now
Whether you’re a coach being paid to help an athlete improve or an athlete looking for the next thing that's going to help you push the needle of performance, it’s easy to do what is popular or trendy right now.
To me, winning requires you to do the thing that you NEED to do, not the thing you want to do. Yes, there is balance between those two things, but the need needs to outweigh the want.
CrossFit Games Update: CrossFit Milford Team Conquer
In the world of CrossFit, the ultimate test of fitness and athleticism is the CrossFit Games. Athletes from around the globe converge to push their physical and mental limits, striving for greatness and the title of "Fittest on Earth." Our journey to the CrossFit Games was one of perseverance, dedication, and teamwork, culminating in a remarkable achievement: our team's 13th place finish in the world.
Maximizing the Combat Sport Off-Season
Though many sports have a traditional off-season, combat sports are the exception. The time between fights can be unpredictable, making it difficult to plan in a macro cycle approach.
Typically, during “down time” the focus shifts toward skill acquisition with lower intensity to promote more frequent sessions so the athlete can improve significantly between fights.
One aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked at this time is the development of aerobic capacity/endurance.
5 Fun and Effective Ideas for Long-Term Habit Change
Creating long-term habits can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be a boring one! Whether you're looking to ditch bad habits or adopt new, positive ones, the journey to lasting change can be enjoyable and rewarding. In this article, we'll explore five light-hearted and fun ideas that can help you make lasting changes to your habits.
The first Person to run the 4:00 mile
Everything's impossible until it's not! And without these athletes who are willing to fail time after time, none of it would be possible. Failure is a part of the process for everyone, including the immortals. If you truly want to accomplish your goals, you just need to be willing to work for them.
Main Training Considerations for Competitive CrossFit Masters Athletes
CrossFit Masters athletes have grown immensely over the past ten years.. Masters athletes, typically aged 35 and above, compete in CrossFit events alongside their younger counterparts, showcasing their strength, endurance, and determination. However, as the body ages, training considerations for masters athletes must be tailored to ensure optimal performance while minimizing the risk of injury. Too often masters athletes are jumping on programs that are tailored towards much younger athletes who require less rest time, have less going on in their lives, and have more ability to recover. In this blog, we will talk about a few things masters athletes need to keep in mind to stay competitive and not get injured or burn out.
What it Takes to Compete at the CrossFit Games
The ultimate goal of every Crossfit competitor is to qualify for the “Crossfit Games”. The Crossfit Games is an annual event that showcases the fittest athletes competing against one another in various modalities of fitness. In order to compete at this level, an athlete must posses amazing work ethic, talent and some luck. Today, we will be addressing the sport requirements to compete at each stage of the Crossfit Games season. We’re hopeful that by the end of this, you will have a better understanding of what you need to address in order to compete!
Programming Beyond the X’s and O’s
Training athletes can be as "simple" or as detailed as you want it to be. But simple doesn't always mean it's going to be effective nor does being complex. If something isn't working, you have to be able and willing to pivot and try something new. When trying something new, review the old, look at your data points, talk to your athlete and allow that to drive your next decision.