You gotta be strong. You should be lifting heavier than you’re lifting now. Training for strength keeps muscle mass. Keeping muscle mass means health. Is health important for you?
“Endurance is the enemy of strength. Building muscle and strength reduces endurance performance.” You’ve heard this before, right? The truth is that training for both in the same requires a very careful approach and a professional’s eye involved in the process. But most of the people prefer training for endurance goals when compared to strength.
Performing heavy load strength training can improve performance by reducing body fat and building type 2 muscle fiber strength. In turn, the speed will increase, and you can work at a higher rate with more efficient oxygen consumption. So get stronger, reduce body fat and you’ll get faster. Another reason to prioritize strength training for endurance athletes is the fact that it builds neuromuscular strength and greater motor unit recruitment.
I got asked many times about how many kilometers I run per week, in preparing for a trail race. The answer is very simple: not more than one hour per week. But I did enjoy running the past three races, in a month time without running out of energy, getting cramps or hitting the wall. Don’t get me wrong in here: I do not run for the first place, but I will always aim to go beyond my limits and make it as fun as possible while challenging my body.
So, when I train for such this type of endurance event, I focus first on the strength, power, speed, mobility and balance. I lift heavy, do my sprints on weekly basis, constantly watch my nutrition and give proper attention to my recovery.
Strength is also known as the ability of our muscles to move stuff. In this case I talk about moving my body weight for 90 km, with a 10 kg backpack. It is brutal. Regardless of the resistance, it takes a certain amount of muscle to move that stuff obviously.
I just copied here week’s 5 log from my 10 week training plan for this summer. If you’ve read the previous posts, my goal was to run three trail races in a month: 90, 37 and 47 km. I did most of my workouts at Crossfit Quwwa, a great gym with a very enthusiastic staff and trainees. The beach and the stair case of my building, and the Intercontinental Hotel staircase (56 floors) were my favorite playgrounds.
Strength Factory: Crossfit Quwwa, Doha
Sunday (in Doha, were I live, this is the first working day of the week)
- 5 Front Squats with 80 kg, 6 rounds, one per every 90 seconds
- 6 Bulgarian Split Squats with 20 kg dumbbells, 3 rounds
- 8 Stiffed Legged Deadlift at 80 kg, 3 rounds
- 50 GHD Sit Ups
- 3 rounds climbing stairs, every other step, with the 10 kg back pack. 22 stores each round.
Monday
- Every 3 minutes for 5 rounds, 5 deadlifts with 160 kg.
- Joined the WOD with the guys from Crossfit Quwwa: 3 rounds of 100 DU, 30 KB Swings @ 32kg, 15 Pull Ups, with 3 minutes rest. 20 minutes time cap. Finished with 10 second before time.
- 300 Double Unders in 4 mins and 50 seconds.
- Mobility and Myofascial Compression Techniques (Trigger Point Therapy).
Tuesday. This is a rest day. Did some mobility and Myofascial Compression Techniques (Trigger Point Therapy).. Chased my kids in the park and I have played table tennis with my mother. Jacuzzi and Sauna session. By 9.00 PM I was in bed.
Wednesday
- Innerfight Squat Mobility and Trigger Point Myofascial Release
- Back Squat, 70 kg, 4 rounds, 15-20 reps each.
- Pistol Squats. Managed 3 rounds, 10 reps each, holding the non-working leg with my hand.
- Overhead Barbell Lunges, 40 kg, 3 rounds, 8 reps on each leg
- To wrap it up I have joined the guys in the gym and did the WOD (workout of the day):
50-40-30-20-10, Double Unders and Sit Ups. So you start with 50 DU, then do 50 Sit Ups, 40 DU and so on. Finished in 6 minutes and 52 seconds. Brutal.
Thursday
- Clean and Jerk, every minute of the minute 5 minutes. Did it with 70 kg
- Pendlay Row, 70 kg, 3 rounds, 5 reps each
- Push Press, 70 Kg, 3 rounds, 5 reps each
- Row 2000 m for time: 7 minutes and 5 seconds. I finished the session by getting friendly with the gymnastic rings for 37 skins. Did 5 burpees every time when getting off the rings.
Friday
- This day is reserved for…running! Since my first race is scheduled on a Friday, at 6.00 am, I am doing my runs in the same day of the week, close to the start time. I woke up at 5 am, drove more than 100 km and reached Fuwairait Beach, in the northern side of Qatar. I ran 6 rounds of 15 minutes each; with 2 minutes rest in between, all in the sand. It was a good occasion to test my running back pack, which was weighing almost 10 kg.
Saturday
- Bench Press, 5 x 5 with 90 kg
- Found a WOD on the board and jumped on it. As many reps as possible in 7 minutes: 3 Deadlifts at 120 kg, 6 Burpees over the bar, 9 Box Jumps 30”. Did 5 rounds and 9 reps in 7 minutes.
This was a snapshot into my training program. I do include sprint sessions, play football with my friends or play tennis and table tennis from time to time. Some of the most intense sessions will be spent with my kids, at school and at home. Overall, I try to make it simple and fun without losing the focus from the final goal. It works!
Sprint Playground
I am far away from the dream of looking like a Kenyan marathon runner knowing that the hormonal response to strength training is significantly different than the response to endurance exercise. From the perspective of an endurance athlete, an increase in anabolic hormones such as testosterone may be beneficial for decreasing body fat, improving mood, or living a long life. Studies have shown that endurance trained men have lower levels of testosterone, compared to both sedentary and resistance trained men. So keep an eye on the “STRENGTH” button. On the long term, you might need to consider “pressing” it more often.
Lift heavy, sprint, eat well, sleep early and you’ll look, feel and perform better by next time!
Fit'n'Wit 