Runners tend to think it’s all about their lungs and their legs and while those are major aspects of running, that’s not all there is to running. A strong core and upper body is also needed to ensure powerful movement in the legs and in maintaining good running form. Youngsters in their 20s and early 30s tend to be involved in multiple activities–golf, tennis, soccer, softball, Frisbee football, volleyball, working out at the gym, etc. Because of this variety of activity, the upper body gets a good workout without the individual realizing they’re strengtheing their upper body and core. Then somewhere in our late 30s, 40s and 50s, due to work, family, just life in general, many of the activities fall by the wayside. Somehow many manage to hang-on to running. Maybe it’s because we can fit it in whenever. Maybe it keeps us sane. Maybe it’s because it’s cheap. But, over the years, that core and upper body fitness begin to wane. Don’t use it; you lose it. Probably wasn’t that obvious because as runners we tend to be lean. But lean doesn’t always mean fit. (Click more to see the video.) Continue reading 'Core strengthening workout'»
Well, I apologize for being out of the Landice blog loop for a little while. My wife and I made the move back to northern Michigan a couple of weeks ago as that is where we are originally from and both our families reside up there. We both were very fortunate to find jobs and couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be back closer to family. We are finally all settled in and I have had a blast searching out the different lakes, roads and trails for swimming, riding, and running. There are hills after hills and they are already making me stronger!
Before we left for Michigan, I blogged a couple of times about different aspects of mental conditioning. I’m going to continue on that path for the next few blogs. Today we’ll cover hormones/how feelings dictate actions, emotional manipulation through action and attitude, and finally distraction, and selective attention.
We are all aware that feelings, for the most part, dictate our behaviors. When an athlete is feeling well, it is due to a hormonal balance, and the needs of the “real self” are met. When an athlete is not doing well, it wants to show on the outside. Unfortunately, this often times reveals potential weaknesses. More importantly, bad feelings can spawn a downward spiral of negative thinking and affect performance. When I read this I think of splits in a race. If you are hitting your goal splits mile after mile you will likely stay motivated and encouraged to keep pushing the pace. You may even have a big breakout performance because seeing those splits may really excite you and allow you to do something you didn’t think you were capable of. The problem is, the direct opposite can happen. If you get a bad split of two you may allow it to get to your head and suddenly your race is over because your head and heart are no longer into it. This is one of the reasons I advocate not being overly concerned with always knowing your splits, and focusing more on how you feel and staying in the moment. I rarely ever race with a watch anymore as it tends to limit me more than anything. Continue reading 'Acting to Influence Success'»
My oldest child turned 19 this past weekend and I’m feeling kind of old. Of course my three kids (10, 15, and 19) consistently remind me that I’ll be half a century in 5 years. LOL! Kids gotta love em, right? The other day, my son (who is now taller than me) was counting the gray hairs sprouting on top of my head. I believe there are at least 19 (one for each year of his life). These white hairs all seem to be clumped on the crown of my head, just out of reach to easily pluck (believe me I’ve tried).
The other day I was getting my hair cut and the lady cutting my hair, said in a high-pitched voice, “Oh look everyone! An Angel Lick!” For a second I thought this lady had gone loopy and had see an angel figure in the hair that had fallen on the floor or something and wanted to take a picture of it to sell on eBay. But no, she was referring to the white hairs on the top of my head. She said when they clumped like that, it’s called an “Angel Lick.” Lucky me. Most people have a guardian angel. I just get licked by one.
I may be getting older, I guess we all are, but I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m definitely more fit than when I was in my 20s. I think it has to do with running. You know, people are spending thousands of dollars on Human Growth Hormone injections because that’s supposed to be the new fountain of youth. And, research has shown that HGH does help stop cell degeneration and destruction. Have you ever seen that ad with the guy in his 60s or 70s with the body like Arnold? Not sure if that picture’s doctored or not, but HGH is what he’s supposed to be taking. Well, I don’t want a body-builder body when I’m 70, but I do want to stay healthy and fit as I get older. Continue reading 'Don’t think there are benefits of running as you age? Think again!'»
Photo by Chris Milliman. Courtesy of Craft Apparel.
We’ve looked at what gives you your power as a runner, and introduced Fartlek training. Let’s take a closer look at the importance of VO2 Max for the endurance athlete and talk about how you can go about preparing the body for the heavy doses of VO2 max work you’ll be laying down in the not-so-distant future.
As previously discussed in my article “The Limiting Factor” (posted Nov. 24), VO2 max represents the maximum amount of oxygen that an athlete can consume and the rate at which they can process it in order to produce energy aerobically. VO2 max is typically measured by the amount of oxygen (in milliliters), per kilogram of body weight, per minute (ml/kg/min.) that an athlete’s body can process. Simply put, the higher the athlete’s VO2 max, the more rapidly they can produce energy aerobically. For additional information on aerobic energy production, click here for a Wikipedia article that explains the chemical steps involved. Continue reading 'Train your aerobic engine'»
Let’s review: What is your Aerobic “engine” and how can you specify your training to strengthen it?
Building Your Aerobic Engine
In order to compete at a high level, a triathlete or distance runner must be able to run fast for very long periods of time. A common misconception is that endurance athletes are, by nature, “slow.” Although it is true that an athlete like 100 and 200 meter Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt would make an elite marathon runner seem slow by comparison, many of the world’s top marathon runners can run close to, or under, 4 minutes for the mile on the track (that’s 15 mph on a treadmill for 4 minutes!!!) and would give just about any regional sprinter a good run for their money from 200 meters on up. Continue reading 'What gives you your “Go?”'»
Photo by Chris Milliman. Courtesy of Craft Apparel.
As stated multiple times in many of my previous training tips, effective training is nothing more than subjecting the body (and mind!) to appropriate doses of event specific training stress and then allowing the body to recover, absorb and adapt to this training stress via the insertion of easy training sessions and/or periods of complete rest. Although this formula may sound overly simplistic, that’s the way the cookie crumbles and the way that progress is made! Ignore the simple stress:recovery relationship and you’re setting yourself up for subpar results and a frustrating training experience.
When approaching key training sessions such as tempo runs, interval sessions, pace runs, etc. you’ll want to keep the stress:recovery principle in mind. Note that I used the term “appropriate doses of event specific training stress” in the previous paragraph. Training stress is a relative term; what constitutes a stressful workout for 1 athlete (i.e. a set of 5 x 1 mile repeats at 7 min/mile pace) might constitute a very easy/recovery session for someone else. When subjecting yourself to high stress training sessions, it’s important to go into the workout with a specific objective in mind, but to never forget the importance of tuning into your body’s signals over the course of that workout in order to tailor the session to your body’s status on that given day. Continue reading 'When to Say When'»
Some of our customers sent us this video of their Landice treadmill purchased in 1996. After 13 years, it’s still going strong, and they love it! Check it out!
To learn more about Landice treadmills, or to find a dealer near you, visit our website at www.Landice.com
If you’re struggling to maintain or lose weight while on a regular run routine, mix some of these exercises into your workout and boost your metabolism!
Read more about how to ramp up your workout on Thad McLaurin, a.k.a. Runner Dude’s blog.
If you’re like many runners, you may find that although you’re training several days a week, you aren’t losing any weight. You may have even noticed a slight increase in your weight since you started training.
There may be several reasons for lack of weight loss and even weight gain, including:
You aren’t paying attention to your BMR (basal metabolic rate) – the number of calories required for your body to function at rest. Are you eating more calories than you need for your body to be fully functional at your activity level?
Your body may have acclimated to your regular workouts and simply isn’t being challenged.
Thad McLaurin, of Runner Dude’s Fitness, delves into the details of this common problem among runners. Check out his blog to calculate your BRM and read a few tips to help you introduce a bit of variety into your workout.
Tomorrow Thad will be back with special exercises to help boost your metabolism and get back on track with weight loss.
RT @FitnessExchange: According to the American Medical Assoc., a treadmill workout ranks #1 among workouts on cardiovascular machines. [landicefitness]
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by Thad McLaurin
