The Twelve Myths of Fitness – Day 7: Runners shouldn’t lift

It’s a common belief that weight training, especially with heavy weights, will make us bulk up. If you’re a runner, that probably sounds like bad news. After all, runners want to be as light and lean as possible, and additional weight makes running more challenging. This belief is completely false. In fact, runners should embrace the weight room in their gym. You may find your form and stride to improve, and injury risk to go down. But even if you’re on board with the concept, it can be hard to figure out how and when to include weight training to your running schedule, especially if you are diving into something intense and time consuming like marathon training. Today I’ll debunk the weight training/runner myth, and also give some tips as to how to include weight training into your running schedule.

Training specificity is important for improving. So if you are training to improve as a runner, you need to be running! However, it can be very helpful to incorporate yoga, cross training and weight training into your routine to support your running goals. So while much of your time should be spent running, most of us would benefit from not just running. For one thing, injury risk can go up as mileage or intensity increases. And while running can certainly make us strong, it’s not enough to strengthen our upper body, core, and even lower body in a way that will make use our best. We need more. The good news is that a little time in the gym lifting heavy can go a long way. For runners, strength training is a key component in boosting performance – both for speedsters and endurance junkies. Adding the strength and power you get from weight lifting will help you run faster. It will also help maintain good running form, even when fatigued. If you run longer distances, it is important to have good form when fatigued because this will help prevent injuries, and help with efficiency in those late miles. Short distance and long distance runners alike can benefit from strength training.

If time and energy are limited, aim for 2-3 gym sessions per week. Stack them on days you are already working hard – track, tempo, long run days – for example. If you can get in a 30-60 minute routine, working head-to-toe, focusing on lifting heavy and good form, you will see and feel improvements in your running. If you don’t have access to gym equipment, or are short on time, this article may be very helpful. There are some basic things you can do at home and with your own body weight. Something is far better than nothing! When at the gym, try aiming for moves that incorporate multiple muscle groups can be really helpful. You’ll get more out of your training, won’t need as many exercises, and when you run, you are using tons of muscles at a time, so isolating one muscle per exercise isn’t as helpful for a runner. Use the heaviest weight you can for 3 sets of 8-12, with good form. If you can handle more than that, you need to increase the weight. Be sure to have a protein-dense snack or meal after your weight training session.

Breaking down 5 Myths About Strength Training and Running, Coach Jeff offers some good advice and insight. Hopefully you are now on board and eager to add some serious weight training to your training calendar. You can anticipate some big payoff – few injuries, better and more efficient form, and faster times!

 

Empowering Each Other – and remembering our words have influence

If you frequent my blog or know me in person, you probably know that I am all about girl power, healthy body image, and trying my best to live as an example of what I value and believe in, while also having a sense of humor. Maybe it’s because in the past I was a self-loathing, diet pill popping, calorie-obsessed human being, or have been in the modeling world too long, but I have recently been noticing trends in behavior, whether we mean to our not, that hurt our attitude about women.

Unless you live under a rock, it’s pretty obvious that women in the USA are held to high “standards” of beauty. Part of that is Hollywood, part of that is the media and beauty magazines, the other part is what we choose to demand from ourselves or the women around us. For example, I can choose to read tabloid/beauty magazines or not. I can also choose to read them and compare myself to every photoshopped, genetically gifted, or miserably starved model/actress in the magazine of my choosing, or I can refuse to compare myself. Yes, it’s hard to do. But don’t make the assumption that because someone “looks” ideal or perfect to you on tv or a photo that they are. There are a ton of tricks to the trade. And eating disorders, body dysmorphia and exercise anorexia run rampant. Ironically, many people are in denial about their disorders or issues, and are extremely good at fooling themselves and everyone in their lives. Skinny doesn’t equal healthy, happy, strong, or anything other than skinny. Of course some people who are skinny ARE healthy, happy and strong – but I am going to call many folks out here. To be “model” or Hollywood skinny (remember, the camera adds pounds!) is a challenge for most women.

Before I bring down the mood, I want to talk about someone who I think is an excellent example of body image. She’s a model, she eats (she posts more photos and recipes about food than anything else!), and she shares her flaws but not in a “look at me, I’m not perfect, I have work to do, wah wah wah kind of way.” No, she posts photos of her cellulite as if to say “Hey look, I’M A FUCKING HUMAN – and modeling is about bringing who you are  – flaws and all, and working your angles, working with immaculate lighting, photographers, and Photoshop.” You many have guessed it – I am referring to Chrissy Teigen. I have never seen her post anything negative about herself looking for attention on social media. If you don’t follow her – you should. She is hilarious. And real. But yes, more “beautiful” than most of us. She, in my opinion, is an excellent example of a model EMPOWERING women. And here’s the thing, if Chrissy were posting negative things about herself, she is putting all of us women down. I mean, if someone who makes a living being beautiful and photogenic isn’t “good enough,” than who is?!? I am sure that Chrissy, like many women, has insecurities. She’s human. But she doesn’t weigh us down with them. I don’t personally know Chrissy, but follow her on twitter and IG, and you cannot help but like her and want to be her friend.

Unfortunately many women don’t present themselves on social media with Chrissy’s positive attitude. No one is perfect. And frankly, I don’t think it’s healthy for anyone to try to hold themselves to that standard. It’s exhausting. And really annoying. I am totally for people doing what they want to be happy and comfortable in their skin. Tattoos, Botox, implants, dropping or gaining body fat, packing on muscle – you do what will make yourself happy. But there’s a difference in going on that quest for yourself and projecting it onto the women in your life. Perhaps instead of saying “I need to drop 5 lbs. to be perfect, I am such a fat ass,” say “It’s really hard to shave off those final few pounds, but if I can work at it, so can you! Hard work is just that – it isn’t easy!” Can you see how those messages are completely different, while still sharing your goals?

Maybe I don’t take myself or life as seriously as many women. I get that. But our bodies are all aging, changing, and adapting – all the time. Some of us will be out thinnest in our teens – perhaps partly genetics and partly choice – nutrition and exercise are CHOICES, after all. Some of us had baby fat until our early 20s and blossom into the “thinnest” version of ourselves in our thirties, forties or fifties. Obviously some of that is genetics, aging and growing – things we don’t get to control. Some women fall in love with a form of exercise or sport, and their body transforms do to that new-found interest. Sometimes medication, job schedules, personal relationships and other factors will affect our bodies. It’s important to remember that “thin” should never be the ultimate goal.

Our power as women in the USA is only as powerful as we make ourselves. Equal pay, paid maternity leave, reproductive rights, being viewed as “the weaker sex,” all while also being told by outside influences of what we should look like and value – that’s a whole lot to handle. That’s stressful. I don’t know about you, but stress is a trigger for me to binge. Let’s please help ourselves, as women, by empowering each other. It’s okay to want it all – our ideas of the perfect body, a career and a family – whatever it is you want – but let’s please not impose our demands and expectations of ourselves onto our fellow ladies. Let’s lift each other up and support one another. Next time you turn to social media, please think twice about the image and attitude you are putting out there, and how that will make the females seeing it feel. Your friends, family and strangers will begin to form opinions based on their gut reactions to what they see. None of us want to come across as putting down others. None of us want to be viewed as self-obsessed narcissist. But I bet many of us want to come across as positive, supportive, and perhaps someone other people can look up to – because we exude something good. You don’t know what insecurities your audience may be harboring – or the age or mental comprehension. Girl power is positive. Girl power is supportive. Girl power says “you can do anything!” – so let’s do some empowering.