[Jackangel]

Any running enthusiasts/gurus out there?

I'm trying to get back to running on the treadmill. Nothing major, just some aerobic exercise after I lift weights...enough to improve my cv fitness and primarily burn fat off my gut.

I've been back at it a few weeks, running at a very slow/modest pace of 5mph for 15-20 minutes. The reason why I'm not increasing in speed or time is because some muscles in my lower body (quads, calves, shins, and soles of the feet) get fatigued too easily. I start to notice it after a few minutes, and it's such a distraction, totally saps my desire to keep on.

I do have relatively flat feet, and don't have any proper supports right now. When I use an old pair with my current sneakers, things are even more uncomfortable and fatiguing. Anyhow, I've not had a problem quite like this in years past, and I don't think my feet were any different 3 years ago (I'm 26 now).

I'd like to know what else could be the culprit. My diet for the last 2 years has been restricted, so I'm sure some nutrients are deficient. Are there any minerals/vitamins/etc deficiencies that experienced runners associate with premature muscle fatigue? Or perhaps lack of proper hyrdration? I don't drink much water at all.

Thanks,
Rishi

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

dehydration can be a big problem, go to a health food store and try to get your hands on two products: accelerade and endurox r4, use accelerade before and during excersize and endurox after excersizing. accelerade is great for staying hydrated, and the endurox will help your muscles during the breakdown period after the excersize. don't be surprised when you see that these products are expensive, because they are, relative to buying off the shelf hydrators like gatorade and such. but they are worth it in the long run, and they last quite a while, they are in powder form. they are much higher quality than gatorade as well. also, give youself some more time, a couple of weeks is not enough time to give your body a chance to get used to regular excersize. however if you find that after a month or so that you are still feeling this soreness you should check into getting some proper footbeds for your shoes, this could be the problem altogether but I suggest the first method because I too, at the age of 32 started back on the fitness train and found all kinds of nagging injuries started to pile up, but after regular excersize my body got back into the routine and started to cope much better with the additional stress put on it. good luck and I hope this helps you.

one other thing I forgot to add, gnc sells a multi-vitamin called mega men, its an all in one vitamin, and after taking it for a couple of weeks I could really tell the difference, my diet has not been so great as of late and this really seems to help.....

 

[dhwilkin]

I am horrible at running long distances, nevertheless I feel compelled to offer suggestions. I've noticed that, when my lower-leg muscles (around the shin, calves) get tired really quickly, it's usually because I'm not bending my legs enough while running, thus not involving my quads enough. Failing this suggestion, I recommend vegging out on the nearest convenient couch and really visualize running hard. It might help. Maybe.

 

[elipsis]

Lift more weights

The muscle will speed up your metabolism, eventually burning the fat away. Really.

 

[daycart1]

1. Try running BEFORE lifting weights. Not the usual procedure, but I find I get better results this way.

2. Hydration is VERY important. But watch out for sports drinks if you are trying to burn fat. One hour of HARD running burns about 400-500 calories (regardless of what the machine readout says; ymmv depending on weight, technique, etc..). So if you glug down two servings of some sport drinks, you are just breaking even on calories!

3. Have fun!

 

[dohminator]

you should probably do a short light 5 minute warmup jog before lifting weights to get your muscles warmed up. It will help both during your lifting and probably afterwards as well. The warmup jog gets the blood flowing to your legs better.

All the other suggestions sound good too

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Quote:

Originally posted by elipsis Lift more weights The muscle will speed up your metabolism, eventually burning the fat away. Really.

Why yes, lift less weight more often; if your goal is to increase your metabolism. I'm sure your goal is not to improve your limit strength if you’re a runner. My advise would be to do resistance training 3 times a week, and the stationary bike every day; that is, if you would like to keep your knees.

 

[RoninDiesel]

I have a running problem as well but it isn't lower body fatigue. It's just overall fatigue within less a mile and I don't know why. Could it be that my body is just not built for this type of running/jogging? I'm 6'0", 180lbs. and I highly regard nutrition. I lift weights 3-5 times a week depending on soreness and consider myself on the muscular side. Could it be that since I have bigger muscles that it takes more oxygen to replenish my body, which I can't supply? If there's a solution to this long distance running problem of mine, would anyone have any suggestions?

 

[hongda]

*thread crap*

Any suggestions on weightlifting? I've sort of peaked.

I've been trying for every other day to daily. I don't take any nutritional supplements or anything. But I'm not opposed to taking any.

I spend about an hour to an hour and a half lifting weights, 30sec-1min wait time between sets and a few minutes between exercises.

 

[stallion11msu]

Just some random thoughts:
In regards to running fatigue,
I find it important that I run, at very least, 2 hours after I eat a meal. Drinking water throughout the day is also essential to keeping your muscles "oxygenated." But really what it all boils down to is the fact that you need to run with regular frequency and just be patient. Oh, and do a warm up jog and stretch (a quick one, it doesn't have to be 2 hour yoga session) to alleviate some of the acid build up in your legs before each run.

About "peaking,"
Supposedly decreasing the frequency of your lifting (once a week or less) and increasing the weight you lift substantially can help you get over the hump. I'm sure you can find out more about it with a search of the web. www.askmen.com has a lot of simple articles on the subject.

 

[BDA_ABAT]

hongda:
I got nothing from personal experince to offer (I'm not even able to muster the energy to lie on the couch visualizing running!). But, one of the folks in my office is a professional bodybuilder and holds several state powerlifting records. From her experience, the major barrier for her was... nutrition.

Once she started to eat properly (read, consult a nutritionist to plan a program with strict limits and then re-adjust periodically while manipulating supplements as needed), that's when things started to change. Her size began to increase, her lean body mass increased and fat % dropped and the amount of weight she could push increased.

Here's a link to her site.
http://www.lisaaukland.com/

Good luck!
Bruce

 

[dohminator]

hongda, you should only push one set of muscles tough once a week.

On monday, you should work your legs hard with squats and such. do some warm up sets and then burn out with a heavy set untill you can't go anymore. the weight should be something you struggle with a bit to get up 5 times. Keep going.

On wednesday, work out your arms hard with burning out bench press and other exercises.

On friday, do a lot lighter exercises. do exercises for longer repitions. Don't push too hard.

Take the weekend to recuperate.

 

[dohminator]

Nothing to see here

 

[RoninDiesel]

hongda, if you peak, and you've been lifting for awhile, i recommend taking a break. it's very likely that your body isn't having enough time to rest and rebuild. every time you lift, you are tearing your muscle fibers. it takes time for these muscle fibers to rebuild, and so tears again, but if you don't give them enough time to heal, you won't see much results.

 

[Jackangel]

Another tip for moving past a weight-lifting/body-building plateau is to change up your work out. Every variable you can think of, vary it, as long as you still maintain a viable workout plan. This means changing the actual exercises, changing the order in which you do them, the muscle groups you work in a given day, the # of sets/reps, the rest period between sets, the grip you use, etc...