JP Fitness Forums - View Single Post - Shifting focus from endurance to strength

jbb · 01-14-2009, 12:55 PM

Background
I used to be an avid triathlete and mountain bike racer, training 3+ hours a day (commuting on a bicycle, swimming before work, lunchtime running or weight machines). In my early 30's at my peak fitness I weighed about 135. I still exercise regularly, but now at 47 years old I am up to 160 lbs. I still have decent endurance -- I recently trained for a metric marathon, so I can run 16 miles, plus I do some occasional swimming and spinning workouts. But my strength is pretty low. I've always been scrawny and weak and not good at team sports, but found that I can do endurance sports pretty well.

During this time of year I like to do some alpine snowboarding. This involves doing deep carves using hard boots, plate bindings, and narrow race boards. It requires a lot of leg strength and endurance because it is like doing squats all day.

Issues
I have scoliosis, which causes posture problems and makes me prone to back pain. I have quite a bit of upper back kyphosis and lower back lordosis, and working to correct one seems to make the other worse -- they are constantly fighting each other. I have seen spine specialists and done yoga, stretching, physical therapy, acupuncture, and pilates. The only thing that helped my back much was pilates, which shows me that core weakness (along with the weight gain) is a big reason for my back pain.

I became a new dad about a year ago, and lifting a toddler further irritates my back. I also can now find very little time to exercise. Most mornings I take care of my son while my wife goes to work early, but sometimes I can get up extra early and squeeze in a workout. I can exercise during lunch some days, but it is hit and miss depending on work. Evenings are spent with the family until the kid is asleep, then there are other things I need to do, so evening workouts are pretty much out. So with my schedule I really can't plan a good weekly workout routine -- I have to take it day by day.

I have struggled with losing weight over the past several years. I trained for and ran marathons and didn't lose any weight. I made significant diet improvements like eliminating soft drinks and sugar in my coffee and eating more fruits and vegetables, and didn't lose weight. I've always avoided diets like Atkins because they sound very unhealthy to me, but my wife wanted to try the South Beach diet last fall and after reading up on it it sounded reasonable, so I tried it. I lost a few pounds (but nothing significant) during Phase I and it did help reduce my craving for carbs and sweets. My diet lapsed during the holidays, but I started a modified South Beach diet again this week. Mainly just trying to eat a lot of vegetables and some protein throughout the day.

Current stats
47 year old male
160 lbs
5'7"
Good endurance
Pretty weak upper body and core

Goals
Get down to 150 lbs.
Improve overall functional body strength, especially core strength.
Reduce back pain
Improve posture
Improve leg strength and endurance to make alpine snowboarding more enjoyable

Planning
I used to schedule my running, swimming, and bicycling workouts first, then fill in a day or two of strength training on the Keiser machines when I could fit it in. Now I'm planning to give priority to the strength workouts and fit in the aerobic workouts if I can. I enjoy running and don't want to give it up, and I find that my back and knees do a lot better if I cross-train.

Instead of the Keiser machines I'd like to do more free weight training to get more bang for my time and build more functional strength, but I'm clueless about the equipment in the free weight room and since I'm quite weak I feel intimidated in there and prefer the machines. So I'll probably continue a routine on the Keiser machines for now and start doing some free weights at home at some point.

I want to do the mobility exercises in the Maximum Strength book, plus a pilates video at least once a week, plus some yoga, plus running, cycling, and swimming, plus some other exercises like Hindu squats, Hindu pushups, lunges, and planks. Obviously, I can't fit all of these into my limited schedule, so I'll just take it day by day and try a variety of things, concentrating on strength but doing some aerobic training in between. For my strength workouts I will do more of the pulling exercises to try to improve my posture.

I welcome any comments or suggestions.

JBB

01-14-2009, 12:55 PM	#1 (permalink)
jbb Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 169	Shifting focus from endurance to strength Background I used to be an avid triathlete and mountain bike racer, training 3+ hours a day (commuting on a bicycle, swimming before work, lunchtime running or weight machines). In my early 30's at my peak fitness I weighed about 135. I still exercise regularly, but now at 47 years old I am up to 160 lbs. I still have decent endurance -- I recently trained for a metric marathon, so I can run 16 miles, plus I do some occasional swimming and spinning workouts. But my strength is pretty low. I've always been scrawny and weak and not good at team sports, but found that I can do endurance sports pretty well. During this time of year I like to do some alpine snowboarding. This involves doing deep carves using hard boots, plate bindings, and narrow race boards. It requires a lot of leg strength and endurance because it is like doing squats all day. Issues I have scoliosis, which causes posture problems and makes me prone to back pain. I have quite a bit of upper back kyphosis and lower back lordosis, and working to correct one seems to make the other worse -- they are constantly fighting each other. I have seen spine specialists and done yoga, stretching, physical therapy, acupuncture, and pilates. The only thing that helped my back much was pilates, which shows me that core weakness (along with the weight gain) is a big reason for my back pain. I became a new dad about a year ago, and lifting a toddler further irritates my back. I also can now find very little time to exercise. Most mornings I take care of my son while my wife goes to work early, but sometimes I can get up extra early and squeeze in a workout. I can exercise during lunch some days, but it is hit and miss depending on work. Evenings are spent with the family until the kid is asleep, then there are other things I need to do, so evening workouts are pretty much out. So with my schedule I really can't plan a good weekly workout routine -- I have to take it day by day. I have struggled with losing weight over the past several years. I trained for and ran marathons and didn't lose any weight. I made significant diet improvements like eliminating soft drinks and sugar in my coffee and eating more fruits and vegetables, and didn't lose weight. I've always avoided diets like Atkins because they sound very unhealthy to me, but my wife wanted to try the South Beach diet last fall and after reading up on it it sounded reasonable, so I tried it. I lost a few pounds (but nothing significant) during Phase I and it did help reduce my craving for carbs and sweets. My diet lapsed during the holidays, but I started a modified South Beach diet again this week. Mainly just trying to eat a lot of vegetables and some protein throughout the day. Current stats 47 year old male 160 lbs 5'7" Good endurance Pretty weak upper body and core Goals Get down to 150 lbs. Improve overall functional body strength, especially core strength. Reduce back pain Improve posture Improve leg strength and endurance to make alpine snowboarding more enjoyable Planning I used to schedule my running, swimming, and bicycling workouts first, then fill in a day or two of strength training on the Keiser machines when I could fit it in. Now I'm planning to give priority to the strength workouts and fit in the aerobic workouts if I can. I enjoy running and don't want to give it up, and I find that my back and knees do a lot better if I cross-train. Instead of the Keiser machines I'd like to do more free weight training to get more bang for my time and build more functional strength, but I'm clueless about the equipment in the free weight room and since I'm quite weak I feel intimidated in there and prefer the machines. So I'll probably continue a routine on the Keiser machines for now and start doing some free weights at home at some point. I want to do the mobility exercises in the Maximum Strength book, plus a pilates video at least once a week, plus some yoga, plus running, cycling, and swimming, plus some other exercises like Hindu squats, Hindu pushups, lunges, and planks. Obviously, I can't fit all of these into my limited schedule, so I'll just take it day by day and try a variety of things, concentrating on strength but doing some aerobic training in between. For my strength workouts I will do more of the pulling exercises to try to improve my posture. I welcome any comments or suggestions. JBB