<p>Great job, PackMom! Glad you’re able to get back to running and with a great time to boot! </p>
<p>Chin-ups. I’m having a flashback to elementary school and it isn’t good! Push-ups…maybe that will be my new exercise of the weekend. My planks are actually improving! </p>
<p>Cool and beautiful here today.</p>
<p>So I did a little bit of cruising around the internet last night, and I have a couple of questions. What is training for the pump? If you want to build strength but not create a big upper body (no, I don’t really think I’m in danger of that) is there one kind of resistance training that is better than another (e.g. small weights and higher reps vs big weights and lower reps)? One reason I can think of to not build a large upper body is to stay light for running. Any other basic education you can offer up on this subject? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Nice run PackMom.</p>
<p>I haven’t run since hurting my heel on Tuesday. Only hurts in the morning. And when I tried to go fast. </p>
<p>Core/ strength/stretch last night plus
20 minutes spinning intervals and 20 minutes elliptical.</p>
<p>Today core/stretch/strength plus weights. Tried this elliptical style machine with free swinging steps that allows higher knee lift (20 minutes) and 20 minutes of swimming.</p>
<p>Might go out and cycle today.</p>
<p>Nice outdoor run in the park while D and H walked Sabadog. 3.6 miles on a hilly cinder trail. New PR for pace and I felt like I could have kept running indefinitely. Overdressed for the weather but know better for next time.</p>
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<p>This is a re-injury? Tougher joint injuries can take longer to heal for workout purposes even though things feel fine.</p>
<p>I was at the Nike Store yesterday and picked up a sublimated shirt. These are my favorite shirts when it is warm outside and I’ve never seen these at TJMaxx or Marshalls. They don’t get discounted at the Factory Store either. It seems like everything else in the running department was 20% off though. I looked for your 11 inch compression shorts. I could only find the 11 inch lined shorts.</p>
<p>BTW, the Nike Running stuff is definitely not vanity sizing.</p>
<p>Deborah:</p>
<p>Almost everything you read about “bulking up” or “the pump” or other similar references to weight lifting comes from the meathead, bro’ science world of bodybuilding (think Arnold). For the last 50 years, that world has been universally driven by steroid use. It’s a truly horrible place to turn for fitness guidance.</p>
<p>For normal people, it is very hard to add mass or “bulk up” from strength training, even more so for people over 50. And, doubly hard for women. The process is so slow that you could easily look in the mirror and just cut back on your lifting - although the vast majority of us could only dream of having that problem.</p>
<p>There’s virtually no research (outside of drug-fueled steroid-abusing bodybuilding circles) on what is really the ideal combination of weight and reps to maximize or minimize muscle size or muscle strength. Virtually everything you read is completely unfounded.</p>
<p>Personally, I think there is merit in varying workouts over time and using a range of rep ranges because they attack different areas of fitness – strength versus muscle endurance. </p>
<p>So, at the low end, I do workouts with 6 rep sets. I don’t go under 6 based on Mike Boyle’s advice that any additional gain would be offset by increased injury risk as you approach the limits of what you can physically lift just two or three times. At the other end, I do workouts with 15 rep sets, which can take 30 to 60 seconds are very taxing for endurance.</p>
<p>The key is to pick whatever size weight that allows you to keep decent form for the entire set, but is heavy enough to be a struggle on the final rep or two. So, obviously, I use a heavier weight for 6 rep sets and a lighter weight for 15 rep sets.</p>
<p>Another way to do this is start with 6 rep sets with a weight that heavy enough to struggle. Then, over time, keep the weight the same, but increase to 8, then 10, then 12 reps, etc. When you get to 12 -15 reps with that weight, grab a heavier weight, go back to 6 reps and start over.</p>
<p>BTW, the steroid-fueled bodybuilder bro’ science says high reps with lighter weights to make a muscle bulk up, but I seriously doubt there’s any validity to that for normal people.</p>
<p>“BTW, the Nike Running stuff is definitely not vanity sizing.”</p>
<p>Vanity still applies to their women’s stuff, otherwise I would just buy medium… Nope, have to hunt down XS. Outlets are having their Memorial Day sales - maybe a good time to look for stuff that rarely gets discounted.</p>
<p>Packmom, so happy to see you able to get back to running- a what a time!! Really, so great! </p>
<p>2.75 mile run early this morning- morning runs are rare for me . Beautiful and cool here today too - now out to do my final window box planting- then loads of flower bed weeding to start working on…</p>
<p>Thanks, iDad!</p>
<p>Rest day for me. A lot of running around today, but no running. :)</p>
<p>Good luck tomorrow, MOWC ~</p>
<p>Nice workouts, everyone.<br>
CJane–sounds like a long run to me!!<br>
MOWC, good luck tomorrow–and wow to the streak.<br>
Deborah, boy do I know about running around and no running. Yesterday I ran son to the other side of town, far away, for his high school graduation practice. Little did I know that this rehearsal would take three hours. Fortunately I was able to take a nice hike in a piece of the university’s scrub. Unfortunately, it was 90 plus degrees out and I was not wearing much sunscreen, a real no-no. Fortunately I did not get burned. Unfortunately, I returned after the rehearsal a hot, sweaty and (no doubt embarrassing to a teen son) red faced mess. H and I rode our bikes last night which was much nicer with a pedal generated breeze.</p>
<p>I did about three miles of run/walk this AM with H. Not quite as warm.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone, and keep up all the good work! I am filled with my usual pre-race dread. I can’t wait until this is over! Weather looks to be ideal if the wind doesn’t pick up too much, except I’m worried about being cold at the start. Race shirt is a nice short sleeved blue Brooks tech shirt. Some of my running friends are driving over from suburban Phila and took orders for course support food. I ordered a Pepsi for mile 18 or so. Beer for the finish.</p>
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<p>These folks hang out at particular spots on the course and hand you a snack or drink when you go by?</p>
<p>Good luck on your run tomorrow. But you of all people shouldn’t feel dread.</p>
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<p>MOWC: You’ll do fine!</p>
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<p>Back to the basement for me, nursing my little aches and pains. Good solid workout. I’m playing around with some new software plug-ins to slice and dice the Garmin heart rate data. “They” say I burned 401 calories lifting DBs and putting them back down for an hour. I guess anything is possible. I saw a heart rate of 88% of my max and almost all the sets were above 80%.</p>
<p>This new Vegi-matic slice and dice software tracks heart rate variability which is supposed to be the latest magic in training/fitness monitoring. The only problem is that nobody can explain it in English, which makes me skeptical.</p>
<p>We’ll all be thinking of you, MOWC.</p>
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<p>no hiking today due to “complications”, basically, people unable to pull it together, plugged in a quick cardio dance class instead.</p>
<p>3.15 miles. Woke up around noon today - it was a tough week.</p>
<p>Good luck, MOfWC. Speedy finishing!</p>
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<p>That is one downside to hiking. It does require some degree of “pulling it together” and planning in advance. Not that it matters around here right now. We are in the middle of 40 days and 40 nights of rain. 35 degrees with rain and snow in Lincoln, NH in the White Mountains right now. No thanks.</p>
<p>Yup, one of my tennis friends dropped his club membership a month early. This has happened before when April Showers brought May Showers too.</p>
<p>A dose of reality for me yesterday–couldn’t do a chin-up at all! Got my forehead up to the bar and that was it.</p>
<p>So now I have 2 things to work on. Being able to do a chin-up EVERY day, and pushups. I’d like to get my nose within hailing distance of the floor. ;)</p>
<p>It’s good to have goals!</p>