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Thread: Weights or callisthenics

  1. #1
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    Weights or callisthenics

    Hi folks,

    This is a thread for those who like a bit of metal in their diet. Obviously running is amazing but some of us like other things or just canÂ’t do it all the time.

    So whatÂ’s your preference big chunks of metal or body weight exercises? Share your routines and resources.

    No BREXIT chat

  2. #2
    Member skipchris's Avatar
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    I try and get under a barbell twice a week. I try to listen to my body, and have to fit it in around running and work, so I’m not overly prescriptive, but I do something like:

    Day 1: squats, deadlifts (3x5)
    Day 2: squats, calf raises/RDLs (3x5)

  3. #3
    Master Daletownrunner's Avatar
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    No weights for me, hence I have arms like spaghetti, I do like the Ab wheel, people have laughed and said ‘ha my Nanna had one of them’ but I find it spot on for sorting out the core, it takes very little use to see and feel the difference

  4. #4
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    Ab wheel is fantastic... I haven’t done a ‘situp’ for years.

    I do weights after every gym treadmill session, so around 4 times a week.

    Nothing based around traditional strength programmes or anything like that, but enough to keep some basic strength there.

    Typically I’ll do 2 x exercises for the back (pull down, weighted row, etc), 2 x shoulder (seated or standing press), 2 x chest (bench press, seated press or cable press), 3 x core/abs (wheel, or ball, or leg raises). Used to do 2 x sets of squats, but at the moment have dropped that down to one and also using some leg-muscle specific machines to hit some muscular weaknesses. Something for the Arms, usually dips.

    I don’t go heavy, something that is starting to get difficult after 15-20 reps.

    Works for me, and easy to knock out regularly at an additional cost of about 35 minutes.

  5. #5
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    I don’t think there’s need to worry about gaining weight/bulk. You need a calorific surplus to do this.

    As I say above I smash out the weights regularly and I’m still only 2kg above my kickboxing “fight weight”.

  6. #6
    Member ponte_ricky's Avatar
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    I tend to do some strength work once a week. Mainly just functional type compound moves (squats, deadlifts, cleans etc), mainly for injury prevention really. ideally i'd probably do more, but i would rather run!

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    As I’m still injured and not running a lot I try to mix it up. I’ve started deadlifting again to try and strengthen the hammies in the long fight against hamstring tendinosis. But I also climb so regularly crack out weighted pulls ups and finger boarding.

    From a purely running point of view what are people’s opinions on big weights vs high reps for leg work?

  8. #8
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by matthew View Post
    As I’m still injured and not running a lot I try to mix it up. I’ve started deadlifting again to try and strengthen the hammies in the long fight against hamstring tendinosis. But I also climb so regularly crack out weighted pulls ups and finger boarding.

    From a purely running point of view what are people’s opinions on big weights vs high reps for leg work?
    Weight experts will tell you that you need big weights for pure strength... but do a couple of seriously heavy squat sessions a week and you’ll be struggling to do much running at all, I suspect...

    After all, any race of any kind, from a few km upwards, is an endurance event, so I’m plumping for endurance based squatting, i.e low weight high reps.... the added benefit that I can do it regularly without much adverse effect on actual running training... though I’d certainly have a day or two off squatting before any race...

  9. #9
    Member skipchris's Avatar
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    I am not a sport scientist so take this with absolute buckets of salt, but I focus on increasing my max strength, with the view that this makes endurance work easier as I’m working at a lower % of max effort.

    So, slowly and in a controlled way, trying to increase my max weight over time with higher weight, lower reps. Travs is right though, it’s hard to do this and run lots.

    I will say though, I find it easier to motivate myself to lift big weights than do tons of easy reps. Each to their own I guess.

  10. #10
    Member skipchris's Avatar
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    Just had a quick look at my training log. Again, take this with a whole condiment rack because it’s an anecdotal study of one, but:

    Set parkrun PB on June 15th
    The 6 weeks prior I was resting a bad foot and tapering for Ennerdale, so not a huge amount of running.
    These weeks I basically alternated ~30 miles total inc one massive fell run, and ~10 miles total. Nowt ‘clever’!
    But, every week I was doing at least 2 heavy (for me!) squat sessions.

    I obv can’t attribute my glorious 8th place finish and PB to the squats, but I’m guessing they didn’t hurt!

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