I've taken the last month off to regenerate motivation and physiological stress. Within this past month, I've been doing a lot of lifting, mainly upper body, and I finally don't look like a weakling. I gained a fair amount of muscle, and I was wondering if it's still possible to maintain this muscle while returning to running, with 70+miles/wk?
If so, how would I do this? High weight, low reps? Low weight, high reps? Mediumish....10-12 reps/set (likely 3)?
If your weight is not an issue, don't be afraid to lift heavy/low reps twice weekly to maintain the muscle. However, higher reps/lighter weight is more beneficial for strength/endurance..but you probably already know this.
So yes, it is possible to maintain the muscle even at 70 mpw, but you'll need quality calories to do it with this combination weight lifting and heavy aerobic work. Try consuming 0.6 - 0.8 grams of protein per day per ounce of body weight. For example if you weigh 145 pounds, consume 87 - 116 grams of protein per day - I suggest a quality protein shake to supplement - there are plenty to choose from...usually 25g per serving.
Now, sure as shit, somebody will chime in and explain that you can only absorb 7 grams protein at a time, etc, etc. I'm telling you from personal experience as a 5'9" 135 pounder, that it has worked for me.
Good luck
Just take creatine; it works really well and helped me put on 10 pounds of muscle in 6 months while running over 70mpw.
It's not likely actual muscle you have gained but mostly water and glycogen storage. My guess is that once you start running again you'll notice a just as dramatic weight loss
Good luck trying to add muscle while running an hour a day. Not very advantageous.
Alan
Yes nigga. Just keep lifting the same weights you lifted during your time off.
look under "articles" and the first one to come up should be "West Side For Skinny Bastards 3". I've been able to tweak these workouts to maintain and even add lean muscle without adding weight. It's a nice well-rounded program that focuses on total body strength and athleticism rather than hypertrophy.
Hold on. Are we talking about a runner who wants to maintain muscle or an average Joe who wants to get big and strong?
If you wanna do Westside then do Westside:
BUT....It's not a routine for distance runners.
A better routine for a runner who's interesting in strength training for the sake of strength training (ie: not running specific strength training but strength training for the sake of itself)....it a 5/3/1 plan, or a variation of a 5/3/1 plan...
http://muscleandbrawn.com/wendlers-531-powerlifting-system/
In a nutshell:
-Lift 3-4 days a week
-Main lift changes each day: Squat, Bench, Deadlift, or Overhead press
-For main lift: Perform a couple warm-up sets, then ramp up to a max set of either 5, 3 or 1 rep(s). So far a Squat this might look like: 135x10, 185x5, 205x5, 225x5, 245x5
-Choose a couple assistance exercises. Perform 3-5 sets of 5-15 reps. Specifics not as important....as long as you know how to put together a workout and realize your money is in the main lift.
-I would alter the original programming and say go 3 weeks at each level instead of one. So 3 weeks of hitting your 5s, 3 weeks of hitting your 3s, then only one week of hitting your 1s. The more you repeat something the better you get at it.
One variation I've become accustomed to doing will likely get me dirty looks in most iron circles is doing the BIG THREE in a single workout. That's old school powerlifting, or old school weightlifting in general.
Each workout just change which exercise is your focus...especially when concerning the squat and deadlift. If doing heavy/low reps on one...do lighter/higher reps on the other. Of course if doing the BIG THREE....that is it, that's your workout. Maybe add in some bodyweight work, but that's about it (pushups, pullups, dips, etc)
Monday:
Squat warmup/rampup to 3-5
Bench 3-5 sets of 10-15
Deadlift 3-5 sets of 10-15
Wednesday:
Deadlift warmup/rampup to 3-5
Bench 3-5 sets of 10-15
Squat 3-5 sets of 10-15
Friday:
Bench warmup/rampup to 3-5
Squat 3-5 sets of 10-15
Deadlift 3-5 sets of 10-15
Add in wherever: pullups, dips, pushups, hanging leg raises
Alan
Just posting the link was lazy of me. Let me explain...
The template given in the WS4SB3 article gives the principles of modifying Louie Simmons' Westside program for skinnier athletes (those who need more reps to grow and get strong). With these principles and knowledge of what running-specific strength is needed, I've been able to easily tailor the program for running.
The main modifications I made....
-Substitute Dynamic Effort Upper Body day for Max Effort. This comes with one main modification. Instead of, for example, sets of Barbell Bench Press working up to a max set of 3-5 reps, we can use 2 or 3x :30 of Med Ball Chest Passes against a wall (done fast) or 5-8x Med Ball Chest Passes for distance.
-Get rid of ME Lower Body Day. I fully believe in the value of max effort deadlifts or squats for 400m athletes and below (or 800m athletes who are 400/800 type rather than 800/1500 type). However, as the events' dependence on raw power output goes down, I think the risks outweigh the potential rewards. I basically made both lower body days Dynamic Effort. One would be in the traditional WS4SB style (Tuesday on DeFranco's schedule), while the other would be something completely unweighted, such as Vern Gambetta's leg complex
-The number of exercises and sets should be cut down (as Wetmore says, doing too much is robbing Peter to pay Paul). Figure out what's important for running and how you can modify exercises to hit more than one muscle group. As distance athletes, time spent solely working biceps and traps is time wasted. Here's how an Upper Body Rep Day would look with a few modifications to get you in and out of the weight room in 25-30 min.
A.)3x Max Rep Pushups w/ 2-3 minutes rest
B.)3x 12 Reverse Grip Chin-Ups
C.)Shoulder TriSet (2x w/ 2 min rest
-10x Front Plate Raise
-10x Seated DB Lateral Raise
-10x Seated Shrug to DB Power Clean to Press
D.)3x 15-20 Triceps Bench Dips