New Exercise and Fitness Thread

[lessthanluke]

I would snap in half. :P

Yet I have never experienced pain from deadlifts :P

[Eponine]

The advanced plans are pretty intense! There are a few that do multiple 20-milers, but one for me is enough. Also there is a lot more speedwork. Which I probably could use, now that I think about it. Best of luck if you choose to go for it! That would be awesome.

Instead of having any 20 milers, the Hanson's plan does back to back 10/16 milers. They claim that it imitates the fatigue of the marathon on the 16 mile day, while spreading out the mileage in a way more conducive to recovery. I'd also be more inclined to try this if I were going to run a road marathon at sea level, because running 20 miles here takes longer than I'd expect to run the entire marathon at sea level.

I learned last year with the 15 miler at Leadville that I'm probably not going to be able to run the whole thing. Very few people do. So I would probably replace the speed days with working to be able to jog uphill for 50 minutes without stopping.

[ztemhead]

All the Smolov advice is good unless you're on gear, in which case, follow the advice of your friend (who is undoubtedly on as well.)

he's not on anything but clean living and hard work. I suppose it's possible he's outright lying to me as well as taking masking agents prior to tested meets, but he's also the nicest guy I know, and it seems more probable that he's just really fucking strong.

capo, you should consider doing sumo deadlift. I couldn't lift as much at first that way, but my progress was fast, and I soon was doing a lot more than I previously did the traditional way.

[ztemhead]

I can't really comment on deadlift form. I pull with a really rounded back.

Extreme example because I was extremely fatigued doing this(had done 10 sets of heavy squats) but you get the point.

holy crap, luke, that lift would sent the discs in my back shooting around the room.

[cjfshaw]

capo, you should consider doing sumo deadlift. I couldn't lift as much at first that way, but my progress was fast, and I soon was doing a lot more than I previously did the traditional way.

I will google that. I am also going to keep trying to perfect my form on the regular deadlift though and see if there is any improvement on how it feels, because currently I get some SI pain from deadlifting. The problem is I don't have anything else that makes me really feel my lower back working.

[Lightning Lord]

Marathon training update:

The tapering feels awesome. Only had to run 4 miles yesterday. Kicked some ass on the pacing. 6 miles this evening, which should be a breeze, and then three miles tomorrow morning. Running along Lake Michigan in the morning is the best way to wake up.

This weekend, the long run is only eight miles. Eight! That is such a relief.

And next Sunday is when it all goes down.

Nice work my man! Inspiring for me, I've got about 7 weeks left before my marathon. Which are you doing? Is it Chicago?

[Fleeing Finn]

I can't really comment on deadlift form. I pull with a really rounded back.

Extreme example because I was extremely fatigued doing this(had done 10 sets of heavy squats) but you get the point.

I've long ago decided not to judge deadlift form on guys who pull over 250 kg. It's really hard to tell which is just rounding of the thoracic spine and if there really is any harmful rounding of the lumbar spine. Deadlift is done with a form that allows you to lift the weight, simple as that. Nice work by the way.

[Vethnar]

capo, you should consider doing sumo deadlift. I couldn't lift as much at first that way, but my progress was fast, and I soon was doing a lot more than I previously did the traditional way.

But the sumo deadlift is a very different exercise, isn't it? I've never tried it, but it looks like it would emphasize the quads more and the posterior chain less than conventional deadlifts. Sumo deadlifts look more like a squat variant than a deadlift variant to me.

I'm sure both forms of deadlift are great exercises, but I don't see how one can serve as a substitute for the other. Am I wrong?

[ztemhead]

But the sumo deadlift is a very different exercise, isn't it? I've never tried it, but it looks like it would emphasize the quads more and the posterior chain less than conventional deadlifts. Sumo deadlifts look more like a squat variant than a deadlift variant to me.

I'm sure both forms of deadlift are great exercises, but I don't see how one can serve as a substitute for the other. Am I wrong?

*shrugs* fucked if I know. it just feels easier that way, as though I'm keeping the weight closer to the center line of my body.

[alguien]

Nice work my man! Inspiring for me, I've got about 7 weeks left before my marathon. Which are you doing? Is it Chicago?

Thank you sir! Yes, I'm running Chicago. Pretty flat course, nice scenery. We go by both baseball stadiums and the lake. Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Best of luck to you with your marathon as well!!! Hope your training is going well! At seven weeks out, what's your weekly mileage looking like?

[Harlot]

Only 3-5 miles per week when you started? Wow, now I am totally inspired. I run about 10 miles per week now. If I can stay on my 10k training over the winter, then I should be good to start that 18 week program in the spring in time to run a fall marathon. Thanks for the info and the inspiration. Good luck in Chicago!

[Lightning Lord]

Thank you sir! Yes, I'm running Chicago. Pretty flat course, nice scenery. We go by both baseball stadiums and the lake. Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Best of luck to you with your marathon as well!!! Hope your training is going well! At seven weeks out, what's your weekly mileage looking like?

I don't have any sort of system. It's looking like this week I'll hit about 43 miles. Next week I'll try to hit 50. "Weeks" being Monday-Sunday for me, since that's the way my training notebook is set up. I have a half two weeks before the full, not sure how that'll impact things.

[ztemhead]

I just did 4.2 miles after not running for a couple weeks. it was tiring. blargh.

[cjfshaw]

I did my first dragon flag today. That was all I could manage though, as my abs quite literally feel ripped right now.

[Lightning Lord]

New week of running. Yesterday, Sunday, ended up being my off day. Woke up and just wasn't feeling it. So, that makes this week all the more important.

Good news is that 12-15 km is no problem now. Had a little over 18 km on Saturday and felt good afterward. Still went out. A little concerned that my appetite is still not reacting. I'm almost forcing myself to eat for fear that I'm not getting enough calories.

[seastarr]

It was tutu day at trapeze yesterday. That was fun. My flying sucked but my costume was pretty.

My teacher had a great realization yesterday, which was that I perform better when he doesn't heckle me too much. I am very pleased he came to this realization, because it is something I have understood for quite some time. I think we are going to get on a little better now.

What is weird is that any friction between the two of us becomes readily apparent when we go to do catches, because we have to be completely in sync with each other to make it all work out well. I have to listen to his cues, he has to trust me, I have to trust him, we have to feel each other's momentum and adjust to it to make everything come out perfect. This is very hard to do if we aren't feeling pleased with each other. He has a very strong personality, and I tend to be a little withdrawn when someone is always correcting me. So, I am glad we are understanding each other better, and I am hoping that is going to help me work through a few technical issues I have been having in flight.

One thing trapeze has shown me is that I am a control freak, in the best and worse senses of the phrase. I am trying to learn how to let momentum and power into my flying, because I tend to try to over-control everything at the expense of those two forces. I know this is pretty complex...but any tips? How can I succumb to being right on the edge of control so I can fly higher?

[Harlot]

Missed my first Monday of running in more than 3 months this morning. I've been having pain in the right leg, just below and inside of my knee. It started last week and was bothering me but didn't prevent me from running 4 miles on Friday. But Sunday morning, it was tight and I don't think I stretched enough before I headed out (it was cold and I just wanted to get warmed up). The upshot is that it's either tendonitis or worse a ligament strain. I'm resting this week and see how it feels on Friday. I'm going to cycle and walk, continue stretching and hope for the best (please, not an MCL problem, please not an MCL problem)

I have 5 weeks left of the Bridge to 10k program and 8 weeks until the 10k, so as long as it's not serious, I should still be ready by Thanksgiving

[Eponine]

I'm considering doing a snowshoeing trip this winter through a program. It's a pretty big time commitment, so I haven't made up my mind yet. But Leadville isn't until July, so I need something to keep me occupied through the winter.

[ztemhead]

It was tutu day at trapeze yesterday. That was fun. My flying sucked but my costume was pretty.

One thing trapeze has shown me is that I am a control freak, in the best and worse senses of the phrase. I am trying to learn how to let momentum and power into my flying, because I tend to try to over-control everything at the expense of those two forces. I know this is pretty complex...but any tips? How can I succumb to being right on the edge of control so I can fly higher?

glad to hear you're relating better with your teacher. I have no real advice for what to do to get into the zone. If you figure it out, let me know!

I'm going to cycle and walk, continue stretching and hope for the best (please, not an MCL problem, please not an MCL problem)

I have 5 weeks left of the Bridge to 10k program and 8 weeks until the 10k, so as long as it's not serious, I should still be ready by Thanksgiving

Yeoch. Probably just a little tendonitis. Good luck with that.

I've taken four... or is it five days off in a row now and am back in the gym today. The first four days were outside my control, but yesterday was pure laziness. Because of this, I'm going back to square 1 on Smolov. It's frustrating, but I want to do it right rather than do it quickly.

[BigFatCoward]

Quick Question, how much does everyone pay for their gym memberships? There is a free one at work but it is very basic and not the most pleasant environment. Just been to look at a gym near me which is the nuts, it has absolutely everything you could ever want but it is £60 month (and that is with a discount for being in the police). Is this reasonable? My old gym membership was only £35.