When I grow up, I want to be an Alicorn

Training Training Logs
2248

Thursday 1/22

Tempo Run
10:00 Warm up
3.5mi @ 8:00/mi goal (8:16 actual)
11:15 cool down
6.15mi, 57:12

Didn’t quite have it today. That pace was a struggle the whole time. Done on the treadmill, had to drop the speed at mile 2 to somewhat catch my breath. Little disappointed, but I know days like this happen.

Later-
531 BBB for Bodybuilding W3D3

RDL
Warm up sets
5x165
3x185
1+x210 (5)

Power Squat (Machine)
5x10xm+115

SM Reverse Lunge
5x10x65

Hip Thrust (Machine)
8xm+145
8xm+135
9xm+115

Leg raises
5x10

Did everything else before hip thrust, as my favorite machine was occupied. I was overcooked by the time I got to them. Couldn’t do one set at the Rx weight. Kept taking weight off, still didn’t hit them reps. Then a lady was wait for the machine as I was setting up for round 3. I called it and let her have it after that.
Also cut the leg curls. I don’t think anything productive was happening at that point in the session. Perhaps the volume caught up to me this week.

9 Likes
2249

Saturday 1/24
Long Run w/ pace efforts
4 miles easy
2 miles pace (8:29/mi)
3 miles easy
2 miles pace (9:34/mi)
Total - 11.21, 1:53.54

Mix of trail and pavement. Ran on snow and patches of ice toward the end. Did my best with the pace, given the conditions effort was there.

Speaking of effort. I finished a book my Ultra Marathon runner and CTS coach, Jason Koop. He is big on building your cardio engine, quality over quantity (though ideally both, if you can) intensity blocks, etc. He phases intensity and volume much like lifting programs. Point is, his training style and programs resonate with me. I might be switching up my 50 mile training plan.

11 Likes
2250

You must be out west if those trees are snowless. The Teton/Yellowstone region is hurting for snow. Ski resorts are closed or running at half capacity.

1 Like
2251

I am indeed. Central Oregon. Our ski resort is open, but only a few runs. Hoping we get hit hard soon. If it’s going to be cold, it may as well snow!

5 Likes
2252

Sunday 1/25
531 BBB for Bodybuilding W4D1

Squat
(Power Squat machine, weights are M+)
Warm up sets
130 x5
150 x5
165 x5+ (12)

Leg Press
13x260, 11x290

Leg Curls
11, 11x80

DB RDL
10, 10, 13x55s

Leg Extensions
12,13x105

Leg Raise
2x10

Had an adductor cramp from hell on the warm up squats. Took almost 10 minutes to walk it off. I could barely get into a half squat position. I thought the day was over, but I decided to wait a bit, and eventually, I was able to carry on. Cut the day short. My legs felt junky the whole session.

Monday 1/26
Interval Run
10:00 warm up
Hill reps - 10, 8, 6, 3, 2, 1 working intervals w/ 1/2 time recovery
5:00 cool down

Another treadmill day, just icy enough to not want to risk outside. These long how are so much easier on a treadmill too. Those first few intervals were killer. Getting some outside of knee and hip pain, not liking that.

Later
531 BBB for Bodybuilding W4D2
Incline Bench Press
Warm up sets
75 x5
90 x5
100 x5+ (6)

Row Machine
3x12x90

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown
13, 12, 8 x100

Lateral Raise (DB)
20x5, 16, 16 x10

Overhead Tricep Extension
13, 11, 8 x30

I’m having a volume reduction fire sale this week.
Pretty good session, sent each set with the intensity that is was the last. Felt great.

I get caught up on programs and feel like I always need to “finish” them. While I know consistency is key, I also don’t want to beat a dead horse if it isn’t working for me. I’m doing this volume and program out of pure obligation. Intensity and joy are taking a hit, I’m feeling beat up. It’s not working well with running either.
I think I have a bottomless account with my body and I am figuring out, I’m actually just racking up credit card debt.
I’m taking a serious look at my programs this week. Making myself say “I don’t think that’s enough”. Then NOT adding to it.
Can I still gain muscle lifting 3x a week and running 30+ miles a week? I won’t know unless I try it.

11 Likes
2253

Can you remind me of the goal? Because I thought you had decided running was the main thing, with lifting to support it and also (maybe mainly) give nice aesthetics. If so, maintaining a muscular physique would be more in line than gaining muscle.

And that you can do lifting 3x a week and running 30+ miles.

5 Likes
2254

Great question, that my actions and words answer differently. I need to ask myself this question more often – then do the actions that support that.
The goal over the winter was to put on muscle, and maintain running. However, though I did build mileage extra slow, running took less of a back seat than it probably should have for a muscle focus.
Now though, yes, running is the focus with maintaining muscle. I enjoy lifting, but the joy I am getting from running is only growing. Plus, I have races on the docket.

So yes, this is the goal. Thank you for helping me put that on “paper”.

7 Likes
2255

You’re welcome!

Soon it’ll be my turn for “keep the goal the goal,” as I’m coming off my cut and will soon be freaking out that I’m gaining weight. :rofl:

3 Likes
2256

You will love the calories though, I’m here for you! I went from 136.2, Nov. 5th to 138.6 today. Less than a pound per month. Sure, there were higher bumps along the way, but look how slow it actually comes on.
As @T3hPwnisher has said, we always have the tools for fat loss. Plus, fat comes off faster than muscle goes on.

Need this to be one of my mantras as I enter into muscle maintenance. So I don’t feel like I am turning into a skinny, under muscled runner.

2 Likes
2257

Plus, fat comes off faster than muscle goes on.

And in a bit of the world’s most wonderful positive feedback loop: as we build more lean tissue, we increase our BMR, as we simply have more active metabolic tissue in the body. This means fat loss also becomes EASIER as muscle goes on, as we can lose fat at a higher caloric load. We can eat more than we did before to lose the same fat/achieve the same level of leanness.

And, consequently, this is the negative feedback loop we’re seeing with crash dieting, to include those making use of GLP-1s without resistance training/prioritizing protein. Lots of WEIGHT is lost, yes, but a good deal of it is lean tissue. The body likes homeostasis and tends to have a “bodyweight set point” it wants to gravitate toward, and will FIGHT to regain there. It results in being in a state of less lean mass while at the same bodyweight as one was previously at, and now it’s MUCH more difficult to lose that weight than before. It’s why yo-yo dieting is actually worse than simply staying fat.

4 Likes
2258

Tuesday 1/27
Recovery Run
6 miles, 1:01.30

Ice and the dusting of snow we got had evaporated, so this was done outside. As entertaining as the New Years resolutioners are to watch from the treadmill, I’ll take the outdoors any day.
Felt okay, little sluggish. My right knee and hip were tight and aching through most of the run. Google is saying it’s probably IT Band Syndrome. I need to nip that in the bud, pronto.

6 Likes
2259

It is a fantastic feedback loop. Bodies are amazing. Hence why muscle building phases are so beneficial. Scary sometimes, for weight-adverse ladies like Emily and I. This reminder is good, rather than getting caught in the graveyard spiral of yo-yo dieting.

4 Likes
2260

Me too! I’m struggling currently.

1 Like
2261

Wait I have something for this! I was experiencing something similar and this along with lots of foam rolling and lacrosse balling got me out of that initial rehab phase:

I’m now at the phase of just doing a lot of hip iso work and it seems to be keeping it away for the most part

3 Likes
2262

I’ll start this today, thank you!

1 Like
2263

Friday 1/30
531 for Bodybuilding W4D3
*Combo day

RDL
Warm up sets
155 x5
175 x5
195 x5+ (7)

Cable Row
10 x 100, 11 x 90

Hip Thrust
12, 11 x m+115

Dips
10, 8 x BW-25

Hip Abductor
15, 14-8, 6 x 100-85 (drop sets)

Leg Raises
2x10

Rested my IT Band for a few days. Hubby came down with a cold and so he also needed a few days off. Worked out to condense the week.
I combined most of day 3 and 4 for this modge podge. Avoided anything with knee flexion.

Saturday 1/31
Long run
9 miles, 1:33.12

Mostly road. My IT band is feeling better. I’ve been foam rolling, stretching and doing mobility/strengthening every night.
Had a few twinges during the beginning of the run, while on trails. Off-camber running causes steady pain from knee to hip. That and downhill is the worst.
So I switched to flat roads, walked any downhills and generally took it easy. Very happy I was able to crank out 9 miles still. I’m treating this as an early back off week. I’d rather reduce volume for a week than let this turn into a full injury.

Sunday 2/1
Full Body W1D1

Power Squat Machine
(Weights on top of empty machine)
8 x 136, 8, 8, 7 x 160

Bench
8 x 95, 8 x 105, 7, 8 x 115

Pull Ups
8, 8, 6, 6 x BW-25

RDL
10, 9, 8 x 195

Farmers Carry
3 x 30m x 45#s
SS
Cable Bicep Curls
12, 12, 11 x 17

Hopping off the volume train. Dropping to 3x week lifting, increasing running to 5x a week.
Great day, super set a few things. Felt nice to be on full body again. I left the gym feeling like I didn’t do enough, which is probably exactly how much I should be doing.

Starting a 4-6 week mini cut as well. Lift volume reduction doesn’t require a surplus anymore. May as well lose a bit of the fluff I put on before maintaining for the summer.

10 Likes
2264

Monday 2/2
Interval Run

20:00 Warm Up w/ 6x :20 strides
5 x 3 minute hill reps, 3:00 Rec
15:00 Easy Run

First workout of the new plan! This sounded easy on paper. 3 minutes hurts. The goal is to be RPE 10, but a pace you can barely hold for the 3 minutes, not a sprint. I was nauseous and gasping the last 30 seconds of each of these, so I think I hit it.
Did this on a treadmill to spare my knee and IT Band the downhills.

Tuesday 2/3
Recovery Run
45:00 minutes, 4.3miles

This program is time based instead of mileage. So much easier to plan that way.
IT band had a few twinges today, and a minute or so of a steady ache, then it went away.
I’ve done more foam rolling, stretching and hip/knee strength in the last week than I have done in the last few months combined. I need to keep it up even after this goes away.

10 Likes
2265

I need to keep it up even after this goes away.

This is the hardest and most grown up part. I’m going through that myself. It’s like brushing your teeth: you do it BEFORE the decay sets in.

But it’s also funny how little it hurts to foam roll when nothing is wrong. You realize how broken you were at the start!

3 Likes
2266

Foam rolling has made my massages more enjoyable. I used to be miserable when she would start on my legs because they were so tight. Now I usually fall asleep once she gets done with my shoulders.

3 Likes
2267

So true. Rolling around my IT band the last few days has almost made me tear up. Normally, it’s a boring thing I hardly do and go through the motions on.

1 Like