CrossFit Crew vs. How has CF improved your fencing?

[ladyofshalott99]

Started in late August 2010. I go M-W, then off Thursday for fencing practice. Friday is my rest day currently, but I feel like I need to put more time in on WoDs. Saturdays are fencing practice; Sundays are rest days.

Since starting: stronger/faster footwork and lunges; lost 10 pounds; earned my E in January. Working on my D by Nationals (that's a *goal*, and yes I know that ratings don't matter, but whatever, it's my personal goal).

Downsides: Muscles always tight. Need to do yoga/bellydance stretches before practice/tournaments, else my lunges are way shallower. Body very stiff, but once I loosen up, am fine.

I do a modified Paleo for Athletes (Rob Wolfe/Health-Bent.com). On tournament days, I start out strong in the morning, but by 2:30 I'm toast. Working to mitigate that by drinking protein shake (Gold Standard or Progenex)/eating bananas, *some* carbohydrates (bananas, nuts). Seems to help, but I haven't reached that ideal place yet between my fencing and keeping Paleo.

Other: Not Rx'ing WoDs yet. I have crap for upper body strength (so does Emfuser, coincidentally), and the typical Rx for front squats/split jerks for example is about 135# for women (men's is either 175# or 225#). I'm between 87-93 (starting on a 33# bar). Great for glutes/hams/quads, gradually helping with arm strength.

Lightbulb moments: When I connected my lack of timing in jump rope (double-unders) to my timing issues with my blade/footwork; realizing that I start [the motion of] my extensions from my shoulder/bicep, instead of my forearm/tricep; realizing that I need to work on my triceps a bit more to help with that extension speed.

Any other CF'ers here?

[Emfuser]

Let me speak for myself, please. Just because you deem your own upper body strength to be sub-par does not mean I regard myself in the same manner.

[Strytllr]

I used to teach a fencing class in a crossfit gym... What it did for me was to literally scare the crap out of me. Those people were way, WAY too intense!

[Emfuser]

I used to teach a fencing class in a crossfit gym... What it did for me was to literally scare the crap out of me. Those people were way, WAY too intense!

It has done wonders for my overall fitness.

[ladyofshalott99]

Pfft. Fine...though I thought I clarified. <rolleyes> Okay I guess that could be read to say that you have crappy upper body strength, which was not my intent. You push-press the 225# just fine.

[ladyofshalott99]

I used to teach a fencing class in a crossfit gym... What it did for me was to literally scare the crap out of me. Those people were way, WAY too intense!

It's more like a "Thank You, Sir, May I have Another" type thing. But we all want to be there.

The only weird nights are when you do stuff that bears *potential* to cause wrist strain. Stuff like kettlebell snatches, where you snatch the kettlebell up from a hanging position, push it up over your head, and flip it so that it's on the back of your hand. When we do those, I definitely make sure I don't scale up to a POOD or something the night before fencing practice, because my bladework sucks if I've used a kettlebell that's too heavy due to wrist pain. But that doesn't really happen that often.

[Inquartata]

Let me speak for myself, please. Just because you deem your own upper body strength to be sub-par does not mean I regard myself in the same manner.

One can almost smell the affronted machismo coming off that post.

[dramamine]

Let me speak for myself, please. Just because you deem your own upper body strength to be sub-par does not mean I regard myself in the same manner.

you are so cool

but not as cool as this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bryEeecj0FE

[Gav]

you are so cool

but not as cool as this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bryEeecj0FE

What's with the bagpipes??????

[rudd]

I followed the Crossfit workout of the day for about 18 months and trained with CF principles for a period of time before and for a few years afterwards. Overall I think it made my fencing worse. I was looking back at some old training diaries and I was constantly sore and tired. I now do less fitness training and am less fit as defined by Crossfit, but , more importantly my fitness for fencing has improved and I generally feel better.

Low carb diets e.g. the paleo diet are a very poor choice for fencers especially on a competition day.

[TooLoftheDeviL]

I followed the Crossfit workout of the day for about 18 months and trained with CF principles for a period of time before and for a few years afterwards. Overall I think it made my fencing worse. I was looking back at some old training diaries and I was constantly sore and tired. I now do less fitness training and am less fit as defined by Crossfit, but , more importantly my fitness for fencing has improved and I generally feel better.

Low carb diets e.g. the paleo diet are a very poor choice for fencers especially on a competition day.

While I have had similar experience with crossfit, I blame my scaling and my diet for the negative impact on my results, not crossfit itself.

I have also, similarly, stopped doing nearly as much fitness training and started just doing a lot more fencing and my results rebounded prettie well. But I definitely don't feel like I'm in as good of shape as I was when I was doing crossfit.

I think it has its time and place, and the Rx WOD mid season is not it.

[Emfuser]

you are so cool

but not as cool as this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bryEeecj0FE

Ahahahahahahaha!

[Emfuser]

I followed the Crossfit workout of the day for about 18 months and trained with CF principles for a period of time before and for a few years afterwards. Overall I think it made my fencing worse. I was looking back at some old training diaries and I was constantly sore and tired. I now do less fitness training and am less fit as defined by Crossfit, but , more importantly my fitness for fencing has improved and I generally feel better.

Low carb diets e.g. the paleo diet are a very poor choice for fencers especially on a competition day.

Paleo has to be modified for athletes. Loren Cordain has a "Paleo for Athletes" book that covers this gap pretty well, even if I don't agree with all of his wider paleo viewpoints.

[Emfuser]

While I have had similar experience with crossfit, I blame my scaling and my diet for the negative impact on my results, not crossfit itself.

I have also, similarly, stopped doing nearly as much fitness training and started just doing a lot more fencing and my results rebounded prettie well. But I definitely don't feel like I'm in as good of shape as I was when I was doing crossfit.

I think it has its time and place, and the Rx WOD mid season is not it.

The nutrition is pretty important. One of the first things we were told at our box was that CF won't do nearly as much good if we don't eat a good, clean diet. CF can't do much for you if you're putting poor quality food into your body.

Most of my workouts are scaled. I can't Rx stuff that moves weight most of the time. Since fencing several nights a week isn't a realistic option for me, it has been CF instead. It has definitely made fencing seem less strenuous. Now if only I had a dedicated stretch of bladework training...

[Strytllr]

It's more like a "Thank You, Sir, May I have Another" type thing. But we all want to be there.

The only weird nights are when you do stuff that bears *potential* to cause wrist strain. Stuff like kettlebell snatches, where you snatch the kettlebell up from a hanging position, push it up over your head, and flip it so that it's on the back of your hand. When we do those, I definitely make sure I don't scale up to a POOD or something the night before fencing practice, because my bladework sucks if I've used a kettlebell that's too heavy due to wrist pain. But that doesn't really happen that often.

I can see that. I helped them out with a CrossFit Obstacle Team Race one year. They had an awesome turnout, including a group of Marines and some very buff Firemen, along with 2 or 3 different CrossFit clubs. I was utterly SHOCKED when the Marines came in FIFTH! and they were really dogging it on the last stretch and obstacle.

[Superscribe]

Let me speak for myself, please. Just because you deem your own upper body strength to be sub-par does not mean I regard myself in the same manner.

I'll second Lady's judgement on your upper body.

[ladyofshalott99]

Always makes for interesting conversations when we're on the strip together. We avoided it as much as possible, actually, for many years, because I would always bring my 'issues' to 'talk' about into our sparring. And inevitably, because he's a much stronger fencer than I, he'd pretty just own me with distance/timing/whatever. So we'd never get stuff resolved

But now that we're both doing CrossFit, we get that stuff resolved separately in the gym, in a definite "team" competitive environment. So now, practice is better, because I've developed the patience through CrossFit to be able to learn from Emfuser at practice.

Also, I live with him, so any machismo is equalized. Example: me getting him to sweep two seasons worth of leaves off the roof today, which I very much appreciate

I'll second Lady's judgement on your upper body.

Wo now. Don't make me confront you about flirting with my man.

[ladyofshalott99]

While I have had similar experience with crossfit, I blame my scaling and my diet for the negative impact on my results, not crossfit itself.

I have also, similarly, stopped doing nearly as much fitness training and started just doing a lot more fencing and my results rebounded prettie well. But I definitely don't feel like I'm in as good of shape as I was when I was doing crossfit.

I think it has its time and place, and the Rx WOD mid season is not it.

You mentioned that you're Rx'ing. When you were doing the WoDs, were you Rx'ing exclusively while also doing typical training performed at your club? While I am not consistently Rx'ing myself, I do find that when I do the WoDs, then go on to 3h of dance training afterward, that the endurance factor definitely is an issue. I also don't get enough sleep. But during the last two weeks, I've made a conscious choice to *not* go to some days of CrossFit/ATS, and I think my body needed it. My lesson Thursday night, and the one last week, was much improved over those in recent months.

So there is truth to what you say about not over-training. It's hard (at least, for me) to give myself permission to *not* go to all my activities--doesn't help that my <awesome> peers in both non-fencing classes are also extremely driven, ambitious self-trainers--but I agree that to keep all of that up, and to keep training with fencing for this point in the season, is tough.

Do you think, though, that that's maybe part of the process, though? In pushing yourself to do the RX'ed WoDs, and normal practice, are you also perhaps developing the mental toughness to push through the fatigue and pain, and develop strength and focus, that are required as you progress up through DE's? Where does one draw the line between reasonable training, and the inner strength possessed by elite athletes to focus, push through, and win?

As for nutrition...like I've said, I do modified Paleo. But it's not been clean for the last two months or so. Need to start bringing my lunch--find time too cook said lunch--because even though I avoid grain at work, it's still processed food. Boo. I've also had a huge, huge sugar issue. Bananas. Greek yogurt with fruit preserves. Dark chocolate. Emfuser's awesome, awesome potatoes of epic-ness. All things that are completely counterproductive. When I keep low-sugar/low grain, my performance and energy is consistent and positive. In early January, when I was keeping to that, I earned my E. I slacked off on the nutrition, and I've missed two opportunities that were completely within my grasp to earn my D (at least in my opinion). All things I must be accountable for.

Regardless...and even though I would have much rather competed in the Charlotte ROC this weekend, I'm thankful for a rest-weekend. Sometimes having that small break is what you need to keep from burning out, and I was on my way there.

[ladyofshalott99]

Most of my workouts are scaled. I can't Rx stuff that moves weight most of the time. Since fencing several nights a week isn't a realistic option for me, it has been CF instead. It has definitely made fencing seem less strenuous. Now if only I had a dedicated stretch of bladework training...

There's this thing taking up space in our living room. It's called a fencing dummy. You built it. You should use it and stuff.

[Inquartata]

Example: me getting him to sweep two seasons worth of leaves off the roof today, which I very much appreciate

Hah, his upper body strength is apparently ineffectual against the strength of your little finger.