Put up a D-fence

It's November. The month with the shortest day and the one known for lots of rain. People just tend to be morose in November, and that affects their daily mood, performance at work, and of course their athletic endeavours.

I get a lot of messages in November about training... mostly about not progressing or feeling burnt out. I think they crop up in this month because of those short days, the rain, and knowing its more than 6 months til June.

Your best defence against the November blues is to start taking some Vitamin D. We don't get enough sun exposure through the year to activate enough Vitamin D in our bodies, and we certainly don't get much in the winter months.

Doses from 600 to 6000 IU have shown to improve daily mood, general health, and performance (both endurance related and strength and power). Most health organizations will recommend 1000 IU or less during the winter months, however other sources might quote higher.

In a study performed with University rowers, 6000 IU per day was used, and showed increased VO2 max (aerobic power) versus a control group (Jastrzebski, 2014). Given that some health organizations estimate that toxicity begins at around 10000 IU per day, this intake is likely on the high side.

Your best option is to consult with your medical professional (who also of course knows about current Vitamin D research, athletic performance, and perhaps CrossFit!). Regardless of actual prescription though, you should look into Vitamin D supplementation simply for improved mood and health benefits.

Cam

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Training Wednesday - Thursday

Warm-up: 3 rounds - 30 single skips, 12 kettlebell swings, 12 wallballs

Skill: Prepare for the intervals

WOD: Intervals of Grace

This wod is an opportunity to refine your power clean to push jerk technique. We will be working with moderate weights and the goal is to execute them smoothly with a linearly increasing output each round. Your selected weight should not be more than 65% of your clean and jerk max.

Rx: 4 different intervals of work starting on a 3 minute timer: 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, and 40 seconds. Perform max reps in each one at 95/135. Total reps is your score

TG: Scale barbell weight as needed

FG1: 55-65/75-95

FG2: 75/115

Comp: Scale up to 65% of 1RM exactly

Cash Out: 4 sets of 10 Ab wheel tuck pushups or ring pushups