Camille Leblanc-Bazinet: The Hardest CrossFit Workout I’ve Ever Done

Photo courtesy of CrossFit Games Inc.

It’s not easy being the Fittest Woman on Earth. Just ask Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, first place finisher at the 2014 CrossFit Games, out of 300,000 competitors. Performing Workouts Of the Day (WOD) ranging from a triathlon and a rope climb to Olympic lifting and handstand push-ups, the sport of CrossFit really does test an athlete’s ability in all things, which helps push them forward. And while this Canadian-native, who, mind you, can snatch 195 pounds, felt stronger on the field than ever before, this year’s Games went a little deeper for her.

“There comes a time in a young girl’s life when there’s a shift into thinking that skinny and light is beautiful,” says Leblanc Bazinet. “For me, doing CrossFit and changing my view on myself and on beauty itself made me realize there should never have been this shift.”

Photo courtesy of CrossFit Games Inc.

While she does still like her hair to look pretty, Leblanc-Bazinet now values herself based on what she can achieve, which includes 80 consecutive pull-ups in a row, a 320-pound back squat, and 20 unbroken muscle-ups.

So what can someone who has already taken the highest honor in his or her sport still hope to achieve? “I want to find the limitation of my body and use that to inspire others to forge their own destiny,” she says. In the meantime, Leblanc-Bazinet shared with us the hardest workout she’s ever done. Try it, but don’t say we didn’t warn you!

RELATED: 5 CrossFit Workouts That Will Kick Your Butt

When did this infamous workout go down?

It was at this year’s CrossFit Games in California. They announced this workout way before the Games so I kind of practiced it a little bit before. But I never did the whole thing, because I didn’t want to push it by myself — I wanted to save it for the CrossFit Games. I knew it was going to be a hard one for me because they pretty much put all my weaknesses into one workout. But I knew I could do it. I hoped I only needed to be as good as I am to stay at the top.

Set the scene for us…

We’re all in front of a rower and we’re waiting and everyone’s cheering us on, but we’re not going yet. The tension is just building, and building, and building, and you know you’re going to start soon. That’s the worst moment because at this point you just want to puke from the nerves. And you start asking yourself “what the heck am I doing here? I don’t want to do this anymore.” And then they announce “30 seconds,” and it’s like “Whoa, this is getting real!” In that moment, my switch flips from bubbly Camille to focused tiger. Nothing will stand in my way — then we start.

What do you remember about it? How did it make you feel?

During the run, I remember I wanted to pass out almost the whole time. My last mile of running I kind of started to burp, and I remember one of the spectators on the sideline go, “Uh oh,” and I was thinking, “Yeah, I know I’m in trouble!”

What was the hardest part?

The run was the hardest because it was at the end. And because of how hard I pushed in it. I’ve never pushed like that before. I finished under 40 minutes, 39:53.

What mantra or thoughts helped get you through?

I don’t really remember much about the run. But I do remember telling myself, “Don’t regret the fact that you slowed down or stopped.” So in my head I kept saying “No regrets, no regrets.”

And then I remember at the last 250 meters of the run I was trying to push to finish and I had a little conversation with myself: If I go there, I’m going to pass out without a doubt, or I can stay here at this pace and let one girl by me — which is what I did. And as soon as I crossed the finish line, everything collapsed and I knew I had made the right choice of letting this one person go by me. Otherwise I would have passed out before the line.

How about the row? Since taller athletes have a slight edge on the competition, did you feel you were at a disadvantage?

I row a lot to try to have more of a love relationship with it than a hate one. But everyone has strengths and everyone has weaknesses. The goal is to make those weaknesses not so weak and those strengths really strong.

Was there a light at the end of the tunnel?

No light really, just completing the WOD.

Would you ever do it again?

I would, but I definitely need a full year to get ready mentally to go there.

I think going there once kind of showed me that I didn’t die — nothing like that happened. So it kind of gave me this power of knowing that I can push my body to that point.

How did you recover from it? Any injuries?

No injuries at all. I’m someone who really focuses on technique so I keep my body safe. I would say maybe I had a little bit of heat stroke, and as soon as I finished this WOD I went and had an ice bath to bring down my body temperature. Then I had some bodywork done. I recover with protein and carbs post-workout and take a nap.

Photo by Andrew Neugebauer

Note: This workout was performed by a professional athlete who struggled immensely doing it, and had medical professionals on-site in case of emergency. Perform at your own risk, should you be so daring.

To hear more about Camille’s CrossFit training, follow her on Twitter at @CamilleLbaz.

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Run Like a Pro With Meb Keflezighi’s Workout Playlist

Photo: Run for Skechers

If you want to run harder, better, faster, stronger, your answer may just be a pumped up playlist away. It’s not news that music has been shown to help athletes run farther and bike longer. The tempo, beat and lyrics to a jam can alter an athlete’s psychological state, giving them an edge to crush the competition or a previous PR. And for training runs, a great playlist can provide just the motivation you need to hit the pavement after a long day at the office. 

While music has been banned for pro athletes competing for top titles and prize money at major races like the upcoming New York City marathon, that doesn’t mean these elites don’t listen to tunes while they prep.

Want to know what the playlist of a running champ looks like? We asked Meb Keflezighi, American long-distance runner, winner of the 2014 Boston Marathon and Skechers Performance sponsored athlete, what songs he’s been logging miles to in anticipation of this weekend’s Empire State race. From Michael Jackson to Run DMC, you might be surprised what pops up on Meb’s training playlist! Download the mix to your iPod and use it to motivate you through your race, whether it’s a 5K, 10K, half or full marathon (maybe even New York on Sunday!).

Track Meb this Sunday, November 2, as he runs the New York City Marathon starting at 9:00am, EST, on ESPN2 and WatchESPN.

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The Ultimate 20-Minute MetCon Workout

Can you transform your body in 20 minutes? Unlikely. But can short, but intense workouts get you results over the course of several weeks? The answer is yes.  

You may have heard of HIIT (high-intensity interval training), but that’s not the only interval game in town. Enter: metabolic conditioning, aka MetCon, a specific type of interval training designed to improve the delivery of nutrients to the body with set rest and work ratios. This increase in efficiency translates to other activities so you can lower your time in your next mud run or even your next marathon.

“The goal of metabolic conditioning is to train your body to work at a higher intensity and increase the efficiency of storage and delivery of energy.”

The prevailing wisdom many years ago was that long endurance training sessions were necessary to improve your cardiovascular system. Now, research suggests there’s more than one way to improve your cardio fitness. Study after study has continued to show that interval training, the art of alternating high-intensity with low-intensity efforts, can be beneficial for your heart and lungs. High-intensity training can also be just as effective as traditional endurance training at burning fat. And thanks to the afterburn effect, you’ll continue to burn calories and fat immediately following your all-out training session. Ramping up your workout intensity may even help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

According to Ben Booker, DailyBurn trainer and owner of Second Chance Fitness, the goal of metabolic conditioning is to train your body to work at a higher intensity and increase the efficiency of storage and delivery of energy. The methods behind the protocol involve pushing your heart and body to the max before allowing a brief period of recovery and then repeating. As Booker explains, the more you do this, the more efficient you become meaning your body is able to deliver oxygen, pump blood, and meet the demands of exercise with less work.

So how exactly can 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise mimic the effects of a longer cardio session? Research suggests the answer lies in specific enzymes and cell signaling pathways stimulated by all-out effort. In short, the “on” periods where you’re working as hard as possible create a cascade of events within the body that leads to beneficial adaptations such as an increase in mitochondria (the “power plant” of the body) and an increase in our ability to burn fat for fuel. 

While going all-out can be advantageous, doing it every day can actually be detrimental to your success. Whether you’re getting started with a new workout routine or adding metabolic conditioning to your regular training program, Booker advises doing no more than two 10- to 30-minute sessions a week. Also, be wary of tacking them onto other workouts in the same session, since adding them onto an exhausting lifting session can lead to injury due to fatigue. (Note: If you’re schedule leaves you no choice but to combine them, shorten the overall time of the workout by doing fewer intervals.)

When it’s time to get to work, Booker suggests movements like bodyweight squats, which are easily modifiable and can be done virtually anywhere. Complex, full-body exercises also beat out machine-based variations that isolate only one muscle group.

The final lynch pin before getting started: selecting your work-to-rest ratio. A 30-on/30-off ratio would mean you’re going all-out for 30 seconds, followed by a 30 second rest. Not quite up to speed? Move to 20/40 or 15/45 depending until you build up your fitness level. The key is to push yourself towards your max heart rate, Booker says, not go head-to-head with the guy or girl next to you.

Ready to let the transformation begin? Perform each exercise for 30 seconds at a high intensity, followed by a 30-second break. Repeat the entire sequence five times (30-on/30-off) for a total of five minutes before moving on to the next exercise. Remember, the goal is to work as hard as possible at a pace you can sustain for all five sets!

1. Bodyweight Squats
How to: Start with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, and begin to lower the body, sitting back on your heels as if you’re sitting back into a chair (a). Keep your upper body tall and avoid letting your knees pass your toes. Try to get low enough so that your upper thigh comes below parallel with the ground before pushing through your heels to drive back up (b).
Modification: Use a chair or a box as a target when you’re sitting back in the squat. If necessary, just sit down on the box. Then, stand up by driving through your heels with good squat form.

2. Box Push-Ups 
How to: This is just like a traditional push-up, but instead of placing your hands on the ground, place them on each side of a box (a). The goal is to squeeze the box throughout the entire exercise as you lower your chest all the way to the box (b). Then, be sure to keep the body in a straight line the entire time while you push back up (c).
Modification: As you continue to build strength, you can modify this exercise in two ways. First, you can drop down to your knees and continue with the push-up rather than being on your toes. In this variation, you’ll still want to keep your body in a straight line (from your head through your knees). Second, you can shorten the range of motion by not lowering all the way down to the box.

3. Frog Jumps
How to: You’ll ideally want to use a low box for this one, but you can use the floor if necessary. Start in a push-up position with your hands planted firmly on top of the box (a). In one explosive movement, hop your feet forward around each side of the box so you land in a squat position with your feet in line with your hands (b). Then, spring back to the starting position (c).
Modification: Rather than explosively jumping back and forth, step one foot forward at a time, then step each one back to the starting position. The key is just to keep moving at your own pace! 

4. Burpee Box Jumps 
How to: Start by bending your knees slightly and exploding up onto a box like a traditional box jump (a). Then, jump off, place your hands on the box, and hop your feet back so you’re in a push-up position (b). Perform a push-up touching your chest to the box (c). Then, hop your feet back underneath you and perform another box jump (d).
Modification: You can modify this exercise in multiple ways. First, you can step up on the box instead of jumping. You could also remove the push-up. Finally, you could step back into push-up position as opposed to hopping back. Pick whichever variation lets you work at a high-intensity for the entire 30 seconds.

For more strength and MetCon workouts, try DailyBurn’s Live to Fail strength program, free for 30 days. 

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Isolated workout routine and Compound Exercise.

Isolated workout routine and Compound Exercise. 

By Ariane Florence

When working men and women are very different (as always !) Most men decide to work your biceps and chest will solve the problem areas. While the ladies go for the head and the rear arms !

The only thing we have in common - we all love abs!

This article will discuss the differences between the two types of training - and insulating compounds - as well as providing fantastic exercises to get you on the right track to get rid of these problem areas once and for all way!

First we have to find the difference between a compound and isolated workout routine.

Compound Exercise:

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