You're Not Tired, You're Underfed
Robert Bennett • April 14, 2026
"I'm Just tired..."
How frequently do you hear the phrase, “I’m just tired"?
Tired during the workout.
Tired after the workout.
Tired all day, honestly.
Most people assume it’s stress, age, or that they just need more caffeine. But in a lot of cases, that’s not the real problem (I'm not a doctor, so keep that in mind). The real problem is this: you’re not eating in a way that supports what you’re asking your body to do.
This isn’t bodybuilding. At CrossFit, we don’t care how you look. We care about what you can do and how you feel. If your energy is low, your performance suffers. When your performance suffers, your results slow down. Food is not just about weight. It’s about energy. Your energy is everything. A lot of people in the gym are unintentionally under-eating, especially when it comes to the things that actually fuel performance.
Protein is the first big one. If you’re not eating enough protein, your body struggles to recover. You stay sore longer. You feel weaker. Workouts feel harder than they should. Over time, progress slows down.
Then there are carbs. Carbs have received a bad reputation, but they are your body’s primary fuel source. If you’re constantly dragging through workouts, feeling sluggish, or hitting a wall halfway through, there’s a good chance you’re not eating enough carbs to support your training.
Fiber, which, in my opinion, everyone needs to eat more of. Fiber helps regulate digestion, keeps you feeling full longer, and helps stabilize energy levels throughout the day. If your nutrition is inconsistent, your energy will be too.
One of the simplest ways to improve both fiber and protein intake at the same time is to eat more beans. They don’t get enough credit. Beans are cheap, easy to add to meals, and packed with both fiber and protein. Something as simple as adding beans to rice, salads, or bowls can make a noticeable difference in how you feel and recover. Eat more beans.
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is support. Eat real food. Prioritize protein at every meal. Don’t be afraid of carbs, especially around your workouts. Eat fruits and vegetables daily. Drink more water than you think you need. You don’t need a complicated meal plan. You need consistency with the basics.
If your workouts feel harder than they should, it might not be the programming. It might not be your fitness level. It might be what you did or didn’t eat before you walked into the gym.
Start there and see what changes. You should talk to a doctor too, especially if you need more specific, and specialized help.
- Coach Robby Bennett
- CrossFit Black Ridge
Patience is one of the most underrated skills in fitness, especially in CrossFit. Everyone wants to get stronger, faster, and more skilled as quickly as possible. But the athletes who improve the fastest over time are the ones who are willing to slow down in the beginning. One of the most common things I see? Athletes walking into the gym already strong, they can move weight, no problem. But when it comes to Olympic lifts or gymnastics, the coordination, timing, and positions are not there yet. Instead of taking the time to learn those movements properly, they load the bar too heavy or push themselves too hard before they have earned it. That is where progress stalls and injuries start to show up. In CrossFit, we talk a lot about intended stimulus. Every workout is designed with a purpose. Some are meant to be long and steady, others short and aggressive. When you ignore that and go all out too early, you redline. You spike your heart rate, burn out quickly, and completely miss the point of the workout. Think about a 20 minute AMRAP with a light-moderate weight. If you come out at full speed, your heart rate jumps immediately and you are forced to slow down or stop far too early. Instead, your effort should build over time. If you tracked your heartrate during the workout, it would look something like a bell curve. Your heart rate gradually climbs, reaches a peak, and then tapers off. That is an effective way to train your engine and improve your conditioning. Short workouts are different. If it is a sprint style workout, you should push the pace and hang on. But the key is understanding the difference and having the discipline to execute the workout the way it was designed. Intensity drives results, when safety is prioritizied The same idea applies to strength and skill work. Just because you can lift something heavy does not mean you should. Movement quality has to come first. The methodology of CrossFit is clear. Mechanics come first, then consistency, then intensity. Skipping steps might feed your ego in the moment, but it slows your progress long term. Most injuries in CrossFit are not because the program is dangerous. They come from athletes letting pride take over. Not listening to the coach, not respecting their current ability, and pushing too hard too soon. In fact, one study from the U.S. National Library of Medicine concluded, “Our findings suggest that CrossFit training is relatively safe compared with more traditional training modalities. However, it seems that those within their first year of training as well as those who engage in this training modality less than 3 days per week and/or participate in less than 3 workouts per week are at a greater risk for injuries.” That lines up exactly with what we see in the gym. Newer athletes who rush the process or train inconsistently are the ones most likely to run into problems. If you want to improve as quickly as possible, you have to be willing to take a step back. In short, be coachable. Be consistent. Learn the movements. Pace your workouts. Trust the process. Patience is not holding you back. It is the thing that keeps you progressing. Sources: CrossFit: Mechanics, Consistency, Intensity Part 1 https://www.crossfit.com/essentials/mechanics-consistency-intensity-part-1-what-does-it-mean CrossFit: How Much Intensity https://www.crossfit.com/essentials/crossfit-how-much-intensity U.S. National Library of Medicine: Injury Rates in CrossFit Training https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6201188/ -Coach Robby Bennett CrossFit Black Ridge
What sets CrossFit apart is our standard of movement. This is not bodybuilding. At CrossFit, we do not care how you look and we do not care what you weigh. We're not training for a certain aesthetic. We care about what you can do and how you feel. When your ability improves, your physical appearance often follows, but appearance is based on opinions, not facts. Performance is measurable. Health is measurable. Capability is what actually matters. That is why we train through a full range of motion, and it is one of the biggest reasons this style of training leads to long term health, durability, and independence. Full range of motion means moving your joints through their complete natural limits. Squatting all the way down, standing all the way up, pressing to full lockout. It is not about making workouts harder. It is about preparing your body for real life. Life does not happen in partial reps. It happens in awkward positions, off balance moments, and unexpected demands. Training full range builds the strength and control to handle those situations safely. Another major benefit is that full range of motion builds mobility while you train. Instead of separating strength and flexibility into different sessions, you are developing both at the same time. Athletes who consistently move through full ranges tend to improve mobility naturally because they are strengthening those end ranges instead of avoiding them. Training full range of motion also improves strength and joint health. When you move through a complete range, you recruit more muscle fibers and build balanced strength around the joints. That leads to better stability, cleaner movement patterns, and less wear and tear over time. Partial movements often leave gaps in strength and create weak positions that show up later as pain or injury. There is a simple idea in CrossFit that new range is weak range. Any position you do not train is a position where you are more likely to get hurt. This becomes more important as we age. Range of motion naturally declines over time, and if you are not actively maintaining it, you lose it. This is where longevity comes into play. The goal is not just to be fit today. The goal is to still be capable decades from now. Being able to squat to depth, get up off the ground, reach overhead, and control your body in space directly impacts your independence later in life. These are the movements that determine whether you can continue to live actively and confidently as you get older. At the end of the day, full range of motion is about training your body the way it was designed to move. It is about building strength everywhere, not just where it is comfortable. That is one of the biggest reasons CrossFit is so effective, not just for getting fit, but for staying fit for life. Sources from CrossFit Journal and CrossFit.com https://www.crossfit.com/essentials/crossfit-CMT-full-range-of-motion https://journal.crossfit.com/article/training-through-full-range-of-motion https://journal.crossfit.com/article/what-is-fitness https://journal.crossfit.com/article/theoretical-hierarchy-of-development
One of the most consistent patterns I see, as a CrossFit Affiliate Owner, is what happens after someone starts. People’s bodies adapt fast. They become healthier, stronger, more balanced, and more flexible in a relatively short amount of time. Not because there’s some shortcut, but because they’re finally doing something that challenges them in the right ways, consistently. CrossFit works because it’s infinitely scalable and driven by intensity. No matter where you start, the workout meets you there, but it also pushes you forward. That intensity is frequently where the majority of results come from. It’s what improves your cardio-vascular endurance, builds strength, and increases your capacity to handle stress over "broad time and modal domains". You don’t stay the same when you train like this. Your body adapts, and adaptation is exactly what we’re after. A huge part of that adaptation, or physical improvement, comes from the constant variety of exercise here at CFBR. We don’t repeat the same workouts over and over; because life doesn’t work like that. Different movements, different time domains, different challenges every day. Some workouts are short and fast, others are long and uncomfortable. That variation forces your body to keep adjusting, which is why people see such well-rounded progress instead of just getting good at one thing at our gym. Getting uncomfortable is part of the process. It’s not something we avoid, it’s something we train. When you’re breathing hard, when your muscles are fatigued, when you want to slow down but choose not to, that’s where growth happens. Over time, that builds not just physical strength but mental toughness. You start to trust yourself more because you’ve been in those hard moments before and made it through. I've had several of our newer athletes recently ask how to train for different races coming up, and how to get to the point where running a mile (or more) feels doable. Get this, running isn’t the norm. Most people don't. They think about it. It’s uncomfortable, and they avoid it. The hard things matter. CrossFit helps bridge the gap of not running much to running more, by building a well-rounded base of strength, flexibility, coordination, endurance, etc. In short, we help you to get stronger legs, better lungs, improved stamina, and the confidence to keep moving when it gets hard. CrossFit is built on constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity across broad time and modal domains. That’s not just a definition, it’s how we prepare for real life. We train movements that matter. Squatting, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, and running. These are the things you actually use outside the gym. When you get better at them here, everything out there becomes easier. At the end of the day, this is about being ready. Life is unpredictable. It throws challenges at you without warning. Whether it’s a race, an event, a long day, or something completely unexpected, you want a body and a mindset that can handle it. That’s what we’re building. That’s why CrossFit works. Because it’s consistent, it’s intentional, and it forces adaptation. And when you stick with it, the results show up faster than most people expect. -Coach Robby Bennett
At CrossFit Black Ridge, we need to be clear about something: T his Is Not A Regular Gym . This is not the place where you pay 20, 30, or even 60 a dollars a month just to say you have a membership. It is not the place where showing up is optional and no one notices when you disappear. This is the place for people who want more. Black Ridge is for those who are ready to commit, but it is also for those who know they struggle with commitment and need something better . Most people do not fail because they do not know what to do; they fail because they do not stay consistent long enough to see it through. That is where we come in. At CrossFit Black Ridge, you are not just another name on a list and you are not just another swipe of a key card. You are part of a community, and that means something. When you do not show up, we notice. When you have been gone for a while, we reach out; not to annoy you, but because we care. You told us you had goals, and you said you wanted to change. That responsibility does not stop when you leave the gym. This is about how you eat, how you fuel your body, and how you take care of your energy. Energy is more valuable than money. You can make more money, but you cannot fake energy or buy it back when your habits drain you every day. Coffee, energy drinks, etc. only go so far. When you show up here, we are not just encouraging you to work out. We are encouraging you to live better, eat better, sleep better, and take ownership of your life. In short, the people who come to CrossFit Black Ridge live a full life. Not because our exercise is the best (although it really is), but because of the culture or kindness, and encouragement is contagious. This is a place where encouragement is constant and support is real; showing up matters, not just for you but for the person sweating next to you. So show up. Show up on the days you feel motivated and on the days you do not . Fuel your body like it matters, because it does. Show up for your goals, your community, and yourself. This is not a regular gym, and that is exactly why it works. -Coach Robby Bennett
We brought in a Cybertruck, wrapped it, and turned it into something more than just a vehicle. It’s a statement. It’s a rolling reminder to this community that we’re here, we’re growing, and we’re not going anywhere. You’re going to see it around town, you’re going to see it at the gym, and every time you do, it should remind you of exactly what we stand for: real coaching and real results. More Than a Truck; more than a Tesla. This isn’t about showing off. It’s about showing up. That truck represents what we’re building inside these walls every single day. Consistency. Accountability. Effort. It’s a reflection of every early morning class, every late night workout, every rep that didn’t feel good but got done anyway. It’s proof that this isn’t just another gym. This is a place where people commit, and that commitment turns into real progress. CrossFit Black Ridge Is. Where. You. Want. To. Be. There are a lot of places you could work out. But not every place is going to push you, support you, and hold you accountable the way we do. Not every place is going to notice when you haven’t shown up. Not every place is going to celebrate your wins like they matter, because they do. This is the place to be if you’re serious about getting better. Not perfect . Just better. Bring a Friend and See for Yourself The third week of April, we’re opening the doors even wider with Bring a Friend Week. If you’ve been thinking about getting someone in here with you, this is your chance. Let them experience what makes this place different. Let them feel the energy, the coaching, and the community that keeps people coming back. No pressure, just an opportunity to see what we’re all about. Show Up At the end of the day, none of this matters if you don’t walk through the door. The truck is cool. The branding is bold. The message is clear. But the real work happens when you show up. That’s where the change happens. That’s where you build something you’re proud of. So show up. Enjoy the workouts. Enjoy the people. And yeah, check out the truck while you’re at it. -Coach Robby Bennett
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It is not just about how you look. It is about how you feel mentally, emotionally, and spiritually (if that matters to you). At CrossFit Black Ridge, we see this all the time. When you train consistently, you are not just building strength. You are building the ability to handle stress. Life does not slow down for you. You learn to speed up for life. I prefer to work out at 7 a.m. There is a reason for that. When I start my day with training, especially something intense like CrossFit, I feel different for the rest of the day. There is a real chemical change happening during and after High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). An article published on the National Library of Medicine titled, The long-term mental health benefits of exercise training for physical education students: a comprehensive review of neurobiological, psychological, and social effects, stated the following about HIIT, or CrossFit style exercise. "Aerobic activity elevates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and serotonin, improving mood and stress resilience, while resistance training fosters self-efficacy and emotional regulation. Team sports and group-based interventions mitigate social isolation by strengthening peer bonds, a critical factor in preventing depression and anxiety. Cognitive benefits, such as enhanced memory and academic performance, are linked to exercise-induced neurogenesis and increased cerebral blood flow." https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12479544/ To summarize, High Intensity Functional Training (HIIT) like CrossFit leads to significant increases in endorphins and improvements in mood after exercise. If you're depressed, or struggling mentally, socially, or however, exercise helps. Even more so when done in a group or team environment, like CrossFit. While I/we are not medical professionals, the article quoted above is peer reviewed. I highly recommend reading more of it. I do not need to read the study to believe it, I live it every day. I see the improvements in my athlete's lives every day. Each client that walks in the door is an athlete. But here is the truth, your exercise does not have to be intense to work. You do not need to crush yourself every morning to feel better. If you wake up and move your body for five to ten minutes, that alone can change your entire day. Go for a walk, do some light yoga, get your heart rate up just a little bit and keep it there. That small action creates momentum. You feel looser, clearer, and more in control of your emotions throughout the day. A few months ago I was in a session with my therapist, and we got on the topic of exercise and meditation. Meditation for me, looks like prayer. But the idea is the same. It is time spent reflecting and actually sitting with your thoughts and emotions instead of avoiding them. He told me something that stuck with me. He said if people exercised daily, reflected daily, and actually took time to feel what they are feeling, he would be out of a job. That says a lot about how we are living... Most people are not dealing with their stress, they are distracting themselves from it. Exercise gives you a way to release it. Prayer/reflection/meditation gives you ways to understand it. When you combine those two things, you start to feel more in control of your life instead of constantly reacting to it. Be more proactive, not reactive. If you are struggling with your emotional health, this is not professional advice, but it is real experience. Move your body every day. It can be ten minutes or it can be an hour. Just do something. You will feel better. You will be more productive. You will handle your day differently. Exercise. Show up at the gym. Welcome to CrossFit Blackridge. You make the decision, we provide the encouragement, and together we create your consistency. Let’s go! See you at the gym. - Coach Robby Bennett
We've all likely picked up a rope once or twice in our lives. Probably on the playground back in elementary school. It's so gratifying to see our new athletes, signing up each week, find out that the WOD has jumping rope programmed in. Why? Because their reaction is always something like, "I haven't touched a jump rope in years!" At the end of the day, our goal at CrossFit Black Ridge is for you to push the limits that you've set on yourself in your life. Jumping rope is such a versatile exercise. You can feel your heart rate spike, your breathing pick up, and your coordination get tested almost immediately. While it is not “functional” in the traditional sense of everyday life movements, it is still incredibly valuable. The jump rope trains coordination in a way very few other movements can. It forces timing between your hands and feet, builds rhythm, and challenges your ability to stay relaxed under fatigue (extremely important for endurance). It also develops agility, speed, and stamina, all in a very accessible way. One of the biggest reasons we use jump rope so often at CrossFit Black Ridge is because of its versatility. It requires very little space, and can be scaled to any level. A beginner can start with single-unders, focusing on timing and consistency, while a more advanced athlete can push intensity with doubles, triples, cross-overs, etc. Once the skill is learned, it becomes one of the most effective conditioning tools we have. Anyone who has struggled through a set of double-unders knows how quickly it can elevate the heart rate and test mental toughness. At the same time, not everyone enjoys jumping rope, and that is understandable. It can be frustrating to learn, especially when coordination does not come naturally. Missing reps, tripping on the rope, and starting over can test anyone’s patience. That frustration is exactly why it is worth doing. The jump rope teaches persistence, focus, and skill development in a very real way. At CrossFit Black Ridge, we are not chasing perfection, we are building progress. Every missed rep is part of the process, and every breakthrough is earned. Get in the gym. We're offering $100 off your new membership now through the 31st of March '26. - CrossFit Black Ridge - Coach Robby Bennett
Not just working harder, but moving better. Today’s focus is the split jerk. The split jerk is one of the best examples of a true core-to-extremity movement. Power starts at the hips, transfers through the core, and finishes with a fast, aggressive lockout overhead. When done well, it looks effortless. When done poorly, it can feel impossible. That’s why we don’t just jump straight into it. We build it. Our progression today: It starts with the push press. Then progresses to the push jerk. Then finally, the split jerk. Each movement teaches something different. The push press builds raw strength and sets the ceiling. The push jerk introduces speed and timing. It teaches you how to re-bend and receive the bar. The split jerk adds precision, footwork, and stability. It allows you to move the most weight, but only if the previous steps are solid. We look at it like this, today: 5 sets of: 3 push presses 2 push jerks 1 split jerk Not just as a rep scheme, but as a progression. At CrossFit Black Ridge, we are not chasing perfection. We are building progress. Every rep is an opportunity to move better, become more efficient, and gain confidence under the bar. Strength matters. Technique matters more. When the two come together, that’s where real progress happens. - CrossFit Black Ridge -Coach Robby Bennett
When it comes to proper recovery and fueling for exercise, there’s a lot of noise out there, so here's a little more*. Social media will tell you a million different ways to recover. New supplements. Complicated meal plans. Perfect timing windows. Here’s the truth, once you pass a certain level of performance and fitness, those things become more necessary... but most people don’t need more complexity. They need more consistency. At its core, recovery starts with two things: sleep and food. Sleep is the most powerful recovery tool you have. If you are not getting enough of it, everything else suffers. Your performance drops. Your energy tanks. Your body simply cannot repair itself the way it is designed to. Then comes food. CrossFit’s simple nutrition prescription says it best: "Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar." That’s it. Simple, not easy. Most people do not need a nutritionist or a scale to weigh every gram of food. They need to build better habits. Prioritize a solid protein source and vegetables at every meal, and you will cover a huge portion of what your body actually needs. Nutrition does not have to be complicated to be effective. Your body is also smarter than you think. When you consistently fuel it well, it does a great job of telling you when to eat and when you have had enough. Next up: hydration. Drinking enough water plays a bigger role than most people realize. Proper hydration improves sleep, helps with mental clarity, and supports overall recovery. If you are under-hydrated, you are under-recovered. It is that simple. After sleep, food, and water, you can start to look at additional tools to aid your physical recovery. One of the most researched and proven supplements out there is creatine monohydrate. Studies, including research from the National Library of Medicine site . The Article is titled "Creatine in Health and Disease", have shown significant benefits in muscle growth and athletic performance, improving how your body stores and uses energy. It has also been linked to benefits in reducing fatigue and even supporting brain health. Then there are recovery modalities like cold plunges, and saunas. These are not magic fixes, but they can absolutely support your recovery when used consistently. Cold exposure can help reduce soreness. Heat can relax muscles, improve circulation, and help you unwind. If you are looking for a simple way to add this into your routine, check out Zion Canyon Hot Springs just across the street. It is an easy way to relax, recover, and take care of your body outside the gym. At the end of the day, recovery is not about doing everything. It is about doing the basics, really well: Sleep enough. Eat real food. Drink water. Then, if you want to level up, layer in the extras. Consistency will always beat complexity. -CrossFit Black Ridge -Coach Robby Bennett *We are not licensed nutritionists or health professionals. All of the information in this article is purely to spark interest on certain subjects in their most basic of forms. Consult a doctor before making any changes to your lifestyle or physical activity, and even diet.
