James Newbury was the 5th place finisher at the 2019 CrossFit Games and is the 4 x Australia’s Fittest man.
He also received the award for “most improved athlete” in Madison last summer, and he combines a healthy and balanced approach to his training and life. He invented the duel concept of “Workouts” and “Work Ins” as a way to align training and living. You are obviously familiar with Workouts, but Work Ins are blocks of time that you must dedicate to specific activities in order to improve your training, health, life and happiness in general.
Below are five paired examples of Workouts/Work Ins from James that you can add into your training.
He suffered a bad accident, breaking his neck and puncturing a lung, but his attitude towards this event clearly demonstrates his optimistic and focused mentality. Instead of letting this bother and depress him, he stated no regret and instead, took ownership of the issue.
Source: CrossFit Games / James Newbury
“Now I know I’ll get asked why did I put myself if a situation where I could get hurt with the season upon us? My answer is I don’t regret anything. If I wrap myself in cotton wool and deprive myself of things I enjoy then none of it is worth it for me. I need to be happy and I need to be sharing exciting experiences with loved ones for me to stay focused in other areas of my life and that’s exactly what I was doing.”
Read the full story here.
CrossFit Games Athlete James Newbury Breaks his Back and Punctures his Left Lung
Take a leaf out of this top athlete’s book and add the following into your life and training.
WORKOUT 1
“Simple gymnastics work to help build strength and capacity. EMOM means every minute on the minute. You choose you rep range between 5-8. Use bands if you can’t yet get to at least 5 reps.”
How to improve Strict Pull Ups
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4TgSS2liDj/
WORK IN 1
“Hey there you walking, talking solar panel. Get some sunlight and recover faster.”
Without enough sun exposure, your serotonin levels can dip. Low levels of serotonin are associated with a higher risk of major depression with seasonal pattern (formerly known as seasonal affective disorder or SAD). This is a form of depression triggered by the changing seasons.
The release of the hormone serotonin is increased through exposure to sunlight. Melatonin is triggered by darkenss and lower light levels, and that stimulates the body to sleep.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3-r0N1leB4/
Image Sources
- James-Newbury: CrossFit Games / James Newbury
- james-newbury: James Newbury / CrossFit Inc