Stamina Issues

kandell

Hey guys. So I've been going to a CrossFit gym for almost 2 months (although I had about 2.5 weeks away on business, and I was a lazy pile and didn't exercise...). On Wednesday when I went to the gym, I was doing burpees and got so out of breath and felt faint and couldn't hear properly. I knew it was going to be a tough workout since I hadn't kept up on exercising while I was out of town, but it got me thinking about how to improve my stamina for cardio and intense workouts. There are a few moves that really just kick my *kitten* (burpees, wall balls, and box jumps mostly).

The trainer I'm working with recommended doing more intense cardio like all-out sprinting to get my body more used to it. I was wondering what your input might be, and if you could share some stories/experiences or give me an idea of how long it might take to see my stamina improve?

StealthHealth

Assuming that your calories in are sufficient (if not you should look at that area first) I think you trainer has the right idea.

More intense cardio (to a point obviously) will improve your ability to preform intense cardio.

If burpees, wall balls, and box jumps are your nemeses then practice them frequently and become the master of them.

Edited to add: Also, could just be an off day after your business trip - if so Keep Calm and Carry On etc

hill8570

I'd generally consider "stamina" to be able to work in the aerobic zone for a long time (hour+). What your situation sounds like is more like you need to work on your anaerobic capacity (ability to perform and recover quickly from short, high-intensity loads). I'd say your trainer is on the right track. Lots of ways to go with this, but any of the classic HIIT / Tabata regimens would work well (running / biking / row machine / platform jumps -- all good). Or, if you like to swim, 25m all-out sprints in the pool.

lorrpb

Your stamina should improve weekly with consistent workouts. I don't know how long it will take to achieve the level you desire, since we have no way to know where you're at now or where you would like to be. Not every workout is going to feel great, so just keep working at it!

NorthCascades

Best way to improve stamina is longer, moderate intensity cardio sessions. Don't do any HIIT until you've got plenty of aerobic base first.

halfninja2

In my own experience, getting better at certain exercises required doing that exercise or variations of it repeatedly and consistently and I improved over time. This included physical training in the military. To get better at running, we ran. A lot. Every day. Short runs, fast runs, long runs, sprints, up/down hills, wearing weight vests/backpacks, etc. You get the idea LOL! Same with push ups, wide ones, narrow ones, elevated, weight vest, etc. When I first started doing pull ups (much later in life), I couldn't really do one. Not a good one at least. But I did them as best as I could, as many as I could, daily. I improved, they got easier, I got to the point I could fire them off no problem. If those exercises you mentioned are just too much, maybe you need to condition yourself better with "normal" cardio and weight training (like dumb bells). I knew before I lost weight that pull ups were going to be too hard when I was heavy, so all the cardio and dumb bells I did to lose weight had me ready for tougher exercises.

fredericktambunan

Ease into it.

cjcochrane1

Just scale the workouts and build your stamina up. Make sure your eating enough and eating regularly.
Once your eating is better and you have completed more wods you will notice a difference.

ann1ta

Sounds like your blood pressure was low

rybo

Basing a problem and asking for a diagnosis off of one wod that you tanked on is difficult, if not impossible.
But, to address your question about improving, especially at those listed moves...make sure you are breathing adequately while doing them. Seems dumb & simple, but a lot of people won't breath during certain movements and struggle. I have to force myself to breath during DU's. Next is slow the movements down, this will allow you to perform them longer & unbroken. And don't be afraid to scale. You want to be moving the whole time. If you're having to take too many breaks, you didn't scale properly.