Jenny chimes in on the “need” to drink water mid-WOD: 

Mid-WOD you become aware of that thick, nasty coating inside your mouth. You think to yourself how gratifying a sip of water would feel. If you stop to drink that water, you’d build in a little rest time too. Should you take a quick break? 

If this thought occurs during “Murph,” by all means, I support your decision to take a sip or two. However, if this thought occurs to you mid-“Helen” or 9 pull-ups away from finishing Fran, I recommend you to use that thirst as motivation to finish quicker.

What difference does it make? A lot. Murph is an endurance WOD, where as Helen and Fran are designed to be high intensity WODs. If you stop your high-intensity train dead in its tracks, not only do you inhibit your fitness development, but you also miss out on capturing the designed stimulus of the workout.

Mid-WOD moments where you contemplate taking a sip of water, re-chalking your hands or even intentionally resting for 10 seconds, make it gut-check time. Push through the discomfort of thirst, sweaty hands and labored breathing. Try to get more comfortable being uncomfortable. Every second you continue to work, you build up things like cardiovascular endurance, grip strength & mental fortitude. Not to mention, you’ll also likely set a new PR in the process.