Exercise Goals for 2009

Soz, you're faster than I was at my jogging best, which was 4 miles sans stopping, maybe 50 - 55 minutes. Some of that was graded uphill if you looked hard, but the way back was downhill. I was never fast (snort) but could be steady. Soon with the walks again. (This has been not the best week, but that's also an excuse.)

Hey, you guys!!

How the hell did it get to be the 13th??

Joe(I'll be back with my goals.... .)Nation

I don't recall my feet ever bothering me.

It was the arms that killed me and still get me occasionally. Keeping your arms in the air for the better part of an hour - and doing some kind of routine with them for at least half of it - yee-ouch. I can remember that when I started in the beginner class, we were all ready to weep after about 3 minutes of keeping our arms in the air, but Ioana was giving us no relief. Up up no chicken arms !!!!

At this level, if someone was going to even hint I was doing chicken arms, I'd just about weep. It hurts, but I keep 'em up.

How the hell did we fall so far behind the Pace Bunny already?

I remember that from ballet class, too. We were doing all sorts of things with our legs but just keeping the arms UP was what killed.

George, I haven't forgotten that I owe you some sort of a workout plan for strength. I created a new one for myself that I wanted to try for a few weeks before suggesting it to you; I've tried it out, and I like it. Let me know what you think. And I realize that you 'might' not have some of the equipment available to do this, so let me know if any of these exercises aren't possible. Also, you need to be sure that you're using the correct form on these lifts. I can help you, or you can youtube these exercises if you have any questions. If any of these exercises are new to you, do not load up the weight until you're comfortable w/ the form.

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Workout 1
Squats - 3 sets of 5 reps at the same weight, with 3-5 minutes rest in between sets. Use the heaviest weight you can lift 5 times. Increase this weight every workout by 5-10lbs.

Bench Press - 3 sets of 5 reps at the same weight, with 3-5 minutes rest in between sets. Use the heaviest weight you can lift 5 times. Increase this weight every workout by 5lbs.

Deadlift - 1 set of 5 reps. Use the heaviest weight you can lift 5 times. Increase this weight every workout by 5-10lbs.

Triceps (optional) - do any tricep exercise you like. 2 sets of 10 reps. Use the heaviest weight you can lift 10 times. Increase this weight by 5lbs every workout.

Abs - do any ab exercises you like, as many as you like until you feel the burn.



Workout 2
Squats - 3 sets of 5 reps at the same weight, with 3-5 minutes rest in between sets. Use the heaviest weight you can lift 5 times. Increase this weight every workout by 5-10lbs.

Shoulder/Military Press - 3 sets of 5 reps at the same weight, with 3-5 minutes rest in between sets. Use the heaviest weight you can lift 5 times. Increase this weight every workout by 5lbs.

Bent Over Rows - 3 set of 5 reps. Use the heaviest weight you can lift 5 times. Increase this weight every workout by 5lbs.

Chin-ups (optional) - 2 sets of 10 reps. If you cannot complete 10 un-assisted chin-ups and do not have access to an assisted chin-up machine. You can use a lateral pulldown machine to finish off the sets. For example, if you can do 3 chin-ups in good form then do those but finish off with 7 reps on the lat pulldown machine. I recommend chin-ups as these will also workout your biceps.

Abs - do any ab exercises you like, as many as you like until you feel the burn.
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Now, all you do is alternate workout 1 and workout 2 with at least 1 day of rest inbetween. For example:

Mon - Workout 1, Tue - Rest, Wed - Workout 2, Thu - Rest, Fri - Workout 1, Sat - Rest, Sun - Rest

Mon - Workout 2, Tue - Rest, Wed - Workout 1, Thu - Rest, Fri - Workout 2, Sat - Rest, Sun - Rest

Repeat
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Ok, and a few notes about why I suggesting these exercises.

First, this is basically a routine created by someone called Mark Rippetoe in his book 'Starting Strength'. I have done a lot of research on strength training and EVERYONE suggests this guys program. I have been trying it out for the last 3 weeks and I'm already 10-15% stronger than I was when I started. I have some weightlifting journals from the last 3 years (where I really never saw any progress) and this plan appears to be working. I'm planning on using it for 16 weeks, but may even go longer if I continue to see gains.

Second, to gain strength you have to lift heavy weights for low reps. If you feel like you can do more than 5 reps with the weight you're using, add more weight. Do not add more reps. This set/rep combo will retrain your nervous system and muscles to focus on strength (as opposed to stamina/size). Stamina is important too, so I would suggest that after 16 weeks of this program you spend 4-8 weeks on a stamina building program (probably similar exercies, but doing 12-15 reps with the heaviest weight you can lift for that number of reps). The 8-10 rep range is important if you're focused on building size; remember though that size does not equal strength. It is very common for bodybuilders to be weaker than power lifters even though they have more muscle.

Third, free weights should be used wherever possible, and olympic bars (the normal 45lb bars you see in gyms) should be used instead of dumbbells (at least for this first cycle). If you do not have a bar/weight setup, you can use dumbbells, but be extra careful.

Fourth, squats are uber-important. They suck, but doing squats will cause all of your other muscles to get stronger. There are studies where a test group did a workout plan that included squats and a control group did the same workout plan minus the squats (measures were taken to ensure that food intake was comparable), and the test group (that did squats) saw much bigger gains in their other lifts than the control group did. There is a medical reason for this; I can't recall it right now, but there's some science behind it. Do not skip the squats.

Fifth, you have to eat more food than you are now. Try to eat an extra 500 calories per day above and beyond what your body needs. I know you're running too, so you'll have to eat all of those calories back also. Try to up the protein a little bit as well. You're likely getting enough that this won't be an issue, but a little more couldn't hurt. If you have a desire to lose weight, then you can cut your calorie intake down. This workout will still benefit you (you'll lose less muscle during your weight loss phase), but you won't see the strength gains you'd otherwise get to enjoy (so instead of increasing the weight every workout, it might be every other workout or every 3rd workout. Your body will tell you.)

Sixth, there is no need to add any other exercises to this routine (other than the optional lifts). The lifts you're performing are all called compound lifts (at least when you use free weights) and all of them work multiple muscle groups. Squats for example work over 90% of the muscles in your body. If you feel like adding in more exercises, I'd strongly suggest that you don't, but use that extra time for some stretching (and for that I'd take a look at a pretty new type of stretching called 'resistence stretching')

Ok, I think I've covered everything, but PLEASE let me know if you're comfortable with this plan or if your equipment would require that you alter this somewhat. The book has a lot of suggestions that I haven't put here if equipment isn't available or if old injuries make some of these lifts difficult/impossible.

I was taking Clive to the gym that night for a leg workout, so I knew I'd have
to get my bench presses in at lunch. I did about 2 and a quarter miles through
the interconnected parking lots of this industrial ghetto first. The air was
cold and bracing. I was feeling good as I went scritch-scratching over the
sand-covered asphalt. It was one of those runs where everything just feels
right. The body electric was singing. I found a strong, steady pace and kept
with it the whole way.

After the run I went to the workout room. There are two benches there. One
of them is free-standing. It had a bar on it loaded up to 75 pounds. I wanted
to do a lot more than that, but I wouldn't on that bench without someone to
spot. So I used the other bench. The other bench has a bar connected to
pulleys with an electronic sensor across the bar. If you maintain contact
with the sensor, the bar moves freely up or down; if you break contact, the
bar will not go down. This makes it safer to lift alone.

I loaded two 45-pound disks on the bar and set to work. After a couple of
sets of 12, I was sitting on the bench catching my breath when Two-Mile Mike
poked his head in the door.

"So, are you pressing on that bench," he asked, nodding toward the lightly
loaded bar, "and resting on this one?"

"Shut up," I explained.

He chuckled and left.

I did a little more benching and then some sets on the pec deck. I was
cooked. When I got back to the cube, I entered my time and route into
RunningAHEAD. I had done a pace of 8:43. I was happy that my work
for the afternoon was some tedious, mentally unchallenging tests. That's
about all I could handle.

maporshe! Howzit?

I posted the previous without seeing your entry. I'm going to study it today.
Thanks, brother.

Going good George....getting better every time I load up an extra 5-10lbs too .

Yeah, take a look and let me know what you think. I have a spreadsheet created for this workout too if you have an email address I could send it to you.

I'll add too that this workout will work for anyone, male or female.

My SO is doing the same workout with me and she's seeing some great gains. She's adjusting to lifting heavier weights, and thinks it's strange that she has to use a different weight for each workout, but she's coming along.

She used to do what most women seem to do, and did the same weight for bench press that she did for bicep curl that she did for shoulder press that she did for lunges, etc. I don't think she'd ever lifted a weight heavier than her 15lb purple dumbbells at home before this workout; now she's throwing up 65lbs on the bench press and squatting 80.

I've had to convince her that she won't start looking like a body builder and that she'll have lean, toned muscles .

I do all different weights -- annoying to keep track of all of 'em but yeah different muscle groups need different weights. If I'm feeling wimpy I make sure to do something with my legs. (My arms need work but my legs are mighty. )

It's on my profile.

Hi Maporsche,

How about aerobic elements? I do basically the exact opposite workout of this - miles and miles on the bike, crazy aerobic, almost no strength training other than some pushups.

It's funny how many different workouts there are out there... I have a friend who's ******* nuts about Russian weight bells, and he looks like a Mack truck now.

Cycloptichorn

OK, question 1.
Squats are a problem for me. Having visited multiple insults on my shoulders,
I can't keep a bar in position correctly for a squat. Not only that, but my gym,
Planet Fitness, is really just a glorified exercise room. There is no free long bar.
Seriously.

There are two leg press machines, however.
One looks something like this:

The other looks something like this:


I know that these are no substityuite for a real squat because they isolate the
quads so much. Ideas?

The option I'd choose is below...but I'll reference the book when I get home today to see if they have any other suggestions.

Single leg squats with dumbbells in hand are very close to a 2 legged squat with olympic bar. You can't use as much weight (which won't be a problem for a few months) because you're gripping with your hands, but the muscle engagement is almost exactly the same.

For example, say you'd start off squatting 135lbs with an olympic bar if that option were available. Instead, you'll grab a 30lb dumbbell with each hand and complete 5 single leg squats with each leg. So instead of squatting 135lbs w/ 2 legs, you'll squat 60lbs with 1 leg.

Let me know if that'll work; as I think that is probably the best substitute.

I'm not as familiar with the different aerobic options that are available. I run a lot still (35/40 miles / week), and during the spring/summer/fall I'll log 20-30 miles on the bike....but when you start talking about hill training, interval training, sprints, etc...well, I don't have a suggestion (sorry).

Cyclops, I DO think that every healthy person does need some weight training for their overall health though. There are great benefits to bone development and injury prevention that you just don't get with aerobic only work. You could take the plan I gave to George, eliminate the optional exercises, and even choose to do each workout 1 time per week (Wkout 1 on Tues, Wkout 2 on Fri for example) and see a long term benefit to your health and a reduction in the negative side effects of aging. Plus that routine would only take 25-35 minutes.

And for weight training, there are a lot of different plans too...the one I've been following and have suggested to George is great for beginners (defined as having less than 18mths of focused weight training experience) and for people who are simply trying to maintain what they've already built.

As you advance out of the beginner stages, you need to shock you body in other ways. I have tried a few kettleball routines (same as the Russian weight bells) just for variety, and they pretty much do the same thing (just not quite as available outside of specialized gyms).

Really, if you start a weight training program that involves progressively increasing the weight your lifting as often as possible, and your body is keeping up with those increases in weight....it's working. You shouldn't change routines until it stops working.

I am at still at the stage right now (marathon training last year really caused a lot of muscle loss) where every workout I'm setting new 5-rep Max's....it feels great and very motivating. Pretty soon (4-6 weeks) that will slow down to setting new max's every week, and 4-8 weeks after that it will be new max's every 2 weeks...but eventually if I keep doing the same routine those increases will stop. You have to be ready to change once the increases stop coming.

Okay man. If you're running 35/40 miles a week, that's a serious aerobic workout! I was just wondering if you did that in addition to your strength training, not knocking it.

As for the cycle, the best thing about training is the easy ability to increase your VO2 max, that is to say, the amount of oxygen you can carry in your bloodstream at any one time. I would think this would be totally helpful when it came to doing reps of larger weights; increases your endurance tremendously.

And it's not hard to train - you do Burnouts. Don't even need hills though they do help. Just ride as hard as you can for a solid 60 seconds, and I do mean as hard as you can. Totally gun it. Until you feel as if you might puke or faint at the end. Then take 60-120 seconds to recover. Repeat. Do as many of them as you can.

If you have any hills nearby, find a nice circular route that takes around that long, and just do it over and over... it adds up quick. In the last year I've quadrupled or quintupled my ability to burnout, and I can go at full speed and strength for 3-5 minutes now instead of just one.

As an added benefit, I can now hold my breath for 2 mins or more; and that's counting a regular diet of marijuana smoking as well

Cycloptichorn

George, if this will work...make sure you google/youtube the correct single leg squat form...I'm not too familiar with it myself.

I'll give them a shot once I can feel my fingers/toes outside again . I like biking on my non-running days...good relaxing non-pounding cardio.

And yeah, my typical week (at least the last 3 to 4 weeks) has been.

Mon - 45 minutes weight training during lunch at work. 60 min on the treadmill at home.
Tue - 45 minutes on treadmill at work. 30 minutes on the heavy bag and 30 minutes resistence stretching at home
Wed - 45 minutes weight training during lunch at work. 60 min on the treadmill at home.
Thu - 45 minutes on treadmill at work. 30 minutes on the heavy bag and 30 minutes resistence stretching at home.
Fri - 45 minutes weight training during lunch at work. 60 min on the treadmill at home.
Sat - Rest and/or resistence stretching
Sun - 120 minutes on the treadmill at home and sometimes more resistence stretching

I hope to be in REALLY good shape by end of year (assuming I can keep this up).


And I eat A LOT! between 3500-4000 healthy calories/day. I'm currently sitting at 185lbs and hope to stay there through the year but gain muscle/lose fat, while maintaining the ability to run a sub 2hr half marathon.

I have a really hard time running on treadmills, b/c I tend to be very heel-heavy when running - it pounds on the surface too heavy when I set down. I don't know how to change my stride to accommodate this, every time I try it feels terrible.

I think the best thing I ever did for my general health was... getting rid of my car. Just walking everywhere really keeps ya slim.

Cycloptichorn