• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workouts
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Creatine
      • AG1 Review
    • Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Home Gym Machines
    • Certifications
      • ISSA Review
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

Athlete Journal: Patrick McCarty, Entry 1 – 2/27/2013

The Reebok CrossFit Games Open is almost here, and the other day I had one of those days where I felt like a complete beginner despite all my training and hard work.

Patrick McCarty

Written by Patrick McCarty Last updated on February 27, 2013

EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to the athlete journal of CrossFit trainer and masters athlete Patrick McCarty. Patrick competed in the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games in the 45-49 age bracket and has his sights set on the Games again this year. Follow Patrick’s journals here every Wednesday.

Athlete Journal Entry 1: 2/27/2013

The Reebok CrossFit Games Open is almost here, and the other day I had “that day.” That day where suddenly, it felt like I had just started CrossFit YESTERDAY.

In the past twelve months, I have strictly followed OPT’s programming in preparation for the first Open workout. That programming peaks Wednesday, March 6th. My nutrition has been dialed in – the right amount of carbs for performance, protein for recovery and building, no sugar (well, almost no sugar), and plenty of water.

My PRs are coming fast – clean, back squat, front squat, double unders, jerk. Metcons are feeling better, and when I compare scores and times to my peers and those much younger than me, I seem to be in a great zone. Muscle ups, bar muscle ups, parallette handstand pushups, the works. Everything seems to be working well, and I am injury free.

And then, yesterday happened. The kind of day that makes you ask yourself, literally mid-workout, “Why am I doing this, and who on EARTH do I think I am fooling?”

The workout began with building to a max clean. My previous PR is #245 but oddly, by the time I reached #180, it felt unreasonably heavy. #225 was brutal and #245 wasn’t even close. I dropped to #235 and couldn’t even make that. Not a good sign.

On to the metcon which consisted of 10 unbroken snatches at 95, 10 box jumps, then 9 of same, then 8, and on down to 1. Seems like it should breeze by, and many of the times posted on the OPT website were well under 6 minutes. I jokingly stated that my goal was “sub 8.” Little did I know how hard I would have to fight to get that.

As I began the first set of 10 snatches I was pretty shocked at how bad I felt almost immediately – due in part to the inability to put the bar down. Unbroken is unbroken, and if you break up a set, you start that set over. So imagine, on the set of eight, the panic that begins to set in at the fifth rep when I can barely keep my grip and my lungs are screaming at me to drop the bar.

“What’s going on here?” was the question that kept going through my head. “I thought I was in better shape than this? I have been keeping up with the ‘kids’ (anyone under 40 is a kid when you are 50) that post on the OPT website and in my local box on most of these workouts. Why does it feel like I am a two pack a day smoker all of a sudden?”

My time ended up at 7:27, a full minute of which I spent with my hands on my knees, staring at the floor.

It was that day. Those days happen, and I immediately decided to chalk it up to an anomaly rather than some mysterious irrevocable setback in my conditioning. The cleans didn’t work. The metcon felt awful. What can I do with that?

What I can do is to rest and refuel, to choose not to dwell, and to come back strong and determined. I decided that “one bad training session does not make a season.” My overall trend is UP, even if yesterday was a dip in the progress chart.

After a full day of rest and proper fueling, I came back strong with a PR on the notorious “12.5” workout: 3 thrusters, 3 chest-to-bar, then 6, then 9, and so on until the 7:00 clock runs out. I set an 11-rep PR on this over last year’s score, which would place me firmly within the top five of my peer group on the Games leaderboard. Better yet, I had a couple of good reps still in me, had the circumstances been competition-like.

So the question becomes why did I have “that day” and how can I make sure it does not again? As I get closer to the Open, I am continuing to tinker with rest, fuel and properly warming up, all of which I believe can make the difference in my performance and ultimately, whether I make it back to the Games in 2013.

Next week: Warming up and the difference it can make.

Patrick McCarty

About Patrick McCarty

Patrick McCarty is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and masters athlete. As a masters-level athlete, Patrick competed in the 2011, 2013, and 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games. Patrick’s fitness journey has taken him from traditional weightlifting to marathon running and, ultimately, to CrossFit, where he found the perfect balance of strength and conditioning, nutrition, and proper goal setting, which allowed him to find levels of fitness and well-being that eluded his twenty-year old self.

In addition to his own training, Patrick’s real passion is coaching. He provides programming and coaching for dozens of clients across the globe and finds immense satisfaction in helping other achieve their fitness goals, whether it’s climbing a rope for the first time or making it to the CrossFit Games. By day, Patrick is a web developer who owns his own design company, CJT Digital Design, in Loveland, Ohio.

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

patheadline2
The Formula for a Successful CrossFit Gym
106690607772068823384321971850806174107450o
The 7 Sneakiest Rest Strategies in CrossFit
tjg8134cc
The 10 Commandments of CrossFit
3afa7dcffc40db0631009xxx
How to Strategize and Win a WOD Like Rich Froning

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

20 Best Home Gym Equipment Essentials for Cardio, Strength Training, and More

Hunter Labrada Looks Shredded Before Taking on 2023 Texas Pro and 2023 Tampa Pro

Lat Pulldown vs. Pull-Up: The Battle for a Bigger Back

2023 Strongest Man in Iceland Results — Kristján Jón Haraldsson Repeats

Latest Reviews

Breaking Muscle Best Protein Powder

17 Best Protein Powders for Weight Loss, Muscle Gain, and More

Athletic Greens AG1

Athletic Greens AG1 Review: Is This Greens Powder Worth It?

Best Adjustable Dumbbells

9 Best Adjustable Dumbbells for Home Gyms of 2023

Best Creatine

11 Best Creatine Supplements For Building Muscle, Cutting, and More

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About