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The Twelve Myths of Fitness – Day 10: Lifting heavy will make women bulk

December 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment

While some people are super passionate about cleanses or the newest fitness trend, today’s myth is near and dear to my heart. But I won’t lead with my opinions. I’ll do my best to lead purely with research, science and facts – and to perhaps toss in my own experience as a woman, a personal trainer and an athlete.

For whatever reason, many women believe lifting heavy will make them bulk up. In my Mile High Run Club Dash28 class, I always stress that you should be lifting the heaviest weight possible, as long as you can manage it with good form. And guess what – there’s always a decent percent of women who reach for the 2lb. kettle bell – and then use it for squats! Honestly, if you are going to take the baby weight for those large power muscles, just do a bodyweight squat. To make gains in fitness, you need to stress your body. Lifting a 2lb. weight for a thousand reps will never make you look any different. And while you may be a little stronger, you make big gains in strength and appearance when you lift heavy.

And as Medical Daily explains, lifting heavy increases metabolic rate (you’ll burn more calories), and so fat loss is pretty much inevitable as long as you aren’t consuming additional calories. You’ll be stronger and leaner, and other benefits include increased mobility, preventing muscle loss, fixing posture, and alleviating back pain. And if are still worried about bulking up, relax. It’s incredibly difficult for most women to do. For one thing, our testosterone level isn’t high enough to increase mass. And unless you are consuming excess calories, you have nothing to worry about.

And aside from the sleek muscles you can be sporting, there are lots of health reasons to lift heavy – especially as you age. Bone and joints will have a better shot of staying happy and healthy, your agility, balance, and energy will thank you. You’ll also probably carry less body fat, which as an aging female can be tough to manage. Establishing a weight training routine now, no matter your age or fitness level, is the right step. Here are some good points and tips for getting started.

Personally, I have found lifting heavy to transform my body in a bunch of ways. I am more defined and have lost fat. I am stronger. I am a far more efficient and faster runner – especially on hills or late in a race. And honestly, I feel better in my skin. Muscles and strength makes me feel more confident and sexy. A thousand years ago when I was lifting light (and weight a good 10lbs less than now), I was skinny but I wasn’t nearly the confident woman or athlete I am now. And most importantly to me, I was more injury-prone back then. My injury risk has gone way down with my improvements in strength and power.

It’s important to focus on quality in the gym. Don’t rush your workout and give rest/recovery between sets. Focus on full range of motion. Be sure you are using good form and make adjustments to the machine for your body. Hydrate throughout the day, and get in some protein after your gym session. A shake, greek yogurt, lean meat, a banana with peanut butter – whatever is appealing to you. As a rule of thumb, you will usually feel the progress before you see it. Focus on consistency. Your body will change. Sadly most of us get frustrating and give up before our bodies begin to really show the progress. Keep at it.

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

December 19, 2016 by 1 Comment

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!

 

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The Twelve Myths of Fitness – Day 6: I don’t need sleep

December 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment

I don’t know how, where or when, but at some point we as a culture have decided that sleep is a luxury. That if you don’t sleep much, you are badass, stronger or work harder than the person in the office next to you or on the race course. Somehow sleep has a stigma that’s bad. Sleeping makes us lazy. We should be working more. Doing more. Socializing more. Sleep should be last priority.

Well, that’s wrong. Really, really wrong. Sleep is incredibly important and necessary for humans for many different reasons. It’s good for us. We are usually healthier, happier, stronger, and better at pretty much everything when rested. We should prioritize sleep with eating good food, hydrating, and exercise. Statistically, people who don’t sleep much or well are heavier, less focused, and less happy. Some jobs require long hours, or perhaps you have small children who wake up early. There are certainly many challenges for navigating how to prioritize sleep. But you may find you are more productive at work or have more energy or patience as a parent if you get some quality zzz’s. You will probably also consume less calories (usually snacks) if you get in 7-9 hours of sleep. Still making excuses for why your 4-5 hours per night is enough? Here’s a study from Harvard Med that should hopefully convince you to at least try to prioritize sleep a bit more.

I often stress for my athletes the important of rest days. The adaption to the training happens when we rest and recover, not while we are actually training. Skipping out on rest can have consequences, or simply prevent you from maxing out all the benefits of your training. Sleep is the best form of rest/recovery. If a runner has to choose between sleep and a run, I will sometimes suggest they opt for sleep. It’s usually better to train less but have better quality workouts than to be dragging your tired butt through too much. Here’s a helpful article on sleep, running, and general health.

At the end of the day, everything is about balance. Just try to remember that sleep, food, hydration and exercise are necessary for a happy and healthy life.

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The Twelve Myths of Fitness – Day 5: No pain, no gain

December 17, 2016 by Leave a Comment

It’s been ingrained in gym culture, sports, and perhaps our common conception of exercise: it’s supposed to hurt. Perhaps this is why so many people hate to exercise or run. While yes, there is definitely discomfort that can come and should come with training, that is very different from injury pain. The lines between the two seem to often blur, and that’s not a good thing. So today let’s clarify what sensations should be associated with exercise and which ones should not – and how to recognize the difference and make good decisions when those pains arise.

When ramping up training, or jumping into something new, it’s important to build the work load carefully and consistently. Not doing so will increase both injury risk and general discomfort. For runners, for example, this is why building base mileage is necessary before tackling intense runs. Or why going from absolutely no exercise to 3-hour gym sessions will practically destroy many of us. And rightly so. You are shocking your body!

Discomfort can come in a few different forms – pain while in the act of training – running hard on a track isn’t comfortable, or pushing out that final rep of chest presses – but that’s not injury pain. That’s the discomfort our body will adapt and grow from. The heavy leg feeling towards the end of a long run can be incredibly uncomfortable, especially when pushing the time on your feet. But again, this is the kind of stress our bodies need to experience to learn to run longer. A day or two after training, it can be normal to feel soreness, tightness, or weakness. While there are things we can do to help alleviate that discomfort (hydration, rest, compression gear, stretching, foam rolling, light exercise, ice baths), that discomfort is simply part of athletic gains. This discomfort isn’t an injury. It’s simply your body going through the process of learning and adapting. The good news is that the more of a habit your training becomes, and the stronger and more adaptable your body and brain, the harder you’ll need to work to feel discomfort. This isn’t to say that you’ll feel amazing and agile at mile 23 of the marathon, but it will mean mile 14 won’t hurt the way it maybe did 4 months ago.

Injury pain is very different from discomfort. While there’s a stigma that badass athletes train, race and compete through injury, that’s a really bad way of handling yourself, your attitude about your body, and your goals. There are always exceptions to the rules. For example, many NHL players are expected to play through broken bones during the playoffs. And I’ve known many a runner opt to still run a marathon with tendonitis. Are those decisions smart? No. Worth it for that person or team in the situation? That’s a personal decision. But we need to be careful and remember than training through an injury doesn’t make us a dedicated, badass warrior. It makes us idiots, with usually big consequences down the road.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between discomfort and injury. Remember that unless you are actually a doctor, looking things up online or talking to your lifting or running buddies is not the smart course of action. See a medical professional. A diagnosis, especially early on, can make a game-changer. Some injuries like runners knee, ITB, shin splints – can be managed and not totally derail training or racing, But a torn rotator cuff, tendonitis, a muscle tear – these are things we should rarely train through. It’s important to know what you’re dealing with so that you can make smart choices. If you can’t see a doctor right away, take a few additional rest days and see if that helps. If it does, carefully ease back into your activity and see how it feels. If it doesn’t help, you definitely need a medical opinion before training again.

An overwhelming number of runners say they battle injuries as part of their sport. I find that sad, and a statistic that doesn’t need to be so high. Smarter training, self awareness, and remembering that each and every runner is different and you need to learn and listen to your body, can help you not be part of such an overwhelming statistic. Look, I get it. I have said yes to races, runs with friends or team mates, and pacing opportunities with my clients when for my own body and training, it wasn’t a smart idea. Sometimes the risks don’t have huge consequences and we get lucky. But other times we pay the price.

Just remember that pain is a signal our bodies give our brain that something is stressed or hurting. Signals should never be ignored. We only have one body. Do your best to keep it healthy and happy.

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The Twelve Myths of Fitness – Day 3: There’s a perfect running shoe

December 15, 2016 by Leave a Comment

I am asked all the time for my advice on the perfect running shoe. It’s one of the most common questions my private clients and runners at the studio ask me about. Sadly, the answer isn’t so easy. There is no perfect running shoe for everyone. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t the perfect running shoe for you, because there probably is. But it will be a completely different shoe from the next runner.

It can be overwhelming to shop for a new running shoe. Especially if you aren’t happy with your current shoe, or your current model is being discontinued or remodeled. Once you find the right shoe, it’s like magic. Nothing should hurt, and the shoe should almost feel like an extension of your leg or foot.

There are dozens of running shoe brands out there. You can probably name at least a couple off the top of your head. Now, each brand has there own line of shoes – models varying in support, weight, shape, terrain, for runners who pronate, runners who supinate, and runners with a neutral landing. Some runners are incredibly light on their feet, while others are quite heavy. Some land front or mid-foot, while many heel strike. There are also trends in shoes – from the minimalistic trend (hello, Vibrams and Nike Free) to the maximus trend (hello, HOKA ONE ONE) – and each brand usually embraces those trends and markets towards them. It’s enough to make one’s head spin.

So how do you find your perfect pair? Bring your old running shoes with you when shopping for a new pair. The wear and tear can give some clues regarding your form and needs. A gait analysis can’t hurt, if you are completely confused. However, I find many of us run “differently” when on a treadmill vs. outside, or when we know we are being analyzed and video taped, instead of what we naturally do while out on our own, especially as we fatigue and form/stride can be compromised. Speak up about aches, pains, and injuries. These can also be helpful clues. And finally, listen to your body. The shoes should feel good. Maybe even great. If they don’t, they aren’t right. Maybe not the right brand, or simply not the right style – and that will be true in all brands across the board.

Lastly, please change your shoes frequently. Shoes can wear out quickly, especially if you land heavy on your feet, carry extra weight, or use your running shoes to walk and stand. It’s far cheaper and easier to replace shoes than to deal with doctors and physical therapist appointments. And remember, you are shopping for function – NOT fashion.

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