WOD of the Month “DOS EQUIS”

10’20” as (10′@ Z4 + 20″ Form Sprint at 80% of max) 3′ RBI

How: Warm up then do 10 min in Z4 and follow it with a 20 second sprint. Do not sprint all out. Go for form at 80%.

Why: The 10′ will build the acid up and the sprint will emulate a race finish after a hard push to the line.

CritScore available to  Members.

April CritFit Rythmn

We can’t take the cycling world by storm if we stay a niche coaching system. With that in mind, we are expanding our 14 day free trial to 30 days. We will earn your business because we are the best coaching system on the planet. Come on! You have nothing to lose. Try us out for 30 days and you wont be disappointed. Membership has also been lowered to $19.95 for our first 100 new members. So come on what are you waiting for?

This month has the “CritFit House” transitioning to our full on race season rythmn. The perfect blend of tempo, threshold, Vo2max, and sprinting, racing, and recovery. Lets do what we’ve come together to do, crush the competition.

Recovery: CritFit Style

  Alright CritFit house, it’s time to talk recovery. How do we recognize our need for it and how do we apply it?

First we recognize our need for it by taking an honest assessment of our bodies. Being sore and unmotivated are not good indicators alone. Also having a slow to respond heart rate is not a great indicator by itself. The body doesn’t want to be forced into anything so it will fight back and It’s first line of defense is the brain. It will tell you this sucks, I really don’t want to be on my trainer today. If we listen to our brain we will never achieve anything more than average fitness. We have to over-ride the suck factor and do the hard thing. Get on the trainer and tell ourselves that we are going to do this thing despite our feelings. A scene from the movie The Rock best illustrates this concept. Sean Connery said “quitters always whine about trying their best. Winners take the homecoming queen home and ???? (bake cookies).” training is hard!

So again when do we recover? Here are a couple of things to think about. Am I sickly? Am I having trouble sleeping? Is my mood terrible and sporadic? We also factor in the things already mentioned, heart rate, soreness, overall motivation to ride. Taking into consideration all of these things gives us a better picture of our current state of fatigue.

The final thing we consider when determining our need for recovery is how consistent our training has been? Consistency is a solid three to four weeks of training. Sometimes we can train hard and still not exhibit the typical signs of fatigue. Regardless of how we feel we always take a week of recovery after a hard three to four week push. The only variable here is family or work obligations. If we have a family vacation or a business trip approaching we plan our recovery so it takes place during these life events. If we can see it coming we really hit the training hard just prior to the planned life event. We call it over-reach/over-compensate. Over-reach is training harder than usual so that during recovery the body can over-compensate and It comes out of recovery much stronger.

Now that we recognize our need for recovery how do we apply it? First of all not riding and doing functional strength for a week is not the right way to apply it. However a couple days completely of the bike and out of the gym can speed up the recovery process. Taking the family for a ride in the park or your son for an easy mountain bike ride is another great way to enjoy recovery. Also use this time to learn some new restorative techniques like foam rolling, yoga, or stretching. Another option is to just stay away from the weekly WODs and enjoy being on the bike. One word of caution, watch what your putting in to your body. During this period it is easy to over eat.

****IMPORTANT**** in the CritFit house we do not plan for recovery weeks. We do this on our own. Most training blocks are in 7 week increments and it is your individual responsibility to plan recovery. All athletes in the house have different schedules and goals. Because of this we leave the recovery up to you. We post three WODs a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. In addition we post PreRace prep, Race-day warmup, and weekend long-ride/race WODs. Finally we are introducing a new feature for functional strength (FS) WODs so stay tuned. If you have any questions please feel free to email us.

Nutrition by Kameo

Nutrition Foundation for Athletes- QUALITY, QUANITITY, FREQUENCY

Quality – The demand placed on one’s body to endure ongoing training and performance requires proper nutrition. The following is considered essential for optimal performance and to protect your overall health.

Antioxidant Power –Consume 5-9 ( ½ cup servings) per day – 1 from each group.
RED: (Lycopene, Capsanthin) Blood Flow and Circulation
Bell peppers, watermelon, tomatoes, red grapes, apples, potatoes
BLUE/PURPLE: (Quercetin, Anthocyanin) Reduce inflammation, Improve memory
Blueberries, blackberries, eggplant, asparagus, dark cherries
ORANGE/YELLOW: (beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin) Eyes and Immune system
Carrots, pumpkin, oranges, cantaloupe, yellow squash
WHITE: (Allincin, Flavanol) Help with blood flow and free radical protection
Garlic, cauliflower, pears, potatoes, onion, banana
GREEN: (Chlorophyll, Lutein) Strong bones, teeth and vision
Broccoli, spinach, kale, peas, eggs, zucchini, brussel sprouts, kiwi
(PLEASE NOTE: This is not an all inclusive list!)
SAFE Supplements (TAKE only as prescribed on the label)
Omega 3 Fatty Acid 1 to 3 g/day
Folic Acid – 400 IU/day
Calcium – 1000 mg/day
Vitamin D3 – 600 IU/day

Quantity – The amount of food needed is different based on training, age, gender, genetics and body size. The following are suggested amounts of the carbohydrate, protein and fat you need each day. A dietitian can tell you how many servings to consume from each food group to achieve your personal nutritional goals.

• Carbohydrate: (CHO) Carbohydrate is the main source of energy your body uses during exercise. The amount that you need depends on caloric expenditure which varies. In general, a person should have 6 to 10 grams (g) of CHO for each kilogram (kg) (g/kg) of body weight per day. To find your weight in kg, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. Then multiply this number by your carbohydrate needs. For example, an athletic man who weighs 160 lbs needs 436-727g CHO per day. All fruit, vegetables, dairy, and “whole” grains contain CHO. Suggested grains include quinoa, barley, oats, rye bread, red potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat pasta and whole grain cereals.
• Protein: (PRO) Protein helps to build and repair muscle, produce hormones, boost your immune system and replace blood cells. The amount of protein you need is only slightly higher than the amount suggested for people who do not exercise. Endurance athletes (such as those who run, bike, or swim for long periods of time) need 1.2 to 1.4 g/kg per day. Athletes who do resistance or strength training (such as weight-lifting) need 1.6 to 1.7 g/kg per day. For example, a 160 lbs (73 kg) man who trains for and runs marathons would need about 88-102g per day. People can usually meet their needs for protein by following a balanced diet. (6oz chicken breast = 42g PRO) Good food sources of protein are lean meat (loin), poultry (white meat), eggs (3 per/wk), egg whites, 1% or skim milk, cheese, peanut butter (without additives) and whole beans (all varieties). Protein or amino acid supplements are not needed if you follow a healthy and balanced diet.
• Fat: Fat provides energy, is a structural component of cell membranes, precursor of hormones and vitamins that you need to survive. You need at least 25% percent of your total calories to come from fat each day. For example, a man who needs 3000 calories per day would require 83g of fat. (3000 x 0.25/9). There are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fats. Good fats include nuts, seeds, olives, fish, beans, tofu and avocado.

Frequency – Simply stated, fuel your body like a fire. If you feed your body good quality fuel (lean protein, low fat dairy, fruit, vegetables, whole grains) you will have optimal energy for exceptional performance. If you put in a bunch of straw (processed food) you’ll die out quickly and as well as your athletic achievements. As a rule of thumb, do not go more than 4 hours without putting kindling on your fire. On some days you need to fuel more often but rarely do you need to fuel less.

Kameo Campisi, RD
Chief, Outpatient Nutrition Clinic Element