Workout Thread II

[jrockster21]

I've been slacking the past couple weeks...argh. I need to get back into my routine. I was thinking about starting crossfit's WOD maybe. I have a lake party early June, so my new goal is to get sexy for that, hopefully that will motivate my ass back into the gym.

[zoony]

I have a lake party early June, so my new goal is to get sexy for that,

[KingGibbs]

What do you mean there's no comparison? Sprinters train just as hard (I would argue harder) and they require extensive weight training to build up parts of the body that help with speed.

Sprinters and marathon runners have a very strict workout/diet routine. They both train and diet according to their needs. To compare the everyday average gym goer to either of them is a mistake. They train for hours per DAY. We train for hours per week. They are specialist. We are trying to get in better shape.

[Darth Tater]

Zoony,

Resistance training is a VERY important part of a weight loss plan. You just do cardio and eat right, you'll probably just be a small fatty though, you can't really drive a hard line between the two. Depending on the resistance program you select, there could be a lot of calorie burn and some amount of cardio involved (heck, my average heart rate is usually around 125 during resistance training and I've seen it go as high as 160 depending on the movements I'm doing). I also finish off my resistance days with 15 minutes of intervals.

[Corcaigh]

Compare the body types of marathon runners to sprinters and tell me what you see. Marathon runners are usually thin with little muscle mass or definition, while sprinters tend to be built with more muscle mass and plenty of definition.

Arguing that sprinting is better than distance running for weight loss because of how elite sprinters look is missing the role of diet AND the type of training that sprinters/marathoners actually do AND basic body types.

For example an elite sprinter does relatively little actual sprinting in their training. A typical sprint training session will include a lot of form drills and plyometrics to develop the muscular strength and explosiveness required to sprint and sustain form. Usain Bolt's typical weekly regime includes five track sessions and three weight sessions. But his track sessions last 2.5 hours. He isn't sprinting for very much of that time.

His plyo/strength includes:

• Weighted Lunges with heavy dumbbells
• Weighted Squats
• Bunny Hops / box jumps
• Frog Leaps

He eats six meals daily with a 60% protein, 30% carbs and 10% fats mix.

Likewise elite distance runners do multiple hard workouts in a week where they are running anaerobically. Even marathoners work a lot on their core through light weights and plyo, and incorporate short and long hill sprints into their running to increase leg strength as well as anaerobic sessions.

The argument that if you want to look like a sprinter then you should adopt sprint training is a fallacy. Sprinters are sprinters because their bodies are suited for sprinting. They don't have the bodies they do entirely because of sprint training but because their bodies are suited for that sport. Likewise marathoners have bodies that are suited for marathoning.

The simple answer for good health is to do a mix. Some longer, slower cardio for heart and lung health as well as calorie burning, and some shorter intensity stuff too. And a mix of core/strength work dependent on your goals.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I don't post as much as I used to but I check this thread whenever I see it. I see that you've been talking about dieting a bit, I want to pass along a tip/advice that I've been using and has been paying off really well.

After this past Christmas, I spent about a month and a half sitting around, eating whatever the hell I wanted, not exercising...feeling ****ing disgusting, but not doing a damn thing about it.

Finally, I got sick of it...started working out, and realized how quickly out of shape I got. It's amazing, isn't it? Takes awhile to get in shape but doesn't take long to get out of it.

I was working out but still not eating well and as you guys know, it doesn't really matter how much you work out if what you're eating is crap.

I was talking to a friend one night and she had the same dilemma...and I suggested we just text each other throughout the day with whatever we eat.

I've never really been able to keep a good diet going for all that long. I'll be good for a couple weeks, then cheat once...twice...and slowly slip back into eating whatever I want.

And I've tried stuff like writing it down, keeping a journal, whatever....never worked. Freely admit, not disciplined enough at the end of the day to sit down and try to recount whatever I ate all day. Plus, I've got no one to be accountable with.

But in texting with her, its really worked. I've been good for about a month now and the results have been pretty amazing. I'll cheat once or twice a week but thats about it.

Just wanted to pass it on to anyone who's had trouble eating clean for an extended period of time. Partner up, send text messages throughout the day, have someone you need to be accountable to...it's really helped.

[#98QBKiller]

Arguing that sprinting is better than distance running for weight loss because of how elite sprinters look is missing the role of diet AND the type of training that sprinters/marathoners actually do AND basic body types.

That's all fine and dandy but the original conversation was about how to lose maximum fat while limiting muscle loss, not simply "sprint and look like a sprinter, jog and look like a marathoner."

But you conveniently left out the rest of my post.

Zoony asked about risks associated with losing muscle if he cut back his weight routine while upping his cardio and I told him that the most efficient way to preserve muscle while losing fat is to incorporate high-intensity cardio with his weight training as opposed to long, 30+ minutes of cardio sessions.

For example an elite sprinter does relatively little actual sprinting in their training. A typical sprint training session will include a lot of form drills and plyometrics to develop the muscular strength and explosiveness required to sprint and sustain form. Usain Bolt's typical weekly regime includes five track sessions and three weight sessions. But his track sessions last 2.5 hours. He isn't sprinting for very much of that time.

His plyo/strength includes:

• Weighted Lunges with heavy dumbbells
• Weighted Squats
• Bunny Hops / box jumps
• Frog Leaps

He eats six meals daily with a 60% protein, 30% carbs and 10% fats mix.

But while we're on the subject, I ran track and played football in high school. And yes, to be an elite sprinter it takes lots of track drills along with supplemental weight lifting/plyometrics/agility work and the proper diet. I think you'll find me saying a condensed verison of that in my last post to KingGibbs (who I thought was arguing that marathoners are elite athletes over sprinters...which I'll address below).

Plus you left out how much Usain Bolt likes to drink and party

Likewise elite distance runners do multiple hard workouts in a week where they are running anaerobically. Even marathoners work a lot on their core through light weights and plyo, and incorporate short and long hill sprints into their running to increase leg strength as well as anaerobic sessions.

This is where I start to disagree with you. Marathoners train for distance, distance, distance! Pace, pace, pace! Obviously some hill work is necessary to train their bodies for the various terrain of a marathon but they do little anaerobic work.

Check "Runner's World" or any other running publication and see what they recommend for marathon training programs. It's all about putting in mileage for the week/day and upping the amount of mileage that you can put in each week prior to the race. As the race gets closer a marathoner wants to be able to run their maximum mileage (preferably longer than the marathon itself) without gassing. They won't achieve that kind of stamina with regular anaerobic workouts, they have to condition their bodies for "the long run."

The argument that if you want to look like a sprinter then you should adopt sprint training is a fallacy. Sprinters are sprinters because their bodies are suited for sprinting. They don't have the bodies they do entirely because of sprint training but because their bodies are suited for that sport. Likewise marathoners have bodies that are suited for marathoning.

Not neccessarily. If you are a regular weight trainer trying to shed fat for the summer (cutting) then implementing a similar cardio routine as a sprinter will conserve more muscle mass while helping you shed that fat. If you are that same regular weight trainer and think that doing long bouts of jogging are going to shed fat, then you're right but you're also going to burn through muscle as well (all of this is what my original post was discussing BTW).

Genetics play a role in bodytypes, but only in the aspect that some will have to work a lot harder to achieve their body goals than others.

The simple answer for good health is to do a mix. Some longer, slower cardio for heart and lung health as well as calorie burning, and some shorter intensity stuff too. And a mix of core/strength work dependent on your goals.

Right, and if you would've read back further you would've read the goals that we are talking about.

Sprinters and marathon runners have a very strict workout/diet routine. They both train and diet according to their needs. To compare the everyday average gym goer to either of them is a mistake. They train for hours per DAY. We train for hours per week. They are specialist. We are trying to get in better shape.

Oops, I misunderstood your first post. I thought that you were saying it's ridiculous to compare marathoners to sprinters because of how much work a marathoner puts in. That's why I responded with the comment about sprinters working just as hard if not harder than marathoners.

[KingGibbs]

Hey guys. I'm pretty stoked today. I pulled 315 on the deadlift this morning. I know I could do more, but this was my first real test for heavier weights. I don't think that's too shabby for a soon to be 42 yr old that never lifted weights until he was 40 and just recently started doing deads. I'm now hooked. Man the adrenaline I'm feeling is amazing.

[Skinz4Life12]

i love that adrenaline feeling. good for you KG

[KDawg]

Todays workout was easy:

DYNAMIC EFFORT UPPER BODY DAY

DB Bench Press on Swiss Ball

45 lb dumb bells - 3 sets, maximum reps (without exceeding 30 reps)
2x30
1x16

Lat Pulldowns/Face Pull Super Set

3 sets of 8 reps for each exercise, obviously supersetting the two.

100 pounds on lat pull down/50 pounds on face pulls (I went too light )

DB Lat Raises

15 pounds, 4 sets of 8. Cake walk. But those suckers burn when you do them the right way

DB Shrugs/Hammer Curls Super Set

3 sets of 8 reps each

80 pounds for the shrugs, 25 pounds for hammer curls.

I'm starting a little lighter than I need so that I can progress every week and lead to new PRs in everything. I'm going to change my routine up slightly every 3 weeks though the keep things fun and entertaining

Current Stats:
5'9" 188 pounds
1RM Bench: 305 (Haven't maxxed in awhile, probably over that now)
1RM Squat: 365 (Pathetic)
1RM Deadlift: 455 (Way down from a year ago, f'ing injuries)

Goals:
1RM Bench: 315 (I'm assuming I'm there already, but I won't know until I test)
1RM Squat: 385
1RM Deadlift: 525 (Old max)

I want to be at my goals by August. The squat is ambitious, but the rest is doable.

[Raub]

I'm on IR. Herniated cervical disk.

[KingGibbs]

I'm on IR. Herniated cervical disk.

Sorry to hear that Raub. Be honest. Did you do it using kettlebells?

BTW Kdawg. You're a beast.

[KDawg]

I'm on IR. Herniated cervical disk.

Doh. Get better soon Raub. I'll do an extra Rack Pull tomorrow for my fallen homie

Seriously, get better!!

BTW Kdawg. You're a beast.

Definitely not a beast, but I absolutely appreciate that man

[Raub]

Sorry to hear that Raub. Be honest. Did you do it using kettlebells?

No. Did it at work by forgetting I'm not a youngster anymore. It sucks. I miss kettlebelling.

[Spaceman Spiff]

No. Did it at work by forgetting I'm not a youngster anymore. It sucks. I miss kettlebelling.

Glad to see you're sticking with them I'm still loving mine.

Deck squats are the truth.