This blog is an experiment into helping Outdoor Professionals gain strength and balance so that they can have a long sustainable career. It is meant to create an online community of supportive individuals whom are striving for greater fitness and proactive injury prevention. Workouts will be posted for free and are meant to be geared toward a group audience/avatar of Outdoor Professionals. By no means is this an individualized training prescription and it will not address major individual imbalances.
How to use the Workouts:
- First go to the tab title - EOA (Elevate Outdoor Athlete) and look for the workouts
- 2 workouts per week will be posted - Listed in one post as Day 1 & Day 2
- It is recommended that they are performed with at least 1 day rest in between
- Workouts are designed to use minimal equipment
- Equipment that is listed for use will likely be either 1) outdoor equipment you have access to ie. backpack, climbing rack & rope, whitewater boat etc or 2) simple equipment like a dumbbell, kettlebell, or substitues like a rock, log, water jugs/bags
- These workouts are designed to completed anywhere be that in the field, at a basecamp, in a parking lot out of the back of your truck, in a simple "home" gym or in a facility like the Y.
-If you will be going into the field for an extended period of time (with no access to the blog) I recommend that you go backward by a few weeks and print out or write down the workouts in a journal and take them with you into the field.
- Please post comments, questions, results and your experiences using these workouts in the comments section so that I can get feedback on how it is going and adjust as needed.
- In addition please tag me and this training on social media so I can help spread the word to other Outdoor Educators and athletes! Tag Elevate Outdoor Athlete and Becca Lee
If you really enjoy this training and want more a more individualized approach, please contact me about individual coaching and programming. I currently work with several climbers and whitewater paddlers on assisting them in reaching their goals.
The Motivation:
After a successful and rewarding 12 year career working for the North Carolina Outward Bound school as a field instructor, rock climbing and river specialist I was able to become extremely fit in my endurance and skilled as a climber and whitewater paddler. Some examples include: completing many endurance trail runs including running the Art Loeb trail from Camp Daniel Boone to Cedar Rock base camp in a day (19 miles), accomplished leading 5.11 sport routes and 5.10 tradition routes and bouldering V5. It also allowed me to climb and summit Cotopoxi in Ecuador, a glaciated peak that stands 19,000ft tall, as well summit 5 other South American peaks in the ranges of 12,000-17,000ft. In my last several years I worked almost exclusively on the river teaching whitewater canoeing and in my free time I canoed many local creeks and rivers up to Class 4. During these years I did not do any strength and conditioning training - my approach was to simply run, carry heavy packs, climb, and paddle and I thought that alone would keep me in tip top shape. Over the course of these years my imbalances and specialization allowed me to accomplish these and many others goals and importantly it allowed me to work in the outdoors teaching and guiding people through powerfully unique experiences but at what price in the long run?
I found myself unfortunately plagued with recurrent aches and pains - including shoulder stiffness, pain and limited mobility, knee pain associated with running, and nerve pain in both feet that eventually kept me from running and carrying a pack for long periods. In short I became extremely imbalanced in my strengths. Over the years I saw several co-workers have to give up their work as Outdoor Educators because of injuries associated with similar imbalances, leaving the field frustrated and in pain. This had a lasting impression on me and I began to think "There has got to be a better way." It was in my last several years that I became passionate about my own self care and about helping others in the field by bringing awareness to self care issues. But how exactly would I go about doing this?
After much soul searching and considering a new career in Physical Therapy I decided to leave full time Outdoor Education. I decided to become trained in Massage Therapy in a specialized program that focused on structural alignment and clinical massage in order to assist people in having a more full and pain free life and career. It was also during this time that I became exposed to strength and conditioning training through Crossfit. I began an apprenticeship under Drs. Corey and Shanna Duvall for both strength and conditioning coaching and manual therapy. This is where it all began to come together. I realize now that a vital part of keeping us "injury/irritation free" has to do with having strength balance in our bodies. As well as proper rest, recovery and nutrition. While I don't find myself out working in the woods as much as I once did with Outward Bound, my personal fitness journey now finds me in the gym most often getting strong using a barbell - the bottom line is simply becoming stronger has changed my life not only physically (by being free of old pains and irritations) but also mentally and emotionally (by expanding my mind and preconcieved limits).
If you are interested in using Massage & Bodywork as part of your recovery and training and are in the Asheville, North Carolina area, please contact me:
Becca Lee Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork Website
No comments:
Post a Comment