Extra metcon

[Randy Hill]

I never found a definitive answer to what people thought of this, but here it goes..

I've been doing CF WODs for the past two months, and was wondering if it would hurt to do some medium-intensity, ~30 min. long stationary bike rides after each WOD. Would there be an issue with my recovery? My life isn't super active so on days where the WOD isn't very metcon intensive, I would like to do this.

What are all of your opinions?

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

Why? WHat are your goals?

[Randy Hill]

My goal is to get in a better state of fitness through Crossfit. I also want to avoid fat gain from being sedentary so much. I am pretty lean right now.

[Michael Donohue]

IMO skills type training for 30 minutes would be better than getting on a stationary bike for 30 minutes. Take those 30 minutes to work on things like double unders, HSPU's, un-assisted handstands, cleans and snatches with pvc or just the bar, build some parallettes and have fun with those. I think that things like these would be time better spent. But like Jamie asked, what are your goals? If you want to be the best stationary bike rider in the world, then by all means ride it for 30 minutes after your WOD. That is of course if you have anything left after the WOD.

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

Or play a sport.

[Randy Hill]

Okay, thanks. I just don't feel like I did enough if I don't leave the gym sweating.

[Amber Mathwig]

Maybe you didn't? How's your intensity level? Busting through the METCON's or taking lots of breaks? Lifting heavy, or stopping just short of what you MIGHT be able to achieve?

Sport and skills are always good too.

[Zach Gates]

Worth mentioning that a big boost of any high intensity workout isn't just the sweat you build up in the gym but the metabolic boost you have on your way out. 30 minutes on a bike might burn ~350 calories if you push it, but 30 minutes of, say, plyometrics might help you burn an extra 600 calories over the course of the next day.

[Katherine Derbyshire]

If you aren't sweating after a CF WOD, you didn't hit it hard enough. That goes for the ME days as well as the metcons.

Katherine

[Michael Donohue]

Agreed. If you are not sweating and feeling like you didn't do enough at the gym that day, you probably didn't do it hard enough. That being said, if you are pretty new to CrossFit you don't want to take on every WOD 100% right off the bat. You said you started 2 months ago. Is that a full two months of 3-on-1 off? If it is it is probably time to start amping up the intensity.

Do a couple WOD's at full intensity and then tell me you didn't sweat or feel like you didn't do enough. If you still tell me that, well then you're probably still not at the intensity these workouts call for.

Good luck.