Fergus Crawley: A Hybrid Athlete For a Greater Cause

Crawley’s last powerlifting competition was a bronze finish at the 2017 GPC British Finals in the -100kg class. His move away from the sport came for several reasons, the first of which was he no longer enjoyed it:

 

 

After “defaulting to more hypertrophy training with a strength focus”, he committed to his first charity challenge for Movember in the summer of 2018. He attempted to squat a total of 500,000kg/1,102,311lb in 24 hours — a would be world record — to represent the number of annual male suicides globally. He ended up squatting 60kg/132lb 2100 times in 5 hours totaling 125,000kg/275,577.8lb before spraining his patella tendon and suffered a slight tear in his MCL.

 

 

In preparing for such a challenge, Crawley had to improve his aerobic base, and in doing so found a new love for hybrid training.

 

 

Planning the 500lb Squat/Sub 5 Minute Mile/50km Run

 

Through his training for the challenge, he “noticed Adam [Klink] and Dane Smith training for it too”. In his YouTube video covering his entire challenge, Crawley gave a shout out to Klink who had completed the challenge (minus the marathon) just days prior.

 

 

Adam Klink Ran the Mile First and Then Did the Squat. Why Did You Swap the Order?

Crawley mentioned that it is important to “play to your strengths”, which for him, at the time, was running. 

“In short, I could not comprehend squatting after a max effort mile!”

Training

 

For most events or challenges, Crawley’s training focuses on peak intensity at the start of each week and volume training towards the end. Here is a sample of what a typical day-to-day schedule looked like during his prep:

 

Monday — Heavy squats and squat assistance plus a track session.
Tuesday — Upper strength day.
Wednesday — One hour tempo run at just below threshold heart rate OR a wattbike session.
Thursday — Squat variations with assistance.
Friday — Upper hypertrophy, run 5 miles, sprints.
Saturday — 3 to 5 hour mountain run at a heart rate of 130-150bpm (only for the first 8 weeks)
Sunday — Rest day.

[Related: 4 alternatives for when you don’t have cardio machines]

Diet

Crawley’s diet is designed with consistency in mind. His calorie intake wanes between a slight deficit to just above maintenance depending on recovery needs. With a bodyweight that is usually in the range of 88-93kg, his baseline calorie intake is calculated by adding together his body mass index (BMR) and his non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). He will then adjust that number based on what his specific goals are at the time and his body composition.

His calories during this particular prep hovered around 5,000 per day. As an athlete who does an immense amount of cardio, he is mindful to eat back the calories burned during cardio sessions so as to not be under fueled.

Are There Any Foods You Actively Avoid?

Aside from a peanut allergy, there is not any one particular food that Crawley won’t have — he actually ate pizza between running the sub 5 minute mile and the marathon in the same day. There are, however, foods that he routinely turns towards such as oats with whey protein, chicken, bagels, and more pizza after tough Saturday training sessions. For snacks, he leans on protein bars and smoothies.
 
“Generally, I take a carb source, I take a protein source, I take a fat source (all from sources that I enjoy), and make meals to fit around my intake goals – simple as that!”

Do You Get Cramps Often Or Was That a Peculiar Day?

While running the marathon after back squatting 227kg/501lb and hitting a 4:58 mile, Crawley suffered from cramps in his quads, slowing him down. Although he was equipped with a liter and a half of water and multiple sources of carbs and electrolytes on his running harness, he attributed the cramps to his body not knowing what to expect.

“I have never had this issue before! And having done Ironman Lanzarote in 22-28 degree celsius heat, I’d say that this was a unique problem I suffered as a result of the physiological confusion/challenge of the squat/mile ahead of the marathon.”

The cramps led to Crawley completing the marathon in about 5 hours via an average pace of 11:13/mile. He burned nearly an entire training day’s worth of calories. He stated upon completion that it was “the slowest marathon [he] will ever run.” For context, earlier in 2020 he ran a marathon in 3 hours and 17 minutes, so it was clear that the stress caused from the squat and full effort mile affected his performance in a significant way.

 

 

Why Add 50km/31 miles to an Already Grueling Challenge?  

“I had always thought about adding an endurance element to the challenge, before I had even committed to it, and the 50km was frankly just to fit with the number scheme!”

After traversing 22km/13.7 miles at just over 2 hours, Crawley suffered the cramps in his quads and knew “something wasn’t right.” After they lingered for approximately 1km, he “reevaluated and scaled back [the] goal based off the reality of the challenge.”

The “Big, Big Endurance Challenge” in the Fall?

The day after finishing his immense endurance challenge, Crawley hinted at a “big, big endurance challenge” that he has in the works to be performed sometime in the fall. Unfortunately, he was unable to share the exact details. However, he was able to give a sense of just how large the challenge will be and that it will be unlike any other previous challenge:

“It will be a continuous 8-10 day effort to achieve a world first, and it will be in the Scottish mountains, starting on 11/1/2020 — plus, my coach is joining me for the entire thing this year which will help with the misery of it!”

The that start date coincides with Movember. Crawley hopes to raise £100,000 for men’s mental health and suicide prevention.

“I already have some great sponsors on board, as well as some fantastic community partnerships — so things are shaping up nicely.”

Future Plans for Additional Endurance Challenges

As for endurance challenges in addition to his Movember challenge in the Scottish mountains, Crawley has “a few crazy plans.”