As it has been a while since I last talked about this, here is a high-level overview of what I am getting up to training-wise for you to examine, consider, and, potentially, adapt for your own purposes:
Monday
* AM – Mile run (done as fast as possible)
* PM – 35-55 minutes on my exercise bike (exact time depends on how long my backside can tolerate the seat)
Tuesday
* AM – Mile and a half run
* PM – Lifting (full body, mostly barbell squats, presses, and pulls with chest emphasis)
Wednesday
* Rest
Thursday
* AM – Mile run (much slower than Monday)
* 5km – 10km run depending on energy levels and mood
Friday
* Same as Tuesday (even the exercises in my lifting session are identical)
Saturday
* Rest
Sunday
* 1.5-mile run
I also walk every day without fail for at least forty five minutes but more often than not over an hour.
The goal?
Twofold.
1) Become a better runner without causing my Achilles tendon to flare up, as has happened when I have tried to up my weekly mileage with fewer, longer runs.
2) Grow my anaemic chest (hence the extra chest work during my full-body lifting sessions).
I’ve been doing this since my return from my two week lifting holiday at the start of January, and will probably continue until late spring/early summer, or longer if it is still yielding the desired results.
Another thing:
Notice how I am not smashing myself by running great distances (even though I am capable of doing so). Likewise, although I am not going to give a detailed breakdown of my lifting sessions, know that the weights I am lifting are relatively light compared to what I am capable of throwing up.
Why is this?
Simply because the overwhelming majority of your training ought to serve to build rather than demonstrate your capabilities. And this necessarily involves doing a lot of work at intensities that provide nothing more than a modest challenge. (An attitude and approach that becomes increasingly important once you’re past your mid twenties at the very latest.)
Anyway, as I am doing so much running at the moment, I have decided to make March’s issue of “The Phil Tyreman Letter” about this most critical of subjects.
Critical?
Quite so.
Running is without a shadow of a doubt the best form of cardiovascular exercise known to man, and anyone who wants to be both strong AND in shape needs to make it a fixed, firm part of their routine insofar as they are capable of it. (Even if that means running half miles or potentially less than that if needs be.)
To get the issue, along with all of the other superlative benefits of being one of my beloved subscribers, visit the below link, read the information carefully, and, if you believe it’s right, subscribe:
https://philtyreman.co.uk/information/
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman