Outdoors is Almost Here! Training Updates
by Loree Smith on Mar.09, 2012, under Life and Thoughts, Training
I’m getting so anxious for outdoors to get here and ready to compete. It was weird not competing in indoors and I got tons of great messages from fans who said they missed me at indoor championships this year, but it was a good move for me to continue to focus on my hammer through the indoor season.
Right now in Colorado, there is a sort of teasing type weather for about two months. We’ll get some beautiful sunny days around 50, and then snow and ice, then we’ll gets some beautiful sunny days at 60′s and then snow and ice, and this trend will continue through early April. It’s been a mild enough winter that I have been able to throw outside 2-4 days a week consistently, but those days are typically cold and windy, and some straight up miserable.
That being said, I’m done with the effing snow and cold and ready for the sunshine! I am so pale right now, I need to work on my suntan and get my track tan lines back.
So training, what have I been doing, how have I been doing? I’ve gotten a lot of questions lately, so I figured I’d try to talk about some of them in here. I’m so behind on updating my blog and website… anyway, let’s begin.
So what’s happening in my life:
I’ve moved to Colorado Springs and started working as a coach at CrossfitSoco in January and subbing at Atlas Prep (junior high charter school aimed at at-risk youths). Why another move? Working at the bank with my schedule, I was unable to pay my bills, going deeper in debt every month and still didn’t have the time/energy I needed to dedicate to training (I was unable to see my coach for weeks at a time).
My support environment in Colorado Springs is amazing. I’ve made a lot of friends and have people who support me. I have a place to train (my lifting/conditioning/specific strength/drills) at my gym I coach at which is over 6,000 sqft, I have time to for training and recovery (barely had time for one and the other was non-existent before), and as the weather gets better, I will have to time to drive up and see my coach and may even find a few spare dollars to afford chiros.
Overall, I’ve moved so much trying to find the right training environment. I know there is no perfect place, but I’m happy and I have time for training and competitions (remember last year flying in at 2am the day before a competition or flying in on the day?…) and I have a furniture right now!!! I have my very own bed.
Training/Fitness/Strength:
I’ve tried many different types of training and lifting and had varying degrees of success and failures. After coming off of a dismal season and injuries in 2010, I decided the lifting heavy and hard every day approach was not for me. Also, I’m not 20 any more and I needed to maximize the most out of my workouts. I needed a sniper approach and not a shotgun. I needed to be strong enough, but more importantly, I needed and wanted specific strength and speed that would actually benefit my hammer and not just look good on paper.
I feel like I’m really stepping into this fitness wise. Sam Lewis of NorcoCrossfit (former D-II football player, CF-L1 cert, and masters in sports science) writes my programming along with my influence and input. In the fall, I did very general fitness. This past winter, I’ve been going through a “strength” phase which mostly consists of me doing two days a week “metcons” or metabolic conditioning (think of specific and special strength exercises, light to med weight fast and explosive) and two days a week with an Olympic/plyo movement and heavy leg like squat/ft. squat/or deadlift.
So what have my results been?: I’m the fittest I’ve ever been in my life so far…. My core strength is right where it needs to be, my specific and special strength is where I like it to be, and my speed is good and will grow as I move into that phase. This past week I found my heavy sets for snatch, clean, back squat, and front squat. I don’t do a lot of heavy singles, so I went in not knowing what to expect. For snatch, the most I’ve every attempted was 77.5k and after getting 80k easily, I went on to try 90k just barely missing it. Clean, my all-time best was 240lbs (also weighing about 200lbs at the time) now 15lbs lighter, I cleaned 245lbs!
So, my training is working, I’m gaining explosive strength and fitness without hurting myself and driving myself into the ground. I feel like my strength and fitness program is complementing my throwing and not getting in the way.
Training/Throwing:
I just got back from a great week of training in AZ with Kibwe, Martin, and Sultana. It was nice to actually throw with people for a change, as I have been mostly doing this alone. There have been some high’s (I’ve put some videos up of some of my better throws) and naturally some lows.
Throwing alone and throwing cold isn’t the best combination, but I’ve made the most of things. My gym I workout is big enough for me to do drills inside, throw med balls and such, and my more open schedule allows for me to throw twice a day.
As I move into my speed, my light balls are going to take off, my heavy are right where I want them already out throwing my best from last year. Some of my best marks in training have been (49m- 6k, 60m-5k, 69m-4k).
So as I move into outdoors, which very well may be my last, I am happy with my hard work and my focus. I’m ready to do great things. I’ll get around to updating my website that will include my meets I will compete in and also give an update to what I’m doing in training. As always, I hope the best for those who are training and feel free to shoot me emails and messages with questions and always appreciated cheers!
Don’t call it a come back, I’ve been here for years!
3 Comments for this entry
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March 15th, 2012 on 2:00 am
hey loree, i’ve been watching the crossfit vids on your FB, i was wondering, do you think this type of training is going to help your hammer or is this just something you’re doing for conditioning? i hear so many lifters [strongman, highland games etc.] think crossfit training is , for lack of a better word laughable. i myself think there is room for it in any athletes training from weekend warrior to elite! again, just curious!
March 16th, 2012 on 7:27 am
Hi Jay,
So let me just be clear if anyone is curious about my training. The facts: I am doing more throwing sessions and throws per week than I ever have and finally my schedule and fitness allows me to do so. I am more explosive (stronger clean and snatch numbers than any time in my entire career) and I am doing more specific/special strength training than I have in 3 years. So when people wonder if my training is helping, yes it is. Some workouts I do are a test, for show, or were for a different phase of my training not an indication of what I do on a daily schedule.
But I suppose the question is about Crossfit. While I do some crossfit workouts, my entire training program is not centered around it. The idea behind Crossfit is being an athlete in all areas of fitness (strength, speed, endurance, balance, coordination, explosiveness, etc.). They combined the ideas of Olympic lifting, strength training, gymnastics, cardio or monostructrual type training. The equipment isn’t like most fitness centers. In fact, they look more like a throwers dream training room because there aren’t workout machines, much of what is used is body weight, Olympic bars, medicine balls, kettbells, tires, and austere equipment. It’s higher intensity, pushing your limits, and for the most part shorter durations. They’re seeing a huge influx in former athletes who are drawn to this competitive atmosphere. Someone who is specializing in one area (just pure strength or just pure ultra endurance) would probably not find this type of training appealing as they are only looking at one area of fitness and crossfit goes across all areas. Also, it’s popularity is it’s weakness as well… anyone with the money can buy the cert and open up a gym and though they have good intentions, may not have the most solid of understandings in technique progressions, modifications, programming, and safety. Plus, when you take everyday people who’ve never trained high intensity, you’re going to have some accidents (more than you’ll have at the gym sitting on a recumbent bike reading a magazine.)
There are a few videos of me doing some of the harder workouts, but this is not something I do every day and yes, my training changes with the part of the season I’m in. For the most part, my workouts are short and sweet but intense and effective. I went through a conditioning phases and I recently finished a strength phase and will be building into a power/speed phase as my season continues. It’s still very early for me. I specialize in hammer but what I’m looking for is the right amount of strength and speed. I want specialized strength and speed. Having a 600lbs deadlift doesn’t mean I’ll throw the hammer further and despite popular belief, throwers aren’t maximum strength athletes… we’re oversized sprinters and jumpers. We should be strong, but most importantly (IMO) fast and explosive. The hammer is only 4k. Believe me, I wasted a year of my life and a shit load of money (not to mention getting hurt, slow, and burnt out) chasing after huge lifts in 2010… but that’s behind me.
I have a coach who is working with me on my training and I like the formula we’ve come up with. So besides throwing 1-2 twice a day, 4-5 days a week, plus drills and PUDs training, I lift/condition 4 days a week. Two to three times a week, I do mostly mid weights fast and higher intensity with some conditioning built in (literally 6-15mins pf actually intense work haha). And I still touch my heavier squats and Olympic lifts once to twice a week. My workouts consists of using kettbells, medballs, and core/specific/special strength movements. In fact, my crossfit inspired training includes more specific and special strength training than I have had in my entire career. But the most important thing, does it work? For me it is. Doing traditional lower body, upper body 4-5 days a week for 2-4 hours did nothing, I didn’t get stronger… I got slow and hurt. Now I feel faster, more athletic, my special and specific strength is better than it’s every been and my throwing is strong.
So, no I’m not just training Crossfit, and though I like testing certain things, my focus remains on what I’m doing. I am a hammer thrower preparing for the Olympics in hammer, and people who have heard some of the rumors may picture me doing some things that I’m not and maybe some things I’m doing are out of the normal blast your pecs monday and feel the burn in your quads tuesday, but I’m happy with the results and they speak for themselves.
Full-time crossfit training is something I would find fun in the future, not now. Those guys are crazy fit and just plain crazy! The challenge is something appeals to my competitive side and the desire to see what I’m capable of doing. I’ve seen the changes in fitness the members see who train it, so I would recommend this training to others. But then again, it isn’t for everyone and different people have different goals. To each his own.
March 26th, 2012 on 12:23 am
WHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAATT you were in Phoenix?! Man.
Looking forward to watching you compete (and more updates, lol)!