Unbreakable Runner

Unbreakable Runner – T.J. Murphy & Brian MacKenzie

Summary: How to combine (explosive) strength with endurance (marathon) training.

Unleash the power of strength & conditioning for a lifetime of running strong

CrossFit uses compound functional exercises, such as burpees, that recruit a swath of muscle groups.

CrossFit Endurance (CFE) – sustained or improved performance while running fewer miles overall – reduced injury risk as ‘junk’ mileage is replaced with functional fitness workouts that train the same energy systems – increased explosive power and speed – less damage to mobility and range of motion through incorporating workouts that improve range of motion in the joints and muscle tissues – increased production of human growth hormone, which helps counter the natural loss of muscle mass that comes with age – revved-up fat-burning metabolism to burn excess body fat – improved coordination of upper- and lower-body muscle groups through the inclusion of compound movements in training – better race performance through greater strength, improved form, and greater running efficiency

HIIIT (central to the program)

Born to Run – Christopher McDougall – Tarahumara runners

Land on the front of the foot, not on the padded back

The CFE philosophy: Developing Skill and Technique – develop a race cadence – develop op proper forward lean – land underneath your center of gravity – keep contact time brief – pull with the hamstring – maintain proper posture and position – be patient

Mobility! – mobility exercises – 1 minute for each – roll lacrosse/massage ball under each foot – use massage stick on calf muscles – roll thighs over foam roller – roll IT bands (hip to knee) over foam roller – roll hamstrings over foam roller – roll (longer) for hip and lower back

– tighten the core – walk barefoot

Endurance with teeth

Overtraining – avoid it In CFE, mileage is relatively low, but every run is targeted to deliver maximum endurance and speed benefits. – vs LSD, long slow distance – which should increase fat burning efficiency LSD improves a runner’s ability to stay in the aerobic zone and to burn carbohydrate and fat most efficiently – but, reduce mobility, range of motion, and explosive power, resulting in muscular imbalances and postural weakness – high-mileage training can have negative effects on overall health. It can increase stress on the endocrine system, accelerate ageing, and compromise the immune system

CFE to: – increase bone density. High-intensity/power method is less likely to cause stress fractures – build tendon and ligament strength. 6 weeks of weight training can also generate substantial connective tissue gain – improving capillary growth. High-intensity exercise can increase capillary networks within 4 weeks around both fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers – maximise fat burning. Fat-burning power of interval training, in which high-intensity training periods are alternated with short rest periods. – improve running economy. VO2 max training.

Fewer than 20 percent of motor units are recruited in a marathoner’s legs at any time during competition, so it’s not a matter of the runner having failed to build an endurance base. – source of the problem is the failure of the runner to more fully engage these neural connections during training – focus on stimulating something called the neural governor – calibrating exercise intensity and neural output – to get faster or run farther, a runner must overcome the limits set by the neural governor – via high-intensity, explosive strength training

Runner trains via a weekly template that incorporates all of the target components of training. – CFE runner remains at 95 percent of working potential and can race year-round

Fewer miles can lead to better running, as long as intensity is boosted – minimum effective dose – making every step count

Strength & conditioning workouts for the CFE runner

No scientific study has ever linked advances in running-training volume beyond 57 miles per week with increases in running performance-related physiological variables

Circuit training advances aerobic capacity, lactate threshold, running economy, and VO2 max – and improves coordination, so a faster stride rate, better running form, neuromuscular development

High-intensity circuit training (HICT)

The combination of aerobic and resistance training in a high-intensity, limited-rest design can deliver numerous health benefits in much less time than traditional programs

Choosing a gym – some have CFE coaches – do your homework, visit as many gyms as you can, and try to interview the coaches – via crossfit.com – ask them how they plan the workouts – should be able to tell you why each workout is programmed – what the overall training effect is – ask how a runner might best fit in the program – try introductory workout

Wildhearts = profi RTM = big Hofplein = convenient, not too pricy

Nutrition the CFE way

More important than what you eat in a competition is refining how you eat day to day

Good nutrition is a high priority and is considered essential to health, longevity, performance, tissue repair, and hormonal balance.

Dumping sugar (fast carbs) on the body is not good. The system becomes overloaded, we become insulin-resistant (type II diabetes). – runners are not immune to this

Low-carb, low-inflammation diet

There is always individual variation

– shop the perimeter of the grocery store – eat real food – meat (if any, grass fed) – fish (wild-caught) – vegetables and fruit (focus on veg) – dairy, legumes, grains, sugars, and sugar substitutes (avoid them) – get blood panels (c-reactive protein) – water (drink lots)

Dr Robert Lustig Gary Taubes

Consume carbohydrate to enhance recovery