PERFORMANCE
RAISE THE STANDARD CrossFit is a strength and conditioning
programme gaining popularity over the last 10 years with many different types of runners
RUNNER TheRoving
Fiona Bugler is a freelance journalist and mum of two. Her working life revolves around her passion – running! She shares her experience of life on the run.
This month Fiona Bugler tries out a TRX suspension masterclass for runners.
THIS MONTH we are tackling a famous CrossFit benchmark workout named ‘Helen’. It is a great test of an athletes all round fi tness and it contains a running distance that should be in all runners training programmes. Top athletes complete in sub 7 minutes - let us know how you get on! From CrossFitters Alex and Seb
www.crossfi
ttonbridge.co.uk Helen = 3 rounds of: 400m Run / 21 Kettle Bell Swings / 12 Pull Ups
400m: Find a route of this distance you can use consistently for three runs. Kettle Bell Swings: Start with the kettle bell swinging backwards through the legs with the forearms brushing onto the thighs. The finish point will be with the kettle bell directly above the head. It is very important to keep the back straight throughout the movement. Arms can be slightly bent or straight. The prescribed weights are; men: 24kg, women: 16kg. The weights can be scaled down if needed. If you don’t have a kettle bell a dumbbell can be used. Pull Ups: Start with the arms locked out in the hanging position and finish with the chin above the bar. Swinging
(known as a kip) can be used to generate momentum. Scale by using an assistance machine or bands. If you have nowhere to do the pull ups then a great alternative is burpees. It’s not working the same muscle group as the pull ups but it can be done anywhere and will deliver a great cardio element and overload on the legs - just make sure your chest touches the floor and you jump with your hands overhead. The main point is intensity! Go fast
whilst keeping good form on the exercises. Try to go straight from one exercise to the next for the 3 rounds. If you are stopping a lot or can’t do the exercise properly then scale.
It all looked innocent – a belt hanging from a metal frame - but as I watched Fraser Quelch, the US-based TRX Head of Training and Development, demonstrate the plank with his feet suspended in the aforementioned belt’s foot cradle, I knew this wasn’t as easy as it looked. Not easy, but very effective. I, like
most runners, am guilty of just running, and not paying enough attention to what my body needs to do to function efficiently and injury-free. And conditioning isn’t just about staving off injuries - it’s about performing your best too. As we lunge to the floor with one foot in our cradle, I feel the muscles in the core work to stop me from toppling over and I concur with Fraser, that, yes, my glutes are activated. The extended lunge stretches out our hips and Fraser says this type of movement could add 10 cm to our stride length and a subsequent 90 seconds off our 10K time. Other exercises challenge the plane
we move in. Runners are understandably a tad focussed on moving in one direction only. But in time, Fraser explains, this makes our body take on the characteristics of a tractor stuck in a deep groove of mud, making it harder for our muscles to move in different directions. The lack of stability means that the
whole body works, rather than just one muscle group. It’s an excellent, versatile workout, that’s ideal for runners and the TRX belt comes with a door hook, DVDs and an exercise plan. The only downside, at £182.40 it ain’t cheap! Visit
www.trxtraining.com
www.runningfreemag.co.uk ■ 29
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