Endurance class kicked off last week and it has been awesome! Classes have been bumpin’! We’ve been squatting, crawling under stuff, jumping over stuff, pushing sleds, pulling sleds, throwin’ sandbags around, and a whole bunch of other fun things.
As the weather improves we will slowly incorporate more things outside. This opens up all sorts of opportunities for fun new things. I want everyone to have at least one opportunity to smack a giant tire with a lead pipe. Fitness should feel good.
One question I’ve received a few times is “How can I fit endurance into my regularly scheduled fitness?”
Fortunately that’s easy! Every day has a specific focus, so you always have a general idea of what you’re getting. Let’s take a look inside:
Monday – Speed Day
On Mondays we are focusing on speed, so you’re going to see lots of quick bursts and all out effort with periods of recovery in between. This type of training (in the volumes we will be using) isn’t significantly taxing on the nervous system, and the movements we utilize don’t have a very large eccentric (lowering) portion, so we can sprint and sled push to our hearts’ content and not feel all that sore the next day. What a deal!
Speed Day is a perfect choice for when you want to get a nice, tough workout in but don’t necessarily feel like lifting any heavy weights that day. Fans of sprinting and/or pushing yourself – I’m looking at you. Athletes looking to improve expressing power, this is your class.
Tuesday – Tempo Day
First off, we are squatting on this day. For the first cycle of Endurance we will be doing high volume squats with a slow descent and using lighter weights. We will build up the volume slowly over time, but unlike Speed Day, this will very likely make you sore at first. We gotta beat those legs up to make them faster and stronger. The good news is your legs will adjust and soreness will eventually be minimal.
For the workout portion: Where Speed Day sees us giving short blasts of high intensity, tempo day will have us doing longer intervals, focusing on an appropriate pace, followed by a little bit of recovery, then back into another interval. We’re going to learn what “appropriate pace” means for each of us and then how to sustain it.
Tempo Day is a great choice if you want to build some muscle, learn to pace yourself in workouts, and love to go hard with the payoff of a few minutes of rest. Do you do great for the first few minutes or rounds of a workout only to crash near the end? Join the #enduranceclub and hit up Tempo Day.
Wednesday – Long Cardio
This is exactly what it sounds like. On Long Cardio day we dial back the intensity and learn to go looooong. Instead of intervals of high intensity with some rest built in, we’re going to have one big “interval” without rest built in. This means you’ll learn to move at a rate that allows you to not have to rest. The saying “it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon” applies here.
Long Cardio day is going to be your jam if you feel like going into your happy place and just gettin’ some work done. People looking to run a race (5k/10k/trail run/marathon/whatever) should check out this class as long periods of movement will be your bread and butter. If your goal is to be a well-rounded Crossfit athlete or just increase your overall fitness and you’ve never gone beyond the 25 minute mark, then the choice is obvious. Lastly, if your goal is to compete in Crossfit, I recommend you to check out the times for the first event in the 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2012 Crossfit Games and I will see you Wednesdays!
Thursday – Hybrid Day
For the first cycle this is also a lifting day. Our first focus will be on the Romanian Deadlift or “RDL”. Similar to the squats, we will be doing higher volume with lighter weights. We’ll get your hamstrings evened out with the big ol’ quads you’re getting from squatting.
The workouts will be a combo of speed and tempo day. In my opinion, this day will get you the best bang for your buck. Whether we are working on quick, intense intervals or slightly longer intervals at varied intensities – we are developing the ability to recover quickly as well as the skill of maintaining pace. These skills are crucial to people looking to run a race, or folks who want to up their game in a sport like soccer or basketball.
Saturday – Running Day
This class will start in April when (fingers crossed) the weather gets nicer. Our resident Endurance Sage, Coach Adam Iverson, will lead everyone on a run. This will be scalable to everyone of all fitness levels, so no need to fret if you’re new to running and want to get into it. This class is perfect for racers, folks looking to get some supplementary cardio in, and ESPECIALLY people who currently hate running. Are you like me and only run when it’s programmed in a workout, make sure your emergency contact is filled out beforehand, and hate every second of it? There’s got to be a better way! Here it is, friend. Running Day.
Now that you have a little more insight into the current trajectory of the first Endurance cycle, hopefully you can pick and choose what day(s) you want to incorporate Endurance into your routine. The nice thing is that Crossfit classes will compliment Endurance and vice versa, so gains are inevitable.
If you have any questions about the specifics of getting some Endurance class into your life, email me at [email protected] and we can gab about it.