Wow, I'm all for focusing on the heavy stuff--all my ST workouts are based on them--but that's pretty gonzo. It'll be interesting to hear how it goes.
Optimal strength training for runners
- Thread starter Abide
- Start date
I'm thinking about doing it for an 8 week trial to see how it works and feels. My squat sucks, probably because I run too much, so maybe this will help a little.
Just curious, about what percentage is your squat weight in relation to your deadlift weight?
I haven't done serious squats for a long time, but that sounds about right, probably even less for me.
I'm not quite where you guys are. I'm a formerly weak fat guy, now weak skinny guy. Dumbbell bench at 6 reps 70% BW. (Don't have a barbell or gym membership). Got a used set of Powerblock dumbbells, bench, and stand.
Been focusing mostly on just keeping the weight off. Now that I'm starting to get the hang of that, been trying to lift more regularly and making modest progress. Focusing more on strength rather than size, so I'm doing lower reps, aiming for 8-6-4 when pyramiding up. According to this article, that focuses more on myofibrillar hypertrophy. Winter is coming, and so are the holidays. So we'll see where this all goes.
www.defrancostraining.com/articles/38-articles/52-why-all-muscle-was-not-created-equal.html
Yeah that is where I focus most of my lifts as well. And for the important lifts I try to keep them below 5. The other lifts I sometimes go a little crazy with. You can do a lot of things with dumbells, however I do think a barbell is probably crucial for the lower body lifts. But if you don't have access look around for some single leg training ideas Tnation has a bunch of articles from Ben Bruno who has a lot of info.
I think that's a good way to go if you want strength. If you want general fitness and weight loss, something like Pete Kemme "Functional Fitness" might work. Or perhaps a combination of the two. I just do weights and running because it's what I know, but I should probably work in some high intensity stuff too. I'm just too lazy. I think if I had more time I would do something requiring skill, like a pick-up game of basketball, or maybe jazz dance or karate.
As for weights, when you look at the body, it's really only meant to move in certain ways, and these correspond to all the basic ST exercises. You can pick something up, which corresponds to deadlifts, squats, power cleans, etc. You can push something away, that's the presses--bench and shoulder, and optionally leg . You can pull something in, that's the rows and pulls. If you just do those with heavy weights, you're guaranteed to become strong. You only need 5-10 exercises. Everything else is frosting on the cake.
Also, you mentioned pyramiding, you should try pyramiding down as well as up. Once you've reached your max weight and can't do more than 1 rep or none at that weight, reduce weight by the same or smaller increments you increased it, and try to maintain the same 3-5 reps for each set coming down. When you can only do 1-2, or none, then reduce weight again.
So for example my bench:
75 lbs warm-up for a couple of sets, high reps.
125 lbs, still warming up, maybe two sets of 5-8 reps
175 lbs, starting to feel good resistance, 3-5 reps, maybe two sets, or whenever I feel adequately prepared for close to max weight.
225 lbs (my current max with no spotter), however many I can do. When I can only do one, I reduce to 215, then 195, then 175, then 125 to finish.
You'll get results fast. If you're doing a bunch of complementary exercises though, like flies for the bench press, you need to save a little bit for later.
I've been trying to keep things simple, hence the Body Beast video workouts. They do drop sets, after pyramiding up. I didn't mention that earlier. I'm still getting the hang of the 4 intro videos. They have an intermediate set, then an advanced set, too. It all seems pretty well put together. They hit the big muscle groups then the smaller ones.
I've tried a lot of their other videos, too. Asylum involves a bit of core and plyometrics. P90X2 has core and strength. Although, as Abide was referring to earlier, one isn't going to build too much strength doing push-ups, even if it's perched on top of 4 balls.
Yah, there's been times when I just do the big muscle stuff. These days I do a lot more smaller muscle, floor and mobility stuff because I'm trying to strengthen my shoulders (I had a nagging shoulder problem for several years), want to support my running a bit more with hip mobility and leg stuff, and just generally want to fight the aging process in every conceivable body area (hence I'm doing neck extensions and flexions for the first time).
It's great your starting with a program. I started out reading my older brother's Weider books way back when. It gave me a good understanding of the basic principles, like big muscle to small muscle, front to back, antagonistic muscles, etc. Pump it up.
Oh yeah, I've done lots of reading, but it didn't quite gel until I saw it all put together in these videos. This is my third set of weights, but now I know what to do with them!
I'm also finding that running and weights is working well for me.
Thanks. I can't really comment on how each exercise is organized in terms of sets, reps, and increments, because it's a very different approach from what I'm used to. But I guess I might question working the same body part two or three times a week. If you're in your 20s or 30s it could be OK, but you still might need to monitor for over-training. Especially combining so many squats with running, you're never really giving your legs any time to recover. In between bench presses too, and a few other similar exercises, you only have 48 hours to recover. I think over-training can be beneficial in limited, one to two-week spurts but I wonder if you'll be able to sustain this program over six weeks. Still, can't hurt to try; you can always back off if you start to feel a strain.
P.S., I didn't understand tri roll back
and
GHD SU
and
DB rolls
Yeah the volume is a bit high. I am planning going to throw an off week every 3 maybe that would help. The additional excercises will be limited to how I feel I just want to make sure the first two lifts are good each day.
tri roll back
I do something similar lying down on the bench, using a curling bar almost touching the floor, my head on the edge of the bench. I raise the bar past head level, elbows bent to 45-degree angle, and then doing essentially the same exercise as in this video. It's kind of the same motion as a soccer player hurling a ball with two hands over his head. Similar to a pull-over (http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/LatissimusDorsi/BBPullover.html) but with the elbows bent so I work the tris more.
GHD SU
These look brutal. I think I can adapt my bench with a belt to try these.
DB rolls
I call these bent-over rows with a dumbbell. I like to do bent-over rows with a t-bar too. It looks like this guy is doing too much weight and not getting enough range of motion, but because he's ten times stronger than I am, I'll assume he knows what he's doing.
I do something similar lying down on the bench, using a curling bar almost touching the floor, my head on the edge of the bench. I raise the bar past head level, elbows bent to 45-degree angle, and then doing essentially the same exercise as in this video. It's kind of the same motion as a soccer player hurling a ball with two hands over his head. Similar to a pull-over (http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/LatissimusDorsi/BBPullover.html) but with the elbows bent so I work the tris more.
GHD SU
These look brutal. I think I can adapt my bench with a belt to try these.
DB rolls
I call these bent-over rows with a dumbbell. I like to do bent-over rows with a t-bar too. It looks like this guy is doing too much weight and not getting enough range of motion, but because he's ten times stronger than I am, I'll assume he knows what he's doing.
NickW
Guest
Holy steroids! I do a similar tricep exercise only without the rolling motion, the shoulder joint is locked in position so that the arm are straight up and you bend at the elbow, keeping the upper arm straight up. I also do bent-over rows with dumbbell rows, but man that guy was doing a huge amount of weight. I can't even fathom doing one at that weight. The GHD situps I've looked into before but with my back problems that would send me back into another surgery. I do these situp type things on a decline bench, which I have to be careful doing, again because of my back.
Yeah there is only so much range of motion he can get with 225lb. dumbells. He is insanely strong. Read this for more info on Kroc rows.
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/kroc_rows_101
Be careful with GHDs it is one of the excercises that gave Crossfit a bad name, as in causing a ton of cases of rhabdo. However they are a fun alternative to situps.
Tbar? Is that the one you hook onto a barbell and lift in a corner?
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/kroc_rows_101
Be careful with GHDs it is one of the excercises that gave Crossfit a bad name, as in causing a ton of cases of rhabdo. However they are a fun alternative to situps.
Tbar? Is that the one you hook onto a barbell and lift in a corner?
