Kelly Starrett’s Guide to Recovering from Crossfit Open Workout 18.2
You made it through Crossfit open workout 18.1 and are now ready to take on 18.2. Before you do, make sure to read these tips from Kelly Starrett so you can learn some strategies that will enable you to train and thrive under sustained stress.
Crossfit Open Workout 18.2: Lifestyle/Environmental Goals
- Don’t take a day off right before a competition, keep the engine idling. If you need a day off, take it two days before the competition and avoid being sedentary.
Kelly recommends getting your heart rate up and practicing technique the day before a competition. Try doing something aerobic to keep your body moving. If your body needs a day off, by all means do so, but just make sure it’s not the day right before a competition. Also, on your day off don’t be sedentary. Many athletes think that taking it easy and resting means you should just lay on the couch all day. However, athletes should really stay active even if it’s light to keep the engine idling. If you’re in shape, Kelly assures that using a barbell to snatch 20-30 times or work on your clean isn’t going to diminish your capacities.
- Post 18.2: The day after a competition should be dedicated for active recovery
A rest day after an exhausting competition sounds like a great idea, but Kelly recommends light exercise the following day to encourage the removal of waste from the body and restoration of the nervous system. After a big physical and psychological effort, it’s important to engage in active recovery. You can dial down the intensity for this, but don’t be afraid to train if you’re sore. The goal for this is to be able to train hard two days after the competition. If needed, take off the third day post competition.
Recovery and Adaptation Goals
1. Cool down
Allocate at least 10 minutes to cooling down after the competition. This is a high intensity open workout so make sure to engage in a longer cool down.
2. Flush quads with Voodoo BFR
If you have a chance at the gym, do a quad flush with some Voodoo bands. On each quad, wrap a third of your leg, wrapping up high right into the groin. Create a 8 out of 10 discomfort level with the band. Next perform the following routine. The reps can include air squats, step ups, rows, etc.
- 30 reps/30 seconds rest
- 15 reps/ 30 seconds rest
- 15 reps/30 seconds rest
- 15 reps/30 seconds rest
The idea behind this routine is to wrap both legs and then exhaust the substrates. This will help force blood flow to come back in to the area and make the vasculature and local tissues work really hard. You will feel a high blood flow kick from this.
3. Go for a walk before going to bed
This will help keep things moving a little bit more.
4. Quad smash/roll & adductor smash/roll
Pre-sleep is the perfect time to do some classic quad and adductor smashing. Do a little bit of soft tissue work focusing on the quads and adductors for 10 minutes before going to bed. This will make a big difference the next day.
5. Marc Pro: Quad set up
After crossift open workout 18.2, use the Marc Pro quad protocol. Place one pad on the VMO and one up high on the thigh. Make sure you’re getting a good, solid quad contraction. One hour is the goal, but Kelly recommends seeing if you can get in 2 hours or overnight. Marc Pro can be used for as long as needed to continue to flush, normalize, and keep tissues from adhering to one another.
6. Quad pump on bike
The day after the competition, spin on the bike for 20 minutes. Add in some heavy 10 second intervals if possible. This will help tissues get moving and slide and glide as they should.
The sooner you can restore tissue function, the sooner you can get back to working hard again. Follow some of these guidelines from Kelly Starrett so you can be ready to train two days after.