Before I get into workout plans I want to touch on how important it is to me to have a goal/ priorities list. Why do you get out of bed every day? Please take a moment to think about that. I have 3 missions to succeed at once I wake up. 1.Family 2.Work 3.Training... I have sub goals and priorities that fall under the three main goals, but it's important to me to know why I'm getting out of bed and what I'm working towards. If I break things down like this it makes succeeding very visible and feasible. I challenge you to ask yourself why you get out of bed? Do you have enough goals/priorities? Or should you shrink your list down in order to put more time and energy into succeeding at the most important tasks at hand? I know life is chaotic at times and with 2 sons under 2 years old it can be hard to handle, but keep that chin up and have that never quit attitude! Be "UNSCARED"
Getting into the world of WODs and why I drank their "kool-aid" For those of you not familiar to the acronym WOD, it stands for Workout Of the Day. It is used by CrossFitters. I have been doing CrossFit since 2009. This approach to fitness has changed my life without a doubt! I did Olympic lifts in high school and college for football, but the programming style of CrossFit is what makes it so fresh and exciting. I rely on this method of surprise in my workouts meaning I only look at the workout the day of so I have little time to prepare and think about it. This keeps the suspense and surprise at a high level, just where I like it. So, CrossFit, in a nutshell, is a core strength and conditioning program which combines constantly varied, functional movements, and performs them at increasing intensity. It is evidence-based fitness that prepares the athlete for any physical contingency. We are the "sport of fitness". CrossFit develops 10 general physical skills: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordinaton, agility, balance, and accuracy.
As an aspiring Ultra Distance runner this approach seemed to make sense to me! Now I will be the first to tell you that CrossFit alone is not enough for an ultra distance running athlete. Please welcome CrossFit Endurance and my fitness role model Brian Mackenzie. To learn more on the infamous and controversial Brian Mackenzie please follow this link: http://www.gotrimax.com/TriMaxBmac.htm
CrossFit Endurance is a program designed specifically for endurance athletes like me. It's core programming relies heavy on power, strength, and endurance. Building your body up for an endurance event instead of breaking it down with too many LSDs...or long slow distance runs. Interval speed training, time trials, and hill workouts are a main piece of the pie in that they build endurance very efficiently without putting in so many repetitive long slow distance runs. It's about running at a much faster pace in training than you will in your race which leads to faster times and increased efficiency because you are not over doing the mileage and your body learns to recover faster! Unlike your typical running program CrossFit Endurance stresses SKILLS. Just like every other sport, skill is a must to be successful. Running as a skill is something we don't think about a lot. Skill is vital though; as a swimmer practices their strokes constantly searching for the most efficient technique. Runners should practice their technique with the same tenacity. CrossFit Endurance takes skill training to a new level and for this I have improved how I move and run utilizing gravity more efficiently to propel myself through space. I have also cut down on lots of the soreness attributed to poor running mechanics which has lead me to perform on a high level more often.
Why 3 WODs are better than 1!
With the CrossFit Endurance model you do a strength and conditioning WOD, a skill based WOD, and an endurance WOD. These 3 pieces all work hand in hand. These 3 pieces are what I give most of my endurance success to. The work and effort you apply is up to you of course, this is where you, the training plan, and your work ethic can come together and achieve something special. You can search high and low on the Internet to find the perfect workout system, but in the end it comes down to you and how bad you want it. I have lots of friends in the endurance community and between all of them there are only a few ways to become a successful endurance athlete. I chose CrossFit Endurance as my weapon of choice to battle the endurance races. CrossFit Endurance is a very controversial topic among most endurance athletes. They say why take a chance on that program? I say why not? It makes perfect sense to me. I am a hybrid athlete when it comes to training because I have Love for, and am proficient at both aspects of anaerobic training speed and strength training and aerobic training where as most endurance athletes only work on or rely heavy on the later. I have some close friends in the exercise science world and to them this approach makes sense as well. I predict that this model will be the norm within the next 5-10 years for the endurance world because it will lengthen your career in endurance running, cut down on injuries, and it will help you to become a more well rounded and complete athlete. I Call it the Evolution of the Endurance athlete.
Visit CrossFit Endurance to learn more.
http://www.crossfitendurance.com/
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