kaburns1214 Mentor Group 2013 (Year 3!) - CLOSED (Page 91)

Cross fit and hot yoga fall into the same category for me -- good at the right time and in the right place but not as an everyday thing.

Also wrote 2 new swim workouts today that I really like.  Both are drill based, but "fun" drill based.  Thought I would share:

Kick / Body Position Focus - 1450 Yards

Warm up:
1 x 200 mix in some odd strokes (breast, back buttefly)

Main Set:

6 x 75 - Middle 25 of each 75 either drill of choice or odd stroke

6 x 100
#1 Kick w/fins #2 swim w/fins #3 no gear
1 min. break
#4 easy, #5, aerobic, #6 best effort
15 sec. rest in between #4-#6

Fun with a Pull Buoy (and working on body position) - 2000 Yards

Cool down : 1 x 200 Kick -- focus on straight legs, flexible ankles and kicking from your hips not your knees. Your legs should stay underwater for the entire kick, no thrashing above the water.

1 x 200 easy (mix in some drills and odd strokes)

1 x 300 kick w/ fins (alternating 50 super fast, 50 very easy repeat for 300)

6 x 50 (3-5-3s take three stroke, breath, 5 strokes, breath, 3 strokes breath)

12X50 pull with pull buoy
Repeat in cycles of 3
#1= Pull buoy at crotch
#2 = Pull buoy at knees
#3 = Pull buoy at ankles
Shifting the pull buoy around will shift your balance. Your job is to adapt to the balance shift through pushing down more on chest, rotating, squeezing butt.
No interval take your time to do this right!

1 x 300 kick w/ fins (alternating 50 super fast, 50 very easy repeat for 300)

1 x 300 Cool down
Take this time to re calibrate your stroke

Scott - nicely done. It's good to see you have some spare time on your hands. I did crossfit for a couple of years and it was intense. I also separated my shoulder playing lacrosse and after a while the clean and jerks messed my shoulder up more. So I stopped. No way would I even think about doing it now.

Squinkies are always a great egg stuffer.  They have all different kinds, too.  Temporary tattoos and stickers.  You could load up a couple golden eggs with a little cash (make these coveted and rare).  Depending on the size of the eggs, you can fill with party size container of Play-Doh, crayons, little notepads, mini hot wheels, tiny things of nail polish, etc.  If you go to a party supply store, they will have all sorts of cool stuff for very little $.  

I'm loving both of these workouts and think they look really fun!!!  I want to try moving the pull buoy to see what affect it has on my balance and stroke.  I'm also interested in the 6 x 100 kick set.  I'll be your guinea pig  Also, I think adding in the odd strokes here and there is a great idea.  I feel that doing back and fly in addition to free make me a better overall swimmer.  You hit so many more muscles in a swim workout that mixes up strokes like that.    

What are squinkies?

Be careful of the coins...check to see where they are made (i.e., Asia), as the wrappers in some contain toxins that are needless to say not good for kids.

Jen - you are a badass on land and at sea.

That made me smile

Thanks for writing your article, Scott. I think it is a really good job on a question that is relevant to a lot of triathletes. I have never done Crossfit myself, but have several friends that do and I have wondered about this exact question.

I did have one thought if you're still accepting feedback. At the beginning, you say something like you don't think Crossfit is awesome for excelling in triathlon. When I read this, the impression I had was that you're saying Crossfit is 100% incompatible with triathlon. At the end of the article, though, you include your paragraph about the areas where Crossfit can actually help triathletes, like improving muscle imbalances and body composition.

I wondered if you might want to soften the statement at the beginning to signal that there are in fact some benefits. Maybe something like, "While Crossfit can benefit triathletes in some areas, overall the disadvantages to triathletes of doing Crossfit outweigh the advantages."

In any event, something to think about. Are you publishing the article on this website, or in some other place? I bet you get lots of good feedback.

DDVMM - 2013-03-16 9:46 AM

jarvy01 - 2013-03-15 7:41 AMI'm starting to hit the upper 8 m/ms on my Z1 runs.  I've waiting patiently for this, and I am sooooo excited  I'm also starting to see the results of consistent stretching.  My flexibility has always been poor, and I have been working hard on this.  It's nice to see the hard work pay off.   

I gotta say I'm a little green with envy ( see the st. Patrick's day reference- lol). I wish my HR would improve just a little. I am so happy for you!!

Thanks, Michele.  It only took 2+ years

20s.......yikes!  Too cold for me!  I can't wait for this weather to turn so I can take my new ride outside.  It's snowing here today.  Enjoy the group ride.  Sounds like fun.  

Kick sets with the fins?  Also, what type of fins did you get?

Kelly would say that for working on body position zoomers are the best. 

For working on leg strength you can use longer fins but you need to be careful not be become dependent on the fins.  Fins are like pull buoys, they can be excellent tools, you just need to watch and make sure they don't become a wubbie.