Winter struck most of the country early this year with plenty of snow from Princeton to Oklahoma. With the arrival of snow California calls. The lightweight men were the first out to California this year with a small group doing a pre- Christmas trip.
The goal of these training trips to California is to be able to stay on the water over the winter, but this trip has already seen its share of land training. The second day of camp included a 6K erg test. There were some big scores put up by Mix King and Will Daly, both of whom are closing in on the US record.
There has also been plenty of x-training, which included a cliff side run and football in the sunset. Yes, it may seem like this camp was going to be full of relaxation, but there has already been a second day of testing just in the first week. Minute testing, max watt testing, and dyno testing among others. Anthony Fahden and Pete Gibson shined showing some exciting explosive strength and putting up some huge watts.
The rest of camp is going to contain plenty of work. With at least 3 more days of pieces and 3 more sessions in the gym, the guys are going to be very ready for Christmas break.
It has been an exciting fall for the lightweights, made especially so by the fantastic finish at the World Championships. There has been a great influx of new talent with the likes of Tyler Nase, Matt O’Leary, and Mike Wales. The group has been pushing US erg standards to new levels across the board from the hour test to the max watt test. The group as a whole is putting up times comparable or faster than the past two Olympic cycles.
All of this combined with the fact that it is only the fall will make the upcoming year an exciting one to watch. With two more winter camps to come in the coming months, 2014 is shaping up to be a great year to be a lightweight.