Forward

In the current CrossFit™ market, much of the coaching discussion revolves around program design,
motivation, or nutrition. I personally believe this happens because it's easier to reduce success and high
level performance down to something tangible and easy to change. However, I feel the truth is more
complicated than that. If you want to be great at a sport, you must understand how to integrate ALL of the
details into your approach.
Specifically for the sport of CrossFit™, some of the things you'll need to work on as an athlete are:
● Following an effective program either written by yourself or a coach who you trust for an extended
period of years
● Adhering to a nutritional strategy that keeps you balanced, hormonally healthy, at an appropriate
body composition, and optimally fueled for your training
● Understanding your motivations at a deep level so you can focus your time and energy on the
difficult tasks that must be done to improve
● Constantly seeking to improve your movement quality and ability to move with endurance, power,
speed, fluidity, reactively, and while under high levels of fatigue
● Be adaptable to make changes to the plan as you accumulate more experience

Competing in a sport is a skill. Over the past few years at Training Think Tank, we’ve realized that
many athletes are willing to pay attention the above variables, but neglect competing. In order to
translate gym performance to game day, people need to work on their ability to execute under pressure.
In a sport like CrossFit™, the workouts are unknown, the judging/movement standards can be chaotic or
altered on the fly, and the number of workouts over a period of a day can vary. That means the
importance of being on top of the controllable variables is even higher than some other more predictable
sports. Because of this need we've perceived in the market, Kyle Ruth has developed our first ever
competition guide.
This guide is the culmination of 9 years of observing, competing in, and coaching the sport. We are
aiming to create systems for ensuring that people are warmed up effectively, have optimal strategies for
competition, and review their workout execution so they can learn from their losses. The guides' primary
objective is to improve people's ability in the CrossFit Open, but the principles can be applied to in person
multi-event/multi-day competitions as well. We feel this will provide tremendous value to people trying to
prolong their athletic careers, optimize their performance, and help teach others how to effectively
compete in a sport that varies tremendously from event to event.
Whether you are an athlete looking to perform better or a coach looking to help improve the experience
of your box's members, we feel this can help you improve your competition abilities. I'm grateful for the
work and experience that was poured into this from Kyle and we are excited to share it with the world.
We hope you enjoy.
“In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans
are useless, but planning is indispensable”
-Dwight D. Eisenhower

SECTION 1
Pre-event planning & Event Review
Developing a pre-event plan is absolutely critical to maximizing your chances of success in any event you
take seriously. The planning phase is your opportunity to bolster confidence, develop peak performance
strategies, and take out some of the guesswork that goes into competing in a complex sport like CrossFit.
The coaches at TTT have always taken a detail oriented approach to maximizing our athletes’
performance, and pre-event planning is a big piece of this puzzle. We have included an event “planner”
that walks you through the steps necessary for optimizing your game-day experience. We know that
writing something down commits it to memory - take the time to think this through and fill these out for
each event. The planner is divided into 4 sections:

1. Confidence & Perspective​ - (the top section in light grey)

a. Big Picture ​- how is this event a “stepping stone” toward the bigger goal?
b. Build Confidence​ - use this section to list out the preparation you have done for this
event, or affirmations to remind yourself that you deserve this
c. Focus for the day​ - this is meant to help you keep the event in perspective

2. Event Planning & Strategy​ ​- (the left-side columns under “Event Details”)
a. Event Details​ - write out the specifics of the event (rep schemes, time domain, weights &
weight changes, etc)
b. Event Plan / Strategy​ - plan out your strategy for the event in as much detail as possible
- visualize the event as you develop your plan

3. Fueling, Warm-up, and Recovery​ - (the right-side columns under Prep & Recovery)
a. Pre & Post workout Fuel ​- proper nutrition is a huge component of optimizing
performance, have a plan to ensure you are fueled for the event and any subsequent
repeats or training
b. Warm-up & Cool-down Plan​ - as we will lay out later in this manual warming-up and
cooling-down can make a huge difference over the course of a 5-week long competition
like the Open -- plan these out with the same level of detail as your events. This will
minimize “monkey-mind” on game-day and let you focus on your performance plan.
c. Passive Recovery Plan ​- what are you going to do on your day off or in-between events
to maximize recovery?
4. Event Review -​ (the second page)
a. Objective review - ​use this section to create a detailed analysis of your performance
including splits times by round (indicator of pacing), breaks on movements, and rest or
transition time between movements
b. Subjective review - ​this section is a physical review of the event - how did your body
react to the different combinations of movements? Where did you fatigue? Were there
specific physical limiters?
c. Mental and Emotional review - ​athletic performance is as much about mental
preparation as it is physical preparation. Learning to improve the way you think and
harnessing your emotions is paramount to improving as an athlete. Use this section to
reflect on the emotions and thoughts you experienced before, during, and after an event,
so that you can grow from the experience. Remember: that which we can measure, we
can improve!
 Example Event Planning: Open 17.1
Event Open 17.1 (EXAMPLE) The Big Picture Ticket to Regionals

Build Confidence Focus for the day

1. ​I’ve spent a ton of time on cycling DB snatches 1. ​Stick to my game plan

2. ​I’ve improved my BBJO technique from last year 2. ​Focus on MY race, stay in MY lane

3. ​Ready to test myself in the first workout of the Open! 3. ​No excuses - leave it all out there

Event Details Prep and Recovery Plan

10-20-30-40-50 Alternating DB Snatches @ 35# Pre-workout Fuel

15-15-15-15-15 BBJO @ 20” 90min pre-workout: 1 banana + ½ scoop protein

*standards notes* During Warm-up: 15g carb + 10g BCAA...sip on it

both DB heads must touch ground Warm-up Plan

must have tape line through middle of box **Setup camera before I warm-up**

show my lockout at the top 10min row + movement to loosen-up

Event Plan / Strategy 10min to get comfortable with standards DB / BBJO

3-2-1 GO!.... 2-3x (15cals Row + 10 DB Snatch + 5 BBJO)

Breaking plan for DB: Cool-down Plan

-Unbroken for rounds: 10/20/30 Straight to the AB afterward, 15-20min, full flush

-Break set of 40 into 25/15 (y​ ou’re ½ way after 15!)​ Focus on posture & breathing during the AB

-Break set of 50 into 25/15/10 (go for 25/25 if I can) 15-20min light foam rolling: ham / glute / quad focus

Cues for BBJO: Post Workout Fuel

-keep feet wide to meet standard Immediately After: shake w/ 60g carb + 20g protein

-focus on “easy speed” in early sets 60min After: meal w/ 60g carb + 20g protein

-stay ENGAGED in the workout through the middle Passive Recovery Modalities

-breathe during the step & on the top of box Contrast shower 3x (3min hot / 1min cold)

-HAVE FUN! Schedule massage for Saturday!

 Example Event Review: Open 17.1
Objective Review

(Splits by movement or round. Movement breaks. Rest time / weight changes.)

Round-1 - 1:22 DBS = 20 sec (2 sec/rep) 4 sec transition time

BBJO = 58 sec (3.8 sec/rep)

Round-2 - 3:08 (1:46) DBS = 38 sec (2 sec/rep) 6 sec transition time

BBJO = 55 sec (3.6 sec/rep)

Round-3 - 5:21 (2:13) DBS = 70 sec (2.3 sec/rep) 6 sec transition time
BBJO = 55 sec (3.6 sec/rep)

Round-4 - 8:24 (3:03) DBS = 110 sec (2.75 sec/rep, 1 break) 8 sec transition time
BBJO = 70 sec(4.6 sec/rep)

Round-5 - 11:52 (3:28) DBS = 140 sec (2.8 sec/rep, 2 breaks) 8 sec transition time
BBJO = 58 sec (3.8 sec/rep)

Total time: 11:52 Total Transition: 32

sec

Subjective Review

(How did the movements feel? How did your body feel? Were there physical limiters?)

Breathing felt good until the round of 40 DBS BBJO -- need to pop up off the ground faster

DBS got my lower-back fired up ~25 of rd-40 These spiked HR every time

No local fatigue other than lower back Combo of bending for DB + BBJO got my back

On a repeat can go 25 / 25 on rd-50 On repeat, need to warm-up HINGE more

Transition from DB to BBJO needs to be faster

Mental & Emotional Review

(What was your mindstate going into the event? During the event? After the event?)

Overall this event was a win for me -- stuck to my game plan, happy with my performance

Before the event I was confident that I could follow my break structure for DB’s

A little nervous before the start, but that was to be expected….week-1 of the Open!

Middle of the event (around 25 DBS into round of 40) I lost focus, had to remind myself to STAY
HERE

For future workout, need to work on controlling my focus when I’m fatiguing
 Event Planning Template
Event The Big Picture

Build Confidence Focus for the day

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

Event Details Prep and Recovery Plan

Pre-workout Fuel

Warm-up Plan

Event Plan / Strategy

Cool-down Plan

Post Workout Fuel

Event Review

Passive Recovery Modalities

Event Review Template
Objective Review

(Splits by movement or round. Movement breaks. Rest time / weight changes.)

Subjective Review

(How did the movements feel? How did your body feel? Were there physical limiters?)

Mental & Emotional Review

(What was your mindstate going into the event? During the event?
Pre-event planning hacks
1. Visualization​ ​- Visualization is one of the secret weapons used by elite athletes in nearly all
sports. However, it has a unique application in the sport of CrossFit. Since the details of an event
are rarely known until shortly before the start, having the ability to mentally rehearse the event in
your head can give you an edge.

Using mental imagery to enhance physical performance is not a new concept. Sport
Psychologists have been researching and implementing visualization techniques for over 60
years. The idea is simple, get yourself into a relaxed state and watch yourself perform your event.
There is debate about the effectiveness of first person (watching through your own eyes) versus
third person (watching yourself on TV) visualization however there is no debate that mental
rehearsal of movements and events will lead to better performance.

Taking advantage of the benefits of visualization definitely requires some practice. Most popular
types of visualization require you to go through a relaxation process prior to engaging in mental
rehearsal, this can help clear your mind of unwanted distractions. Once you’re physically relaxed
your goal is to recreate the sensations (visual, auditory, tactile) of your competition environment
as closely as possible while performing an event according to your plan. As a way to practice,
start by doing a relaxed mental “walk-through” of your workout for the upcoming day. This will
give you an opportunity to practice visualizing movements and combinations of movements that
you haven’t experienced before and will carry over to game-time visualization.

2. Pre-event “walk-through”​ ​ - Piggybacking off of visualization, ​another technique used

by elite athletes to maximize performance is to do a “walk-through” of an event prior to their
full-effort attempt. In some cases this may mean doing a portion of the event at lower intensities,
or doing a full-version of the event with no load (or an empty barbell). Performing a pre-event
walk-through can offer you a number of benefits including:

● stimulate an immediate learning effect

● find “sticking” points in a workout
● refine strategies
● practice variations of movements
● perfect new movement standards

You should work with your coach to determine if doing a pre-event walk-through the day before
your first attempt make sense for you based on your training background.

3. Discuss with coach​ - ​the most obvious pre-event planning hack is to discuss your plan of
attack with your coach! There are so many instances where athletes could have spared
themselves an Open-workout repeat if they would communicate their plan with their coach.
Getting an outside perspective can be invaluable in a sport where qualifying for the next level
literally comes down to single repetitions in 400+ rep events. If you use the pre-competition
planner we provided in this manual, you should have no issues communicating an effective plan
with your coach.
 “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will
spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
-Abraham Lincoln 

SECTION 2
Game-day warm-ups
As an athlete, your goal is to turn in your best performance every time you step onto the competition floor.
One of the most potent tools you have to help you optimize your performance is an effective warm-up.
The warm-up is a bridge that helps you to harness the interaction between mind and body and get them
both pulling in the same direction.

An effective warm-up can provide a number of potential benefits to peak performance. With a properly
designed warm-up you can expect to see improvements in the following physiological systems:

1. Cardiovascular & Respiratory system

a. dilate blood vessels to redirect blood flow to working muscles (improves delivery of O2)
b. increase cardiac output (improves delivery of O2)
2. Nervous system
a. increase neural drive (stronger signal to muscles)
b. reduce muscular inhibition (potentially increases strength)
3. Energy-systems (anaerobic & aerobic systems)
a. activate aerobic and anaerobic enzymes (improves power-output)
b. increase utilization of O2 (improves endurance)
c. kickstart lactate shuttle (transports lactate from working muscles to non-working)
4. Prepare skeletal muscle system
a. increase elasticity and extensibility (improves ROM & contractile force)
b. increase muscle temperature (improves utilization of energy)
c. redistribute synovial fluid in joint capsules (reduces wear-and-tear)

Constructing an effective warm-up is not overly complex, assuming you understand some basic
principles. When creating a warm-up for a competitive event you should follow these guidelines

1. Prepare for the metabolic demands of the event ​ - ​this is often determined by the time domain
of the workout, in general, the shorter and faster the event the more energy-system warm-up
you’ll need.
2. Prepare for the specific movements in the event​ - if the event has squats, make sure you
prepare yourself to squat. If the event has pull-ups, make sure you prepare your joints for
pull-ups.
3. Optimize your muscle-tension for the event​ - heavy elements require more stiffness and
tension than lighter movements or body-weight elements. If an event has something heavy make
sure you tune-up your muscle-tension for heavy loads. (more on this later)
Warm-up construction
Metabolic Prep​ - ​This is typically thought of as “general prep” by many athletes. The goal is to get
your central systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, and CNS) active and primed for work. When designing
your warm-up, you first need to identify what type of metabolic demands the event will have. You can
gain insight by looking at the time domain of the workout; in general shorter time domain events (3-7min)
are more demanding on the peripheral energy-systems and longer time-domain workouts (15-25min)
require a lot of oxygen delivery to the working tissues. You can use this information to determine the type
and duration of metabolic prep work that you do during your general prep.

Metabolic Prep guidelines:

● choose cyclical / low impact movements first (i.e. assault bike, rowing, ski-erg etc)
● for mixed-modal events, switch between different movements / ergs if possible
● the shorter the event the longer you should spend on your metabolic prep
● longer time-domain events need to stimulate blood flow with short, non-fatiguing “bursts”
interspersed between periods of easier movement
● progress from low-intensity to high-intensity with the goal of finishing your warm-up
FEELING how you will feel in the middle of the event

Movement Prep​ ​- Your movement prep should reflect the elements in the event. During the
movement prep phase of your warm-up you want to prepare your joints, muscles, and nervous system.
The first step is to identify the major movement patterns in the event, for example: squatting and pulling
(in something like Open 17.3), and then prepare the joints and positions for the workout.

Movement Prep Guidelines

● prepare for the specific movements in the event
● warm-up as much as you need, not more and not less
● stiffness can be a good or a bad thing
● pay attention to your breathing

​ ension can be your best friend or your worst enemy in a competitive event.
Optimize Tension - T
Tension is what helps keep you from getting crushed under a 300# clean, but also prevents you from
effectively delivery oxygen to working muscles when you’re in the middle of a DB front rack walking lunge.
One of the keys to success in a varied sport like CrossFit is being able to regulate tension based on the
task in front of you. There are a number of ways to adjust muscular tension including breathing drills and
long-easy cyclical training, but we’re going to focus on using short sprints or explosive movements to
ramp up tension or targeted movement work to tone it down.

Optimize Tension, Guidelines

● Increasing tension ​(increases stiffness & stability)
○ short (5-7sec) cyclical sprints with full recovery can increase tension
○ explosive exercises: 2-3x clean pulls / snatch pulls / drop cleans
○ plyometric exercises: 4-5x depth jumps / medball scoop throws
○ sled exercises: 25-50ft moderate load pushes / drags
● Decreasing tension​ (improves blood flow & O2 delivery)
○ light foam-rolling / roller stick - 10-15x passes over tense muscle
○ dynamic stretching / range of motion work: 5x deck squats / cossack squats
○ unloaded positional work: 30sec elevated cat stretch
Example warm-ups
17.1 example warm-up

Event Details Metabolic & Movement Demand

For time: - Hip: hip hinge (150 DB snatches !)

10 dumbbell snatches @ 35#
15 burpee box jump-overs @ 20”
20 dumbbell snatches @ 35#
15 burpee box jump-overs @ 20”
30 dumbbell snatches @ 35#
15 burpee box jump-overs @ 20”
40 dumbbell snatches @ 35#
15 burpee box jump-overs @ 20”
50 dumbbell snatches @ 35#
15 burpee box jump-overs @ 20”
- Shoulder: Overhead stability
- Thoracic rotation: take stress off lower
back & improve overhead
-10-15min time domain = big aerobic
demand, going to have to dig deep at the
end of this workout -- make sure I touch
some higher intensities before I start

Warm-up Plan

5min Row @ easy aerobic effort

+
5 Rounds
1min Row @ progressively increasing intensity each round
1min Dynamic Movement (tall kneeling banded hip extensions / banded pull-throughs + ankle
extension @ top / inch-worms / face-down pvc pass-throughs / yoga push-ups)
+
5min EMOM 6-8 DB Snatches progressing weight up to 35# & dialing in feel of hand switch
5min EMOM 4-5 BBJO progressing height and dialing feel for movement
+
2-3 Rounds (based on feel, use this part to get sweaty & get HR prepped for the workout)
15cals Row (5cals easy / 5 cals mod / 5cals fast)
10-12 Alt DB Snatch @ 35#
5-7 BBJO @ 20”
Rest as needed b/t sets
+
Ride AB for 3-5min @ easy recovery pace
Rest until you feel ready
17.3 example warm-up

Event Details Metabolic & Movement Demand

Prior to 8:00, complete: -shoulder: pulling / overhead stability

3 rounds of: -hip: squatting / extension
6 chest-to-bar pull-ups
6 squat snatches, 95 lb.
-trunk: dynamic flexion + extension /
Then, 3 rounds of: stability
7 chest-to-bar pull-ups
5 squat snatches, 135 lb. -20min+ time domain, workout will
*Prior to 12:00, complete 3 rounds of: progressively get harder, breathing will
8 chest-to-bar pull-ups
4 squat snatches, 185 lb.
peak in the 185 round
*Prior to 16:00, complete 3 rounds of:
9 chest-to-bar pull-ups
3 squat snatches, 225 lb.
*Prior to 20:00, complete 3 rounds of:
10 chest-to-bar pull-ups
2 squat snatches, 245 lb.
Prior to 24:00, complete 3 rounds of:
11 chest-to-bar pull-ups
1 squat snatch 265 lb.

Warm-up Plan

15min aerobic prep on ergs or mixing ergs w/ crawling / locomotion...get HR and breathing up but not
fatiguing
+
DYNAMIC mobility / movement to prep JOINTS for the workout - get everything open so you can hit
great positions even when you're "tight" from the fatigue of the workout
+
warm-up to the barbell BEFORE the one you expect to end on (so if you expect to end on 245 then
warm-up to 225...etc etc)
+
Prep CTB (swings / kips / PU's / CTB clusters...whatever you typically do to get your shoulders feeling
good and find your rhythm)
+
2min AB ramping effort to get HR / breathing up then move at a methodical pace through:
6-7 Snatch Singles @ 95#
3.3 CTB
3-4 Snatch singles @ 135#
3.3 CTB
1-2 Snatch singles @ 185#
+
Ride AB for 3-5min @ easy recovery pace
Rest until you feel ready
17.4 example warm-up

Event Details Metabolic & Movement Demand

Complete as many rounds and reps as -hip: squat / hinge

possible in 13 minutes of:
55 deadlifts, 225 lb. / 155 lb.
55 wall-ball shots, 20/14 to 10/9’ target
55-calorie row
55 handstand push-ups
 
-trunk: stability (high rep DL!)
-shoulder: overhead position (open
shoulders flexion for HSPU!)
Mid-range time-domain, make sure I’m
prepared for rowing under fatigue and
have breathing up BEFORE I start the
workout

Warm-up Plan

Rowing prep - 10min @ progressive warm-up pace

+
DROM - open shoulders (particularly shoulder FLEXION) and open hips (particularly
hip EXTENSION AND FLEXION) ~10min
Trunk Stiffness - 2-3 sets:
-banded hinge-position lat-pull-down (focus on trunk tension)
-Bird-dog w/ maximal trunk stiffness
-quadruped frog rocks w/ maximal trunk stiffness
+
Get comfortable w/ the new HSPU standard ~5-10min
Build up to 225/155 DL progressively ~5min
+
Hit 1-2 intervals of:
10-15 DL
10-15 WB
10-15 Row
10-15 HSPU
*adjust these ranges up or down depending on your capacity*
Rest as needed b/t the rounds
+
Rest until you're READY
Warm-up hacks
1. Breathing Warm-up - ​many of the best athletes in the sport are actually limited by the
endurance of their respiratory muscles. If this is one of your primary limiters you should be
working on it all year long, however there are some things you can do on game-day to warm-up
the respiratory system. An effective breathing warm-up will get some blood flow and activation to
your primary breathing muscle: the diaphragm as well as mobilize the structures and tissues
around the lungs to allow them some additional freedom of movement. Also keep in mind that
breathing is movement specific so we need to get into the positions demanded by the event
during our warm-up.
Example Breathing Warm-up Protocol for 17.5
...BEFORE general warm-up + movement prep…
A. Quadruped Position - 10 deep diaphragm breaths through
nose and out mouth -- make sure you get all your air out with
each breath
B. Bar-hanging Breathing - 10 deep breaths focusing on
expanding diaphragm + low ribs only on inhale -- make sure
you get all your air out with each breath
C. Empty BB Thruster - 10 slow & controlled reps --
coordinate inhale down & exhale up -- focus on full breaths
working to exchange as much air as possible with each
breath

Resource for more info on breathing:

https://spark.adobe.com/page/1mvhReIuTyhfc/
 “It's the little details that are vital. Little things make
big things happen.”
-John Wooden 

SECTION 3
Recovering between events
The Open is a war of attrition. Week by week it beats everyone down, and you can see that on the
leaderboard: more and more athletes drop out each week through until at the end of the five-weeks a
fraction of the competitors finish. Only those athletes who are incredibly resilient or take their recovery
seriously will weather the storm and make it through to the end. This section of the manual will focus on
strategies you have for optimizing your recovery to not just “survive” but thrive during the Open.

As soon as you finish an event the process of rebuilding yourself begins. In order to return to your
baseline state of recovery you have three major targets that need to be addressed:

1. Replenish your fuel sources​ - primarily through consuming carbohydrates

2. Repair damaged tissues and joint surfaces​ - a combination of movement and
nutritional factors
3. Restore a state of balance to your hormone system​ - accomplished by resting and
managing your stress, worry, and anxiety between competition events

There are things that you need to do in the short-term and long-term in order to optimize the recovery of
each of these systems. The types of nutrition and recovery modalities used need to match those recovery
windows. Too keep this concept simple, you should address at your immediate recovery needs
(breathing, hydration, fuel) first and your long-term recovery needs second.

1. Short-term recovery needs

a. Clear “waste” products (lactate / H+)
i. Low-impact Cyclical cool-down - 10-30min @ easy recovery pace
ii. Begin as soon as possible after completing your event
b. Restore optimal breathing mechanics
i. Relaxation breathing - 5-10min
1. Inhale through nose, breathe deep into diaphragm, expanding belly
2. Exhale through mouth, long and slow, hold the exhale and relax
c. Rehydrate and refuel carbohydrate stores
i. Male athletes up to 100g+ // Female Athletes up to 75g+
ii. Post workout, liquid = best, get in ASAP after workout
d. Relax nervous system to optimize recovery
i. Light soft tissue / foam rolling work on major muscle-groups
1. calves / quads / glutes / mid back / lats / pecs
2. keep the overall pressure very light (3-4/10 pressure)

2. Long-term recovery needs

a. Continue to replace nutrients
i. Balanced nutrition (C/P/F)
1. Nutrition should mirror typical training diet
2. Fats become bigger factor here (slow digestion + anti-inflammatory)
3. Anti-inflammatory nutrients (omega-3 / curcumin / bromelain / boswellia)
b. Guided Relaxation / Breathing
i. Profound effect on hormonal profile + relaxation of NS
1. Mindfulness Meditation
2. Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR)
3. Cold Therapy / Contrast therapy
c. Mobility
i. Restore full ROM & prepare body for next event / repeat of event
1. Long-term recovery mobility guidelines (similar to Short-term)
a. address ‘problem’ areas first
b. modalities - combination of dynamic ROM + movement / flow /
locomotion
d. Emotional Management
i. Resolve ‘worry’ with objective planning & analysis of performance
1. create a BETTER plan
2. don’t leaderboard
Example recovery plans
Post Session Recovery Plan
Immediately after finishing the event...
1. Lie on the ground and consciously try to restore a normal breathing cadence
2. As soon as possible get up and get on an AB, start riding at an easy pace
3. Continue riding the AB and gradually increasing pace by comfort as your body returns to baseline
~10-30min
4. While riding the AB begin consuming your post-event carbs + water (protein optional)
5. Once you feel you have returned to your baseline begin some light foam-rolling focusing on deep
relaxing inhales and exhales (remember the goal is to tone-down the nervous system not beat
down our tissues!)

PM Session Recovery Plan (after AM Open attempt)

2-3hrs after finishing the event…
1. Eat a balanced meal to continue to replenish fuel stores used
2. Perform a 20-30min session of Progressive Muscular Relaxation to further relax your nervous
system and kickstart the repair process
3. Choose a low-impact recovery modality for 30-60min (light blood-flow massage / Normatec /
Compex or MarcPro)

Next-day Recovery Plan (after prior day Open attempt)

24hrs after finishing the event….
1. Continue to eat balanced meals, ensuring that you’re providing additional energy to fuel the repair
process
2. Perform a light dynamic mobility or movement session to stimulate blood and lymphatic flow.
Avoid static stretching or holding positions here, our goal is to move into and out of positions to
stimulate recovery not change tissue lengths.
Example Next-day Upper-body Movement Session
Shoulder Series
A. Foam Roll: Lats / Pecs / Upper-back - 2min each (faster /
lighter rolling to stimulate blood flow)
B1. Back To Wall Shoulder Flexion - 2 x 5-6; rest as needed
B2. Yoga Push-up w/ exaggerated Shoulder Flexion - 2 x
5-6; rest as needed
B3. PVC Pass-through w/ progressively more narrow grip - 2
x 3-4; rest as needed
B4. Bar-hanging Scap Circles - 2 x 3-4 ea direction; rest as
needed

3. Get some sun exposure, hang out with friends, do something fun outside the gym. Social
interaction + sun exposure can go a long way toward restoring hormone balance in the middle of
a stressful competition like the Open.
4. Create your objective plan for improving the workout if you plan on repeating it, or set time aside
to analyze your performance and learn from any mistakes you made.
Recovery hacks
Relaxation breathing
Relaxation Breathing
The most well known breathing techniques are what I collectively refer to as “relaxation
breathing”. In other words, breathing that induces a sense of calm on the nervous system.
Relaxation breathing techniques are commonly employed in Yoga and various forms of
breath-based meditation, so many people are familiar with the impact that focused breathing
can have on arousal.

Relaxation breathing is a tool I have played with for my entire coaching career. I implemented a
consistent relaxation breathing routine with the first high-school / club swim team I coached after
reading an article about using Progressive Muscular Relaxation post-training to improve
recovery. After the first session, many of the athletes related to me that they “felt great” and
“had the best sleep of their life” later that night, despite the fact that I had put them through a
punishing acid bath of a training session. I realized then that teaching athletes to relax and
holding them accountable by running guided relaxation sessions after training was crucial to
improving their ability to recovery from higher volumes of hard training. The added benefit of
consistent relaxation breathing practice was that during their championship meet that season,
when nerves were running high, all of the athletes had a great strategy for self-regulating their
competitive anxiety so they could be in the right zone for their optimal performance. That team
went on to take the runner-up title that season, tying the school's best finish in history. I attribute
much of what we were able to accomplish that year to the effective management of their
recovery habits.

I consider relaxation breathing to be any type of breath training meant to stimulate the
parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, also known as the “rest & digest”
system. This is typically accomplished by implementing various cadences of breathing,
however there are three factors that enhance the parasympathetic response to breathing (1)
stretching of the diaphragm by deep breathing, (2) exhalation duration longer than inhalation, (3)
inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

Example Relaxation Breathing Session

1. set a timer for 10 minutes
2. inhale and exhale fully and deeply through your nose
3. ensuring that you are taking “belly breaths”
4. try to follow a 3 in / 1 hold / 6 out / 2 hold cadence

Resource for Guided Relaxation Sessions:

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~healthed/relax/downloads.html
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