Running and riding?

[tattooed phat man]

Back in the early 80's I decided to use the gym for upper body and core work only, and save my legs for tennis, running and riding my bike. I've stayed with that over the years until I picked up a couple of injuries this summer. I've been doing some of the workouts in NROL, but now that my legs feel good running again, plan to go back to my old ways. Running or cycling the day after doing squats or deadlifts is much less fun and exhilirating than it should be.

My plan, to the extent that I actually plan, is to do upper body work from NROL 3 times a week, run for an hour or more 3 times a week, bicycle commute and maybe a long slow ride on the weekend. Any suggestions on how I can make the most of the pulls, pushes crunches and twists will be appreciated.

[LiFeIsGoOd]

Well I wouldn't recommend completely stopping training your lower body. You could tone it down a bit (or a lot), but don't just throw it out the window. That being said, if you are still going to do that, I don't get what you mean by maximizing the upper body work? Just do it the same way you would if you weren't running so much.

The other thing I will say is that if your best bet in increasing/retaining muscle, if you care, is to do the endurance runs and bikes on the same day of your weight lifting. That doesn't sound like an easy task, but that's what it says in NROL.

[tattooed phat man]

I guess I'm looking at this as adding some NROL to my endurance training more than adding cardio to NROL. My hope is that I can continue being able to run marathons, ride 200k and 300k bike rides, do pull-ups, and bench my weight.

The solution I've hit on for the time being is doing RWOL type workouts for pushing, pulling, twisting and crunches plus a compound exercise 3 times a week. Run 3 times a week. Ride my bike to and from work a few times a week with some HIIT on the way home. We'll see how it works out over the next month or two. As of today, the compound exercises are kickin my ass, but the rest of it feels pretty good.

I notice that 2 other new guys have posted similar questions about using RWOL to enhance what they do already. The program is clearly excellent as a stand-alone routine, I hope the principals work equally well as part of a more varied approach to fitness.

[jbb]

I think that some lower body strength training can help your cycling (especially climbing). It can also help your hill running. Deadlifts and squats also build overall functional strength for everyday activities like lifting objects, moving furniture, pickup up grandchildren, etc. I recommend that you continue some lower body strength training.

The trick is to balance the workouts and to employ periodization. While training for marathons or century rides, limit the lower body weight training to once a week, but during the off-season you can do the full NROL programs.

[tattooed phat man]

Thanks, great idea. I forget that I don't have to have it all and do it all every week.