On July 31, 2023, Crawley posted a video to his YouTube channel where he shared five tips on running a faster 5K. The athlete himself is in the midst of training to improve his mile time and has previously notched achievements like successfully lifting the famous Dinnie Stones. Suffice it to say: Crawley knows where he’s coming from with a staple run.

Here are Crawley’s five essential tips for running an improved 5K:

1. Manage Expectations

Crawley suggested setting reasonable goals and expectations for what an ideal 5K should look like. Everyone’s limits and needs are different based on their personal fitness, life, and overall background, and it’s important not to compare one’s self to others. When in doubt, short-term goals supersede a long-term vision for running.

“[Running] is a skill,” Crawley said. “It’s something we need to develop and be mindful of. It’s important not to compare ourselves with arbitrary numbers or what other people are doing.”

2. Spend Energy Wisely

In order to get the most out of running, Crawley urged creating a diligent plan and tracking it meticulously over the course of a single training week. He explained that the Pareto principle — where 80 percent of the training is easy and 20 percent is moderate or challenging — should be applied. Crawley advised implementing three kinds of running workouts during a single week: Long slows for aerobic capacity, high-intensity sessions for top-level performance, and moderate sessions for 5K endurance. To Crawley, “easy” is an athlete pushing themselves to 70-80 percent of their maximum heart rate. Anything challenging is relatively beyond that threshold.

3. Strength Training

Crawley explained that general strength training can help runners understand how their body works while also improving their running gait. It should be a welcome accompaniment to well-rounded fitness. Crawley’s strength recommendation for enhanced running performance was heavy back squats, trap bar deadlifts, and any single-leg movements.

4. Commit to a Plan

The more structure an athlete has for their running goals, the more likely they will be able to fit it into their daily lifestyle. It also makes achieving occasional milestones easier with a better focus.

“Commit to that race, join that run club, the athletics club, or sign-up to your local park run community,” Crawley said. “These will give you a goal and a deadline and make you more accountable.”

5. Turn Training Into a Social Opportunity

Crawley’s final bit of advice was that a runner shouldn’t isolate themselves from other people while training. Making friends and socializing can make achieving any running goals that much more gratifying. Crawley explained that he spent much of the past two years training by himself and that it took a toll. In 2023, he’s trained with more people, in turn adding more joy to his process.

Featured image: @ferguscrawley on Instagram

The post Fergus Crawley Shares 5 Tips For Running a Better 5K appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The Dinnie Stones are two granite stones with different weights that athletes pull with the Jefferson deadlift variation (where they straddle the weight and keep it between their legs). The aim is to hold up the stones for as long as they can. They also have the option to farmers carry them as far as possible. The larger Dinnie Stone weighs 188 kilograms (414.5 pounds), while the smaller stone checks in at 144 kilograms (317.5 pounds) for a total weight of 332.5 kilograms (733 pounds). 

Check out a video of Crawley’s legendary lift below, via his Instagram profile:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Fergus Crawley (@ferguscrawley)

[Related: Watch Strongman Jean-Stephen Coraboeuf Log Press 155 Kilograms (341 Pounds) For 3 Reps]

Crawley dons a kilt and lifting belt for the lift. He uses a staggered stance and chalks his grip on the round metal handles of both rocks. Given the triumphant moment, he flashes an appropriate smile to the camera as he finishes the lift. 

History of the Stones

According to Liftingstones.org, the Dinnie Stones tradition began in the 1830s when stonemason Robert Dinnie had a job maintaining the Potarch Bridge. He initially attached iron rings to the stones to use them as counterweights on his scaffolding during any work on the bridge.

His son, Donald Dinnie — a 21-time Scottish Highland Games Champion (1856-1876) — was the first recognized person to carry the Dinnie Stones across the bridge’s width in 1860. 

Sometime in the early 20th century, around World War I, someone lost the stones. Scottish author David Webster eventually found them next to the River Dee in Scotland, with one of them missing a grip. 

Following Webster’s rediscovery, a litany of athletes worldwide made attempts to lift the restored Dinnie Stones. However, they could only manage the feat while wearing wrist straps. In 1972, Jack Shanks was the first person to lift them bare-handed again, more than a century after Donald Dinnie. 

In the years since, lifting the Dinnie Stones has almost become a rite of passage for strength sports athletes.

Brett Nicol holds the world record for the most-ever lifts of the stones with over 400 successful attempts as of November 2021. Meanwhile, strongman Kevin Faires possesses the world record for the farthest Dinnie Carry when he took the stones a distance of 25 feet and eight inches during the 2022 Rogue Record Breakers (RRB). 

A Dream Comes True

According to the caption of Crawley’s post on Instagram, lifting the Dinnie Stones was the equivalent of him fulfilling a childhood dream. When he heard of the tradition an approximate decade ago, the Scottish athlete made it a mission to one day travel to the site of the stones and join a very exclusive club. 

332kg/730lbs of history, heritage, and simply: weight — in my hands as a real symbol of why I enjoy training the way that I do.

Crawley was not the only inductee into the historical pantheon of successful Dinnie Stone lifts. His coach, Jonny Pain, was present with Crawley and also pulled the stones. 

About Fergus Crawley

A former accomplished powerlifter turned hybrid athlete (a specialization in strength and endurance), Crawley now regularly performs endurance challenges for charity to raise awareness for men’s mental health issues. As of December 2021, in a partnership with the Movember Foundation, Crawley has raised a total of £100,225 ($132,511) to help this cause. 

Crawley’s next formal competition will be the CELTMAN! Extreme Scottish Triathlon, which is part of the XTRI World Tour® — a series of triathlons across the globe in parts of South America, Asia, North America, and European countries like Scotland. Those will begin on June 18, 2022. 

Perhaps Crawley’s lift of the Dinnie Stones will act as a catalyst to thrive during the event. 

Featured image: @ferguscrawley on Instagram 

The post Hybrid Athlete Fergus Crawley Is the Latest Person to Lift the Famed Dinnie Stones appeared first on Breaking Muscle.