Episode 20 (Pushing through plateaus)

• Body:
• Topic #1: What is the difference between a plateau and a valley-canyon
• Plateau - a regular/natural byproduct of training that usually occurs after a period of consistent progression.  A true performance plateau occurs when an athlete has already optimized their sleep, training, and nutrition.
• Questions to ask yourself to determine whether or not you have hit a ‘true’ performance plateau.
• If I don’t sleep, eat, or train optimally, what can I do to improve those three factors.
• Optimal fat, protein, carbohydrates, sleep, hydration etc.
• Valley-Canyon - an irregular/unnatural product of poor sleep, nutrition, or training habits that usually occurs when an athlete has not optimized the aforementioned criteria.
• Examples from Justin & Brian where we have experienced both plateaus and valleys.
• Topic #2: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.” - Mark Twain.
• Even though CrossFit is defined as Constantly Varied, Functional Movement, Performed at a relative high intensity, that doesn’t mean you are protected from encountering plateaus.
• What happens when you encounter a plateau?
• Self-analysis.  What is the plateau? (Example: Snatch)  Why can’t I snatch more weight?  Which part of the snatch do you struggle with most?  Pulling down and under the bar? Trusting you legs, shoulders, wrists?
• Example: Brian - squat clean??? (Lots of Front Squats because getting under the bar wasn’t the problem, it was standing up with the weight.
• Deadlift, strong legs, but lower back rounds.
• Topic #3: How long have you been training?  The longer you train, the more likely you are to hit a plateau and the more difficult it will be to break through it.
• Many CrossFitters encounter plateaus that involve their weaknesses.  
• Example: Muscle-up - you may have the pulling strength to get your chest to the rings, but you may not have the dip strength to get out of your catch or wrist strength to maintain a false grip- transition.
• Example: HS Pushups, you may have the overhead strength, but you lack the overhead mobility or stability to balance properly.
• Topic #4: Pushing to failure, maxing regularly to determine effective percentages, and proper recovery.  
• The human body adapts quickly and likes to operate at the minimum effective dose.
• Minimum effective dose.  (Example: If 1 - 50mg ibuprofen could get rid of a headache, then why take more than 1. )  If doing a 5x5 back squat hurts at 70%, then why would we make it hurt a little bit more and up the weight an additional #10.  
• The harder we push, the more likely we are to get sore and injured.  Increasing the weight used or reps performed, or decreasing the time it takes to complete a workout are good things, but we must also increase our warm-up time, cool-down time, and spend more time on mobility.