For a while I had been randomly mixing lifting and other cross-training into my run training. There was no science to it, and frankly really very little thought at all up until the day of when I'd muse, "I think I'll [squat / deadlift / cycle] today." That, of course, meant that there was no strategizing with regard to what exercises would make the most sense, what weight I should use, or how the lifting fit in with my running.More recently, I'd laid off lifting altogether and had been focusing almost solely on running, with just the occasional bit of stationary cycling mixed in when necessary for injury purposes.
But now, it's time to start lifting again. So I made Dave Koppenheffer of Powerhouse Psychology (also, as you might guess, my brother) my official weight coach. Dave's not a runner, he's a power lifter. He doesn't even like running. But if I had any doubts as to whether he'll do a brilliant job directing the weight-lifting portion of my training, he smashed those doubts with his introduction to the lifting plan that he designed for me.
Here's what he had to say:
"My goal is to help build strength for injury prevention and muscle explosiveness and endurance. ... [On] uphills when your stride shortens because it feels like you're running in quicksand -- that feeling comes from weakness in the hams and hips. Hopefully we can cure some of that. ... My theory is this: long distance runners aren't considered explosive athletes, but in my opinion that's false... The ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between explosiveness and muscle fatigue."
I'm no expert, but that makes a lot of sense to me. What makes even more sense is that the program Dave has designed for me revolves around low-rep, high-weight exercises that will emphasize the fast-twitch muscle fibers that don't get as much work during long running sessions. My hope -- basically echoing Dave's words -- is that this will balance out my fitness, provide additional stability, and help cut down on injuries.
At this point, I've knocked out week one of the program, a power session consisting of nine sets of high-weight, three-rep box squats -- an exercise that Dave has picked out specifically for its applicability to the running muscle groups -- followed by a final set where I knocked out as many reps as I could (I managed 14).
Of course maybe most important as far as a trainer or coach goes, Dave has said that he plans to be very flexible to focus in on what seems to be working and shed the things that aren't working. So on that note... it's time to GET SOME!
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