Training Advice please

[neilly]

Hi,
I'm in the position now where I have a little more time to train. I'm wondering how best to use that time. Currently I run 5 x week, about an hour at a time, maximum 90 minutes once a week.It's all off road and about 500m average a day. I get a couple of gym sessions in during the week where I'll do a 30 minute interval session on a bike plus resistance training and/or a circuits session.

I now have another few hours free but still unable to get out running for more than 90 minutes. What would be the best way to boost my fitness. My goals are to develop more endurance as I tend to do AM AL races. Should I do more bike work, I don't like treadmills, or should I just get out and run more-I can do two 60 minute sessions a day?

Any advice appreciated, I'm 47 and trying to hold back the ?inevitable decline.

Neil

[Travs]

Hello Neilly...

My opinion (for whatever it's worth) is you don't want to add in too many more 'hard' sessions. I'm in a similar boat to you, 90% of my races are AL/AM/BL, and with racing on average every three weeks, I can only manage two 'hard' running sessions a week, possibly three in a gap between races, otherwise I can't recover.

I do train every day, or at least 6 days a week, but any additional hard sessions I do are cross-training, either the stairclimber or the cross-trainer, etc. Otherwise my other sessions are steadier runs.

My caveat for this info is that the two dedicated hard sessions must be quality sessions. And I also comment as someone who does not have access to the fells unless racing, so my hard sessions are road/track/grass based. Otherwise I'm in the gym.

If I had regular access to the fells I may well take a more old school approach and run hard on the fells a lot more, with a lot less cross-training. However hard sessions on the flat are very fast for me and I can't blast them out day after day at this stage.

I await someone else to comment who has some real knowledge, please pay more attention to them than me....!

Pete

[neilly]

Thanks Pete,
Every time I try to ramp up my training I always end up injuring myself so you're probably right about not overdoing it. I'll probably use the extra time just to get out on the hills and enjoy myself.

[Stagger]

Get a bike ride in.
You run and gym so the obvious other cross training method to complement your fitness is cycling.
Mountain or road biking, either will do.
You will be surprised how much better you climb and a good 60min effort is perfect a couple of times per week.

[Mike T]

For every hour you run you should do an hour of Strength and Conditioning, otherwise injury is just around the corner. And use body weight and free weights, not machines.

[Free Ian Brown]

For every hour you run you should do an hour of Strength and Conditioning, otherwise injury is just around the corner. And use body weight and free weights, not machines.

Out of interest, why not machines? I've always been told body weights & free weights are better, but I've no idea why

[Travs]

Out of interest, why not machines? I've always been told body weights & free weights are better, but I've no idea why

The theory is that by lifting free weights you are strengthening not only the primary muscle, but also the stabilising muscles, joints, ligaments, etc, which all assist the main muscle when you lift.

By using machines you are often isolating the one muscle and not strengthening any of the connecting muscles, ligaments, etc.

For example on a bench press you work the chest, but your shoulders, arms, core, and even your legs to a small extent are stabilising you. If you use a chest press machine you are probably taking a bit away from the exercise.

There is also a theory that using a machine forces you to follow a "fixed path" for the exercise, one that might not be natural or comfortable.

[Mike T]

Out of interest, why not machines? I've always been told body weights & free weights are better, but I've no idea why

As Travs said. As we get older, and our testosterone level falls away, we need to do more in the way of S+C to maintain strength. And remember, alcohol has the opposite effect on muscle that training and testosterone have. Unfortunately.

[CL]

Out of interest, why not machines? I've always been told body weights & free weights are better, but I've no idea why

Indeed. I'd like those who preach the superiority of free and body weights to show me an exercise that will work the calf muscles harder than a calf raise machine; or an exercise that works the quads harder than a leg extension machine. And so on......

Then there is the safety factor. Those who don't have the assistance of spotters never push themselves hard enough with free weights in some exercises. Look at the bench press. People stop far short of fatigue in that exercise because they don't want a big weight stuck on their chests. No such problem with a good quality bench press machine.

[Travs]

Indeed. I'd like those who preach the superiority of free and body weights to show me an exercise that will work the calf muscles harder than a calf raise machine; or an exercise that works the quads harder than a leg extension machine. And so on......

Then there is the safety factor. Those who don't have the assistance of spotters never push themselves hard enough with free weights in some exercises. Look at the bench press. People stop far short of fatigue in that exercise because they don't want a big weight stuck on their chests. No such problem with a good quality bench press machine.

I don't think anybody would try to suggest that machines don't work the muscles. Of course they do, as you quite rightly say. However our bodies work in a chain of connecting muscles, joints, and other bits (as you can see I'm not being too scientific here!).

Using a leg extension will undoubtedly strengthen the quads, but if you only strengthen the primary muscles and nothing in between, this is not how the body works. Which is why, for example squats would be a better general excercise as it works the full leg to various extents, as well as the arse, and the core.

You may well lift more with a bench press machine, but doing a free weight bench press at potentially a lower weight will (in my opinion) be a better exercise for your body overall. I would suggest that doing the bench press with free weights has pinpointed somewhere in the chain where you are not strong enough to lift heavier, and you are just bypassing this by using a machine all the time.

I certainly use machines to target individual muscles occasionally, but your day-to-day set of exercises are probably best off being compound type movements with free weights where possible.