Better Conditioning Now: Air and Errors · Better Conditioning Now: Air and Errors BY EMILY BEERS January 24th, 2017 INSTRUCTION Comments 1 Remember events 11, 12 and 13 at the 2016

Better Conditioning Now: Air andErrors

BY EMILY BEERS

January 24th, 2017

INSTRUCTION

Comments 1

Remember events 11, 12 and 13 at the 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games?

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https://journal.crossfit.com/article/better-conditioning-now-air-and-errors 1/28/17, 7?48 AMPage 1 of 28

The trio started with a 280-foot handstand walk for time. After a short

rest, athletes hit an 840-foot suicide sprint. Another short rest, and then

a 560-foot plow drag.

When looking at the three events, you might assume Event 11 best suited

the former college gymnast, while Event 12 was made for the 400-meter

sprinter and Event 13 for the big, strong athlete.

You would be wrong, explained Chris Hinshaw, endurance coach and

subject-matter expert for CrossFit Specialty Course: Aerobic Capacity

(https://training.crossfit.com/aerobic-capacity).

“The best sprinters didn't necessarily do the best on the suicide sprint,”

Hinshaw said. “A lot of athletes misjudged the events. The sprinters were

like, ‘I got this. I’m a sprinter. I’m going to win this event.’”

But the events weren’t about finding the best sprinter or the best plow

dragger but about whose recovery was on point, Hinshaw said.

“And that largely came down to who was the most aerobically

developed.”


Kari Pearce said the handstand walk negatively affected her performance in the next two events at the 2016 Reebok

CrossFit Games. (Michael Brian/CrossFit Journal)

The Devastating Trio

The mistakes started with Event 11—the handstand walk—Hinshaw said.

“Athletes thought because they weren’t using their legs on the handstand

walk that they’d be fresh for the sprint.”

The reality was that pushing the handstand walk as hard as they could

caused their arms to fatigue, meaning lactic acid started to build.


When you’re working at high intensity—as Games athletes were during

the handstand walk—the body starts off emphasizing non-aerobic

energy systems, which use glycolysis to release energy and convert

glucose into pyruvate. Pyruvate can be used as fuel when oxygen is

available. But if oxygen becomes limited, pyruvate gets converted into

lactate.

During a short sprint, lactate can be used to break down glucose;

however, after 60-180 seconds of high-intensity activity, lactate starts

building in the muscles as a way to protect the body from overexertion,

Hinshaw explained. It does this by increasing muscle-cell acidity and

essentially limiting the muscle’s ability to contract.

Resource: "Chris Hinshaw: The Running Man"

(http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ_2016_07_AerobicBeers-

v3.pdf)

Resource: "Why Does Lactic Acid Build Up in Muscles?"

(https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-lactic-acid-

buil/)

As the handstand walk progressed and athletes became more fatigued,

their arms became more and more lactic, Hinshaw said. Those less

aerobically developed weren’t able to flush the lactate out as effectively,


so it moved to their bloodstream. And once it hits the bloodstream,

there’s no stopping where it goes, Hinshaw added.

“And where do you think it went? To the largest muscle group in the

body: the legs.”

The result: “Their legs were fatigued even before the sprint began, but

many of the athletes didn’t know this was going to happen, so they

attacked the sprint and throttled down the field and back before they

realized their legs were already damaged,” he said.

According to Chris Hinshaw, Noah Ohlsen's fourth-place handstand walk likely dug a hole that costAccording to Chris Hinshaw, Noah Ohlsen's fourth-place handstand walk likely dug a hole that cost

him in the plow drag. (Alicia Anthony/CrossFit Journal)him in the plow drag. (Alicia Anthony/CrossFit Journal)

(https://d1s2fu91rxnpt4.cloudfront.net/mainsite/m20161103121316/raw/2016072410501577_AAB_AS7Q9425.jpg)


Noah Ohlsen provided the perfect example, Hinshaw said.

“Ohlsen did his handstand walk unbroken, but the lactate was building.

And the deeper he got into the (handstand) walk, the more lactic he

became. And what happened to him by the time he got to the plow? He

didn’t even finish the event. Not because he was mentally weak but

because of his fatigue level. His muscles refused to fire; that’s how bad

the damage was from the handstand walk.”

Kari Pearce, a former college gymnast who was second on the handstand

walk but dropped to 20th on the suicide sprint, remembers the physical

decline she felt during those events.

“(The handstand walk) affected me for the sprint because my core was

tired and probably because (of) some lactic-acid build-up. There was

lactic acid build-up everywhere in my body for the plow. That was the

second-most-demanding event at the Games,” said Pearce, who noted

the 7-kilometer run that opened the Games as the toughest challenge for

her.

Alea Helmick found herself in the opposite position to Pearce. She put

forth a conservative effort on the handstand walk and placed 32nd,

which allowed her to crush the sprint to place second.


“I walked the minimum distance (on my hands) before dropping down,

took a quick breath and went back at it. This worked out for me, as my

arms didn’t fatigue as much as they would have if I had gone for max

distance. I went all out on the sprint,” she said.

Alea Helmick said she used a conservative approach in the handstand walk so she was fresh forAlea Helmick said she used a conservative approach in the handstand walk so she was fresh for

the sprint event. (Michael Brian/CrossFit Journal)the sprint event. (Michael Brian/CrossFit Journal)

(https://d1s2fu91rxnpt4.cloudfront.net/mainsite/m20161103121316/raw/2016072410024448_MB_BT5U5093-

A.jpg)

Helmick’s approach helped her perform well on the suicide sprint, but

she said her sprint effort hurt her recovery before the plow event, in

which she was 39th.


“It was hard for me to find a rhythm in the plow event because I went so

hard on the sprint.”

Hinshaw continued: “Then there was Mat Fraser.”

Fraser, the eventual Games champion, placed second, second and sixth

in the three-event trio. Hinshaw insisted that—in terms of absolute

physicality—Fraser probably wasn’t the second-fastest sprinter or the

sixth-fastest plow dragger at the Games. Instead, his impressive finishes

were due to the fact that Fraser’s body was conditioned to buffer the

build-up of lactic acid that plagued other athletes, Hinshaw said.

“Look at where Mat Fraser passed everyone on the sprint (to win his

heat): the final length of the field. Not because Fraser is necessarily the

best sprinter but because his aerobic system is so developed. And we

already knew that when he won the 7-kilometer run.”


Chris Hinshaw, subject-matter expert for CrossFit Specialty Course: Aerobic Capacity. (Courtesy of Chris Hinshaw)

The Importance of Endurance

In short, endurance is directly linked to recovery. And recovery is one of

the most important qualities you can have in CrossFit, Hinshaw

explained.

“If you’re inefficient aerobically, fatigue will develop and you can’t recover.

Eighty percent of recovery comes down to the aerobic system,” Hinshaw

said.

Part of aerobic development—and improving your recovery—is training

your slow-twitch muscle fibers, he said.

Your body has two types of muscle fibers

(http://www.integrativehealthcare.org/mt/archives/2012/01/anatomy_review.html)


slow twitch (or Type I) and fast twitch (Type II). They can be broken down

into additional categories, but for our purposes we need only consider

Type I, Type IIA (or intermediate fibers) and Type IIB (often called Type

IIX). Type 1 fibers contract slowly, produce smaller amounts of force,

fatigue slowly and rely predominantly on aerobic metabolism to produce

energy, so they are recruited first in lower-intensity exercise that can be

sustained for long periods. Fast-twitch fibers contract quickly, produce

large amounts of force and fatigue quickly. While the intermediate Type

IIA fibers have moderate capacity for aerobic metabolism, Type IIX fibers

rely predominantly on anaerobic metabolism. The Type II fibers are

recruited for more intense movements such as heavy lifting and

sprinting.

When you run slowly, your body only recruits the muscle units you need

to support that speed—meaning your slow-twitch fibers, Hinshaw said.

As you increase your speed, Type IIA and eventually Type IIB fibers will

also be recruited, he added, and if you continue working with all three

types of fibers firing at once, you’ll reach lactate threshold. This means

you’re now training anaerobically as opposed to aerobically.

Thus, if you’re trying to improve your aerobic system—and your body’s

ability to recover—it’s important to train your slow-twitch fibers through

lower intensity, he said.


“When your target is to adapt your slow-twitch fibers, then you want to

run as slow as you can and still maximize the adaptation of those slow-

twitch fibers.”

In saying this, Hinshaw isn’t suggesting CrossFit athletes of any level

should abandon what they’re doing in the gym to focus entirely on

endurance training. He’s simply saying if your endurance and recovery

are lacking, it’s time to address the deficiency.

By varying paces, distances, rest times and activities, Hinshaw targets improvements in volume, speed and recovery.

(Courtesy of Chris Hinshaw)

Specificity of Adaptation


When Hinshaw starts working with a new athlete, he asks the following

questions:

“Do you need more speed or more volume in your training diet? Is your

anaerobic system weak or is your aerobic system is weak?”

Once he discovers whether an athlete needs more endurance training or

speed training, he devises a plan to drive the specific adaptations he’s

after. He focuses on the following characteristics:

Volume

Speed

Recovery

Regardless of the characteristic he’s working on, Hinshaw places

emphasis on prescribed paces, distances, rest times and recovery

activities.

If an athlete has more endurance than speed, for example, the program

will focus on improving speed over various time domains. Over the

course of training, the prescribed pace will increase while the distance

remains constant or the distance will increase while the pace remains

constant, Hinshaw explained.

“And if recovery is the weakness, then I’ll play around with their rest. Over

time, rest times will be reduced or they’ll be asked to jog as their rest to

drive their body to recover as they continue to jog,” he said.


If athletes need to improve their tolerance for work, the program will

focus on increasing volume over time.

“I may chase the total workout volume, or interval volume, all the while

keeping the rest the same,” he said.

Hinshaw admitted putting speed on one side of the equation and

endurance on the other isn’t always a foolproof way of assessing an

athlete in a highly skilled and technical sport such as CrossFit. In other

words, it’s possible for an athlete to need more endurance when it comes

to running but more speed when it comes to rowing.

In fact, when Hinshaw tested his VO max while running—a test that tells

you how efficiently your body uses oxygen—he scored much higher than

he did when the same test was administered on a rowing machine.

“I’m a much more efficient runner than rower.”

Because of this, Hinshaw said he also considers an athlete’s efficiency—

both anaerobic and aerobic—on various pieces of equipment.

Generally speaking, though, Hinshaw maintains most athletes need one

of two things: more speed or more endurance. And when it comes to

CrossFit athletes specifically, the aerobic system is generally the aspect

that needs more work, he added.

2


For example, most high-level runners slow their pace at a rate of 4 to 6

percent for each doubling of distance, Hinshaw explained. This means a

runner’s 800-meter pace is 4 to 6 percent slower than his 400-meter

pace. CrossFit athletes, on the other hand, tend to slow at a rate of 20 to

21 percent when distance doubles, he said.

Practical Application

Hinshaw’s priority with his athletes is simple: “The athletes (I work with)

have an ability to run fast, but they can’t do it for long amounts of time,

so I want to build their capacity to run at fast speeds for longer and

longer time domains.”

This usually starts with having the athletes slow down, he added.

“Their heart rate will be much lower than when they do high-intensity

intervals.”


Hinshaw uses slower paces to ensure workouts train the right muscles and energy systems.Hinshaw uses slower paces to ensure workouts train the right muscles and energy systems.

(Courtesy of Chris Hinshaw)(Courtesy of Chris Hinshaw)

(https://d1s2fu91rxnpt4.cloudfront.net/mainsite/m20161103121316/raw/Hinshaw-

Beers-Courtesy%2520of%2520Chris%2520Hinshaw%25202.jpg)

Let’s say Hinshaw starts working with an athlete with a modest 6:00 mile

time and a relatively fast 400-meter time of 60 seconds. With a goal of

improving the mile time, most of this athlete’s training will be running

slower than his max-effort 6:00-mile pace for repeated intervals at

distances of 200 to 300 meters, Hinshaw explained. Over time, as the


athlete adapts, these distances will increase to 400 to 600 meters. Overall

workout volume, as well as interval volume, will also increase as the

program progresses, he added.

In terms of pace, this athlete would be expected to work between a 6:00

and 6:40 mile pace depending on the day and the workout. And in

between intervals, he would be expected to continue to jog at a slow

recovery pace. Hinshaw insists finding a jogging pace that allows the

athlete to recover between intervals is as important as the working

intervals themselves.

“With this athlete, I will be chasing the quality of their jog recovery pace,

trying to improve their ability to run at slow paces,” he said.

As the athlete’s aerobic capacity develops through paced work that

emphasizes slow-twitch fibers and aerobic metabolism, the mile time will

come down.

The same concept applies when Hinshaw programs rowing workouts for

his athletes: He wants them to become familiar with various speeds.

To help athletes learn what hard, medium and easy paces feel like,

Hinshaw gets them to flip the monitor up and complete a series of

rowing pieces—the goal being to hit the same number of meters in each


piece. This helps athletes discover what various speeds do to their

bodies, as well as how they recover after each effort, he explained. The

key is consistency, he added.

“Rich Froning can hit a 1:45 split for 500 meters without even looking at

the monitor. Or I had him do 4 rounds of 800-meter runs recently with 1-

minute rest. He was supposed to take 4 minutes each run. Without even

looking at his watch, he went 4:00, 4:00, 4:00 and 3:57.”


When Hinshaw started working with Rich Froning, the focus was solely on improving Froning's mileWhen Hinshaw started working with Rich Froning, the focus was solely on improving Froning's mile

time, which dropped from 6:00 to 5:41 in 12 weeks. (Courtesy of Chris Hinshaw)time, which dropped from 6:00 to 5:41 in 12 weeks. (Courtesy of Chris Hinshaw)




Hinshaw also prescribes long, slow runs or rows—up to 15 miles for his

top athletes—approximately once every two weeks. To control intensity

during these pieces, Hinshaw sets a heart-rate limit, as opposed to

prescribing a specific pace.

“This means, if they need to walk to keep their heart rate down, that’s

OK,” Hinshaw said. “For someone like Camille (Leblanc-Bazinet), I’ll tell

her I don’t want her heart rate above 155 (beats per minute). What I’m

doing is controlling her level of intensity because I’m trying to build her

aerobic system.”

In other words, if Leblanc-Bazinet’s heart rate goes above 155 beats per

minute, she will no longer be using her slow-twitch fibers to build her

aerobic system, defeating the purpose of the workout, Hinshaw

explained.

“The purpose of (a long, slow run) is fuel efficiency and building

endurance and aerobic capacity to improve her recovery.”

Russ Webb is a lifestyle CrossFit athlete who has improved both his

endurance and ability to recover since he started attending Hinshaw’s

endurance classes two-and-a-half years ago.

“Even when I was a kid, whenever I ran I would get shin splints or tear my

hamstring or my back would hurt or my knee would hurt. Running was

fundamentally unpleasant for me,” said the 30-year-old former college


football player.

When he started working with Hinshaw, Webb’s best mile time was 7:30.

Russ Webb shaved a full 2 minutes off his mile time. He only devotes two hours per week toRuss Webb shaved a full 2 minutes off his mile time. He only devotes two hours per week to

running. (Ali Samieivafa)running. (Ali Samieivafa)


-Beers-Credit%2520Ali%2520Samieivafa%25201.jpg)

“Now, the last time we tested it, I was down to 5:42,” said Webb, who

devotes just two one-hour sessions per week to running.


On top of shaving nearly 2 minutes off his mile time, Webb said he’s a

healthier athlete now. Running no longer causes pain in his shins,

hamstrings, back or knees. And his improved endurance has spilled over

into other movements, as well.

“I have gotten a lot better at settling into a pace, at finding a sustainable

pace and hanging in there for long periods of time,” he said. “I tested my

5,000-meter row recently and got a 45-second personal best.”

“Everything just feels easier now.”

Building Endurance During Strength Training

Hinshaw’s expertise doesn’t end with rowing and running. He

incorporates what he’s learned about endurance and recovery into more

traditional strength days as well.

One way he does this is by prescribing lower-intensity tasks in between,

for example, heavy sets of squats.

“We do 5-by-5 back squats all the time and stand around between sets. I

focus on, ‘How am I going to improve the quality of recovery between

those sets? Why not hop on a rower between sets?”

Sometimes his athletes will row 500 meters between squat sets or do 1

minute of back squats with a PVC pipe. The idea is to keep the intensity at

a level where athletes can still recover before their next set of squats, he


explained.

Similarly, Hinshaw might program something like 1 minute of PVC

thrusters or PVC push presses in between heavy sets of those

movements.

“What you’re doing here is chasing the quality of recovery … . CrossFit

athletes might have to do something like 60 clean and jerks at 135

pounds. They can’t just address speed, strength and power in their

training to get through that. Being able to do the volume is also

important.”

Performing high-volume tasks at a lower intensity helps build this ability

to handle volume and to recover, he said.


At some affiliates, long runs are unpopular, so Hinshaw suggests creative programming that includes other

movements but still contains significant amounts of paced running. (Courtesy of Chris Hinshaw)

Affiliate Implementation

Most gym owners have programmed a 5-kilometer run for their athletes

at some point. And it often ends up being one of the most poorly

attended days of the year.

“People just don’t like showing up for a 5-kilometer run,” Hinshaw

confirmed.

But all is not lost for the affiliate owner desperate to get athletes to

improve their endurance. You just need to find clever ways to effectively

implement endurance training into a general-physical-preparedness


(GPP) program in a way that holds your athletes’ interest, Hinshaw said.

One way to do this is to include lower-intensity tasks with specific paces

in a class warm-up, Hinshaw suggested. Three 500-meter rows at an easy

to medium speed in between dynamic stretching is a great way to “trick”

people into rowing 1,500-meters in warm-up, for example.

“And it helps athletes get to know they have an arsenal of gears,”

Hinshaw said.

Second, if you want athletes to run 5 kilometers, have them run an

interval and throw in 5 power cleans after each round, he suggested.

“Tell your athletes they need to run slow enough that they can pick up the

bar as soon as they get back from the run,” Hinshaw said. “You outsmart

them, and what you’re doing is helping them develop a lower-intensity

gear and forcing them to recover actively.”

Another suggestion for affiliates: Offer speed or endurance options

during a rowing interval workout. The speed stream might include

something such as 5 sets of 30-second max-effort rowing with 3 minutes

of rest, while the endurance stream might include 5 sets of 3 minutes of

moderate rowing with 30 seconds of rest between sets.

“Then people can choose the endurance stream or the speed stream

depending on what they need more.”


CrossFit athletes training for general physical preparedness don't need to add a great deal ofCrossFit athletes training for general physical preparedness don't need to add a great deal of

running to their training, but targeting a weak area such as endurance can result in greaterrunning to their training, but targeting a weak area such as endurance can result in greater

overall fitness. (Courtesy of Chris Hinshaw)overall fitness. (Courtesy of Chris Hinshaw)



Endurance for the Masses


CrossFit athletes will always prioritize GPP over specialization. We know

varied training best prepares us for whatever life throws our way. But

improving our broad general physical abilities also involves eliminating

our weaknesses—getting better at the things you are worst at. For the

CrossFit community, Hinshaw has learned this often means spending a

little extra time on endurance.

That doesn’t mean endurance has to take over your life. Webb is a great

example: He’s seen big gains from just two hours of endurance training

per week.

“I strength-trained for 20 years, and I have made more progress in two-

and-a-half years in my endurance under Chris than during 20 years of

football training or lifting on my own,” he said.

Webb credits his progress to Hinshaw’s intelligence—to how each

workout is designed to make the most of a person’s time.

Hinshaw reiterated: “I always look to find the highest value of a person’s

time.”

This means every workout helps an athlete adapt and move forward with

his fitness, he added.

“No workout should ever be wasted.”


About the Author: Emily Beers is a CrossFit Journal contributor and coach at

CrossFit VancouverCrossFit Vancouver (http://crossfitvancouver.com/) (http://crossfitvancouver.com/). She finished 37th at

the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games.

Cover image: Courtesy of Chris Hinshaw

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Better Conditioning Now: Air and Errors · Better Conditioning Now: Air and Errors BY EMILY BEERS January 24th, 2017 INSTRUCTION Comments 1 Remember events 11, 12 and 13 at the 2016