The Fysical Phitness Thread

[UncleSam]

I ran Cross Country for me school this past Fall, and it was probably the best thing I have ever done physically(and I have been playing tennis for like 10 years). You get in great shape, and unlike some of the muscles you work out in swimming, all of the muscles you work while running are muscles you use regularly in everyday life(not saying swimming is bad, just isn't as good as running). Running can also burn an insane number of calories, if you run 2-4 miles a day(should take about 30-60 minutes if you run at a moderate pace) you can easily eat 2.5k or even 3k calories without gaining any weight, and probably losing weight. Walking is good too, but running is really the best thing one can do for overall physical fitness.

 

[Stathakis]

deciding to run cross country was easily the best single decision I have ever made in my life. over the years I've gone from being the skinny-fat, unathletic kid who can't really do anything to the kid who is most useful on the soccer team due to physical fitness as opposed to skill. that's quite a big difference, and I think it was mostly due to cross country/track.

unrelated, this year I'm going to try my cross country training in a new way.

basically, over the summer, without really taking anything too seriously, going on a long run one day, playing a few hours of beach soccer the next, just this and that, I came back into the cross country season running a mile in the 4:45 neighborhood, better than I have ever done before, and able to consistently bust out miles in the low fives and high fours during practice, where I was saving some energy. as the year progressed, i neglected my training, and then track started in the spring. by the end of the track season, I barely could manage to get 5:00 at races, where I was spending it all. I think this is largely due to the fact that I have completely stopped my long runs (our team is so ridiculously small that it is pretty much made up 100% of sprinters, so we naturally only really do sprint work). so now that track's over, I'm going to start running seriously in the offseason. I recently did a research paper on training periodization, and in my research I found the biography and principles of a man named Arthur Lydiard. he basically took the kid from his neighborhood in New Zealand to the Olympics (where they got medals and Peter Snell, his best runner, set world records and won multiple middle distance events), which says a lot about his training methods, considering he didn't have much talent to work with. so basically he advocates using the whole year to train, and using the first 8 months to just build an aerobic base by jogging. he only suggests 6 weeks to train strength on hills, and only a month for anaerobic and speed work (a month for each, not both combined). due to my own experience (coming back better than ever before from the summer having done long runs exclusively) and the clear evidence of his success (in four years, Snell dropped his mile from 4:50 to 3:54, the world record of the time, and they said he never really reached his true potential in the 1500 and the mile), I think the idea of doing a shitload of long runs before the season starts could be helpful. I doubt I'll exclude speedwork, simply because I'll feel bad if I don't do it, but bleh.

so basically I was wondering if any of you experienced runners (I know there are plenty on this site) have had any experiences training by building a huge aerobic base, and how it worked out for you. that's all

 

[august]

so basically, i've had a nagging hip injury all track season, and its really starting to bother me when pole vaulting and running intervals. i've been consuming a large amount of vitamin c (suggested by my coach; sadly he's a moron so i'm not sure if its helping) and icing and heating the nights prior to meets.

i'll take any advice, i just want my hip to stop hurting so i can go sub 2:10 for the 800 and clear 9'6 for vaulting!

 

[Lee]

a common 'hip' (and I put it in apostrophes because it's more of a thigh-knee thing) injury in track runners is iliotibial band syndrome and it's quite a nasty one to have but is comparatively easy to treat once you know what it is. See if your symptoms match up (you haven't been especially descriptive so I'm really just plucking something out of the sky here) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliotibial_band_syndrome

The first thing you need to do is find out exactly what the problem is because a lot of injuries are treated in completely different ways. Try and get an MRI scan if it's at all possible. All you can do in the meanwhile is continue to rest, ice it, do stretching exercises targeted at the area of pain and try some anti-inflammatory products.

 

[august]

nah Lee, its more of a constant pain that i started to notice after 200 repeats (if that gives any insight!) i am almost positive its my hip, although i guess it could be my pelvis? i'm planning on scheduling a doctors appointment soon to see if he can provide any insight.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

Nagging pain isn't a good sign; you'll want to get that checked by a trainer as soon as you can. I had a constant ache in my knees from cross country my freshman year of high school, and it turns out it was cartilage damaged from overuse. If it is an overuse injury, all you're doing by running on it is aggravating it.

Also, I injured my knees a couple other ways after that (torn ligament, more cartilage damage), and now I can squat less weight than I can bench press. Definitely don't want something like that to happen (of course, it may just be a pulled muscle that you aren't giving enough downtime to heal, but err on the side of caution).

 

[Lee]

Yeah, I'd advise against running through nagging pain. I did it for a while and ended up injured for a year and counting. Like I said, your priority should be to find out what the problem is. I honestly have no idea what it could be, I've never really encountered hip troubles in young male athletes (I know women runners are more susceptible to hip trouble but that's about it heh).

So here comes a google search, tick tock tick tock, ah here we go, this one looks good. - http://www.marathon-training-schedule.com/hip-pain-in-runners.html Have a look over those.

As for the Vitamin C, it's certainly not going to do any harm but it's close to useless as a primary form of treatment. Try some Glucosamine and Chondroiton supplements and anti-inflammatory devices.

Oh, and I ran for the first time in about a year last night. I was able to complete the session without any pain but it seemed as though the pain had been replaced by weakness - I just don't feel as though I have the same level of control over my right leg that I once had. Now, about 17 hours later, it's a little more sore than usual so I'm going to go back into retirement for another few months I reckon. Bah...as long as I'm running again by August...

 

[popemobile]

I lift 3 times a week, pretty standard strength program:

Day A:
3x5 Bench Press @ 185lbs (Switched to Dumbells because I've been stalled on that weight for a while)
3x5 Squat @ 205lbs
3xF Chinups/Pullups (Alternate every workout)
3x8 Skullcrushers (because I can)
3x45sec Prone Bridge

Day B:
3x5 Overhead Press @ 105lbs
3x5 Squat
3x5 DB Rows @ 75lbs per side
3xF Dips
3x8 Biceps (because I can LMAO)
3x10 Reverse Crunches

I really should start doing deadlifts again but I always end up hurting my back :(

Also I do 30 minutes of cardio 2x/week. Word of advice: if you haven't started smoking cigs, don't start.

EDIT: Diet consists of a lot of chicken, tuna, peanut butter and milk. I'm on a cut right now so my lifts haven't really been going up, but that's to be expected.

 

[popemobile]

My bench is way higher than it deserves to be compared to my squat and deadlift lol, I always feel guilty about that. I always have trouble with my lower back on those two lifts so my progress on them has been decidedly slow compared to my other lifts.

As far as supplements go, I just take creatine right now because it helps while cutting, although I don't think it's really necessary. I get more than enough protein with my diet so I don't take any whey or anything, although when I'm on a bulk I do take it just for the sake of calories, if nothing else.

What are you guys about size or real muscle. *I am a guy who thinks size is great, but only if it is real muscle. There are big guys who are half if not more fat than muscle and that isn't real for me. I think when you build muscle it should be MUSCLE which is why my gains are slower in terms of size, but my muscle isn't coming with any fat and I gain more strength than most people.

Those big guys are also the strongest guys in the world. Beyond the beginner stage, you cannot gain muscle without gaining fat because building muscle requires a caloric excess, some which goes to fat and some to muscle. If you want to be big, eat big, you can always burn off the fat later, and much easier with all the extra muscle too.

Being ripped is nice but that doesn't equal strength.

 

[Stathakis]

i think what he means is athletic hypertrophy vs bodybuilding hypertrophy. all the powerlifters and gymnasts have more proportional strength compared to the bodybuilders, simply because powerlifters and gymnasts use programs like yours, where they train very low reps, which gains lots of strength, but not as much size. bodybuilding splits with higher reps and lower weight (like 8-12 reps iirc) stimulate more muscle growth, but not as much strength. i.e. bodybuilders train to be big while other athletes train to be strong. as for bulking and cutting, I thought it was possible to eat just barely over maintenance and work extremely hard, so that gains are really, REALLY slow but fat gains are so minimal that the increase in muscle mass keeps the bf% the same. clean bulking, they call it.

but i'm no bodybuilder. there are plenty of better people to ask

 

[popemobile]

Any real bodybuilder starts with a strength training program though. You cannot get big like the professionals without being strong, which means you absolutely need a big sqaut, deadlift and bench press. And although high reps will stimulate sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, you will see a lot more muscle gain doing heavy compound exercises because they not only tax your muscles but also your central nervous system, releasing hgh and other chemicals that translate into muscle growth. Think of it this way: Which one of these exercises do you think will get your body to build more muscle: 300 lb 3x5 squats or 5 different high rep isolation exercises with light enough weight to do 8-12 reps per set? You cannot make gains forever lifting light weights, and the only way to move up to big weights is to have big compound lifts while eating big.

Look at Ronnie Coleman, he can deadlift 800lbsx2, which is absolutely incredible. He got that strong by deadlifting, not doing high rep isolation exercises. (And don't say steroids because I will laugh at you)

 

[Stathakis]

he is on steroids, laugh away (yes, I understand that steroids alone do not make someone look like ronnie coleman, but I have yet to see a natural bodybuilder match his size so...)

but yeah, I understand what you mean by "you have to be strong to be big." all I'm saying is that you can also be strong without being as big, which is what, say, gymnasts train to do.

 

[popemobile]

but yeah, I understand what you mean by "you have to be strong to be big." all I'm saying is that you can also be strong without being as big, which is what, say, gymnasts train to do.

you can be strong without being big, because being big is entirely a function of how much you eat. You won't get big on any program if you don't eat at an excess of calories. Gymnasts choose not to get big by not eating enough to get big, since it would be detrimental to their sport, but someone using the same program as them (a strength training program with olympic lifts) can gain an incredible amount of muscle.

 

[FattyButt]

Being a teenager is kind of nice; I get to eat all the shit I want to without worrying about my weight. However, I also run about 10 miles every other day and do lots of pushups/abdominal workouts every day. I don't lift too much (it stunts your growth, and I'd like to add an extra inch before I stop growing).

 

[popemobile]

Lifting weights does not stunt your growth, or at least it will not stunt your growth any more than any other sport can. That is a very common myth that many people think is true. Read this:

http://stronglifts.com/does-weight-lifting-stunt-growth/

 

[Stathakis]

I'm pretty sure all the stuff about lifting stunting your growth is a myth. in fact, I thought that weight bearing exercise increased bone density, which in turn would promote growth. I don't lift because extra muscle is not ideal for my sport, middle distance track, and I have all the leg strength I need from running hills, not because it will stunt my growth.

edit: what popemobile said

 

[IronBullet]

Being a teenager is kind of nice; I get to eat all the shit I want to without worrying about my weight. However, I also run about 10 miles every other day and do lots of pushups/abdominal workouts every day. I don't lift too much (it stunts your growth, and I'd like to add an extra inch before I stop growing).

Adolescence ftw!! Yeah I'm around 16 and eat all the junk I can....but you do need to strike a balance....I go to the gym 3-4 times a week.

 

[The 1 and Only Lady Gaga]

I am able to do cartwheels perfectly, that is, after a ton of practice and a lot of bruises.

 

[Stylish Interval]

Diet (Not the government)

So I guess this is kind of a big thing when you're an athlete. I guess my whole reason of posting is my piss poor diet as of late. Drink soda whenever I feel like it, eat whatever I feel like and however much I feel like. Not really watching it or anything like I had been over the past four months. Anyway, on to what I was going to ask and possibly start a discussion over: What makes up your diet and why do you choose to eat that way?

I know there are people who are vegetarians because they don't want to eat animals, but I really would like to hear from people who eat to a strict diet because it helps them preform better or people who choose to eat a certain type of thing every day, so many times a day because it helps them preform better.

What I plan on doing

I know that I'm going to for sure begin watching what I eat and drink. I know that I'm going to limit soda. Maybe two cans or ~16 oz a week would be a nice cut back. I don't really know. Gotta stop eating all this fat shit after school too. I come home and pop open a can of Mountain Dew, open up two packs of Cosmic Brownies and sit down to watch KND on CN. Jesus as I write this I see how fat I'm getting. There are also a few things I'd like to do. One is drink more milk. I hardly drink it so I'll start drinking 3 glasses every day (hopefully). One in the morning, one when I get home and one when I eat dinner. Sounds good. Another thing I want to do is not eat dessert. I want to see how good I might feel if I cut out the majority of fat from my diet. And a last one is drink more water. I might get 3-5 glasses (8 oz = 1 glass for you converting impaired) but I want closer to 9-10, especially since I've been doing running over the last two weeks (as recommended by a friend) and I feel I haven't gotten enough water.

So, the question again in case you read that lol: What makes up your diet and why do you choose to eat that way? And I guess if you want What changes would you like to make to your diet?

 

[ElementalHeroNeos]

can anyone here help me to be a proper Traceur? i'm having a harder time trying to do parkour than my friends because of my genetic, all of my Dad's family has been a football player at the least in High School so i'm really heavy, around 88-90 kg and i'm just 16!, i'm not weak or fat but i'm really surprised of my friends, they're around 50 kg and can't even lift a 5 kg weight but they are capable of lifting their weight without any effort when i'm struggling to even jump, help please? (i'm sorry if i can't post this here and also about my bad english)

 

[Stylish Interval]

Hey there Neos,

I was recently talking with a friend of mine and I was asking him about being faster. What he told me was to just run and keep running. So if you're looking for speed, I reccomend running whenever, especially on hills. Hill running helps build resistance to lactic acid (or so I've been told) meaning you can run even longer and maintain your speed. Pretty nifty stuff.

If you're looking for jumping, then from what I can tell, squats are a great thing to use to improve jumping. I think they work the same core muscles (from what I've read, anyway) meaning you'll be able to jump higher. If I'm right (and hopefully someone will either confirm this or deny this with proof) then I'd reccomend just doing a lot of squats. If you don't have weights to use, I'd just do body weight (and maybe use this). If you do have weights to use, do low reps with high weights.

Also I'd wait for someone else to comment besides me. I'm not really that good with this stuff and I'd say others are better suited to give advice on this kind of material than I am. :P

 

[Stathakis]

can anyone here help me to be a proper Traceur? i'm having a harder time trying to do parkour than my friends because of my genetic, all of my Dad's family has been a football player at the least in High School so i'm really heavy, around 88-90 kg and i'm just 16!, i'm not weak or fat but i'm really surprised of my friends, they're around 50 kg and can't even lift a 5 kg weight but they are capable of lifting their weight without any effort when i'm struggling to even jump, help please? (i'm sorry if i can't post this here and also about my bad english)

I'm kinda sorta into parkour so I guess I'll reply.

aside from drilling the basic motions so that you're comfortable performing them when you need to (keeping in mind that the idea is not to perform a predetermined sequence of "tricks" but rather to use them as you need them), I've found that the biggest thing in order to improve is increasing strength relative to bodyweight. what I do is just grease the groove with pistol squats and pullups, since jumping and climbing are the most physically taxing things in parkour (and since I didn't have any weights. I believe most traceurs recommend starting strength (google it) as a strength training program if you have access to weights). greasing the groove is a concept of basically every few hours, you perform a few reps of an exercise and over time you get better at it. works well if weights aren't available, and it suits my low work ethic, since I don't have to really adhere to a program.

of course, I run cross country and track as well, meaning I've lost any extra weight I have and my legs are strong relative to the rest of my body. the hardest part for me was building upper body strength. maybe for you it's lower body strength, in which case I would definitely recommend joining your school's track team, if only to benefit from their workouts.

 

[popemobile]

absolutely do a strength training program if you want to get better at parkour/traceur. Starting Strength is as good a program as any, but you could also try this program that I use:

http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/

as long as you're getting stronger though it doesn't really matter which program you're on.

Of course you'll want to avoid getting big if you're doing parkour, but getting big is entirely a function of what you eat, so just don't overeat and you won't have a problem. Undereating could lead to problems when the weight gets heavy so you'll want to find a middle ground.

 

[Scimjara]

On the verge of finishing my bulk currently starting up rippetoes again then on a two month cut strict diet cardio etc blah

 

[Guesty]

I have a question to ask you guys.

My track coach said that he didn't recommend me lifting weights. However, I'm not sure if I should do some light lifting as I want to be more muscular and I'm pretty light at the moment (108 lbs at 5'6 1/2"). Should I just stick to body weight exercises like pushups and such? What would be a good workout plan for someone getting into running? I'm thinking listen to my coach, but I wonder if lifting weights would really hurt my running ability. With just body weight exercises and running, is 115 lbs of mostly muscle by the end of the summer a reasonable goal (I am also considering MAYBE doing wrestling as a way to get fit which is another reason I want to be more muscular, not sure how to effectively do this without lifting).

Also, how would I ensure that most of my weight gain is muscle, not fat? Or is it fine for me to gain some fat at this stage if it's also muscle? I haven't been paying attention to what I've been eating lately but I think I'll start now that it's summer.

So my questions are: Should I lift if I'm doing running? And, what should I eat and how much?

For reference I am a 16 year old male.