The endurance realm of training has always fascinated me, especially after my initial shift in training several years ago from traditional bodybuilding methodology to focusing on measurable work capacity and function. Broadly, the crux here is that the current paradigm of volume loading (i.e. ramp up in mileage = ramp up in endurance performance) has many problems, primarily being the injury rate of endurance athletes. Crossfit Endurance looks at how we can augment this training protocol by decreasing training volume (i.e. less time per week training, less total mileage), increasing intensity (short, fast) in order to find/maintain the highest possible level of performance with much less risk of injury. What a mouthful. In all seriousness, this stuff is groundbreaking and I was thrilled at the prospect of attending a certification seminar with one of their head dudes.
While I've coached since 2007, I am not properly a "coach" now, and I haven't coached for about a year now. Given this there was two main things driving me to this event: partly the opportunity to learn new things and the pleasure of academic discussion, and partly to meet new people in the twin cities fitness circle. Along with this, my expectations for the event were to explore Crossfit training as it pertains to the endurance athlete and to analyze running technique and endurance-specific training methodology. This post will not serve as a regurgitation of what I learned (PM me for notes, if you wish), but rather a review of several elements surrounding what went down.
Let's break up this bad boy into parts: The Staff, The Lectures, The Drills/Analysis, Logistics/Critique, and Takeaway.
Staff -- The leader of the seminar was Dan Hollingsworth, a head coach at Crossfit Endurance hailing from Kitsap Crossfit in Pousblo, WA. Coach Dan ran the event delivering each lecture and series of drills himself. His background is impressive having competed in endurance events and being a part of the "inner circle" for many years (notably completing 30+ tri's, 8 marathons, a 50-miler). He's well-spoken and credible and his delivery style was engaging. One aspect that stands out is his understanding of the "traditional" endurance community and style of training. Discussion was never in terms of "us vs. them,' but rather in terms of an evolution and continuance of what they do well and critique of what's not working. While demonstrating command of the seminar, Dan was approachable as well and offered personal coaching throughout the drill progressions -- something that wasn't expected and greatly added to the experience. Lastly, I left the weekend with a handful of stories and anecdotes that will undoubtedly influence how I coach -- Dan's personal touch here made it clear he not only understands the material but cares deeply about the significant shift in methodology CFE proposes.
Lectures -- We covered the gamut as far as content is concerned, covering more ground than expected. The format was well-organized, first laying down a context/framework for what was to come and then filling in the blanks. I never felt as if something wasn't fully developed or left out and nothing really felt out of place. There was adequate time for questions and a sense of balance between story time, evidence, and application. I'd rather not go into more specific discussion here, but I will say my favorite module was nutrition ("Are you eating to train or training to eat?") closely followed by the programming discussion of what makes up an effective/balanced routine. In summary, each lecture left me with a nugget worth integrating to my current approach and overall shaped my perspective of how to train smarter.
Drills/Analysis --While the lectures were neat and engaging, the drilling portion of the weekend was most rewarding for me. I am now armed with a toolbox of running-specific skill work drills that has already influenced my technique for the better. I was especially surprised how simple/fundamental the terms were the Dan used to describe efficient running. I expected more technical terms of articulations and joints and movement patterns (partly from what I've heard about the mobility cert, another seminar I'd like to attend) but even without that the material here was both effective and manageable. Without the high-level tech-talk, I also feel better primed to teach this stuff myself.
If I were name a single element, however, that provided the greatest amount of substance this weekend it would be the video analysis of each participant's running stride. I had never seen myself run from the side before, and seeing this for the first time was insightful, especially given Dan's expert breakdown of positioning and faults. We completed this twice, once the first day and again on the second, with change evident in almost each participant. I challenge any other seminar to demonstrate such a degree of influence in less than 24 hours... seeing this first hand was motivating and makes me (even more than before) confident in the CFE method.
Logistics/Critique -- The space, Side Door Crossfit, was a great venue to host the event. Max was an excellent host offering help whenever possible while also making himself available for any unique needs. There was ample room for us to work and even a track for drill work on the first day. I have nothing really to critique here other than the chairs being slightly uncomfortable (and I would have preferred sitting at a table), but the execution was still just about flawless. I wouldn't hesitate recommending Sidedoor for future certs of any kind. In general, one critique I have for the event is having more of a focus on scientific evidence. Dan was well-prepared with the content and didn't ever have to use notes, but there were several times when he would share a statistic or scientific anecdote and not be fully aware of the protocol or statistic. We all got the "just" here, but having these figures on hand are something that's important to me as a coach when sharing with others. That said, the slides we received point to the direct studies so I am able to look up, for the most part, what I need.
Takeaway -- Even though I'm not coaching at the moment, I got a ton out of this weekend. From the material to video analysis and new friends, the experience was overwhelmingly positive. Huge thanks to Dan for his time and for what he's contributed to the endurance community. To anyone considering attending a CFE cert: you won't regret it. I had thoughts of just scraping their message boards and powerpoints for what would be covered, but having Dan as a resource to bounce idea off is invaluable and along with the hands-on and personal instruction I feel it was a great value in terms of price (especially knowing it's 1/2 as much as the Crossfit level 1 cert). In conclusion, Dan is a rockstar and the this was a weekend well-spent -- the CFE content is ground-breaking and is beginning to influence and define the gold standard of effective endurance training and attending was a fun time. Now for putting things to practice... (to be continued)
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