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COMMITTED NIHILISTS
Obj: Power, Power Endurance
Warm up: 4x Barbell Complex
Training:
(1) Work up to 1RM Push Press
(2) 5 Rounds
4x Push Press @ 75%
1x Tire Drag
(3) 3 Rounds for Time
Run 400m with hill
10x Renegade Man Makers @ 35# dumbbells
(4) 3 Rounds
Max strict pull ups + 3 negatives
5x Slashers each side @ 24kg
Comments:
What started as an "unload" week got a little grisly with "Committed Nihilists".
It's hard to "unload" the damn barbell complex, then the run + renegade man maker combo just plain sucked, even
though most athletes finished in around 15 minutes.
When the roads are dry enough, I favor a running-based, power endurance effort over a rower, or gym based effort. One
of the many conflicting things I find in the literature from the "experts" is the transferability of cardio-modes
to one another.
By "cardio-mode" I mean running, rowing, swimming, biking - or non-gym based ways to make athletes breath.
Part of the goal is to train energy systems. Expert Endurance coaches describe training our aerobic energy system buy
doing long, slow, distance training. We burn fat for energy on these efforts, and the more we do, the more efficient we become.
This is bad for losing weight, but great for performance on endurance efforts.
Heart rate training experts like Joe Friel, however, note that the aerobic "zone" and other heart rate zones
differ between modes. In other words, working hard while running occurs at a lower heart rate than at biking and swimming.
Glassman says aerobic conditioning is definitely "mode specific" - which is why great endurance athletes will
"blow up" aerobically when subjected to their first intense CrossFit-inspired circuit which includes a barbell or
dumbbell exercise.
So, we need to train mode specifically - according to our sport - in addition to general conditioning.
I've had big guys who could crush the rower, but get crushed by a run. Thing is, rarely do you row anywhere in the mountains.
So the rower is a great general conditioning tool, but its transferability to running and hiking uphill is not perfect. And
I've had guides who can run and hike uphill fast and forever, likewise "flail" when subjected at first to the rower.
One of the dangers of our programing is we can lose site of the goal. We train in the gym to complement and improve our
training and performance in the field, or for our sport. The gym training can become its own "sport" - which can
lead to neglect of our sport specific training and practice.
The CrossFit advocates argue that their approach is the best preparation for many sports and they point to how well CrossFitters
do in competitions as proof.
They could be right, but this has not been my experience. Hybrid training may take you far down the competition road,
but to truly be elite, I believe most athletes need to more and more sport specific in their training the closer they get
to the competing season.
Often I'll get questions from people living far from Jackson who are scheduled to vacation here in a few weeks and climb
the Grand Teton, take a long back packing trip, or something similar. They'll see the website, check out the workouts and
ask where they should begin.
My answer - Load up a back pack with 25-75# and climb hills, stairs, or whatever. In a short time frame, this will most
prepare them for their vacation and give them the most bang for their short preparation time.
I do this myself, along with grip-intensive training at the rock gym, to complement my gym training.
By having my athletes run more during the dry season during their gym training, hopefully I'm adding to this sport-specific
goal.
- Rob Shaul
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| End of the "Renegade Man Maker" |
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| Shawn, Allison, fired up |
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| Brandy, Joe |
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| Renae puts the hammer down |
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