Muscle up

Phase 2 of my Half Ironman preparation is now complete. The biggest improvement i gained from this last 5 weeks was the strength gains from my gym workouts. I wasn't doing anything special, i don't look "massive", i just feel strong and ready to cope with some more volume in my training.



Over the years I've discussed training programs with many endurance athletes and I'm amazed at how little importance they place on correct strength and conditioning in a gym environment. Yet they wonder why they get so many injuries and fail to absorb their training volume. I feel that without the correct base (appropriate mix of aerobic endurance, technical skills and strength training) an athlete can be limiting their gains further down the track. I also feel that not doing strength work is ignoring a vital aspect of ones general health and well being. One of the ways the medical/wellness world classifies the rate of aging is muscle mass. The less muscle mass you maintain the faster you age!



Consider this:

• Aerobic exercise (huffy puffy exercise that lasts 10mins or longer) breaks down fat for energy via a process called beta oxidation bit it also breaks down protein (muscle) in the process. Therefore aerobic exercise is classified as " Catabolic". Why do marathon runners always look real skinny? Catabolic breakdown of human tissue!

• Weight training or strength training done in short and intense bursts on the other hand can be performed without the presence of oxygen. This is done via metabolizing muscle glycogen into pyruvate through glycolysis rather then breaking down human tissue and therefore makes it "Anabolic". This is why people who lift weights or in list in strength training have more muscle when compared to marathon runners etc.

So considering that most people would rather slow their rate of aging i would have to say maintaining moderate amounts of muscle mass is pretty darn important both on a health and well being aspect and a sports performance aspect.

I don't tell my athletes to hit the gym 5 times per week and get massive mind you, i just advocate 1-3 sessions geared to their postural needs and general strength. This is enough to generate the gains they require for their health maintenance and improved sporting performance.

Benefits from weight training:

• Improved coordination
• Better flexibility
• Improved posture
• Injury prevention
• Greater body awareness
• Improvements in blood pressure
• Greater sporting performance
• Makes you look great!!!

The type of exercises i have been doing to form my personal program have been simple however, I'm focused on doing them correctly and also in ways to emulate movements in my sport and in general life.

I have been generally doing 4x 8-15 reps depending on the exercise and desired result I'm after. I'm so excited at how well this has gone for me that I'm absolutely busting to start my next phase of training tomorrow morning. I am now moving into some more specific training that should give me enough endurance to complete the Canberra Half Ironman without too much drama.

Only 7 weeks to go!

Happy training

Rosko