Finding the Rest

Know the expression: “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”?  Well here’s the CrossFit version: “the least horrible part of this workout is my rest.”

Let’s use today’s workout, which consisted of 3 movements: chest to overhead anyhows (C2OA), sumo dead lift high pull (SDLHP) and air squats (AS) as an example.  Suppose the C2OAs are awful, the SDLHP are rotten and the AS are just kind of difficult.  Thus, going by our new quote, the AS become the rest.  Rest, in this sense, doesn’t mean stopping, sitting down and taking a sip of water.  It means active rest.

Active rest means being able to mentally recover while still doing the work.  This is why you want to pick the least difficult movement to engage in active rest.  It’s a time to get control of your breathing and asses how you are doing in the workout.  Try it.  You may find some unusual “resting” movements come your way.  You may find that the “resting” movement changes during the workout because of the rep structure, weight or volume that you are being asked to do.  The more you try it, the better you’ll get at it.

Atlas Squatted
15 C2OA (95/65)
50 Squats
15 SDLHP (95/65)
40 Squats
15 C2OA (95/65)
30 Squats
15 SDLHP (95/65)
20 Squats
15 C2OA (95/65)
10 Squats
15 SDLHP (95/65)

Rest your eyes on the whiteboard.