Several people have asked me about my strength training regimen that led to my recent strong 100-mile trail run performance and finish. Well, here it is.
This is my "normal" average training week, for the last several months:
Monday
Morning: Weights for 1 hour: Chest, shoulders, Tri's, calves, abs (always ab sets between lifting sets, usually 15 sets of 15)...LIFE IS A SUPER-SET!
Evening: 4 - 6 mile "recovery" run (on trails), or rest night.
Tuesday
Morning: Weights for 1 hour: Back, biceps, calves, abs
Evening: 10-mile "tempo" trail run w/flashlight on rocky, rooty, hilly trails. The last 5 miles is at MTB speed (7 to 7.5/min mile speed with a group of 20-30 y.o. Trail Nerds)
Wednesday
Morning: Weights for 1 hour: Legs, abs
Evening: 6-10 mile slow recovery trail run, or rest night.
Thursday
Morning: Weights for 1 hour: Chest, shoulders, Tri's, calves, abs
Evening: 7-mile to 14-mile "tempo" trail run w/flashlight on rocky, rooty, hilly trails. The last 7 miles is at MTB speed (7 to 7.5/min mile speed with a group of 20-30 y.o. Trail Nerds)
Friday
Weights for 1 hour: Back, biceps, calves, abs
No running at night
Saturday
Morning: Medium-distance & slow trail run 10-16 Miles
No weights or abs.
Sunday
Morning: Long & slow trail run 11-31 Miles
No weights or abs.
It may seem excessive, but overall fitness is very important in the later stages of a 100-mile trail run; especially core body strength. I'm pretty sick of running on pavement, so I've completely switched to trail running. No surprise there, I've been moving in this direction for years. All of my old runners' ailments went away when I did this. I now have no more PF, knee problems, or foot problems at all. I might lightly sprain an ankle about once every 18 months or so, but I'm not living with any chronic running-related injuries experienced by normal Pavement Weenies. I also never have any back problems, since I started the weights/trailrunning program. I have a personal trainer, (Igor Gantman), who guides me through my weight lifting sessions.
You can see that I can scratch-out a minimum of 40 miles, even if I run only 4 days per week. Sometimes I reach or exceed 35 miles per weekend. I always try to keep my running mileage under 60 miles. I seem to compromise my immune system and running/recovery if I keep the mileage higher than that. My schedule allows some wiggle room to have rest days (from running) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Happy trails,
Bad Ben
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7 comments:
That sounds a lot of gym visits:) But if it works for you - it works! I tend on average to go 2 (3 max) times a week and do an hour mix lower/upper/abs (same idea, though, abs between sets). I don't pay much attention to arm parts and count hills on trails as part of leg routine...Thanks, I'll keep this all in mind.
uhh...do you have a special watch that gives you an extra three hours a day?! :) I'd like to get to that point. I'm not sure how to go about carving time in the day for it though.
An impressive schedule.
It helps that my gym is in the Wellness Center where I work. This, in itself is the real time saver and gives me no excuse to skip a workout. I also have a shower and locker in the locker room. This makes it real handy for me when I commute to work by bicycle on (warmer) Mondays and Fridays.
Great workout schedule. How are you feeling? How quickly does it take to recover from these ultras and how many days do you take off?
I feel great, this time. I could've run yesterday, but I know better. 5 days off (from running) is the norm for me after a hundred miler.
You bring up a great point about running on pavement, I think I need to run more trails. This probably has alot to do with my knee problems lately, too much pavement.
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