CrossFit Republic

One of the reasons we haven't watered this thing down over the years is because life won't.

Life is going to hand us failure.

It's going to expose weak plans.

It's going to show us where your preparation falls short.

It's going to remind us that we still have things to learn.

And sometimes, despite our best effort, we're going to come up short.

Those lessons carry much greater consequences outside the gym than they do inside of it.

That's one of the reasons we hold the standards that we do.

Yes, CrossFit is challenging.

The movements aren't always easy to learn.

Some days definitely don't go according to plan.

We miss lifts, blow up in workouts, underestimate the pace, and quickly discover weaknesses.

We realize there's another level of understanding to pursue.

None of those things are failures!

They're feedback mechanisms!

The workout simply reveals what is already there.

They reward preparation and expose poor planning.

It reminds us all that fundamentals matter.

It teaches us that trying to keep up with someone else before understanding yourself usually ends poorly.

It reinforces that advanced results are built on basic habits repeated consistently.

Most importantly, it teaches us how to recover, adjust, and come back.

How to keep moving forward after things didn't go the way you hoped.

Those lessons matter far more outside these walls than they do inside them.

Because the consequences of poor preparation, lack of resilience, and an inability to recover from setbacks become much more serious when you're talking about marriage, parenting, careers, finances, and health.

The workout is challenging but LIFE is demanding.

Fortunately, many of the qualities required to navigate one transfer remarkably well to the other.

That's what we're preparing for and the workout of the day is just practice.

Picture: Zach, Owner of CFR, and good friend Jordan securing last place in the bike event and last place overall at the 10th Annual Lift Up a Child Fitness Challenge.

Ever wonder why some days you feel like you have another gear and other days you feel like you're driving with the parking brake on?

A lot of it comes down to energy.

Your body has three primary energy systems:

▶ Phosphagen System (0-10 seconds)

Used for max effort lifts, jumps, and short sprints. This system relies primarily on ATP and creatine phosphate already stored in the muscles.

▶ Glycolytic System (10 seconds to about 2 minutes)

Think about a 500m row, or hard intervals. This system relies heavily on glycogen, which is stored carbohydrate in the muscles and liver.

▶ Oxidative System (2+ minutes)

Longer workouts, endurance efforts, and recovery periods. This system can utilize both carbohydrates and fat, but as intensity increases, carbohydrates become increasingly important.

Notice something?

Carbohydrates play a role in all three systems and become the preferred fuel source whenever intensity goes up.

This is why showing up to class or your workouts under-fueled often leads to:

• Feeling flat
• Struggling to maintain intensity
• Longer recovery times
• Workouts feeling harder than they should

Glycogen is simply stored carbohydrate. Think of it as your body's fuel reserve. When glycogen stores are full, you generally have more energy available for training. When they're depleted, things start to feel harder than they should.

So what should you eat before training?

For most people, 30-90 minutes before class, consider:

• Oatmeal
• Rice
• Toast
• Bagels
• Pretzels
• Rice cakes
• Granola bars

Pairing those carbohydrates with some protein can help as well.

Fruit can absolutely be part of the picture, but don't be afraid of rice, potatoes, oats, cereal, or bread. High-intensity exercise runs best on carbohydrates, and many athletes perform better with starchier carbohydrate sources because they're easier to digest and replenish muscle glycogen efficiently.

Food isn't just calories, it's fuel

Fuel allows us to train harder, recover better, and produce the output necessary to drive adaptation.

And over time, better training and better recovery are what ultimately lead to improvements in body composition.