The XPO Trainer from a Coach's Perspective- CrossFit Centurion in Sacramento, California
For our next installment of our Coach's Perspective series, we're excited to introduce to you Ian and Allison Carver, Owners and Operators of CrossFit Centurion in Sacramento, California! We asked Ian to answer a few questions for us, and love his answers on the use of sleds in programming and why the XPO Trainer meets the needs of so many gym owners, including Ian!
Why did you purchase XPO Trainer(s) for your gym?
We've used sleds and prowlers for years at CFC and they've become an integral part of our training arsenal due to their effectiveness and simplicity. However, when we moved into our current facility several years ago, we found the concrete surface in the parking lot area was not conducive to sleds being pushed across it. The surface was too rough and sleds simply would not move, unless we had harnesses to drag them with and a lighter load on them. That limited some of the things we could do with our sleds. We could push the prowlers across the 25 yards of matted area inside the gym, but that was also pretty rough and we could only run two prowlers at a time. So, when we saw the XPO Trainers, we jumped at the thought of having a sled we could use anywhere, including inside on the hard surface if the weather was bad outside! Sure enough, the XPO Trainer worked like a charm anywhere we wanted it to for workouts or warm ups!
What benefits do you see when you or clients add sled training to a workout routine?
Sleds provide a different stimulus to the lower body and can quickly push an athlete to work at lactate threshold levels in a workout. This in turns gives our athletes a higher "red line" through that repeated exposure to the XPO Trainer and the anaerobic punch they provide. Not only that, the XPO Trainer's brutal accommodating resistance unit makes every workout a mental challenge and once our clients get through some of our workouts on the XPO Trainer, everything doesn't seem quite so hard!!
Our French Bulldogs, Layla and Lulu, seem to really enjoy it when we push the XPO Trainer around the gym as well - they think it's a free ride while they watch us work!
What makes the XPO Trainer different from other sleds you’ve used?
The wheels on the XPO Trainer allow it to be used literally almost anywhere. Additionally the concepts of the magnetic resistance system on the XPO Trainer makes it incredibly effective with a lot less weight needing to be used. It doesn't take a lot to get a lot out of the XPO Trainer! It's a simple tool and well built, so we put it through its paces any chance we get!
What is one of your most memorable WODs using the XPO Trainer?
We've done some particularly nasty workouts with the XPO Trainer. One that comes to mind was a 30m EMOM of: A) 50 Yard XPO Trainer Push loaded with 45 Lb Plate (25 yards out/back), B) Max. Power Clean & Jerk in 30s (155 Lbs), C) 15 Wallball (30 Lbs). I don't ever want to repeat that one again!
We also use the XPO Trainer for warm ups. We will have our entire class line up and do an 800m Indian Run with the XPO Trainer being loaded with a 25 Lb plate. Each runner has to push at least 10 sec. and then switch off and go the back of the line. They have fun with it, although I don't know that they really like it....
Thank you Ian for your time! That WOD sounds brutal! And about your athletes not "liking" the XPO Trainer for warm-ups, we know how they feel... #itshouldneverbeeasy
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About CrossFit Centurion
CrossFit Centurion was founded in 2008 in our garage in Rancho Murieta. We'd been involved with CrossFit since 2002 in Santa Cruz and we were coaching people already in Strength and Conditioning, so becoming an affiliate seemed like the next natural progression. We quickly outgrew the garage and looked for space in Rancho Cordova and moved into a 1800 sqft. warehouse, which we outgrew in 2 years, then into 5000 sqft. where we stayed for about 3 years. At the end of that 3 years term, we were packed into the place, so we moved a couple buildings over to an 11,000 sqft warehouse, where we've been for the past several years! We have 13 coaches, 200+ clients and run a progressive strength & conditioning program in 6 week cycles at CFC. We have a very distinct focus on movement and proper ROM and a very hands-on coaching style. Our focus at CFC is working with a barbell, be it squatting, pressing, deadlifting, or Olympic Weightlifting, and then using CrossFit as our conditioning tool. We have multiple Olympic lifting platforms, squat cages, and yardage markers in the gym for our athletes to use in regular workouts as well as specialty programming. We like to think outside of the box in our conditioning workouts to keep clients engaged and trying new things and we regularly use sandbags, tires, sledgehammers, team workouts, and sleds to keep it interesting!
We also cater heavily to our Law Enforcement/Fire/Military communities and hold fundraisers for PTSD Treatment in Public Safety personnel each year, successfully having raised $20,000 and $23,000 in 2016 and 2017 for the First Responder Support Network (www.FRSN.org) through our "Fight 4 Life" charity event. We routinely update our Facebook page, Instagram account and website (www.crossfitcenturion.com), with our client successes and news/info at CFC!