I can’t believe we’re already basically halfway into January 2017. I thought the holidays went by fast, but now here we are just about halfway through the first month of the year.
When I last posted, I had just started the Renaissance Periodization template and was trucking along with my Crossfit workouts. I did pretty well on the template until around Halloween. From that point, I decided to enjoy the holidays. My 12-week cut would have ended right around that time, anyway, so I gave myself a break from worrying so much about food. It was nice to not have to think about macros all the time.
I kept up with my workouts until the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but took off from the gym during that week. I was starting to feel run down and exhausted. The stress of the holidays had gotten to me. I needed that break away from the gym to reset and let my body rest for a few days.
Since then, I’ve done well in my workouts, and even PR’d my power clean and push jerk. I’ve also been switching up my routine a little bit. Instead of going to Crossfit 4 days a week, I’ve only been going 3 days a week. Twice a week, I strength train on my own. I’m following StrongLifts, although I don’t follow the program exactly as it’s written. The program is designed for 3 workouts per week, but since I’m still Crossfitting, I cut StrongLifts down to twice a week. I also make adjustments based on what lifts we do in the strength portion of Crossfit. For example, if the strength portion of my Crossfit class on Monday is strict presses, but I’m also supposed to do strict presses on Tuesday, I’ll skip that movement on Tuesday.
My schedule looks something like this:
- Monday – Crossfit
- Tuesday – Strength training
- Wednesday – Rest
- Thursday – Crossfit
- Friday – Crossfit
- Saturday – Strength training and some cardio if I’m up for it
- Sunday – Rest
Seeing this written out, it seems like a lot, but I think I’m handling it pretty well. I started my Renaissance Periodization template again on January 2, and eating right is definitely helping with my recovery. I also started StrongLifts with light weight like they recommend, so I’m not lifting close to my maxes 5 days a week. Once the weights get heavier, I might have to change my schedule around again. For right now, though, it’s working just fine.
Also, my gym is starting another nutrition challenge on Saturday. They recommended RP, and I’m excited since I had already been following my template again for a couple of weeks now. I hope that this challenge gives me an extra push to see it through to the end this time. I’ll try to post some updates along the way, and maybe share some progress photos if I’m brave enough. I’m also going to start writing my weekly recaps again, if for no other reason than I think it’s fun to write about my workouts.
