Strength/Core--Week 1
Thought I'd start this for those of us putting a little focus on these areas in the netherworld before the off season.
I'm trying to figure out where to start, it's been so long since I've been in the weight room, although I love to lift and used to regularly for many years. My sternum is still sore and tender, so I may have to wait for the upp body stuff a few more weeks. Core, no excuse. I can get that going this week.
Soooo...a few questions:
How many times a week are you lifting?
How many times doing core?
I know upper body strength exercises well, but always wonder what's best for the lower? What is good to do to build up the the running and cycling muscles? I usually do:
Smith bar squats
Step Ups
Calf raises
Lunges--although I HATE them, and don't think I ever do them right
Any reason to use the quad and hammie machines?
Thanks!
Comments
We are going to do P90x 3 times/week & cardio(bike/run) on the opposite days. Started with the P90x " AB Ripper" yesterday- YOWZERRS!! Official start to the schedule will be this coming weekend.
For legs I have a couple of things that are a bit more of a full body sort of thing. A few ideas....lets see if this even translates through text.
- Standing on round squishy side of BOSU, holding medicine ball, two legged squat and with each squat extend your arms with the medicine ball forward. Engaging the core while extending and squatting makes the full body workout.
- Standing up straight on one leg holding medicine ball, bend forward at waist, extending the non-standing leg back while doing a slight squat (only to what's comfortable) with the standing leg. While doing the bend and leg bit, extend the medicine ball straight ahead. Switch legs.
- One foot on floor, one foot on BOSU (similar to standing with feet hip width apart, but one is on the BOSU and your feet might actually be slightly wider than hip width) then squats with the body bar (that may be what you're calling the Smith bar...maybe that's a NE thing, cuz I'm not sure what that is HA HA!)
As far as machines go, one of the leg thingys that I'm trying to incorporate now uses one of those cable machines on which you can change out the apparatus that you pull on and move the attachment up and down the column (yikes that makes no sense!). Anyway, there is an attachment that wraps around your ankle that you can attach at the bottom of the column allowing you to do small lateral lifts from your hip.
I know, hugely helpful!
Linda, I would not do smith machine squats as the plane does not take into account for differences in body movement and its tough to get the proper position. I just instructed somone in about 10 minutes how to do proper squats with a barbell. I highly recommend you learn and do those. Also stiff legged deadlifts are the best for hamstrings, Lunges would be good if you could do them right, especially walking lunges.
Any help in the weight room I can help.
Good luck.
@Linda- 2nd Officer Ford's advice - I'd ditch the smith machine and instead I'd do single leg squats. Another (yes there are many) of the things that deterorate as we age is our balance. I do mine standing on top of a box and actually put it close to squat rack (so I have something there close to put a hand out to as needed). I also like the hamstring bridge (rolls) on an exercise ball. I'll do some double leg, then alternate single legs for a set. Remember as runners/cyclists our quads take the fair share and then some of the load so also incorporate moves for the beloved hammies.
Other thoughts- make sure to incorporate some lower back in as well as the abs for core. Lower back is definitely a hot spot for most women and you want a balanced core (strong front to back, left to right).
More later... back to slave mines....
Great advice from everyone! You don't have to tell me twice to ditch the smith bar! Will revisit the lower body routine. And, O, I know exactly what you're saying.
Pilates class on Monday--hitting weight room today.
Only on day 2 and I am SORE!!! 50 mile ride Sunday and 7 mile run yesterday on top. Mostly I feel it is the core stuff. OUCH! Plan is 30 min every AM before anything else gets done.
Push up challenge
Leigh's core and LE routine
Will most likely add pull up challenge too
I have to add in some Wii stuff too
just for fun
Time to get back on the bandwagon. Will post up my routine once I figure it out!
Really tired when I woke up today. Decided to sleep in more and just get the core work. "Get Insanity Cardio Abs", all of 16 minutes. 3rd time I have done that in 10 days and I finally feel like I am getting stronger. I plan to get my butt moving and do the cardio DVDs too, but it's been good running weather. And then running makes me feel sore and exhausted.
I know what RnP say about getting back to exercise after IM, but this seems ridiculous. I'll feel awesome, work out, and feel exhausted.
Seriously- what happened to all of that stamina and endurance I built over 12 weeks of IM training?
2nd day of AB Ripper & happy to say I did a few more reps/set, though still shy of 25 per/set. I get WINDED doing these!!! Not coordinated @ ;all on the reverse bicycle
.
Gina, I can't do the backwards cycle either. It cracks me up!
Michele--you're not recovered, pure and simple. You are not anyone else but YOU, and there is no timeline on this stuff. It might kick in next week, it may take until Xmas. Who knows, and why push it? Let yourself do your thing, come around naturally and be the better for it in the long term. You worked super hard in training, and laid it down in the race. That takes something out of a body.
Did upper body weights for the first time yesterday since...2008? (Too long.) Went so light I'm not even sore today. I can bump it up a bit.
My old coach was a proponent of weights, and he recommended doing lower body on running days. I thought that worked well. I found biking the next day isn't as bad as trying to run the day after lower body weights. Thought i'd pass that on.
Did a first round of the leg stuff yesterday trying to be real conservative with the start and yet my ass is still sore today! HA! I obviously need to get back to this!
Yesterday was a bike to work day which is a strength effort in and of itself since I carry my laptop, lunch, coffee, clothes, purse on my back. It was a day off from the gym and run routine. Back on today, but with a twist. I'm going to have to do it this afternoon AFTER work(!) which is usually a sure fire opportunity for me to not do it. Thanks to this thread I've got extra motivation!!
okay I have told y'all this funny.. but me and Cindi (y'all met her) went to this body sculpt class about 2 years ago. and on the chalkboard was the workout and the equipment needed written in cursive in chalk. So we look at the board and know what everything is except for "Booty Bar"... hmm, we say, haven't heard of that one, wonder what it is and being newbies to her class, we have to go ask the instructor, a very fit female in coordinating spandex!! "What is a booty bar?" and she looks at us strangely.... "A what?" "a booty bar" and she says to us "it is a BODY BAR" and you know Cindi and I were laughing and giggling the whole rest of the class. and so now, I always think of that when I read O. was using it.
m
I also did about 25 minutes of a Get Insanity DVD, cardio and core work. And here I sit wondering why my abs are sore!
Just came home from a totally kick-ass Pilates class--60' straight minutes of core. Oof. Did lower body strength stuff at the gym before hand. Hope I can bend over and tie my sneakers tomorrow!
A buddy of mine said he'd give me an "extended loan" of the P90X. Hope to get it soon.
For me personally, I try to stay out of the weight room. I like to go the other way to more dynamic/functional stuff that has more carryover to our particular sports. That means things like plyometrics and combo moves that attack the core through arm and leg stresses versus straight up crunches and that kind of thing. For leg stuff, my main goal is to maintain that solid push off position and to build strength through it (through the hammies, hips and glutes). traditional squats and lunges go after the quads and lets be honest- we all have good quads. It's the back of the leg where we fall apart.
So for example- today was a mini "test" day. I pick 10 of my favorite moves and do a minute of each with a minute off in between. that's my baseline, but also...I'll know by the weekend how out of the routine I really am by soreness levels and can adjust accordingly. will start doing abs every other day at night whilst vegging in front of the tv.
So tentative schedule for core/strength (30-45' day):
M- arms + abs
T- legs + back
W- arms + abs
Th- legs + back
F- abs
Leigh--watched some of the P90X stuff last night. Is their stuff more like what you are describing? Seems so--although truthfully, I've yet to watch the lower body video.
DID get the core stuff in this morning.
As far as equipment goes- I have a bosu ball, a stability ball, adjustable dumbells, elastic tubing and a pull up bar. That's it.
@LP- to be honest, I don't remember the p90 stuff specifically. I remember the days being broken up by region and it being lots of reps of dumbell curls, push ups, etc. total brainfart on the legs. I liked their plyo routine. good mix of stuff and easy to adjust to what you want from it.
@Nemo--don't forget Leigh's lower body routine in the wiki. Just watched all the movies. Looks like what I'll be doing fo rhte next few months. The P90X stuff for legs I think will be too intense for me, what with trying to do some running and biking.
http://endurancenation.us.dnnmax.com/Resources/Wiki/tabid/108/Default.aspx?topic=Wiki+Table+of+Contents