Our highest answer in the question we asked in our story the other day "what slows you down most in workouts?" was breathing. While it makes sense that the faster speeds require more oxygen, there are a couple components to this that might also factor in. What do your positions look like, and can you tolerate CO2?
First let's assume that you have a great positions, and can tolerate Co2. If this is you congratulate yourself, you are super fit, and have a limitation that most desire. In order for you to improve you have to develop your diaphragm strength and endurance at this point in time. Your key training sessions are going to be intense, and the other ones will more than likely have higher intensity levels than your average CrossFitter or someone who is experiencing a perceived HR/aerobic limitation.
4-5 Sets
AB 10/8 Cals @100%
Rest 15 Seconds
10 BBJO 24'
Rest 15 Seconds
10 Thrusters 115/85lbs
Rest 90 seconds between sets
Rest 5 min
4 min AMRAP
AB 30/20 Cals Buy In
In Remaining time
AMRAP
9 Power Snatches 75/55lbs
6 BFB
3 lateral box jump overs 24/20
Rest 1 min btwn intervals
x5
Rest 5 min
20 Seconds HARD on 40 seconds easy off x6-10
Cal Ski Erg
This is a sample of what your key day might look like. Our goal for this day is to fatigue the diaphragm with the harder effort sprint esc work in the beginning, Then get you to work hard under a sports specific format. With the last part working on getting some more volume under heavy breathing mechanics with an easier ski teaching our body how to recover a little bit better during our rest periods. Think of this as teaching your body to recover between sets of work in a CF workout.
Another thing we will need to focus on is the endurance of the diaphragm. We can do this with things like fartleks. This is a form of running exercise that we can carry over to CF, to create endurance while getting touches at game pace. This concept looks like the below workout
on a 45 min Running clock @ Cont Effort
10-20-30-40-50-40-30-20
Cal Ski Erg
Cal Bike
Cal Row
*When you feel good perform one of the Sets below
Set 1:
5-4-3-2-1
Power snatches 115/85
BFB
Set 2:
2 Rounds
24 Wallballs
12 Alternating DBS 50/35lbs
Set 3
15-12-9
Single Arm DB Thrusters 50/35
Box Jump overs 24/20
Our next breathing limitation we will need to look at is a positional breathing limitation. This is the ability to breathe in positions our sport demands. You might be experiencing high respiration rates because you are holding your breath during a movement. Your key day would be a mixed mobility day. We would use the machines to loosen you up in order to create better ranges of motion for our mobility piece. Let's take a look at what opening up someone's hips and ankles would look like
3 Sets
AB 30 Cals Increase Pace every 10 cals starting @ 200 and finishing at 300 Watts
Into
2-3 Round
30 second Foam roll each calf
30 second Banded Elevated Ankle Dorsiflexion stretch each side
5 Rear Foot Elevated Knee forwards split squats each leg flat foot
Rest 1 min btwn sets
+
3 Sets
Row 500M Increase pace every 100M Starting @ 2:15 and Finishing at 1:55
Into
2-3 Rounds
30 second Foam Roll Easy Quad
10 90/90 Hip swivels each Side
10 Alternating Goblet Cossack Squats with Full inhale Exhale through the nose in the bottom of the squat
Rest 1 min btwn sets
+
3 Sets
AB 30 Cals Increase Pace every 10 cals starting @ 200 and finishing at 300 Watts
Into
2-3 Round
30 second Foam roll each calf
30 second Banded Elevated Ankle Dorsiflexion stretch each side
5 Rear Foot Elevated Knee forwards split squats each leg flat foot
Rest 1 min btwn sets
+
3 Sets
Row 500M Increase pace every 100M Starting @ 2:15 and Finishing at 1:55
Into
2-3 Rounds
30 second Foam Roll Easy Quad
10 90/90 Hip swivels each Side
10 Alternating Goblet Cossack Squats with Full inhale Exhale through the nose in the bottom of the squat
Rest 1 min btwn sets
In this format we are still getting some easy aerobic work in. Which, if mobility is the case for this athlete they probably also need to become more parasympathetic, giving them this easier aerobic work will help with that. Then attack the ankles first then the hips. With the goal being to experience some breathing in the limited position. You can get a little bit more creative with this and really dive into what the athletes mobility limitation is, and attack that in these two pieces. We might even give them an easy squatting EMOM at the end of their session to get them to try to breath in their bottom position of the squat if that is their limitation.
Lastly we have a CO2 Tolerance limitation. This is actually pretty common in CF'ers, as most of our work involves hyperventilation, whereas as Co2 Levels start to rise it triggers our body to begin breathing too rapidly and shallow putting too much oxygen into our system, vs allowing our bodies to naturally intake oxygen and expel CO2. If we can raise our bodies' ability to tolerate Co2 a little bit better we won't freak out as levels rise during exercise and our breathing will become better able to handle higher intensities. This doesn't mean it will be any slower, but rather it will be more balanced with a better exchange of gas. Usually better exhaling. For athletes like this we would give them some exercises to do outside of the gym and post their workouts to try to offset some of the hyperventilating they will be doing in the gym, and raise their Co2 tolerance.
Bolt Score
Take 3 deep inhales and exhale through your nose, on the last exhale plug your nose and hold your breath until you feel the first urge to breath. This number is your bolt score. This bolt score can be used to measure your CO2 tolerance over time and or whether you need to improve it or not.
Oxygen Advantage Maximum Step Test
Take 3 deep inhales and exhale through your nose, on the last exhale plug your nose and begin to walk. Count your steps, go as long as you possibly can until you can't handle the urge to breathe. The number of steps will be your score. Once you do breathe your goal is to return to normal breathing in 3 breaths. Rest 2 min btwn sets x3
Breath Light to Breath Right
This one is a little bit harder to grasp, but you are going to take small inhales and exhales trying to inhale less than your last breath and trying to exhale shorter than your last breath. perform this for 3-5 minutes. Try to make it so that if someone were looking at you they couldn't tell you were breathing slow and controlled is the key here.
Hopefully this helps to shed some light on some training qualities that you can begin to use to improve your breathing and breathing capacity. CrossFit is good and fun, but we can always use training methodologies to improve our capacity in the sport.
Our highest answer in the question we asked in our story the other day "what slows you down most in workouts?" was breathing. While it makes sense that the faster speeds require more oxygen, there are a couple components to this that might also factor in. What do your positions look like, and can you tolerate CO2?
First let's assume that you have a great positions, and can tolerate Co2. If this is you congratulate yourself, you are super fit, and have a limitation that most desire. In order for you to improve you have to develop your diaphragm strength and endurance at this point in time. Your key training sessions are going to be intense, and the other ones will more than likely have higher intensity levels than your average CrossFitter or someone who is experiencing a perceived HR/aerobic limitation.