I know the general consensus amongst many here is that chronic cardio is bad, but I would like to throw caution to the wind and incorporate more of it my exercise routine. My girlfriend is a avid runner, she logs 40-50 miles a week and is always pressuring me to join her. I, on the other hand, am somewhat of a gym rat. Cardio is fine, but only when constrained to sprints, and I would like to save my energy for increasing my lifts.
Well, our relationship has reached a point where I must start to reconcile some of my ways to incorporate more of what she views as bonding activities. Likewise, she has promised to start lifting weights with me several days each week. I don't mind running, but I'm not sure how to incorporate it into my gym routine.
Currently, I have promised to do 3 x 5 mile runs each week. This has been the first week. Running day one was on Monday. Following an intense weight training session, I joined her to run 5 miles in and around our neighborhood. The next day, my weightlifting session definitely sucked. By Wednesday (our second run), I felt totally glycogen depleted. My lifts were all down 30-40%. Running felt like a complete chore.
I've been really conscious of energy expenditure and have tried to replace calories with extra fats and protein (I''m doing a very low carbohydrate paleo diet). I'm hoping my lack of energy is an adaptation thing -- adapting to low glycogen, adapting to running. But after yet another failed weight training session, I am thinking of increasing my carbohydrate load to include a sweet potato post-workout and maybe extra berries in the morning.
I know there are a lot of sports that require weight training and running. I'm wondering how athletes maintain muscle mass and strength while also increasing running endurance. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
My current workout is a 4-day split: chest / triceps, back / biceps, legs, dead-lifts / traps. I'm thinking that breaking it into a 6-7 smaller workouts might conserve more energy for running?
Your knowledge on this subject exceeds mine, so there is not much I can offer you, but I do have a few thoughts:
1. Give us your stats! Height, weight, BF%?
2. Give low carbohydrate a bit longer, to see if you can indeed better adapt to new activity type & level. In the short-term it may result in some muscle loss, however using Paleo reasoning here im thinking many of our ancestors who found themselves on the more carnivorous side of omnivory would have had workloads at similar levels or higher and performed these on a low/zero carbohydrate diet. That said I don't know much about epigenetics, perhaps growing up with this workload and low-carbohydrate intake would allow you to be better adapted (or some other factors would come into play).
3. Just go with the extra berries in the morning, and sweet-potato post-workout (the best two carb sources I can think of), as arguably the longevity benefits from being in love will outweigh any net-negative from the increased carbohydrate intake
As an ex-body builder myself, I can relate to your trepidation at losing any hard earned muscle mass, but as someone no longer solely concerned with constant improvement in my lifts and muscle mass I would say you should give your existing diet a bit longer and wait to see if there is any improvement. But I am biased as my current opinion is your diet is perfect, so can only get worse. Following from that I think you have diet so nailed, and most likely your body building regimen down to a T, that the addition of even 15 miles per week can ONLY decrease your form in the gym and mass gains, because the comparison is perfect diet and perfect gym workouts and that's it! You look pretty jacked from your profile photo, and IIRC that was the photo you had when I joined 6 months ago, so no doubt you are even bigger now. In Paleo terms it's possible you are 'too big' to be logging up a lot of miles per week, and I think your body will really want to shed some of the weight to increase running efficiency (knowing your weight would really help here).
Anecdotal but I used to workout with a footy player (mostly gym buddies, only sometimes training partners), and we trained year round. He was Polynesian so had great genes for bb and would always monster through the gym during the summer (he once had almost every weight in the gym AND me ontop of the leg press for reps, it was Ronnie Coleman esk!), but come autumn when footy training started back again, he was never able to reach the same intensity. But his cardio load was certainly much higher than 15 miles per week, and diet nothing resembling what I now think is optimal for human health and body composition (although it was shitloads of carbs and calories so maybe no difference there). Most importantly however he did keep progressing over the years, it was just always a little 2-steps forward, 1-step back.
Currently, I have promised to do 3 x 5 mile runs each week. This has been the first week. Running day one was on Monday. Following an intense weight training session, I joined her to run 5 miles in and around our neighborhood. The next day, my weightlifting session definitely sucked. By Wednesday (our second run), I felt totally glycogen depleted. My lifts were all down 30-40%. Running felt like a complete chore.
I've been really conscious of energy expenditure and have tried to replace calories with extra fats and protein (I''m doing a very low carbohydrate paleo diet). I'm hoping my lack of energy is an adaptation thing -- adapting to low glycogen, adapting to running. But after yet another failed weight training session, I am thinking of increasing my carbohydrate load to include a sweet potato post-workout and maybe extra berries in the morning.
I know there are a lot of sports that require weight training and running. I'm wondering how athletes maintain muscle mass and strength while also increasing running endurance. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
My current workout is a 4-day split: chest / triceps, back / biceps, legs, dead-lifts / traps. I'm thinking that breaking it into a 6-7 smaller workouts might conserve more energy for running?
athletes keep endurance and muscle mass high with carbohydrates. your low carb style diet is not going to be conducive to that type of running schedule... especially if youre running directly after an intense weight lifting session. i really doubt that you (or anyone on a low carb diet) will ever be able to adapt to that to the point where it wont feel like your dying afterward & not have it effecting your weight training regimen.
3, 5 mile sessions per week is not exactly 'light' running... your bodyfat is already so low that youre almost surely going to lose muscle doing that type of running. i would also avoid running directly after a weight lifting session... that is really the recipe for muscle loss & injury. try to space it out or run on opposite days. i dont think you need to increase your overall carb intake too much... the key is timing. keeping your carb intake high directly before and during running is going to be key for you in 1) not feeling like death afterward 2) sparing muscle mass. also you might consider a smaller carb intake before your training sessions... i think your will find that not only does yoru strength return to normal, but that youre actually considerably stronger than with no carbs. obviously you want to make up the calories lost during running with protein & fat elsewhere during the week.
sweet potato or pumpkin are likely your best options for carbs... they can be blended into tasty shakes as well oats are good as well if youre into grains. oats can be sprouted or soaked in whey to reduce anti-nutrients. i dont know how you feel about synthetics, but there are some very interesting designer carbohydrates out there... very low gi and very long lasting.
breaking your workouts into 6-7 smaller sessions may conserve energy but its going to decrease your ability to recover. I would also keep running as far away from legs/deadlifts as you possibly can, unless you dont mind stripping your knees bare. also the impact from running on your spine after compression froms squats/deads is not going to feel very good. if you HAVE to run after working out, it would be best to do after chest & back... I wouldnt even consider running after legs/deads an option...its too risky.
also i would put a bit of research into your running style/how your foot is landing and what type of shoe is going to be best for you... this will go a LONG way in keeping your knees intact.
recap: 1) no running post workout 2) carbs before running & lifting 3) run as far away from legs/deadlifts as possible 4) research footwear
Logging 5 miles is not something an inexperienced runner should be doing 3x per week. Keep that in mind.
Here is what I am currently doing:
Week 1
M-W-F - Gym (full body, no splits)
Tue-Thurs - 4 miles on the beach, heavy stretch after
Week 2
M-W - Gym (full body, no splits)
Tue-Thurs - 4 miles on the beach, heavy stretch after
Friday - 2.5 miles on the beach, Yoga
Repeat
I feel the running isn't effecting my lifting at all. In fact, I feel quite the opposite as I do heavy stretching after my muscles all over are warm from the run. I am getting adequate rest between lifting sessions and adequate rest between running sessions. Keep in mind, I am surfing regularly too ...and that in and of itself is physically demanding in strength, endurance, and balance.
I know less than anyone else who has posted here. However the internet makes me feel a strong need to vent my opinions.
Other than what's been said, you could try:
1) Read "Born To Run" by Christopher McDougall. Inspirational, albeit a bit verbose. A basic recap of the recent history of marathon running and why the modern shoe is evil incarnate.
2) Run barefoot. Makes people run better, as well as making things more... interesting.
Well, our relationship has reached a point where I must start to reconcile some of my ways to incorporate more of what she views as bonding activities. Likewise, she has promised to start lifting weights with me several days each week. I don't mind running, but I'm not sure how to incorporate it into my gym routine.
Get a new girlfriend. Seriously. She knew when you first went out that you weren't a runner, and you shouldn't put up with her trying to change you.
Currently, I have promised to do 3 x 5 mile runs each week.
Even though you're in good shape, that's pretty brutal for someone just starting out with running.
I know the general consensus amongst many here is that chronic cardio is bad, but I would like to throw caution to the wind and incorporate more of it my exercise routine. My girlfriend is a avid runner, she logs 40-50 miles a week and is always pressuring me to join her. I, on the other hand, am somewhat of a gym rat. Cardio is fine, but only when constrained to sprints, and I would like to save my energy for increasing my lifts.
Well, our relationship has reached a point where I must start to reconcile some of my ways to incorporate more of what she views as bonding activities. Likewise, she has promised to start lifting weights with me several days each week. I don't mind running, but I'm not sure how to incorporate it into my gym routine.
Currently, I have promised to do 3 x 5 mile runs each week. This has been the first week. Running day one was on Monday. Following an intense weight training session, I joined her to run 5 miles in and around our neighborhood. The next day, my weightlifting session definitely sucked. By Wednesday (our second run), I felt totally glycogen depleted. My lifts were all down 30-40%. Running felt like a complete chore.
I've been really conscious of energy expenditure and have tried to replace calories with extra fats and protein (I''m doing a very low carbohydrate paleo diet). I'm hoping my lack of energy is an adaptation thing -- adapting to low glycogen, adapting to running. But after yet another failed weight training session, I am thinking of increasing my carbohydrate load to include a sweet potato post-workout and maybe extra berries in the morning.
I know there are a lot of sports that require weight training and running. I'm wondering how athletes maintain muscle mass and strength while also increasing running endurance. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
My current workout is a 4-day split: chest / triceps, back / biceps, legs, dead-lifts / traps. I'm thinking that breaking it into a 6-7 smaller workouts might conserve more energy for running?
I'm breaking my weight lifting out into alternate days, so each alternate off day would be ideal for cardio. I love running and would be doing that but I'm still trying to get my knee right.
I always have some high gi carbs pre and post workout (raw honey). I generally have complex carbs with dinner (e.g. pasta) ... I'm still trying to break out of that, but maybe they're not so bad if I stuck to my alternating lifting/cardio routine?
Edited by RighteousReason, 21 May 2010 - 07:45 PM.
Nutrition for mixed sports is kind of tricky, but I'd just start with upping carb intake around all training sessions and see how it goes. That said, it's likely that you're going to have to modify your weight training in the beginning. You can start by keeping the weight at the same level and just cutting total volume by a certain percent. This should keep your strength up. Some lighter pump sets afterward could be used to keep your weight up. Or, you could completely revamp your training and base it around only the lifts you value the most. I'd probably vote for the latter.
Since being too good at either is antithetical to a certain extent, it's not unlikely that you're going to have to accept an initial hit and try to build back up from there.
And, I agree with most of the above suggestions. Make sure you know how to run. A properly performed jog is pretty effortless, but it takes time to get there. I also recommend a different form of bonding activity, which could be considered as aerobic work. Or just humor her with the running until she recognizes the obvious benefits to squatting and trades in her Asics for Adidas lifting shoes.
Your knowledge on this subject exceeds mine, so there is not much I can offer you, but I do have a few thoughts:
1. Give us your stats! Height, weight, BF%?
2. Give low carbohydrate a bit longer, to see if you can indeed better adapt to new activity type & level. In the short-term it may result in some muscle loss, however using Paleo reasoning here im thinking many of our ancestors who found themselves on the more carnivorous side of omnivory would have had workloads at similar levels or higher and performed these on a low/zero carbohydrate diet. That said I don't know much about epigenetics, perhaps growing up with this workload and low-carbohydrate intake would allow you to be better adapted (or some other factors would come into play).
3. Just go with the extra berries in the morning, and sweet-potato post-workout (the best two carb sources I can think of), as arguably the longevity benefits from being in love will outweigh any net-negative from the increased carbohydrate intake
As an ex-body builder myself, I can relate to your trepidation at losing any hard earned muscle mass, but as someone no longer solely concerned with constant improvement in my lifts and muscle mass I would say you should give your existing diet a bit longer and wait to see if there is any improvement. But I am biased as my current opinion is your diet is perfect, so can only get worse. Following from that I think you have diet so nailed, and most likely your body building regimen down to a T, that the addition of even 15 miles per week can ONLY decrease your form in the gym and mass gains, because the comparison is perfect diet and perfect gym workouts and that's it! You look pretty jacked from your profile photo, and IIRC that was the photo you had when I joined 6 months ago, so no doubt you are even bigger now. In Paleo terms it's possible you are 'too big' to be logging up a lot of miles per week, and I think your body will really want to shed some of the weight to increase running efficiency (knowing your weight would really help here).
Thanks for the great advice! My stats are 190lbs, 6ft, body fat around 6-10% (depending on activity level). I've been doing a bodybuilding routine for close to 8 years, with very little cardio type exercise. My diet is usually quite low carb (50-70g), it has not been prohibitive before and is probably the primary reason my body fat stays perennially low.
You're right, from an evolutionary perspective, it seems like I should be able to do significant amounts of cardio and retain quite a bit of muscle. It may be a matter of adaptation or perhaps needing to consume even higher amounts of fat and protein (glycogen comes from protein during ketosis). However, I don't know if I can stomach adding another 2,000 calories of fat and protein to my diet. That would be like eating a stick of butter with each meal! If the easier way is to simply up my carbohydrate intake on high activity days (100g total+/-) and then decrease my weight lifting intensity (spread out the routine over 7 days), I may go that route.
You may be right that my weight is just too high for significant amounts of running, but awhile ago you posted some pictures of rugby players that looked absolutely huge. Surely they must do at least 15 miles a week in running / training? Any idea how they achieve that?
recap: 1) no running post workout 2) carbs before running & lifting 3) run as far away from legs/deadlifts as possible 4) research footwear
I actually have a pair of vibram five fingers that I use for deadlifts and squats, but I've never used them for much else. Right now I am using Asics shows (heal striking) for street running. They were recommended to me by after a gate analysis at a running store. Running 3x5 miles a week is already hard enough, adding barefoot would be a huge adaptation phase I think!
Get a new girlfriend. Seriously. She knew when you first went out that you weren't a runner, and you shouldn't put up with her trying to change you.
I knew I'd get this from someone here. Well, it is certianly a two way street. I'd like to think that she is helping me grow as an individual.
just linking it, in case you find it interesting. these are the guys who trained the crew/cast of the movie 300. i imagine this guy must live on nuts or something with tons of fat. cuz IDK how else you get tons of fat into your diet without drinking EVOO out of the bottle or eating sticks of butter, like you suggest.
just linking it, in case you find it interesting. these are the guys who trained the crew/cast of the movie 300. i imagine this guy must live on nuts or something with tons of fat. cuz IDK how else you get tons of fat into your diet without drinking EVOO out of the bottle or eating sticks of butter, like you suggest.
i imagine this guy must live on nuts or something with tons of fat. cuz IDK how else you get tons of fat into your diet without drinking EVOO out of the bottle or eating sticks of butter, like you suggest.
Twight has actually listed olive oil as his favorite drink on his site profile since the beginning. Dude is awesome and slightly scary.
Edit: Nevermind, I must have been thinking of Dan John. Twight is still scary.
Yea, he is a real warrior. Reminds me of Bruce Lee in some ways, smaller at 5'8", but probably pound for pound one of the strongest, most durable guys in the US.
I think the answer for Skot is probably just to keep the pace down to 50% VO2 Max until you build up your own cardiovascular endurance capacity and fat oxidation. The answer is to not run but jog, stay in fat burning mode and not glycogen burning mode. Slowly increase your endurance level over time, as described in the article (the guy who transformed over 3 months).
The problem is going to be what pace you want, and whether or your g/f is trying to accomplish glycogen usage instead of fat.
Can you guys compromise and do sprints or plyometrics together? :-) I can't think of anything I'd less like to do for exercise than long-distance running.
It's not just making up the calorie deficit by the added running, you should need more rest now also. Me, I'd find another way to bond. And I'll offer my armchair opinion that if your girlfriend is running that much, unless she's training for a competition, she has body image issues that you're just playing into by joining her. No one with any modicum of control over what they eat needs to run that much or do that much cardio for weight control and I don't think that much cardio is otherwise healthy, probably the opposite. So, not only does she have head issues, and I suppose we all do in some form or another, but if she thinks she's doing her body any favors by excessive cardio, she's wrong.
What's wrong with walking? A little brisk walking is all it takes with a good diet and some lifting to be in terrific shape. But if you stick with the running, I'd use carbs after both it and lifting, rest more, and spend less time in the gym, focusing on compound movements for high weights and low reps to the exclusion of isolation movements. Or maybe you just need to throw up a few times when you run with her and she'll agree there are better ways to bond. Seriously, get her to squat. She'll grow as a person.
you see this with a lot of MMA fighters as well... their cario training is way beyond what you see in any other sport and most of the guys are extremely muscular. guys who maintain high% of lean mass while being intensely active do so through a higher carb diet... i also think that eventually your body adapts to this style of training and as long as your calories are adequate your lean mass will normalize. yea you may lose a lb or two but youre already yacked man... losing a little weight isnt going to kill you, especially when compared to what you'll gain by depending your relationship with your gf.
thiago alves, 5'9 170lbs
I knew I'd get this from someone here. Well, it is certianly a two way street. I'd like to think that she is helping me grow as an individual.
compromise is a good thing... it enriches lives and relationships. you may find your life is better after trying something new... one of the best parts of being in a relationship is that it brings you to explore new areas that you never would have.
Learn to run in Vibram Five Fingers- this will keeps your joints healthy for lifting. Also it's the best calf workout I've ever done, take it slow in the beginning! VFFs are the best shoes ever for lifting.
It's not just making up the calorie deficit by the added running, you should need more rest now also. Me, I'd find another way to bond. And I'll offer my armchair opinion that if your girlfriend is running that much, unless she's training for a competition, she has body image issues that you're just playing into by joining her. No one with any modicum of control over what they eat needs to run that much or do that much cardio for weight control and I don't think that much cardio is otherwise healthy, probably the opposite. So, not only does she have head issues, and I suppose we all do in some form or another, but if she thinks she's doing her body any favors by excessive cardio, she's wrong.
She has been into running (and yoga) for quite some time. She does marathons and participates in a running group. I think she does too much running, getting her to cut down the amount of running she does is part of our compromise. She does more weights and other types of exercises with me, I do more running with her.
For her, running 5 miles is easy. She doesn't even break a sweat!
Learn to run in Vibram Five Fingers- this will keeps your joints healthy for lifting. Also it's the best calf workout I've ever done, take it slow in the beginning! VFFs are the best shoes ever for lifting.
Cool, I have a pair of VFF's, but I never even thought of wearing them in the weight room. I always wear my converse. I'll give it a try.
Learn to run in Vibram Five Fingers- this will keeps your joints healthy for lifting. Also it's the best calf workout I've ever done, take it slow in the beginning! VFFs are the best shoes ever for lifting.
Learn to run in Vibram Five Fingers- this will keeps your joints healthy for lifting. Also it's the best calf workout I've ever done, take it slow in the beginning! VFFs are the best shoes ever for lifting.
I just recently looked around, and there seem to be a rash of metatarsal fractures associated with doing a lot of running on VFF. I have to emphasize the "take it slow in the beginning" part.
For years I have ended my strength training sessions with 20-30 minutes intense cardio, either intervals or steady state. For the first year or so, it left me feeling completely drained and lifeless after workouts. But eventually I adapted to it.
For the record, Arnold Schwarzenegger did fairly intense dedicated cardio training (usually running outside) for 30 minutes daily 6 days per week. However, he did not do it immediately before or after strength training, but instead 4+ hours before or after strength training. Arnold believed that with improved cardiovascular fitness came improved performance during his intense 3+ hour lifting sessions. (This also is my experience and belief.)
You're right, from an evolutionary perspective, it seems like I should be able to do significant amounts of cardio and retain quite a bit of muscle. It may be a matter of adaptation or perhaps needing to consume even higher amounts of fat and protein (glycogen comes from protein during ketosis). However, I don't know if I can stomach adding another 2,000 calories of fat and protein to my diet. That would be like eating a stick of butter with each meal! If the easier way is to simply up my carbohydrate intake on high activity days (100g total+/-) and then decrease my weight lifting intensity (spread out the routine over 7 days), I may go that route.
Yeh, that is something I didn't actually think of (thus my initial declaration!). An increase of total calories which in your case is an increase in protein+fat, and an increase of carbohydrates limited to days of high activity. Could be a good intermediate compromise before an across the board carb increase.
You may be right that my weight is just too high for significant amounts of running, but awhile ago you posted some pictures of rugby players that looked absolutely huge. Surely they must do at least 15 miles a week in running / training? Any idea how they achieve that?
I think there are some important points no one has raised whilst citing professional athletes, MMA fighters, Arnie, etc. Firstly, these guys entire profession/career is the maintenance of their physical bodies. Their full-time job is staying in shape! Secondly, the latter are most likely and definitely (respectively) consuming huge amounts of performance enhancing drugs, so any comparison is absolutely meaningless. Finally, much of this is genetic selection. These top level athletes are often the genetic elite, they were blessed with genes that allow them to recover quicker/get bigger/run faster/lift stronger than the rest of us! It is like the article I remember reading last Olympics. The skill level and amount of training is now so high between competitors in varying sports, that in many sports it is not who is 'better' ability wise, but who has the better genes. This is surely a hard pill to swallow for some, but the differece seperating gold from silver probably isnt 'will power' or 'dedication' or 'heart' or 'drive' ... It's probably gene(s) K695R and MK234T (fictional genes I just made up (and probably not even following gene naming conventions) ). The guy in gold has a fraction of a % advantage in recovery, and for example in a swimming competition when competitors need to swim through multiple heats then finals over consecutive days, this variance of recovery it is speculated is the deciding factor. It makes sense to me. It's like didn't we find out a while ago all those Kenyans winning the marathons turned out to have genetically smaller legs, which led to something like an 8% increased energy efficiency when they run? 8% over a marathon is HUGE. Now there are all sorts of interesting questions this raises, such as are their legs smaller due to evolutionary selection because historically they have been runners, so in effect it is their history as runners that makes them better runners! Just not how we traditionally thought about it! And many other interesting or counter-intuitive repercussions...
I actually have a pair of vibram five fingers that I use for deadlifts and squats, but I've never used them for much else. Right now I am using Asics shows (heal striking) for street running. They were recommended to me by after a gate analysis at a running store. Running 3x5 miles a week is already hard enough, adding barefoot would be a huge adaptation phase I think!
I agree with Annan, read Born to Run (or read a review/synopsis). It has some great information on running style as well, something you will almost certainly not be doing correctly having grown up in shoes, on hard flat surfaces, and having not run much. This most importantly has huge implications to longevity because IMO one of the worst things about running is simply the huge load of very minor yet ultimately incremental and irreversible wear and tear on your body. I want to be able to do the exercise I do now when I am 100 (albeit less intensely), not be hobbling around cause my joints and hips are obliterated. And Skot total science fail for giving any credibility to the pseudo-science that is running store gait analysis!!!
I think this study by Nature put the shoe thing to rest (including running on hard surfaces):
Yes, the study did have Vibram behind it, but it is published by Nature, and it is important to remember that funding for studies should impart extra scrutinization, but it does not mean good science cannot result from it (I know easy to say when I support the conclusion, right). There is no science behind running shoes, just go have a look! I still don't get how anyone is still arguing about this. It's a man-made device created in the 1970's by a shoe company VS the most complicated and sophisticated running machinery on the planet! Humans are the no#1 long distance mammal in the world. We can outrun a horse, a buffalo, you name it. We are no#1. We did this up until about ~50 years ago barefoot (and in the preceding 10,000 years much closer to barefoot than a running shoe is, not that what we did during those last 10,000 years really matters)! And anyone at all familiar with biology across mammals should know evolution can turn a foot into anything it likes. If we needed a huge padded heal, we would have one!!! I don't get how someone could read that reasoning (and see the scientific study posted above) and not be like yep barefoot it is! There is one good argument against barefoot, which is it is a novel experience having grown up in shoes and so may cause damage, this is true so it is best to start slow, but I think the nature study shows you are still doing far more damage in the long-run wearing running shoes.
I know the general consensus amongst many here is that chronic cardio is bad, but I would like to throw caution to the wind and incorporate more of it my exercise routine. My girlfriend is a avid runner, she logs 40-50 miles a week and is always pressuring me to join her. I, on the other hand, am somewhat of a gym rat. Cardio is fine, but only when constrained to sprints, and I would like to save my energy for increasing my lifts.
Well, our relationship has reached a point where I must start to reconcile some of my ways to incorporate more of what she views as bonding activities. Likewise, she has promised to start lifting weights with me several days each week. I don't mind running, but I'm not sure how to incorporate it into my gym routine.
Currently, I have promised to do 3 x 5 mile runs each week. This has been the first week. Running day one was on Monday. Following an intense weight training session, I joined her to run 5 miles in and around our neighborhood. The next day, my weightlifting session definitely sucked. By Wednesday (our second run), I felt totally glycogen depleted. My lifts were all down 30-40%. Running felt like a complete chore.
I've been really conscious of energy expenditure and have tried to replace calories with extra fats and protein (I''m doing a very low carbohydrate paleo diet). I'm hoping my lack of energy is an adaptation thing -- adapting to low glycogen, adapting to running. But after yet another failed weight training session, I am thinking of increasing my carbohydrate load to include a sweet potato post-workout and maybe extra berries in the morning.
I know there are a lot of sports that require weight training and running. I'm wondering how athletes maintain muscle mass and strength while also increasing running endurance. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
My current workout is a 4-day split: chest / triceps, back / biceps, legs, dead-lifts / traps. I'm thinking that breaking it into a 6-7 smaller workouts might conserve more energy for running?
For a long time I avoided substantive cardio, due to the consensus that chronic cardio is bad. However, lately I have been running 6 miles 3 or 4 times a week (slow pace) and doing some easy biking for 40 minutes 2 x per week. I can tell you that my knees andfeel much better since starting this regimen. In fact my knee pain is gone. I am going to add back in intervals into my regimen 2 x per week after I build up more of a cardio base in a month or so
My guess has always been that a wide variety of exercise types is best for general fitness. Sometimes it's better to stay away from the consensus of experts and forum users, and just experiment to see what works for you best on an individual basis. Folks here often will point to certain studies that intervals are more efficient than aerobic exercise. My guess is that aerobic and sprints do two separate things. I don't know that you can say one is better than the other. To me, that's like saying benching is better than squating.
If one takes either intervals or aerobic exercise to the point of over training, there will most certainly be injury, fatigue and other problems associated with both exercise types.
I know the general consensus amongst many here is that chronic cardio is bad, but I would like to throw caution to the wind and incorporate more of it my exercise routine. My girlfriend is a avid runner, she logs 40-50 miles a week and is always pressuring me to join her. I, on the other hand, am somewhat of a gym rat. Cardio is fine, but only when constrained to sprints, and I would like to save my energy for increasing my lifts.
Well, our relationship has reached a point where I must start to reconcile some of my ways to incorporate more of what she views as bonding activities. Likewise, she has promised to start lifting weights with me several days each week. I don't mind running, but I'm not sure how to incorporate it into my gym routine.
Currently, I have promised to do 3 x 5 mile runs each week. This has been the first week. Running day one was on Monday. Following an intense weight training session, I joined her to run 5 miles in and around our neighborhood. The next day, my weightlifting session definitely sucked. By Wednesday (our second run), I felt totally glycogen depleted. My lifts were all down 30-40%. Running felt like a complete chore.
I've been really conscious of energy expenditure and have tried to replace calories with extra fats and protein (I''m doing a very low carbohydrate paleo diet). I'm hoping my lack of energy is an adaptation thing -- adapting to low glycogen, adapting to running. But after yet another failed weight training session, I am thinking of increasing my carbohydrate load to include a sweet potato post-workout and maybe extra berries in the morning.
I know there are a lot of sports that require weight training and running. I'm wondering how athletes maintain muscle mass and strength while also increasing running endurance. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
My current workout is a 4-day split: chest / triceps, back / biceps, legs, dead-lifts / traps. I'm thinking that breaking it into a 6-7 smaller workouts might conserve more energy for running?
One more comment: I have found that I do not have enough in my gas tank to combine running and weight lifting in one work out. I try to complete my run at least 4 hours before I start lifting. Also, you may need to scale back your lifting on the days you run (less sets, less exercises)
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