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.
“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/
WORKOUT 2
Finish your next swim session with this sweet burner.
Swimming workouts involve one of the best body weight exercises you can use in your training. You must maintain good control of your entire body and concentrate on your breathing.
I would highly recommend adding swimming workouts into your routine. It can be hard if there are no swimming pools around, but at least in the summer there are lakes, river and even the ocean for you to swim in.
The best thing about the Swimming Workouts is that you are already in the pool, you can keep hanging out there for the cool down and even stop in the sauna or hot tub for recovery.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4GxKU4lW8C/
WORK IN 2
Pre bed routine for a good nights sleep.
“Sleep hygiene” is the term used to describe the habits and rituals you have around bedtime and sleep. It is up to you if you practice good or bad hygiene during this time. There are several reasons why you should work on establishing good sleep hygiene that can all have hugely positive effects on your health. These habits will support a good nights sleep and prevent you from laying awake, tossing around and waking up tired and exhausted.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3y0uS-FwU2/
WORKOUT 3
How fast can you go?
CrossFit Technique Tips: Improve your Bar Muscle Ups (or Get your First!)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3agV3AFvRI/
WORK IN 3
“Easy Work In protocol for today… or is it?! Can you last 8min sitting in the bottom of a squat? Can you do it nose breathing only?”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3VFPvKlLd8/
Squat Everyday – Good or Bad idea?
This is such a controversial topic. I actually had a chat with Travis Mash where I wanted to do some myth busting around the misconceptions of “Squat Everyday” programs.
The key for this concept to work is to choose movement over performance.
The idea is to do some variation of squatting everyday. Even if that means using an empty barbell or 30% of your Back Squat at times just to explore and appreciate the range of motion being used. By doing this, you can improve your hip and ankle mobility as well.
You run into trouble when you let ego get in the way. So if you decide to squat to a MAXIMUM every single day, then you’re bound to run into issues. Knowing how to auto-regulate is a skill that is honed over time. Knowing when to push and when to back off.
Make it a point to get in the bottom of your squat every single day and get in touch with how things feel on that given day.
WORKOUT 4
Option 1 – 500m swim, 20km bike, 5km run
OR
Option 2 – 1000m swim, 40km bike, 10km run
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3RDI9illin/
WORK IN 4
This is a great way to calm the body and mind as well as improving focus and concentration.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3F42PgFoMN/
WORKOUT 5
“Got 2 boxes? You got a gym! Here’s a sweet little burner.”
5 rounds.
- 5 leg raises
- 10 box dips!
- Rest 45 seconds
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3LSYATlnFT/
WORK IN 5
Pick a position and give this a go.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B28_qN7lLCf/
