Runningart or others: can you pls critique my old-guy lifting routine?

"Most bang for your buck, time-wise."

But what is your actual goal? General fitness? Running fast? Looking good on the beach? It changes the answer.

If your goal is general fitness, thats a reasonable weight lifting plan to supplement running/cycling/other aerobic stuff. I'd probably drop any one of the squats, though, and put in something front core oriented. Pikes, pushups, planks, etc.

If your goal is running fast, you're doing too much. Also the dips and pull-ups are pretty much pointless for running.

If its for beach muscles, drop two leg exercises and add in two upper body exercises instead.

I'd say too much work. I aim for 2x week in the gym, with a session of 2-3 exercises. For example -- hex bar DL, 10 reps split up as I feel, with a few minutes between set. Barbell shoulder press, usually three sets of 5-8. Then pull-ups. Unlike insectcurious, I think pull-ups are the single best upper body exercise for runners. Dips are good, but I have a wonky elbow that is easily irritated by dips, so I don't do them often.

Depending on how consistent I get, I'll swap in squats of some sort for the deadlifts, and some days I prefer hang clean + push press.

I usually warm up with a few sets of bodyweight squats, lunges, pushups, etc.

Exercises like kettlebell swings are good, but I'd suggest keeping a kettlebell or three at home and knocking out a few sets of swings and goblet squats on other days.

In summary, my basic plan is a few exercises, lift heavy, but moderate -- no going to failure.

What's your goal? I would say that's too much volume.

Trap Bar (you call it a squat, but it is still a trap bar deadlift) 5 x 5

KB Swing 3 x 10-12

Pullups/Dips

Front/Side Planks

Stretch/Mobility 5-10min.

Alan

Also anyone who tells you that you have "weak glutes" or a "quad dominant" form doesn't actually know what he's talking about.

I really want you to try and run without activating your glutes. Tell me how far you get.

Runners don't have flat butts for a reason.

Alan

1 day do squats and swings and the other day do RDLs and split squats.

For mobility do body weight deep squats

Thanks, Alan and everyone! Really appreciate the feedback. I should have said that I'm still banging out serious training and am age-group competitive (mid-16s 5k), so the goal is to enhance running performance and, if it's possible, stimulate testosterone production (that's possible, right?). The "quad dominant" form was from a PT who also does "performance" analysis with all kinds of sensors taped on my body, but who knows. Even if that's bogus, I definitely run like an older runner in terms of quick cadence and a pretty short stride. I'm sure it's efficient, but not much power. Seems like everyone thinks too many exercises that hit the glutes hard (trap bar squat/DL, TB RDL, KB swing, single-leg Bulgarian split squat). Just one last question though: I have a slight hip-drop on one side when I run and I was doing the single-leg bulgarian split squats in front of the mirror per PT's advice to make sure I don't drop that hip during the exercise...seems like a good idea for form correction or does that sound bogus to you? Since it's single leg and I'm going fairly slowly looking at form, that exercise takes forever so would be great to remove it from a saving-time perspective. Thanks again!

Runningart2004 wrote:

Also anyone who tells you that you have "weak glutes" or a "quad dominant" form doesn't actually know what he's talking about.

I really want you to try and run without activating your glutes. Tell me how far you get.

Runners don't have flat butts for a reason.

Alan

For running? CALF MUSCLES. Single straight leg and bent leg calf raises off a step. With a heavy weight. No more than 15 reps. Needs to be in any runner's weights program.