From Fitbomb:
The brain, it appears, can kick one’s body into high gear when competition calls for it. Gina Kolata explored this phenomena further in today’s New York Times:

Jo Corbett, a senior lecturer in applied exercise physiology at the University of Portsmouth in England, wondered how much competition can affect an athlete’s speed. To find out, he asked cyclists to ride as hard and as fast as they could on a stationary bicycle for the equivalent of 2,000 meters. As he rode, each rider was shown an on-screen figure representing the cyclist riding the course.

Then Dr. Corbett and his colleagues told each athlete that he would be racing against another rider hidden behind a screen. The researchers projected two figures on the screen, one the outline of the rider and the other the outline of the competitor.

In fact, the competitor on the screen was a computer-generated image of the athlete himself in his own best attempt to ride those 2,000 meters.

…[T]he cyclists beat their best times, finishing with a burst of speed that carried them to virtual victory by a significant length.

Dr. Corbett said the extra effort, above and beyond what the athletes had previously demonstrated, seems to come from the anaerobic energy system, one that is limited by the amount of fuel stored in muscle. The brain appears to conserve the body’s limited fuel to a certain degree, not allowing athletes to work too hard.

But in a race, he said, the brain seems to allow athletes to tap more deeply into energy stores than would ordinarily be permitted. “Competition is able to motivate you to dip further,” Dr. Corbett said.

Interesting. This may help explain how CrossFit workouts are intensified by competition.

Finish this quote…
“If its the last thing i do, I WILL __________!”

Warm up: stretching then…

5 Minutes of max Double Unders

Skill/strength:

Pull-up class:
Instructing the Grip, the kip from the hip, and the pull and push from the bar.

Backsquat Refresher:
Proper stance,proper back position and arch, and proper depth.!safety!

WOD:
“San Francisco Crippler”

for time…

1000 m Row
then
30 Backsquats (225/185/135/95)

Different style today, ENJOY!

***COME WATCH PCF’S ATHLETES COMPETE AT OCCF’S PARTNER EVENT THIS WEEKEND!***

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