Archive for September 22, 2010

The Triathlon Rx | September 22, 2010
18 comments

WORKOUT Wednesday – Weighing in on Weights

Heyyyo! It has been a great day here in Minneapolis… or at least in my own little world. Gettin. Stuff. Done. There is something very fulfilling about taking a fat red Sharpie and crossing items off the To Do list.

What is not so fulfilling is writing a two-hour Tried It Tuesday post, and then never actually POSTING it. What a dork. It had THREE product reviews, and photos, and everything. I might not win a Pullitzer Prize here, but I worked hard on that. TWO HOURS!! Look for it possibly this weekend, since I don’t want to wait another week. ;)

Anyways, today is not Tuesday. It’s Wednesday. And according to the sched, that means you get a workout. But I’m going to flex my administrative muscle here and say that WORKOUT Wednesday can be anything wko related – not just a specific workout.

On this wonderful Workout Wednesday, we’re talkin’ weights. And I say YOU as in you, me, a discussion…. feedback, interaction! Wow I feel like a teacher….

[…who is currently eyeing me and probably wondering why I’m typing so fast for a such an exciting lecture. Note the color.]

Alright. WEIGHTS! Of the people who do lift weights (1 in 5, according to a recent study by the CDC1) it seems like there is one of two beliefs right now. You have the “I don’t want to bulk up” low weights/high reps people, and then the go big or go home (lift heavy) folks. But who is right? And what the heck… I’m a triathlete and a distance runner! Wouldn’t my time be better spent putting in extra time on the bike than in the weight room?

So what’ll it be folks? Do you want to be like “arnold swartsanager” or the guys on Worlds Strongest Man? (Looks like someone missed the basics of capitalization and proper nouns…) I can’t tell you what’s “right” or “wrong” … although you will find plenty of “facts” out there on the world wide web telling you so. What I can tell you my opinion. (Which I do feel is quite educated, btw. ;) ) Lets take a look at these one at a time.

LOW WEIGHTS // HIGH REPS (LW//HR)

Low weights… high reps. 12 oz at a time!

(This was taken at 7:02 leaving my gym this morning. It wasn’t there an hour and a half before when I pulled up. Either someone was working off some guilt from last night, or they pulled the “it’s 5:00 somewhere” rule…)

The LW//HR style of strength training is typically held as the standard for endurance athletes, those looking for weight loss, pregnant women, and ladies to don’t want to “get bulky.” According to the American College of Sports Medicine, if your goal is “Muscular Endurance” then you should perform 15-20 reps of 1-3 sets.

HEAVY WEIGHTS // LOWER REPS (HW//LR)

(The guy in the middle is actually one of my buddies, from the Mr Minnesota 2010 competition!)

HR//LW is typically reserved for the goal of POWER. This is often employed in sports like throwing, jumping, and power-lifting. “Low reps” will vary depending on who you talk to, but could really be anything from your 1 rep max to 8, and “heavy weight” is obviously very unique to each individual. In the same ACSM publication, their guideline for those with the goal of “Muscle Power” is 3-5 reps, 1-5 sets.

MY FINAL WORDS

(Since I’ve managed to say all this without saying what I actually think yet.)

Ultimately, the strength training style you choose to use will be determined by your performance or fitness goals, and your previous experience. Not to mention how heavy you lifted on Monday and holy crap why are my arms still so sore? I include this last one because I see nothing wrong with doing a little of both.

Maybe you’re usually a heavy lifter, squatting 6 plates and always looking to stack on more. Maybe you had a max lift day on Monday, and you’re back on Wednesday but your arms are still toasted. Who’s to say you can’t change up your style and do some 3x15s? NO ONE is who. The way you approach strength training is a personal choice, and as long as it‘s working for you, then keep that chin up.

Which brings me to my true, one and only point. Is it working for you?

Time and time again I see people pushing around the same weight every. single. time. They’re not making any improvements, whether their goal is performance, weight loss, or just to “look good naked”. Or I’ll see people finish a weight circuit and go bounding out of the gym as springy as when they came in. I’m not saying you need to pummel yourself into the ground, but it should be hard. It should make you tired. You should feel fatigued. If you finish and you feel like you didn’t do anything… you probably didn’t. And it probably won’t “work”.

So no matter what your lifting style is… short and heavy or long and hard (ohhhh stop me. t. w. s…..), I say do what you do but make sure no matter what that what you do is work hard.

The end.

Almost… I’ve gotten many times the question “what do you do?” You, meaning me. Prior to working with my coach, I did what lots of runners do. Some core. Some pushups. I have always been a big advocate of using your body weight in strength training (squats, planks, lunges, wall sits, etc.) because you can do that anywhere. You don’t have a gym membership? You’re going on vacation? No problem. Now that I have knowledgeable guidance I’m able to utilize a lot of different equipment, drills, and techniques that I never even knew existed. And let me ask you… have I improved?


Cross Country invitational meet – Fall 2007

No meet. Just a face you can take to the bank. Fall 2010

Haha ok, maybe don’t answer that. I don’t take many “in action” shots… but maybe I will next time I’m hitting the squat rack.

What’s your method for strength training? Why do you do what you do? What are some of the crazy myths you’ve heard about weights?

If you stuck through all of that… send me your address because you deserve a box of cookies and a gold star. Thanks for stopping by and hangin’ out for a while! Have a lovely night,

-E

(*I will come back and edit this for the grammar mistakes I’m sure I made. But I have to make it to the store before they close!!)

Category: Workout Wednesday | Tags: , ,
The Triathlon Rx | September 15, 2010
11 comments

The Weekly Rundown

In fears that yall would think I got hit by a car again running across the street, I figured I better throw a post up. Better late than never, right?

Here’s we go:

You may recall me mentioning I was going to tag on some themes to the days of the week, in hopes that I might be able to post more. [*cough* Post more... mental note.] As a matter of fact… that’s the real reason you haven’t seen me since September 3rd. I’ve been so busy coming up with creative weekday themes. ;)

MEDICAL Monday


See that Dr. part of my title? Mmm, yep. I’m still workin’ my way there. And because I am in the field of Kinesiology - also referred to as sports and exercise science, exercise physiology, exercise science, movement science, sport science…. I think you get the picture – my medical tidbits are likely to be weighted towards that area of interest. Which is fortunate for YOU because I believe about 97% of my readers either consider themselves an athlete or active on some level. It’s a win-win. I learn, I share, I do well on my finals. You learn, you…. well, you learn. The end. :D Kidding!! I know I have some other pre-med/pre-PT/pre-health professionals out there, right? Say hi!!

TRIED IT Tuesday

Reviews of all sorts – products, gear, workouts, you name it!

WORKOUT Wednesday

I don’t think you’ll need too much assistance with this one. Whether it’s new to me, or new to you, you can look for a new workout, drill, or activity to shake up the routine. Contrary to the beliefs of my youth ( ;) ), just because your a runner, does not mean you should only run. In addition to swim sets, ladders on the track, and intervals, you’ll occasionally find new playlists or power songs. Lord knows I don’t mix music and running… but my underwater mp3 player changed my life!

THOUGHTS ON A Thursday


You already saw an example of this one a couple weeks ago. It was pretty random. It will continue to be pretty random, but I can promise there will always be thoughts of some sort involved. Given my outlook on this fall semester… don’t be surprised if you see findings in sports psychology, motor development, amazing accomplishments of the human body, or Big 10 and NCAA news. Then again, you could also wind up with Buffalo Jerky, Sports Illustrated, or a giveaway. Oooh the suspense.

Friday CONFESSIONALS


You didn’t think I’d let that go, did you? I know it breaks all the alliteration I had going, but Friday Confessionals is a well established tradition, and I think ‘Fess up Fridays’ sounds lame.

WHERE’D YA GO? Weekends

That is the million dollar question. Being that weekends are so cherished, and yet so short lived, I make an attempt to disconnect on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s my goal to spend those two days catching up with family, friends, teammates, and the big man up top. OK… and maybe a bit of homework. ;)

Can you feel this surge of optimism? No post for two weeks… and now I’m laying out a weekly schedule?! Let me tell you, if there is one thing I have learned about myself over the years, it is that I function 110% better with a plan. Whether it be for school, for training, for my closet, or anything else… give me my color coded sharpies, my fancy-shmancy 3 ring binder, or my iCal, and let me Martha it up! (Can we make organization a Olympic sport, please? THAT, my tibia can handle.)

Another thing I’d like to feel out with this new surge of inspiration is upping YOUR contribution. That’s right buddy… I’m lookin’ at you. You might be a blogger, a reader who has never commented, a company, or anywhere in between. If there’s something you want to share – a guest post, a race, an organization, a product, let me know, and we’ll hop to it! I have met so many amazing people through Dr.TriRunner… and I just want to spread the love. ;)

SO. If you have any ideas, anything to share, any question, send it on over! Either leave it in the comments section, or shoot it to me at drtrirunner [at] gmail [dot] com!

THREE DISCLAIMERS…

#1 – I just gave you a Monday through Friday. That does not mean I will be posting all of those days. In fact, I can tell it to you right now that there is no flipping way. Unless you want to give me college credit, or money. This “schedule” simplifies my life in that it a) enables me to write ahead of time and schedule some posts, and b) gives me a basis on where to START, rather than “oh wow, I have so much to catch up on I don’t even know where to begin…”

#2 – Just because I said I disconnect doesn’t mean I’ll never jump online or throw up a post. Don’t try and call me out if you see me tweet! :P

#3 – You can ask any question you want, but I wont promise I’ll answer it. There are somethings I can’t share just due to contracts, and there are some things I wont share cause ya’ll have thrown some crazy stuff at me in the past. I guess in sum, just don’t be afraid to ask. 97% of questions I’ve received thus far have come from common sense, or logical curiosity.

ALRIGHT.

Now that I’ve given you THE weekly rundown, I want to give you MINE. Maybe because I feel guilty for not posting for so long, but also because I want to share my schedule! It is WAY different than the schedule I was operating on during the summer, and WOW was it a rough adjustment. You will see that I have practice at 6AM, meaning my wake up time is 5 and I [am attempting to] go to bed around 9. In comparison to the summer when we didn’t even close the restaurant till 9:00, and I was lucky if I was ready to sleep at midnight. Yeah… first week was rough. Here’s what a week in my life might look like now…

I think you should be able to click it to enlarge. Why do I show you this? Two reasons… 1) to show you that it is possible to fit your work, schooling, kids, homework, fitness, church into your busy life. This doesn’t show some of my committments, like bible study, time spent on homework, or oh hey – time to relax? But it is doable. 2) To tell you that while I would love to say I make it to every single practice session, or every meeting or group I’m a part of, I don’t. Sleep is one thing I know that affects me more than anything else, and if I don’t get my sleep, 6am might not happen. I have finally learned the difference between ‘ahhh… but my bed is so warm!! It’s dark out!’ and knowing that a workout just wont be productive. I’d rather spend the hour catching up on sleep than wasting time in the gym not doing anything beneficial. Capish?

Because it is my first official Wednesday “with a schedule” … I leave you with a

WORKOUT Wednesday

And because I’m writing this from an elliptical, with a sport psych journal that I really should be reading, I’ll chose a quickie. My current POWER SONG of the moment… is Power, by Kanye West. Check it out!

POWER on YouTube

Reader Question: What’s your power song of the moment?

Hope I didn’t loose to many of you in the Dr.TriRunner drought! Catch ya SOON! :)

-Erika

Category: Workout Wednesday | Tags: , , ,
The Triathlon Rx | September 3, 2010
18 comments

Fair Game Friday Confessionals

Fair, because those are the photos you get, and Fair Game, because it’s barely “fair” to still call it Friday, but hey, posting two days in a row? Take it or leave it amigo. ;)

And for the second part of today’s title, I want to set the precedent for THESE right now, until forevermore.

FRIDAY CONFESSIONALS 101

If you’re new to my practice of Friday Confessionals, well, I don’t blame you. HOLY CATS my last one was on April 9th?!?! No wonder this has been such a rough summer!! The “rules” are that there are no rules. You can fess up to whatever you want – I promise, I won’t judge! :)

This sacred practice of divulgence here at Dr.TriRunner dates back all the way to November 7th, 2008. At that time I was living in Boston, on crutches, 5 weeks run-fasted, and on the more “angry” end of the red-headed-emotional-spectrum.

This edition of Friday Confessionals will be a bit of a twist on the regular – a “then and now” if you will. Isn’t that a category on Wheel of Fortune? C’mon….. what am I trying to think of?!? Before & After!! Anyways… my first confessions (the then’s) on November 7th, 2008 were as follows:

  • I’ve become rather spiteful without running. I’ve seen other people running outside or hearing them talk about running and wished they couldn’t run too. It’s like if I can’t run, no one else should. :(
  • I stole my roommates pack of Cinnamon Spice gum off her desk. Sorry Laur – I owe you.
  • I ODed on Cinnamon Toast Crunch one night in the beginning of the week. I literally had FIVE bowls. Just dry. Back to back.  And I felt sick as hell afterwards/the next morning. It was completely emotional and very delicious. But I don’t need to do that again.
  • I paid $55 for unlimited group fitness at the Marino. And I’m yet to take ONE class. I signed up for abs tonight and spinning tomorrow morning.
  • I accidentally brought home a pool belt from the Y. And it is sitting under my bed. And it’s mine.

HAHAHA. Dang. I wish I still had that pool belt, but it was left behind in Boston. Let’s look at the now, as I find myself once again in a state of non-running, on September 3rd, 2010:

  • I am still semi-spiteful of other runners, although definitely to a lesser degree. I’m not about to steal your running shoes or anything… and I promise I wont  bite if you tell me about your next race!
  • I don’t think my “flatmate” chews gum, but I did a brownie that I gave her. I brought it home from work because I know she really likes chocolate, and I ended up eating it two days later. Who does that?!
  • I have possibly ODed on not fantastic food from time to time (coughpulledbbqchickencough), but I haven’t touched Cinnamon Toast Crunch since I left the dining hall in Boston.
  • My gym membership is almost $80 a month. You better believe I take advantage of group fitness!! I’m a cycle regular during the winter, and used to double up on classes on the weekend. But for the “confession” part, I haven’t been to a spin class since March 25th. Gotta take advantage of the Minnesota summers and ride outside… (gentle nudge my friend, gentle.)
  • I’m back to pool running, and using the craptastic belts offered by my $80/month gym. Like I said, I wish I still had that belt….

And there you have it. If you want one more now confessional, try this on for size:

I have taken more “rest days” or days off of training this summer than I did in the entire last three years combined. I had this little epiphany while in the shower the other day, haha doing my physical therapy exercises. (Calf raises – while conditioning. WOW this “one” confession is giving up way more than I intended…) Mostly just due to stress, and/or stressed for time. Mmmm yep, this summer was rough.

YOUR TURN!! (in the comments)

Crap!! Wasn’t half of this post supposed to be about the MN State Fair? Alright, photos and captions only. I’m all worded out now!!

A [slightly slow :( ] start to a grrrreat day!

You know how we roll Park n’ Ride.

My first clinical rotation of Med School.

Trust me… you can fry/put anything on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair.

Sweet Martha’s. One of the state fair items I just “don’t get”. They’re just plain chocochip cookies!!

My mom has a minor panic attack just watching this. And then proceeds to take 5 photos in horror. :)

Full blown panic did not ensue until I told her I went on it just the year before…

“Oh God.. just get me past the smell!” – Mama D.T.R.

My grill is attractive, I know. Taken exclusively for my dental school cousin!

You know what they say: the family that brushes together… has good teeth. Knock on wood – 21 years and cavity free!!

Was so dang determined to find my PEACE COFFEE! Heads up: Information Services was saying you didn’t exist. My favorite part of the whole fair.

Ok… get real. This kid was my favorite part. ;) Think he looks familiar?

My favorite lady in the world, about to try the ostritch. It was GOOD!

Another item I “don’t get” why it’s so special at the fair. But we both agreed, it hit the spot!


Tobogán Gigantica.

A sweet ending to a SWEET day.

Phew! I’m tired again just thinking about it!! READER QUESTIONS: Do you go to your state’s fair? My Minnesota amigos – what’s your favorite thing at the MN State Fair? Don’t forget your Friday Confessions!!

That’s all for now folks! Buenas noches.

-E

Category: Friday Confessionals | Tags: ,
The Triathlon Rx | September 2, 2010
9 comments

Thoughts on a Thursday…

Since this new theme is going to show my “categories” tags whether I like it or not (read: still  can’t figure out the html), I might as well start some posting categories. Welcome to Thoughts on a Thursday! I know, how original. But it might just get me to post more often…. here’s to wishing!

[Edit: I DID IT!!! There is now (... there better be ...) a "LEAVE A COMMENT" link at the bottom of each post. Take that HTML!!!]

Won’t take you too many guesses to figure out where I’m headed today! Which means I better get my ass out on that bike as soon as I hit Publish. I’m not usually one for “justifying” calories, but if you’re going to eat a days worth in mini donuts and camel on a stick, I want to know I at least broke a little sweat today. If you’re not from this wonderful state and are not able to take in the wonder that is the Minnesota State Fair, fret not, sorrow be gone. I will share with you! Not my Tiny Tim’s mini donuts (back off bucko - get your own bag!), but photos.

(These are not mine, although the photoshopping is. :) Click for credit, and look for my photos this weekend.)

Assuming he didn’t win any Sunscape giveaways :)

Minnesota’s Largest Boar…

Minnesota’s Largest …… …

My wife is going to love you!! ….. (Hahha!! Sorry. Inappropriate.)

Crack. Really hot, straight-out-of-the-fryer crack. Fair warning.

I don’t care how much it costs, I don’t care if you’re 5 or 55. Do the slide.

Alright amigos – I’ve got a hot date with Rilo (supervised by Joyce Meyer on my ipod… because yes I do plan on Enjoying Everyday Life), and it’s time to get moving. Over n’ Out!

-E

Category: Thoughts on a Thursday | Tags: ,