Crossfit for Endurance - It Works!

[Jared Kallio]

Hello to all!

I apologize in advance for the length but here goes!

This spring/summer will be my 3rd year participating in endurance sports. I have a background in Exercise Science and a CSCS, *D certification so naturally I trained with the LSD principles and progressed through every "phase" of each season. I was a 6', 195 lb weight lifter prior but a thyroid issue dropped me down to 155 before I settled back in around 175 lbs.

There was moderate success the first two seasons. Last year I placed top 10 in my age group in all 4 races (sprint/olympic). Also had a 3:47 in my first marathon in October. I was not looking forward to another season of "phases" of training, especially the base building. Something just felt like it was missing in my program and after I read several articles on "quality over quantity" programs, I stumbled on Crossfit Endurance. I was familiar with Crossfit but never considered using it for triathlon training.

So this last November, after 2 weeks off I started slowly into the Crossfit Endurance WOD's. Twice a week, with 1 workout per sport per week. By mid December I was performing the workouts as prescribed on the site. My plan initially was to try it until February and then go back to "normal" training to prepare for a 70.3 in June. Lets just say I'll never be doing "normal" again. The combination of weights, gymnastics, and the mix of intervals has been remarkable. In one month I increased my deadlift 1 RM by 40 lbs (310 now). My workout threshold has skyrocketed. I'm 32 years old and a 172+ HR last year on the run meant "slow down or else!" Now I frequently crush 178-182 on interval repeats. I PR'd my 5k and 10k times during on-off interval sessions. I could write a novel on how much better my swim has become. 11:30 Helen (rx) on Friday wasn't bad either.

I would greatly encourage anyone considering endurance sports to use Crossfit. The results will speak louder than any words. Spend the time to educate yourself by reading Power, Speed, Endurance as well as the Crossfit Journal resources. Thanks to Crossfit and the community for providing so much information. I can't wait to get certified and start applying this programming to my clients!

Jared K.

[John A Wilcox]

Jared - just want to say I agree with you.

Cheers!

[David Meverden]

Great job! It's wonderful hearing about people's success at all their different goals.