"Cooper, 435. Bar is loaded."
My first meet. First time in a prison. First time squatting out of flimsy, self-supporting 'squat racks.' First time outside of a power cage with 400lbs. First time with three judges who weren't friends. First time lifting with a time limit. First time a lift was for keeps.
Adrenaline? You betcha.
Murph 2009. Talking to the other coaches, I wanted to make it clear that I didn't expect us all to win; just don't cheat was my only criteria. I knew Mike would likely take it. But I'd been waiting all day, and I was getting better at pullups, dammit, and that last run couldn't possibly be that hard, right? The first run was hard, though, and despite a PR in the mile, I was gassed when I returned. Turns out that adrenaline was an anchor around my ankles.
Adrenaline does a lot of arousing. When it's time to get up and go, nothing beats the ol' Fight or Flight response…right? If we get excited enough, we can flip cars off toddlers, jump over tall buildings, run 26.2 miles to warn the City of Athens that the enemy is advancing…..
…but it also has some pretty negative effects. For starters, it makes the cell wall of your red blood cells more rigid. That means it's harder for oxygen to cross the membrane. Rough start. It also causes the red blood cell to change shape slightly, which decreases the total surface area available for oxygen diffusion. Imagine a giant hand squeezing the gas tank in your car, and pinching off the gas line at the same time, and you'll have a good picture of what's happening.
Now, you have adrenaline circulating in your bloodstream all the time. A bit. So you do a short warmup to burn off the excess….unless, of course, you're facing down Event #4 in the Games…..
The worst news? This phenomenon is enhanced in women.
If you made it to a Green Army team training session in the Spring, you'd have laughed: Josh and I, full of anxiety, and making each other more nervous as we got closer to starting the WOD. "What's your heart rate NOW, Coop?" he'd ask, with 30 seconds to go. Invariably, it felt like it was over 200 beats per minute; like I was finishing the burpee portion of the Filthy Fifty. This CAN'T be helping, I'd think….and then be lost in the countdown, and forget about it.
It also triggers a reaction to break down muscle glycogen, which dumps glucose into the bloodstream. First time at CrossFit? Especially nervous today? Get ready for a big insulin spike….and then a big crash. It also causes vasoconstriction in smooth muscle, like your stomach and intestines….and we all know what that means, don't we? Here's a hint: it starts with, "I think I'd better sit down for a minute…." and ends with Coop giving you a free hat.
How, then, can we USE the 'get ready to party!' effects of adrenaline, without suffering the side effects? Well, consider your warmup:
1) are you sweating afterward?
2) is your heart rate elevated?
3) are you removing clothing?
4) is your heart rate leveling off after spiking during the warmup exercise?
The best warmups:
1) elevate your heart rate, then let it drop afterward
2) burn off excess adrenaline through work output
3) don't fatigue any specific muscles
4) leave you thirsty.
5) have a calming effect.
If you were nervous before the Games this year, you likely heard this from a coach or veteran competitor: "As soon as you start the run, you'll be fine. Anticipation is worse than the event." Maybe it's a good idea to prolong your warmup, even if you have to start earlier.
Fran is a 5-minute event. You'll finish while you're still in an anaerobic phase…but if you could trigger aerobic delivery earlier, you'd be wise to. Make your warmup longer than your Fran time!
By the way, I was red-lighted on that squat. My feet left the ground at the top of the lift. I jumped. That's adrenaline.