It's official, and I can finally talk about it now! I am in the process of turning my little part time fitness job into a real career at CROSSFIT S3 in Ballantyne, NC. News of my promotion and new title, "Director of S3 Conditioning and Personal Training," hit the S3 blog this morning. Please read the copied text below, or check out the S3 site directly, by clicking on the following link:
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT
We are pleased to announce that Erin Borchard has accepted an enhanced role to be a bigger part of S3. Erin has been a wonderful addition to our team and we feel as though she encompasses everything we look for in a leader and S3 trainer. Erin is not only an incredible athlete, she is an amazing instructor and an incredible person. We are excited to have her more involved. Starting March 5, Erin will take over her role as Director of S3 Conditioning and Personal Training. In this role Erin will teach an increased number of traditional “CROS3FIT” wods as well as she will be adding a number of “S3 Conditioning” classes. We will continue to have our normal schedule and pricing for Crossfit S3 but we are excited to be able to add in this ancillary product incorporating some hours that we don't offer wods and using the new space. We will let Erin explain this product more below and we encourage everyone to come try a couple classes as she will be offering a lot of free “intro” classes during the month of March (we will announce pricing and some enhanced membership options soon). Please join us in welcoming and congratulating Erin on this new role.
**Set your DVRs, our very own Erin Borchard will be featured on Charlotte Today this Tuesday at 11am on NBC.**
From Erin herself:
“I cannot thank you enough for the warm welcome I’ve been given in my first few months as a member of the S3 team. I am truly honored by the faith Kirk, Brandon and Sam have shown they have in me by trusting me with this new position at S3. I see this move as a personal opportunity, as well as a HUGE responsibility. The S3 brand is well-known and well-respected. Therefore, my goal is not to change S3, rather, it is only to enhance it in any way that I am able.
I have worked at S3 for a relatively short period of time and only during the weekday morning hours. Consequently, many of you may not know much about me. I have been an athlete all of my life, as a gymnast during grammar school and then as a springboard/ platform diver through high school, college, and beyond. As a diver at Stanford University, I earned the titles of All-American and Academic All-American several times and was NCAA Champion in the 10-meter Platform event as a senior. After graduation, I continued to train as a member of the U.S. National Diving Team, competing in two U.S. Olympic Team Trials (2000 and 2004).
I retired from diving in 2004, got married (to Joe), had two babies (Eleanor and Charlie), and did a lot of at-home workout videos and spent many useless hours reading tabloid magazines on the elliptical machine. I moved to Charlotte in 2005, took a few group exercise classes at the Y, and found myself surrounded by intensely competitive recreational athletes. Suddenly, I wanted to be the best at something again. I spent 6 months studying for my personal training (NSCA – CSCS), group exercise (ACE), and CrossFit Level I certifications in order to start my own personal training business and to teach group strength and conditioning classes. Over time, the classes I taught began to incorporate more and more elements of CrossFit.
I have my undergraduate degree in Human Biology (Genetics), and science is just as much a passion of mine as fitness is. I believe that the science behind CrossFit’s three defining characteristics is spot on: 1) High Intensity, 2) Functional Movements, 3) Constant Variation. My training/ coaching style relies on these tenets. However, I have a fourth to add: FORM. Exercises done with proper form are safe, functional, and purposeful. Improved fitness is guaranteed when CrossFit WODs are done with high intensity AND proper form throughout.
The CrossFit tenet I rely upon most heavily is that of “Constant Variation.” I believe that can mean variation from CrossFit, as well. S3 has given me an incredible opportunity to create my own ancillary product, separate from our “CROS3FIT” program. I will be programming and running the “S3 Conditioning” program. This product will in no way serve as a replacement for CrossFit WODs, rather it should complement them.
The S3 Conditioning program will serve to bridge that wide gap between short duration/ high intensity CrossFit and long duration/ low intensity steady state cardio (i.e. distance running). The S3Conditioning classes will be one hour in duration, lead by an instructor actually doing the workout alongside of the participants. Incorporating both strength and conditioning elements, class intensity will be very high, but the amount of weight handled will be far less. Partner drills and teamwork will abound; there will be no white board. My hope is that these classes will be just as effective and challenging as CrossFit, but they will also be more approachable for the “Average Joe/ Jill.”
“S3 Conditioning” = Bootcamp CrossFit-style (minus the barbell).
Sprint, row, gymnastic movement, box jumps, dumbbells, med balls, slam balls, kettlebells, pull-up bars, jump rope, etc….it will have it ALL…and more.
Over the past two years, I have watched my level of fitness improve dramatically. I have trained myself by creating weeks of workouts that alternate days of CrossFit WODs with days of my conditioning classes. This way of training has worked wonders for me and my personal training clients; I feel beyond lucky to have the opportunity to introduce it to all of you at S3.
