Eight days a week
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2010-09-07 8:41 PM |
Maple Grove, MN | Subject: Eight days a week Just did my first (sprint) tri. 47 year old male. Beat my goal time of 90 minutes by three minutes. I'm hooked. Plan on doing 3 to 4 sprints next year. Bought a new tri bike to replace the hybrid i did the tri on. And I want to get down to 75 minutes, which I believe is achievable. (I did the .3 mile swim in about ten minutes, and think I could get to nine. I did the 14 mile bike in 50 minutes and think i can get to 42, and did the 3 mile run in about 23 minutes and think I can get to 21. A minute off of my transitions, which sucked, and I'm down to 1:15). While I did a good amount of biking, swimming and running to train for it, with some bricks as well, I never had a real "program". I think I need one now. Here's my dilemma. My understanding is that if you want to get faster at running, you have to run three days a week. Same with biking and swimming. But I also like to strength train and everyone says that if you want to build muscle, you need to lift three days a week. Well that's twelve days if i do one activity a day. Any suggestions on how to fit it all in? Not training for any particular date right now. Just want to get fit over the winter. |
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2010-09-07 8:49 PM in reply to: #3086441 |
Master 1367 Dirt Road | Subject: RE: Eight days a week You have a choice to make. IMHO strength training doesn't fit very well with dramatic triathlon improvement unless you have 8 to 10 days in your week. I have found when I s/b/r I get plenty of strength training. |
2010-09-07 9:05 PM in reply to: #3086441 |
Veteran 286 Manly | Subject: RE: Eight days a week i incorporate leg strength training in on a couple of my bike workouts a week (especially when using a stationary bike) i turn the resistance up high for say 1min then recover for 1min and do that twenty times for example... Hills are also great for leg strength whilst running |
2010-09-07 9:12 PM in reply to: #3086441 |
Champion 7595 Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Eight days a week I, personally, would ditch the weight training, but if you want to do it, go for it. It's a mathematical fact: you are going to have to do 2-a-days several days a week. So now the trick is to figure out where to find the time. If you are in control of your lunchtime, then lunchtime swims or runs are a good way to get in a workout without too much fuss. Early morning is a popular time. Bottom line: unless you have insane commitments in other areas (I'm talking serious commitments, not "I really like watching reality TV") then you can find the time, but it will probably entail making sacrifices to your other activities. |
2010-09-07 9:18 PM in reply to: #3086499 |
Extreme Veteran 664 Minneapolis | Subject: RE: Eight days a week Experior - 2010-09-07 9:12 PM I, personally, would ditch the weight training, but if you want to do it, go for it. It's a mathematical fact: you are going to have to do 2-a-days several days a week. So now the trick is to figure out where to find the time. If you are in control of your lunchtime, then lunchtime swims or runs are a good way to get in a workout without too much fuss. Early morning is a popular time. Bottom line: unless you have insane commitments in other areas (I'm talking serious commitments, not "I really like watching reality TV") then you can find the time, but it will probably entail making sacrifices to your other activities. x2 on ditch the strength training altogether, but that's just my humble opinion. I've never lifted a weight in my life, and have yet to hear any convincing reason to start now. If you want to get faster at the run, 3 days a week ain't gonna cut it. I run 5-6 days a week in the morning before work, swim 3-4 days a week during lunch, and bike 3-4 days a week in the evenings. It's definitely do-able to get as much training in as you need to, but if you want to get faster at triathlons, then you gotta s/b/r, not waste time lifting weights. Cheers, Chris |
2010-09-07 10:15 PM in reply to: #3086441 |
Maple Grove, MN | Subject: RE: Eight days a week Ok. Looking for a compromise (which may not be possible.) How about lifting during the off season and then dropping it a few months before the first tri of the season?As for my schedule, I don't watch tv at all basically (I have never watched a single episode of a reality tv show ever, and haven't seen a single episode of a sitcom in about 15 years.). But I do have five kids and they take a lot of time. Oh, and THANKS for the thoughtful replies. Edited by older2533 2010-09-07 10:15 PM |
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2010-09-07 10:20 PM in reply to: #3086441 |
Extreme Veteran 547 Canyon Hills (Lake Elsinore), CA | Subject: RE: Eight days a week My training experience says the following: |
2010-09-07 10:40 PM in reply to: #3086569 |
Champion 7595 Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Eight days a week older2533 - 2010-09-07 11:15 PM Ok. Looking for a compromise (which may not be possible.) How about lifting during the off season and then dropping it a few months before the first tri of the season?As for my schedule, I don't watch tv at all basically (I have never watched a single episode of a reality tv show ever, and haven't seen a single episode of a sitcom in about 15 years.). But I do have five kids and they take a lot of time. Oh, and THANKS for the thoughtful replies. Number one (in my book) is to remember that we do this for fun. So if weightlifting is what you prefer to do, for fun, then do it. Just realize that your tri performance is likely to be less than optimal as a result (given limited time for training). Yeah, focusing on weight training during the off season and dropping it in preparation for tri season sounds like a great compromise to me. Getting the training in with kids and other family commitments can be a challenge -- no doubt about that. My advice is to make time outside of normal family time for most of your training. Long rides and runs on the weekends are more challenging -- if you can swing it, then this might just need to be 'daddy time'. If getting away for a 5 hour long ride is just not going to happen, then focus on shorter events. Most if not all of the rest of your training can be made 'invisible' to them with good planning. (Even the long ride and run on the weekend can be all or mostly invisible, if you start them early enough.) That's the short version. I recently typed up some longer thoughts about this here (page 2 of the thread), as did many others. |
2010-09-07 10:41 PM in reply to: #3086441 |
Elite 4235 Spring, TX | Subject: RE: Eight days a week Ditch the weight training if your goal is to get faster at triathlon. |
2010-09-08 6:01 AM in reply to: #3086441 |
Veteran 345 Houston, TX | Subject: RE: Eight days a week You'll find a lot more sympathy and encouragement on weight training down in the Strength Training folder, along with a lot of posts wondering how to fit it all in. |
2010-09-08 6:15 AM in reply to: #3086441 |
Regular 609 Raleigh | Subject: RE: Eight days a week Do you really want to lift to build mass or are you talking about core strength training? I'm in a similar boat to you - just turned 50 on Monday and believe that I can improve considerably. Busy life and it's tough to fit everything in - I've been focusing on s/b/r but sprinkle in some core work when I can. I've completely abandoned the gym and just have some weights, resistance bands and other simple aids at home. If I have some time I throw in a work out in front of the TV while my wife is watching something that doesn't float my boat. You can go through a pretty good sequence in 20-30 mins. I also travel a lot for work and find that when I'm not able to get in a "real" workout, doing some core work in my hotel room at least makes me think that I've achieved something. Just my $0.02 |
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2010-09-08 6:42 AM in reply to: #3086441 |
Master 2946 Centennial, CO | Subject: RE: Eight days a week There are a couple of things you left out. First how big are you? Losing weight in my opinion is free speed. Second. If you are very muscular (i.e. from strength training), then you should look at how much weight you carry from that. I used to lift weights, and started this crazy sport carrying a lot of extra mass in my upper body. That is not conducive to running or biking fast over distance. Just saying. Finally, if you want to get faster, pick a discipline. Work intensly on that sport for a month or two. Maintaining the other two (say like 2x a week on the other sports). Then switch. It is easier to maintain speed then to gain speed. Work out the kinks in swimming and get to your goal speed. Then focus on say running for a couple of months. Then biking. Also take a look at where you can gain the most speed. Hammer that sport. For me, cycling is easy. But my swim sucks right now. Make that your focus. Just approach it one step at a time. Don't try to change everything at once. Good luck. |
2010-09-08 7:07 AM in reply to: #3086441 |
Veteran 191 Husk, NC | Subject: RE: Eight days a week My understanding is that if you want to get faster at running, you have to run three days a week. Don't agree with that statement. If you really want to get faster at running and stay injury free, you need to run 5-6 x wk. Trying to fit the miles needed to get fast into 3 workouts leads to injury. It takes volume to get faster. |
2010-09-08 7:18 AM in reply to: #3086441 |
Expert 2852 Pfafftown, NC | Subject: RE: Eight days a week Doing the math, you spent 5min. in transitions. You could probably cut that AT LEAST in half without ANY additional training, by just being smart(er). Don't underestimate: 1. Going from 50min. to 42min. on the bike. That's a jump to 20mph. (at the dist. you cited). That's no joke. 2. Going faster, running, on training 3X/wk.. Good luck. |
2010-09-08 7:32 AM in reply to: #3086771 |
Elite 4235 Spring, TX | Subject: RE: Eight days a week bighorsecreek - 2010-09-08 9:07 PM My understanding is that if you want to get faster at running, you have to run three days a week. Don't agree with that statement. If you really want to get faster at running and stay injury free, you need to run 5-6 x wk. Trying to fit the miles needed to get fast into 3 workouts leads to injury. It takes volume to get faster. That's a very broad statement. I agree that getting enough volume in is key to getting faster and that running frequently and consistently is the best way to do that. But remember that fitness gains are made through training load, which are a function of both volume and intensity. New runners need to focus almost completely on the volume piece before worrying about intensity, but saying that you need to run 5-6x/week to improve is not true. It would be ideal, but if the OP did 3-4 times per week throughout the winter, he would probably still improve and as long as he was carefuly, he could do so without injury. I'm not running much right now because I'm focused on my cycling, but even with 4x running per week, I know I'm still improving. All that said, I would recommend working up to 5-6 times per week... |
2010-09-08 9:54 AM in reply to: #3086747 |
Maple Grove, MN | Subject: RE: Eight days a week velocomp - 2010-09-08 6:42 AM There are a couple of things you left out. First how big are you? Losing weight in my opinion is free speed. Second. If you are very muscular (i.e. from strength training), then you should look at how much weight you carry from that. I used to lift weights, and started this crazy sport carrying a lot of extra mass in my upper body. That is not conducive to running or biking fast over distance. Just saying. I am NOT muscular. I'm 5'10". 15 months ago, I was 186 lbs, but only 129 lbs was lean body mass. I started lifting because I wanted to lose weight without losing what little muscle I had. Now I'm 158 lbs and 133 lbs lean body mass. So I lost 32 lbs of fat and gained 4 lbs of muscle. nc452010 - 2010-09-08 7:18 AM Doing the math, you spent 5min. in transitions. You could probably cut that AT LEAST in half without ANY additional training, by just being smart(er). Don't underestimate: 1. Going from 50min. to 42min. on the bike. That's a jump to 20mph. (at the dist. you cited). That's no joke. 2. Going faster, running, on training 3X/wk.. Good luck. Transitions. A lot of my 2.5 minute T1 was that I couldn't get my shirt on over my wet chest. (I didn't swim with a wetsuit.) I've since bought a tri top to do the whole thing in. That will help. |
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2010-09-08 10:02 AM in reply to: #3086441 |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: Eight days a week "I lo-o-o-o-ove you" |
2010-09-08 11:03 AM in reply to: #3086441 |
Master 1795 Boynton Beach, FL | Subject: RE: Eight days a week Turn 2 runs a week into a brick workout. If you have the time, this is how I am able to fit in the 3x3 a week theory. That is without the strength training. My schedule is maxed out with 12-13 hours a week so ironman contention may be out of picture, but find it just right for HIM plans allowing one to to be competitive. |
2010-09-08 1:14 PM in reply to: #3087141 |
Master 2380 Beijing | Subject: RE: Eight days a week mrbbrad - 2010-09-07 11:02 AM "I lo-o-o-o-ove you" eight days a week is not enough to show I care. |
2010-09-08 1:21 PM in reply to: #3087551 |
Maple Grove, MN | Subject: RE: Eight days a week moondawg14 - 2010-09-08 1:14 PM mrbbrad - 2010-09-07 11:02 AM "I lo-o-o-o-ove you" eight days a week is not enough to show I care. Hold me, love me, hold me, love me. Ain't got nothing but love babe. (Glad to see other people "of a certain age" and thus able to get the reference). |
2010-09-08 1:26 PM in reply to: #3087582 |
Master 2380 Beijing | Subject: RE: Eight days a week older2533 - 2010-09-07 2:21 PM moondawg14 - 2010-09-08 1:14 PM mrbbrad - 2010-09-07 11:02 AM "I lo-o-o-o-ove you" eight days a week is not enough to show I care. Hold me, love me, hold me, love me. Ain't got nothing but love babe. (Glad to see other people "of a certain age" and thus able to get the reference). I'm only 35 but I was "raised right!" |
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