Extra Work, Pre and Post-Workout Mobility and the Benefits. Part I

WOD: 02/19/20

5 rounds for max reps of:

1 minute of Rowing
1 minute of Wall-balls, 20/14-lbs.
1 minute of Double-unders
1 minute of Rest

Extra Work, Pre and Post-Workout Mobility and the Benefits. Part I

by Austin Gray

As many of you may know, us coaches have been programming extra work for you to do at the end of/after class. The extra work is created as a way to give each member activities that are less intensive than a typical Metcon but are more intensive than just a typical cool-down. Their purpose is to provide you a direction for, well, extra things that you should be working on outside of class. These exercises and drills are meant for everybody, not only a select few. Now, I am not you and I do not know why you may choose or not choose to do the extra work, but I hope that I can identify some reasons and give you some arguments why you should choose to do them.

The first one is that you don’t have time. I am the morning coach (5am and 6am what’s up!) and I totally understand having only that hour to get in, workout, and then get out. Rarely do I see many people dilly dally around at that time and sit on the sides of the gym doing nothing. It still does happen though! If you have time to stand around and chit-chat with friends, do so while also doing the extra work! Yes, the extra work is tough – it’s supposed to be – it isn’t intended to gas you out and leave you feeling wiped at the end. It is intended to work on stability, strength, and skills that we as coaches aren’t able to spend a lot of time on during the class due to time limits. Because that is the case, it often falls upon you to do it. 

The second thing I believe is that you are at the gym to hang out with your friends and doing the extra work prevents you from doing that. FALSE! You only have to not talk to your friends during that very short little time of you actually doing the exercise (after you finish that little one-minute plank hold, you can go back to chatting with your friends). Heck! It’s even more fun to do the extra work with a couple of other people! You can all help each other and hold one another accountable, making sure each person is doing everything correctly and also making sure that each person is able to move on to the next piece feeling ready for it. For the afternoon classes, the same goes to you! This extra work should take ten or fifteen-minutes, not another hour. Why not do it!?!? Take advantage of the opportunities we are giving you to better yourself!

Another excuse is that the extra work isn’t for me, I am not skilled or strong enough to do it. Bollocks! There is a thing called scaling and modifying. Like previously mentioned, the extra work is created to work on your stability, strength, and skills. If the extra work calls for 3 sets of 5 strict pull-ups adding weight each set but you can’t do a strict pull-up, then work up to the most difficult set of 5 strict pull-ups you can do for 3 sets! The only way that you are going to get better is by getting down and getting your hands dirty. There are no such things as shortcuts and once you start to really get deep in the work you are doing, you will begin to see results quite quickly.

Okay, so there are a few reasons why I can understand people not wanting to do the extra work. And if you are sitting in that boat, I hope that this helps you understand why we program the extra work and some reasons behind why you should be taking the time to perform it. I promise you, if you work hard, be diligent and be consistent, you will see results. For some of you those results may come faster than for others. Don’t get discouraged! The more you stick with it over time, you will see improvements!

- Austin G.