What Kind of Monkey are You?

Did you know that, like your height, you have an unchangeable characteristic inside of you that will determine your energy ideal expenditure? I first wrote about this in 2013, but was reminded of it recently when a Russian sport scientist, Dr. Romonov, close to the subject came to visit. Romonov says there are three different kinds of monkeys; little, medium, and big monkeys. In fact, you have one of these classifications.

Keep in mind, this deterministic characteristic doesn’t mean that a little monkey can’t accomplish the top end performance of a big monkey. This is about energy expenditure, not performance.

The metaphor goes on to explain that big monkeys require a great deal of activity. These monkeys must be hard at work or they become irritable and see losses in health and performance. Little monkeys, when overworked, experience the same detrimental effects.

The key, then, is to determine the type of output that is optimal for you. I, for example, am a classic little monkey. I train about three days per week, as a result. If I train more than four days I become emotional and performance becomes sub-optimal. Some of you may be the opposite, where if you take a day off of training, you mentally begin to unravel.

The first step is knowing. From there, you can choose to act accordingly.

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach

6/7/18 WOD

EMOM 5
100′ Sandbag Carry (AHAP)

Then, complete 4 rounds for quality of:
10 Overhead Split Squat (AHAP)
10 Seated Good Mornings (AHAP)
10 Barbell Rollouts