Lifting... is it worth it?

A lot of BS posted by Runningfart. Let me clear things up.

Runningart2004 wrote:

Mass does not equal strength and strength does not equal mass.

You can get stronger without gaining an ounce of weight.

Yes but what's the point. You want to get stronger and have people notice that you got stronger. We both agree on this one. Basically, you want your athletes to get BUFF and SHREDDED.

No one is saying to bench.

Yes you should. There is no better exercise for getting a MASSIVE CHEST that the ladies lust after.

Lifting will improve running economy which might make you faster.

I see you have borrowed some wisdom from CrossFit Endurance, yet again.

There are tons of mobility and strength balance assessments out there. It's just a matter of knowing how to interpret them. All it requires is a basic understanding of anatomy.

That's another benefit of strength training, correcting muscular issues that may be causing wasted motion during the running stride.

An example of this is the common outward leg flick where as your leg comes forward the lower leg flicks outward. Caused by excessive internal hip rotation.

Alan

Hey there is a difference between a gym rat and an athlete. Athlete isnt worried about showing a big chest. Winning is what he cares about. But you my friend are probably one of those who looks and looks around to make sure there are enough people watching before you do your bench press. And just when you think its the right time I can imagine you pushing and pumping and SCREAMING AAAAAAAAAAAA till someone way on the other side of the gym could hear you. Thats called " Hey everyone look at me ". I want to be polite but am sure there is a better word for that.

Alan what ab exercises do you think are best for a distance runner? are there any that you shouldnt do?

Thanks again for your help.

Some Runner wrote:

Alan what ab exercises do you think are best for a distance runner? are there any that you shouldnt do?

Thanks again for your help.

Thanks for asking.

I see these distance running clowns doing ab exercises at the gym all the time.

Repeat after me: MASSIVE WASTE OF TIME

If you do heavy squats, deadlifts, BENCH, overhead press and pullups (CrossFit style), then you don't need any direct abs exercises.

Also, women dig big arms, massive chests, broad shoulders and wide backs, but they don't really like abs. That is a true fact.

Thats what hollywood brainwashed you with. Real women want a good athletic and if muscular, proportional body. If you think women want a man who has a big arm and chest and at the same time a pregnant stomach good luck. Most classy women hate guys with guts believe me, dont fool yourself. Women like men with confidence no matter how big. Am not saying real heavy muscular guys dont have confidence dont get me wrong. But your confidence shouldnt be muscle dependent or size dependent. Because the woman will read it right away. Nothing wrong with being muscular and big if you are not a distance runner. But when I go to the gym I see a lot of big guys doing a lot of things the wrong way and you tell them to do something body weight that tests your strength cant do it. Size doesnt mean strength. And some only work their upper body. But then you have the real guys working all body and you can tell. And guess what, they have a six pack just like runners. Oh by the way do you know how many times I see many good looking ladies with the most out of shape non athletic fat guys instead of the muscular guys in the gym. Why? Because the ladies in your term dig his confidence and the way he treats them.

Hey SKINNY boy, I think your ENTER key stopped working.

Some Runner wrote:

Alan what ab exercises do you think are best for a distance runner? are there any that you shouldnt do?

Thanks again for your help.

The Deadlift or Squat. I strained my abs doing heavy deadlifts before. You don't need to isolate abs to work them correctly.

Other than that planks and side planks.

Alan

Ok good. Thats pretty much what I do planks. Thanks again.

Lol. You are funny. Am not that skinny. But if you are 200 lb or more than i would be skinny standing next to you.

Xfit bro, the bench press does not work the abs; push ups on the other hand do and are better for just about all athletes.

If you have imbalances or weaknesses then you need to work your core and most of us do. Planks, side planks, Mcgill crunches, bird dogs should be all done as rest between sets.

Doing anything but resting between sets will adversely affect the next set. As a former runner I had to relearn how to exercise when it comes to actual strength training. You're going to have to rest longer than you want in order to replenish ATP. The closer you get to a max effort the longer you will need to rest before the next set. I give you an example:

45x10, just enough rest to add weight to the bar, 1min

95x5, just enough rest to add weight to the bar, 1min

135x5, 2-3min rest

155x5, 2-3min rest

185x4 (max effort)

If you ramp the weights like the above example you really won't need much rest until the last two sets when you are approaching and reaching a max lift. Now, if on the other hand you were doing straight sets or multiple sets with the final weight you would need a good 3-min between sets. The same applies for plyos. If you are doing box jumps and doing 3-5 jumps per set you will need a good 3min or so between sets.

Doing a lift which lasts less than a minute, then resting for 2-3...takes some getting used to.

Alan