Tabata and Brain Drain

Whats up with the inability to think clearly after a strenuous workout?

Ive noticed this before, right after a particular challenging CrossFit session .. while Im trying to breathe slower, to get my heart to ease up a bit, the brain is fried.

I could probably bark out ‘name, rank and serial number’ , but then I have over six years of practice with that!  Anything else, however .. forget it!

Surely, others experience this as well.

Yea .. so forget talking!  In that first few minutes, Im not quite speechless, just dont make much sense.  Sure, basic sentences with head bobbing, but dont ask me something complicated .. ’cause its not gonna happen!

So .. what is up with that?  I tried to google ‘brain fog’ and ‘brain drain’, and other combinations with ‘strenuous workout’, but found nothing.

If one of you readers know .. please clue me in! .. to include if there is a way to mitigate it.  Again, it doesnt last long – maybe a minute – but in that window, the brain is unable to think clearly.

Ok .. so .. my first double day!  Yea!  And it just happened to be a Tabata – boy can I pick ’em!

As a runner, Ive used both Tabata and Fartleks .. both good examples of interval training that I really enjoy, because they are fun!  Plus, both suit my approach to running; namely, continuous intensity with varied speed.  In fact, my Fartleks often end with something very similar to the Tabata ratio.

Eitherway, Ive never done it in relation to weightlifting.  In this case, Deadlifts.

So Monday was the Hang Squat Cleans, and today – well, this double day has been a double tap on the quads and hams.

Coach Keefa started me on 35#, and because I answered “Easy” to her question of, “Hows that feel?“, she added 10 more pounds.

My first reaction was, “On both ends!” .. you know, in a high pitched panic kinda voice!  Luckily it was just 5# per end.

So .. todays ..

Warm Up – 7 min AMRAP

10 Squats / Broad Jump (to the mat’s end) / 10 Push Ups / Broad Jump back

20 Double Unders (or 60 Jump Ropes) / Lunges / 10 Sit Ups / Lunges back

WOD

Tabata Deadlifts

Once again, Stephanie was an aspiration .. she had 105# on the bar for 50 reps.  She said I did good, but she was lifting 21# shy of my body weight .. so I was impressed!

The Tabata was all-out Deadlifts for 20 seconds, with a 10 second rest, repeat; for eight (8) rounds.

My rounds were:

10 . 10 . 9 . 9 . 11 . 12 . 11 . 12

I was truly surprised todo more at the end .. so will chalk it up to being more comfortable with the Deadlift, being really warm after the first four rounds, and numbing repetition.

Which is what left me dumbstruck at the end .. unable to even add my own reps!  Crazy.

All total I did 55# at 84 reps.

Afterwards I could feel my hams tightening, so did some Yoga poses .. Warriors and Hanumanasan .. which helped immensely!

But were were not finished!  Coach Keefa had us play a CrossFit Kids game .. Musical Medicine Ball.  She laid out sprint markers which we Crab Walked around while the music was playing; when it stopped we had to be butt down on the medball (in the center of the markers).

In all .. it was a fun morning.  Much hotter than I have been used to, since all my workouts have been at 5:30am, but fun none the less.

Lets see what tomorrow brings ..

Week Two, Day Five

Wednesday, 1 June, my first day to join the regular group routine.   Evenso, as Keefa told me I was finished with the Foundation basics, I thought, “Every day will be a foundation day.”   Which is what I remind my students in Yoga of, that “Some days are diamond and some days are stone”, all the more reason to “take it back to basics.”

We started with a 400 meter Run, then did:
15 Wall Squats
30 Butterfly Situps, and
15 Supermans

This was easy, because I teach my Yoga students Wall Squats and Supermans.  In the Yoga Wall Squat, the feet/knees are together and you begin 1 foots distance from the wall (your foot distance; then learn to move closer).   The fingertips rest on the outer thigh, and on the exhale, you squat, tracing a line down the leg until the fingers touch the earth.   Inhaling, you return to standing.   And the Supermans, we don’t move, just lift and hold for 9-12 breaths (about 2 minutes).

Keefa then explained the routine: 20 minutes of AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible).   This was my first ever AMRAP, and can honestly say, I was ready to give up after the third round; which were:

15 Weighted Walking Lunges, 25#
30 second L-Sit Hold
15 Wallball 20#/16#

Keefa (the head coach and owner) demonstrated all the moves. On the lunges, she explained how the weight could either be overhead or held at the waist/hips.   Likewise, the L-Sit could be either straight legs or bent knees, or 30 jumps (if need be).

I did the 25# overhead on every set of the Weighted Walking Lunges.

I was able to hold the L-Sit for the first two round, but I think the longest hold was 7-10 seconds. By the third set I was hold the knees up for 5-7 seconds; by the fourth set, the hold was reduced to 3-5 seconds; and by the last set, I couldn’t hold any longer so jumped the last 15 or so. Which is not as easy as it sounds, because it really revved up the cardio.

On the Wallball I was given the 8# and 12# option; I chose the latter.

I finished the 20 minutes at 5 Sets plus 10 Weight Walking Lunges.

I sat and rested with everyone else, but felt the need to stretch out the muscles, so did Upavishta Konasana (legs spread wide, chest on the earth), and Supta Virasana (knees bent, feet on outsides of hips, lay on back).

In all, it was a solid physical challenge, and throughout, I felt very calm.   As a Yogini Im not used to gasping for breath, so am mindful when the chest is heaving, and so do my best to breath deep and slow.

Doing the reps with others was interesting because on one level I felt motivated to compete with them (not against them).   Or to view their physical effort as a benchmark for what I should be striving for.   Yoga is non-competitive, and after 40 years of practice, second nature; so this was more a observation of what and how others were doing. But then, these thoughts didn’t last longer than the first rep, after that, it was all internal focus.   I could hear Keefa calling out encouragement, but other than that, was wholly engaged in breathing, which brought me back to form, which then returned me to breathing. So my only goal was: Breath, Proper Form, Don’t Stop.

My classes are Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, which are my busy Yoga days, where I have four classes.

I make a banana, berry and raw cacao shake in the morning, drinking half before I leave the house, and the remainder as I drive back.   I then have a 7:15 Kundalini Yoga class.   Afterwards, I eat a piece of fruit, because there is then a 9am Gentle Yoga class.   So breakfast happens around 10:30am.

On this day, for the other two classes (at 5pm and 7pm), I noticed I had a slight tremor in my hands, and that I was increasingly more sore as the day progressed.

By Thursday morning, I was stiff getting out of bed.   These are light Yoga days, so good for recovery from CrossFit.

Generally, Ill take a catnap in the afternoon, but since CrossFit, Ive been sleeping.   First, after breakfast, for at least an hour, then again in the afternoon, again for an hour, but it has been upwards of 1.5 hours.