Sunday
3km TT - except I mucked up the distance!! Sorry to Mike and Lesa, you were caning it!
Tuesday
Tabata Row, 8 rounds of 20sec on/10 sec off; record min and max distance
Rest 5 mins
Tabata-esque Run, 8 x 100m, 10 sec rest; record total time.
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March 2011
03/29/2011
03/23/2011
03/21/2011
It's all about the iron.....
One of the misconceptions about the CrossFit Endurance program is what the magic bullet is exactly?
Is it the interval training?
Is it the hill repeats?
The time trials?
The Tabatas?
The answer is none of the above.
It's all really important, don't get me wrong. It's VERY important to include all of these types of workouts in your program, many cookie cutter, linear volume training programs would benefit immensely from mixing up the longer runs with some of the above.
But the real secret? The thing that supercharges this program and puts it above all other endurance programming?
It's strength training.
And I'm not talking about dropping down for 10 pushups every couple of kms during a 60 min jog. I'm talking about real life, honest to goodness, heavy weight lifting.
Deadlifts, back squats, pullups, clean and jerks etc.
These exercises put load on the joints, ligaments and your spine, and these structures adapt just like muscles do. Strengthening these structures with heavy low reps allows you to handle the more repetitive pounding of a long run, ride or swim. Throw in the above mentioned intervals and tempo work and you will build stamina that cannot be matched.
Many athletes understand the value of higher intensity training, but only transfer it to their sport, instead of the ultimate in high intensity exercise - weightlifting.
Does it make any sense? Trust us. If we can get you doing 10km flat out at 100% effort, you will have no problem knocking off 42.
Actually, don't trust us, go do some research and come back to us, if you think we might be what you've been looking for.
Workout
4 x 400m with 3 min recovery. (Must keep efforts within 5sec or 20 burpee penalty!)
03/15/2011
Tuesday - Tabatas
The Crossfit Endurance model is still pretty controversial in the convential wisdom of endurance training. But it's gaining headway. Slowly but surely.
There is plenty of hard science out there showing that weightliftng and interval training will improve your stamina and endurance. Here's one study. And another.
Sure science doesn't tell the full story and isn't always accurate in the real world.
So how about some real world results.
Personally, in 2009 I tested my 5km every two months, while only performing CrossFit workouts, of which none had longer than 1.6km of continuous running, in fact 90% of the runs would have been between 100-400m.
The results were:
- 25:30
- 23:33
- 21:52
- 20:07
- 19:23
It works.
Sure, I got huge improvements because I wasn't much of a runner to begin with. Well how about this testimonial from CFNZ Endurance athlete Nick Linton (pictured above)?
"Having come from traditional endurance training methods, to CrossFit Endurance, I can say from personal experience that the CFE methodology is by far, the 'holy grail'.
It's so difficult to get your head around the fact that you don't need to train long to go long. This is especially hard for endurance athletes to understand and accept - why do I know this? Because I used to be a big believer in the miles. In fact, when I first started CFE, it took me three days before I called my coach, Darren Ellis of CrossFit New Zealand and told him it was bullshit and that he wasn't an endurance athlete and he didn't understand, that I "HAD" to do the miles. I "HAD" to get that 30kmer in on the weekend. But there's one thing you can't argue with: results.
I've completed 100mile ultra-marathons and ultra-marathon length swims through CFE and there's no way that you can fake your way through ultra-endurance sport. I can deadlift 180kg, and in the very same week, go out and run an ultra-marathon. The short, intense and heavy strength and conditioning workouts that CrossFit and CFE provide gives my body the STRENGTH to handle the demands of my sport, as opposed to just getting my body 'used' to the distance through traditional training methods.
CrossFit and CFE has given me the opportunity to become a more rounded athlete, free of overuse injuries, while still being able to participate in ultra-endurance sport, giving me more time with my family, friends and other facets of my life."
Yep, this stuff works.....
Workout
Tabata Rowing. 8 rounds of 20 sec on: 10 sec off. Score best and worst distance.
Rest 5 mins
Tabata-esque Runs. 8 rounds of 100m sprint: 10 sec off. Score total time
03/13/2011
03/08/2011
Why become a member of CFNZ Endurance?
Today's workout was.... 100m sprints with descending rest of 60-50-40-30-20-10 sec. 3 full rounds for total time.
Five runners along this morning to run 100m sprints with a gnarly little twist - descending rest periods. Starting out with an easy, relaxing 60 second recovery and whittle 10 sec off every sprint until you're barely hanging on at 10 sec. Not to worry, you get to start the next round with 60 again......... :) Definitely a workout to be done in a group.
I always say that second is the best place to be during training; someone to chase, and someone to chase you. A guaranteed great workout. Obviously its a different story in competition.........
It's great to have a team that you can work out with. When you have people you respect and like sweating and hurting alongside you, it makes the whole training experience a pleasure. But of course the type of training you're doing is important too.
There are many different training programs in the endurance world, and amongst our clients and coaches we've probably tried them all. Some aren't too bad, some are rubbish (particularly the cookie cutter, high volume templates you get for free on event websites and in magazines). CrossFit Endurance is quite literally about to change the face of endurance training. With recent exposure in Tim Ferris' new book and certifications for the CrossFit community, they are rapidly taking the world by storm.
The brains behind CFE, Brian MacKenzie, recently started working with the editor of Competitor Mag. There's a couple of good articles up on the right side of this site to read about TJ Murphy's experiences. Take a read.
We're pretty excited to be leading the way in this country for Pose running and CrossFit Endurance. We might be small now, but just wait. Something this revolutionary can take a while to take hold. Just ask our ultra-runner that knocked off a 100 mile event after 9 weeks training, yet questioned the ridiculously low volume (less than 20km per week) the whole time. Afterwards he obviously had to accept that the results spoke for themselves.
This resistance is pretty common though, our programming and coaching methods often get us accused of exaggerating. How is it possible, for instance, to run less....and get faster? To eliminate knee pain by powerlifting? And the kicker, how can we stand there and tell you with a straight face that you can build endurance without running/cycling/swimming at all?
Read through this site, the CrossFit Endurance website and you'll find out. You can find workouts, race results, as well as the occasional informative article.
Now this program might sound pretty amazing right now, especially if you are a 'grass is greener' type of person, always looking for a better training program. Don't you know that it's always the program you're not on?! :)
CrossFit Endurance however, just might be the holy grail of programs. It has variety, emphasis on technique and injury prevention, but here's the catch - it takes serious dedication to make it work. The workouts are hard. Really hard. That doesn't mean you have to be an elite athlete, it just means that no matter your fitness level, you have to put in 100% effort for it to work. That's why we recommend joining our group - it's much easier to share suffering than go it alone.......
If you are interested, give me a shout at darren@crossfitnz.co.nz
03/01/2011
Workouts with consequences......
Workout Tue 01 March
3 x 800m with 90 sec rest. Stay within 5 seconds of fastest and slowest times or 20 burpee penalty.
Intervals can be tough to run alone. When you find yourself justifying a reduction in sets mid workout because you are:
- late for work
- not warmed up enough
- getting over man flu
- wearing Inov8 230's instead of the much faster 220's
, then you need to recognise that you are being a pussy. One way to avoid choking on your workout is to train with others. That is one of the many reasons CrossFit and any decent type of exercise in a group is so awesome.
If you can't find a friend to train with, then create a consequence for yourself if you fail to complete the required workload or effort.
Burpees are a classic punishment consequence exercise. No sane person likes them, and so will strive extra hard to avoid them.
Todays session was the first time CFNZE athletes were exposed to this, and unfortunately, they all ended up doing burpees. As they get more experienced they will get a better feel for pacing, and be able to hold intervals within a few seconds with ease. This pacing ability will help during time trials and races in the future. It will also help them to avoid burpees during our training sessions.........
Running and heart attacks
Go to any marathon and you will see an amazing cross section of people putting it on the line in order to complete a 42km run and put a tick on their bucket list.
But for those people who have dragged their formerly inactive butts out of bed before the crack of dawn and struggled through a generic 'Nine Weeks to a Marathon!' program, are the rigours of a 5-6 hour run really worth it? This article suggests not.
Sunday workout 27 Feb
1 mile TT
