Ok, so I decided to start a journal. I did my first figure competition last weekend and now I’ll be going back to distance running for the spring/summer/fall seasons. After that I’ll stop running for the winter and attempt to compete in figure again. I’m hoping to continue to lift heavy even during my racing season. If I fuel my body right then maybe I won’t lose ALL my muscle gains.
I know what most are thinking…endurance running and lifting don’t play well together…I know this BUT I love doing both. Soooooo, here goes. I’ll just consider it a personal experiment and do the best I can. I work two jobs so I hope I can balance all this shit. My plan of attack is this:
Running in the evening after doing legs in the morning is asking for trouble.
I’d skip the the run that day.
Could be an interesting experiment, but with all that running you are going to peel the muscle right off your legs and it might be a real bitch to get it back. This is just my own experience with biking though. I’d only run that far if a polar bear was chasing me and even then I’d just say fuck it.
[quote]dianab wrote:
Running in the evening after doing legs in the morning is asking for trouble.
I’d skip the the run that day.
Could be an interesting experiment, but with all that running you are going to peel the muscle right off your legs and it might be a real bitch to get it back. This is just my own experience with biking though. I’d only run that far if a polar bear was chasing me and even then I’d just say fuck it.
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Well I went over it all with my figure coach and the hope that we have is that doing legs and the run on the same day will give my legs ample recovery time before my long runs on the weekend. Thankfully the run on Tuesdays will be my shortest and easiest pace run of the week. Like I said…I know its not optimal but I think nutrition will be the other huge factor in how my body responds.
[quote]dianab wrote:
Running in the evening after doing legs in the morning is asking for trouble.
I’d skip the the run that day.
Could be an interesting experiment, but with all that running you are going to peel the muscle right off your legs and it might be a real bitch to get it back. This is just my own experience with biking though. I’d only run that far if a polar bear was chasing me and even then I’d just say fuck it.
[/quote]
And these are my legs after training with 50-60 miles a week…now I know they’re not as big as they could be while just lifting but I’m not unhappy with the muscle I have on them in this picture. If I can keep just a decent base of muscle to build onto once I transition back into lifting alone I’ll be happy.
[quote]dianab wrote:
I’d only run that far if a polar bear was chasing me and even then I’d just say fuck it.
[/quote]
either i dont value my own life enough or im not afraid of dying… if i cant shoot it and kill it or fight and win, im still not running. maybe if i was paid. prolly not then, either.
[quote]dianab wrote:
Running in the evening after doing legs in the morning is asking for trouble.
I’d skip the the run that day.
Could be an interesting experiment, but with all that running you are going to peel the muscle right off your legs and it might be a real bitch to get it back. This is just my own experience with biking though. I’d only run that far if a polar bear was chasing me and even then I’d just say fuck it.
[/quote]
And these are my legs after training with 50-60 miles a week…now I know they’re not as big as they could be while just lifting but I’m not unhappy with the muscle I have on them in this picture. If I can keep just a decent base of muscle to build onto once I transition back into lifting alone I’ll be happy.
[/quote]
You have a solid base, if you can keep it, good on ya.
Personally I am a fan of doing what you like in regards to fitness, and although running is out of the question for me, I’ve chased more than one goal at a time so I see where you are coming from.
Could be interesting to see how that Tuesday schedule works. My experience with long distance cycling and training was very counter productive, but the biking is an off season thing that I enjoy. Running may be an entirely different ball game and everyone reacts differently.
Thanks Diana…thats exactly what it is…I enjoy running. I like how I look when I’m training for figure way better but with running its not about that. What kind of races have you done with cycling? Yeah Tuesday will be interesting…but who doesn’t like a good challenge?
I run about 40 miles a week and manage to keep my leg muscles just fine As long as you eat for it I say it’s all good, depending on your body of course.
I took today’s workout a little light since it was my first time back in the gym in a week.
Assisted Pull Ups 3x15
Wide Lat Pull Down 3x15 (60 lbs/60 lbs/70 lbs)
Single Arm DB Rows 3x15 each arm (30 lb.)
Seated Row 3x15 (60 lbs/60 lbs/70 lbs)
Narrow Grip Lat Pull Down 3x15 (60 lbs/60 lbs/70 lbs)
BB Bicep Curl 3x10 (40 lbs)
DB concentration Curl 3x10 each arm (20 lbs)
DB Hammer curls 3x10 each arm (15 lbs)
21’s 3 sets, 20 lb BB
I’m hoping I’ve gotten the binge eating out of my system this past week and can get back to eating a bit cleaner.
[quote]debraD wrote:
I run about 40 miles a week and manage to keep my leg muscles just fine As long as you eat for it I say it’s all good, depending on your body of course. [/quote]
That’s good to hear Deb, thanks It gives me hope. I’ve actually never had a hard time keeping the muscle on my legs…the difference to me as far as running and lifting is that I just tend to stay a little softer looking since I end up eating way more during my racing season. I was looking at Surge Recovery and I’m thinking that might be a really good thing for me to do right after my long runs…any thoughts?
[quote]OnMyOwn32 wrote:
I was looking at Surge Recovery and I’m thinking that might be a really good thing for me to do right after my long runs…any thoughts?
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My sister swears by it on her long days after I gave her a ziplock bag full of it to try… she couldnt believe how great she felt after her long days (15 - 20 miles)…
Looking forward to following along and seeing how your personal experiment works out. I’d definitely worry about undoing all my hard work in the gym with that much running, but if it’s something you love to do, then why give it up?
Like you, Deb, and others said above, nutrition is probably going to be the most important factor in this. You’ve got to give yourself enough fuel for the runs so your body doesn’t resort to eating up your hard-earned muscle.
I’m very impressed with the running. I used to run about as much as you did, but it kind of fell by the wayside as I got into lifting; someday I’ve got to get back into it. You guys have serious discipline.
[quote]OnMyOwn32 wrote:
Thanks Diana…thats exactly what it is…I enjoy running. I like how I look when I’m training for figure way better but with running its not about that. What kind of races have you done with cycling? Yeah Tuesday will be interesting…but who doesn’t like a good challenge? ;)[/quote]
Races? No, I cycle for enjoyment and exploring.
I’m pretty sure with my legs that any serious endurance training would kill my squat.
[quote]debraD wrote:
I run about 40 miles a week and manage to keep my leg muscles just fine As long as you eat for it I say it’s all good, depending on your body of course. [/quote]
That’s good to hear Deb, thanks It gives me hope. I’ve actually never had a hard time keeping the muscle on my legs…the difference to me as far as running and lifting is that I just tend to stay a little softer looking since I end up eating way more during my racing season. I was looking at Surge Recovery and I’m thinking that might be a really good thing for me to do right after my long runs…any thoughts?
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I’ve used Surge and it seemed to work fine and I’m sure it’s all hi-tech and whatnot. But, for the last 6 months or so I’ve used (for weight-training not running but recovery is recovery) powdered Gatorade, whey (50/50 ratio) and creatine. For post-running, I would likely up the carb %.
It all depends of your goals. I used to race (5Ks, 10Ks, sprint triathlons) and started lifting with the goal of getting faster. Then one day I found myself at the start line wondering why I was doing this shit when all I really wanted to do was lift. Once I cut out [most of the] cardio, my numbers skyrocketed in the gym.
Ultras? And I thought my 10Ks were contraversial! I’m mainly about the weights but I enjoy the running - however I generally stick to one run a week. Two max. Trained for my last 10K with one run a week and on a low carb diet. Still broke my PB…though admittedly my PB is only just under an hour so I can hardly be called a runner.
Just be aware of the fact that running does beat the shit out of your joints, especially if you’re running roads, and it can tear down your immune system as well. I only ever run in parks and commons (I’m in London so commons are the closest I get to nature) to save my knees. As a weight-consious teen, I took to pounding the pavements twice daily, and I am paying for it now in spades.
I’d advise against running four days in a row - give yourself a running break at least every other day. Get regular ART, take glutamine, a joint cap (I take glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM all in ones) and plenty of fish oils.
Best of luck to you. Going by the pics you’ve been posting on SAMA, you’re looking pretty good so you’re obviously doing something right.
As long as you eat for it I say it’s all good, depending on your body of course.