Stensland Jessi - Core Performance Endurance: a New Training and Nutrition Program That Revolutionizes Your Workouts

By Jessi Stens land
Professional Triathlete

M astering endurance sports, like any challenge, takes time and energy. Endurance athletes are not drawn to compete because their sports are going to be easy, of course. Its the feeling of accomplishment, of meeting challenges and reaching goals, that motivates us. We endure.

Ive been competing in endurance sports for more than 20 years, 6 as a professional triathlete. Ive always believed that Ive had the potential to be among the best athletes in the world. There was a time, however, when I began to doubt that I could fulfill that potential. Its not that I lost faith in myself; I knew I was capable. My body simply no longer was able to do what I asked of it. It seemed so beat-up from years of training and racing that I wasnt sure it was possible to reverse the damage.

I became frustrated and even thought my career was over. Thankfully, I didnt give up. I searched for answers and a greater understanding of my body and its capabilities. Mark Verstegens Core Performance System literally saved my career and has propelled me to heights I never thought imaginable.

Core Performance Endurance is much more than a training program. From the beginning, you will develop a performance mindset and learn exercises that incorporate strength, power, stability, and flexibility. Mark will teach you how each of these elements complements every endurance activity and is vital to performance, whether youre a recreational runner or someone whose goal is competing in the Ironman Triathlon. It wont take long for you to feel stronger and more stable, to have greater power and flexibility, to recover faster. Best of all, youll start having more fun.

Once I started working with Mark, it wasnt long before I again looked forward to many more years of endurance sports competition. I saw immediate improvements. Now, after more than 3 years following the program, I continue to see improvement in every workout and race. Even more rewarding is that I have an extra spring in my step. I stand taller and run taller. Im more confident on and off the racecourse. The physical benefits are endless. I now have the confidence to take on challenge after challenge, and I possess a body that has the ability to endure in my athletic endeavors and in day-to-day life. Since embarking on this program, Ive felt nothing short of invincible.

Still, being an endurance athlete has its ups and downs. Were tough, always fighting through pain, at times pushing through it to the point of injury. We tend to think of training in terms of long hours and how many miles we can pack into the precious time we have. Were so busy juggling commitments that we often neglect our bodies, the very vehicles that were using to accomplish our endurance goals. Core Performance Endurance provides simple ways to maintain and improve our bodies that can be seamlessly incorporated into training.

Dont be surprised to read things in this book that fly in the face of conventional wisdom. Endurance athletes long have been told to utilize weight training only in the offseason, and even then to perform only lowweight and high-rep routines. If you think about it, were already doing low-weight, highrep routines with each step running and each stroke in the water or on the bicycle. With Core Performance Endurance you will do the opposite, performing a lower number of reps with higher weight in order to gain strength and power. Youll also train your neuromuscular system, giving you better control over your body and your effort.

Youll significantly decrease the risk of injury. Instead of your precious energy leaking out with every step as your body desperately works to stabilize and keep you upright, the energy will propel you toward the finish.

On my first visit to Marks Athletes Performance Institute in Tempe, Arizona, I was asked to perform a simple balance exercise, standing on one leg. No problem, I thought, until a coach pointed out that my form was every workout and with every repetition. Who has time to do things that dont directly contribute to improved performance?

In the process, Ive been able to cut my overall training time by about a third, yet Im stronger and faster than ever. You will learn to accomplish more with the time you have. If you have only 45 minutes to work out, the best thing isnt necessarily to just do a 45-minute run. Performing a few Core exercises for the first 10 minutes will allow you to be better warmed up, standing taller and feeling fresher right from the start for a quality 30-minute run. Otherwise, youd spend the first 10 minutes in leisurely jog mode, feeling a bit stiff and thus running with less than perfect form. That leaves 5 minutes at the end for some stretching, and here, too, the Core Performance System will show you methods that are more efficient and effective.

Not only have you had a great workout, youve decreased the potential for injury, reinforced your strengths instead of your inefficiencies, and jump-started recovery for the next workout. I begin and end each of my training sessions with 5 to 30 minutes of Core Performance exercises. No matter how little time I have, I know I will be better off doing at least something instead of rushing into my workout. Ive learned to make every second count. Its not about how much you train, its about how well you train.

The best compliment Ive received since starting the Core program was from a fellow runner, who watched my pre-workout routine and asked if I had once been a dancer. My background is in competitive swimming, and before Core, I had the typical broad back, hunched shoulders, little flexibility, and no coordination.

My sister, who is a dancer, always stands tall, with perfect posture. She has great balance and stability and the flexibility of a contortionist. Though I was proud of my strength and swimming ability growing up, I always was in awe of her body control and physique. Now I have it all: balance, stability, power, strength, flexibility, and a killer physique that is incredibly lean and powerful. I still cant dance, but at least now I have the confidence to try.

Thanks to Mark and Core Performance, Ill never have to wonder, What if? I have what I need to reach my goals as an athlete and, even better, to live my best life. I know as I get older I wont still be a professional athlete, but this system has taught me that these same philosophies and training programs can help anyone, regardless of where they are in life. As much as Core Performance has helped me as a professional athlete, Im even more excited to have this knowledge for my life beyond my athletic career.

I want to be able to hoist grandkids and my great-grandkids, even race with them. I want to be standing tall and strong the rest of my life. I want to be able to decide when, if ever, I want to stop participating in sports because my mind says Ive had enough and not because my body says so. Now I know I can.

I have the utmost respect for endurance athletes. They push their bodies and minds beyond their limits, always striving for a way to run, swim, or cycle faster and farther.

If youve picked up this book, chances are youre one of these people, or you want to be one of them. I admire your dedication and quest for greatness, and I hope youll allow me to show you how to become even better.