Shanna Duvall is loading 45-pound plates onto a barbell for a set of squats. After that, she’ll move to pull ups, then back to squats. It’s a typical scene in any CrossFit studio, where athletes combine Olympic style weightlifting, gymnastics, and functional movements in what has become the biggest fitness trend in the last decade. The only difference is that Duvall is a runner, using CrossFit to accomplish her goal of running a sub-five-minute mile.
Conventional wisdom dictates that if you want to be a better runner, you have to run more. It’s a simple training philosophy that most athletes follow with varying degrees of success, but a growing number of runners like Duvall are turning to CrossFit Endurance (which combines CrossFit with some running) to get faster and run farther while avoiding injuries associated with over-training.
“I spent more time on the elliptical than on the track in college,” says Duvall, who ran the 10K and 5K at Kent State University, but was plagued by constant injuries. “I had imbalances that my coaches never addressed. There was no strength training. We never stepped back to look at the big picture.”
According to Duvall, CrossFit addresses the big picture by building total body strength, something that most runners tend to ignore for fear that the extra bulk associated with strength training will result in slower finish times.
Adam Eidson is an ultrarunner who owns RARE CrossFit in Fredericksburg, Va. He sees skeptical runners on a daily basis. “Runners don’t want to be big like body builders, but we need power. CrossFit can get you the strength and power without the bulk.”
It’s a tough sell. Type CrossFit into YouTube and you’ll find vids of really big dudes doing power squats, but Eidson says CrossFit is completely scalable to an athlete’s specific goals, especially for runners looking to get fast.
“Eighty percent of new athletes come in here and automatically ask, ‘Where’s the cardio?’” Eidson says. “I tell them not to worry: I’ll get their heart rate up.”
Here’s why CrossFit works for runners: exercise sessions are timed. You may be doing sets of squats and pull-ups, but you’re doing them for speed, which creates intensity. CrossFit workouts also tend to combine exercises that work different muscle systems. The combination of full body movements and power lifting set to a clock creates an intensity that you simply don’t find in other workout programs, making CrossFit an ideal cross training program for runners who crave cardio, but need strength training whether they realize it or not.
“Any time you do one exercise over and over, like running, you’re creating imbalances in your body,” says Duvall, who was so smitten with CrossFit’s holistic nature she opened her own studio. “You think you’re fit, but when you begin to look at muscle systems individually, you realize there are weaknesses,” Duvall says. “And that’s when you get injured.”
But CrossFit will only take a runner so far. The training sessions will build a more balanced body and could shave time off your desired distance, but you can’t ditch running altogether. Eidson’s aspiring marathoners still put in occasional long runs of up to 13 miles, and Duvall will soon hit the track to build the form and speed she needs to break her five-minute-mile goal.
“Crossfit is used as a baseline to build strength, then you get into the specialty training,” Duvall says.
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Power Bracelets Debunked Power Balance bracelets claim to have an “electrical frequency” imprinted onto a mylar hologram that “resonates with and responds to the body’s natural energy field,” resulting in improved speed, strength, and balance. Pro athletes from Shaquille O’Neal to surfer Bruce Irons swear by the bracelets, which reached $35 million in global sales in 2010. However, the technology behind the bracelets was recently debunked. According to a University of Wisconsin study, there is no difference in the performance of athletes, whether they wear Power Balance bracelets or silicon bracelets without the holograms. After pressure from Australian authorities, Power Balance released the statement, “We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that supports our claims.”
Seasonal Superfoods Work these two veggies into your dinner a couple of times a week this spring, and load up on B vitamins and antioxidants.
Artichokes: They’re in season from March until May in the South, and they come packed with 10 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and the highest antioxidant content of any veggie according to the USDA. Note: Romans considered them an aphrodisiac. Just sayin’.
Asparagus: One of the earliest veggies to pop out of the ground in the spring, asparagus is packed with vitamin C, K, B2, B5, B6, and omega fatty acids. It’s like a multivitamin from the ground.