Pitstop

No workout today.

Before scuttling off to bed last night, I already knew I wouldn't me making it to this morning's CrossFit class. My back is still giving me fits, and as a result, my sleep has been terrible these past few nights. I'm beat, and in no condition to get up in the middle of the night to practice deadlifts.

Yes, I think it's important to stay active while recuperating from an injury. And yes, I've been borderline fanatical about not missing the 5 a.m. class. But lately, I've been sloooowly coming to the realization that sometimes, my body simply needs a break.

Trish posted an excellent article today about overtraining and the need to prioritize rest and recovery. Do I think I'm overtraining? It's possible. I don't exhibit many of the classic symptoms of overtraining (like elevated resting heart rate, declining performance, compromised immunity, and constant crankiness), but I've clearly been hampered lately by a series of injuries. If my body's screaming "no mas," I guess I ought to listen.

So I took today off. By the time Friday rolls around, I'll have had four consecutive days of rest. And during my time away from the gym, I'm going to heed Trish's sage advice:

If you're antsy between workouts, consider using time to improve your mobility instead. Cook a good meal. Go to bed early. Play with your kids. Play with your wife... The answer to faster times and better performance often has more to do with turning the lights out, computer off and getting some good shut-eye than adding an extra run. 

She's absolutely right. Our engines run better after a pitstop.

A Fool & His Money...

I just finished reading the Wall Street Journal's recent article about The Ranch at Live Oak in Malibu. The author of the piece, Christina Binkley, plunked down thousands of dollars to spend one week at this “120-acre ranch tucked into the Santa Monica Mountains,” a health resort that “caters to wealthy A-listers with Spartan but perfectly appointed private cottages, and niceties such as laundry service and a daily aphorism placed on pillows.”

But at its heart, The Ranch appears to be just another expensive fat camp, with an approach centered around starvation and overexercise.

Among Binkley’s observations and experiences:

• For one month before her visit, Binkley was told to “prepare with daily hikes and yoga” and to abstain from eating certain foods -- including meat.

• A typical vegetarian lunch at the Ranch consisted of two baby beets, a baby turnip, “sprigs of red-ribbon sorrel and micro-arugula.” Dinner? “Artichoke heart with fava bean puree, a glazed cipollini onion, pea shoots and tendrils.” Daily caloric intake? 1,100 calories.

• Guests begin their day with yoga at 5:30 a.m., and then head out on a six-hour mountain hike, during which “[s]everal guests vomited —- repeatedly.” (The Ranch’s program director told Binkley that diarrhea is also to be expected.)

• Of course, The Ranch provided a mid-hike snack for each guest: 3 almonds and 2 cashews.

• No rest for the weary: Afternoon exercise classes -- including TRX resistance routines and more yoga -- are mandatory at The Ranch.

But somehow, by the end of the week, Binkley had succumbed to the Stockholm Syndrome. Her article ends with a rosy view of her experience.

And sadly -- shamefully -- I know just how she felt.

More after the jump...

Give It a Rest

At the start of a new year, it's easy to get amped up about attacking one's fitness goals, but don't overdo it.

From Art De Vany's just-released "The New Evolution Diet":

I fail to see how anyone can train 5 or 6 days a week in the gym and for hours at a time. That is factory or agricultural work, not anything human beings were evolved to do. And the paradox is that you will gain less strength and fitness if you overtrain. You will join the thousands who quit exercising out of sheer boredom. Overtraining increases your stress level, interferes with your sleep, raises your level of stress hormones, and reduces your level of growth hormones and testosterone. It leads to less muscle gain, not more, along with loss of fitness and boredom. Boredom is one way your brain stops you from harming yourself.

Chris Highcock says the same thing. Listen to them. Those guys know their stuff.

Now Taking Bets: When Am I Going to Quit / Burn Out / Injure Myself?

Looks like 50 Plus & Fit has dedicated a post and a survey to yours truly -- my already-enormous head is swelling as I type this. Head over there and vote on when you think I'm going to stop regularly working out -- either by choice or by dint of catastrophic injury.

Round 2 / Day 26: P90X Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

I know, I know: according to my self-created P90X/Insanity Hybrid Schedule, I was supposed to do Core Synergistics today. But lately, I feel like I've been slacking a bit too much. It's been icy and wet outside, so I haven't been running. And while Insanity is crazy-intense, the workouts are relatively brief, so I'm not convinced that I'm getting the same calorie burn that I got during my first round of P90X.

(One easy way to confirm this would be for me to actually wear my heart rate monitor, but I hate having the plastic sensor strap around my chest -- once I work up a sweat, it starts sliding down my torso, and it's just a big pain in the ass.)

My eating habits are sliding, too -- I catch myself mindlessly stuffing handfuls of almonds and cereal in my mouth at all hours. (I'm addicted to whole wheat Chex with Trader Joes' roasted almond slivers.)

So today, I opted to do Legs & Back and Ab Ripper X instead of the (somewhat) easier Core Synergistics. Legs & Back has always been one of my least favorite P90X workouts, but it's grown on me in recent weeks. Still, I struggled to maintain my previous rep count on all the pull-up variations today, and my ability to balance on my left leg has declined since I finished Round 1. This is puzzling to me; I'd assumed that Insanity would have improved my leg strength and stability. Is it possible that I'm overtraining despite an overall decrease in my total exercise time?

Round 2 / Day 19: Legs & Back + Ab Ripper X

I think I'm on the verge of overtraining.

During Legs & Back this morning, my left leg kept wobbling during relatively easy lunge exercises (e.g., Sneaky Lunges, Side Lunges, etc.). After a few weeks of trying to cram Insanity workouts and barefoot running into an already-demanding P90X schedule, something's bound to give, and I don't want it to be my knees. I'd hoped to go running yesterday, but I got busy at work, and I think I'm going to rest my legs for the remainder of today, too. A few days of R&R can't hurt, right?