HOW HEAVY
IS HEAVY?
Now that you know
why you need to
increase the weight
you have to lift how far
can you go and still stay
safe? Hereâs how to
work out what âheavyâ
means for youFocus on formNo matter how much
youâre lifting if your
form is poor then you
wonât see the beneits
and you risk injury says
Pags. Ask a trainer how
to correctly perform
rows chest presses
triceps kickbacks and
curl variations he
suggests. Then set up in
front of a mirror to keep
an eye on technique.Fatigue the muscleTo reap heavy-lifter
rewards Geisel says
you need to exhaust
the muscle 100 per cent
meaning that you canât
do another rep at that
weight. If youâre new
to strength-training
practise your form with
a lighter weight then
start with 5kg to 10kg
for eight to 12 reps until
you have nothing left to
give. Once your form is
solid go for fewer reps
(ive to eight) and more
weight (10-20kg).Go for brokeIf you reach 10 reps
and arenât feeling the
burn increase your load
by 5kg to 10kg says
Geisel. And be honest
with yourself. Are you
calling it quits because
you canât physically do
another rep or because
youâve mentally checked
out? Pushing your limits
(safely) is how youâll
create real change.Thatâs why he recommends lifting
heavy weights and using exercises
that speciically target your arms
lats (the wide lat muscles that
run from the lower back to the
upper arm) and core two or three
times per week. Weâre not talking
bodybuilding stuf here but a focus
on building strength in the muscles
that help propel you forward. If that
dedicated strength work sounds
like a chore Geisel says itâs OK to
break it into 10-minute increments.
âRunners often donât strength-train
because they think thereâs no time
but a strength session doesnât have
to last for 60 minutes for it to be
efectiveâ she explains. âTaking
10 minutes of the duration of
your run and doing a quick strength
set provides more beneits than
10 more minutes on the road.â
If your goal is to get a PB save
the hardcore lifting for your cross-
training days so you can focus on
getting in a quality high-intensity
run says Geisel. (And skip heavy
lifting altogether two weeks prior
to race day so you donât wear
yourself out or pick up an injury.)
Otherwise schedule a short circuit
of prerun strength exercises: a
study in The Journal of Strength
and Conditioning Research found
that doing so can make you more
likely to do extra reps and help you
maintain proper form throughout.
And if walking into a weights
room makes you want to gouge out
your eyes Geisel says you shouldnât
worry. Your body weight can be
more than enough especially if
youâre new to strength training.
Think about how much you weigh- being able to move that much
weight through exercises such as
press-ups means youâre lifting far
more than 5kg dumbbells. âI think
itâs the most beneicial to runners
too because your body is what
youâre moving in spaceâ she says.
Whatever you do be sure
to warm up with foundational
exercises such as hip bridges
planks and side planks. Geisel
recommends performing each
for one minute (switch after
30 seconds on the side plank)
then move into upper-body work.
âTheyâre activation patterns that
ire your glutes core and hips all
of which you want to wake up
before you lift heavy so you can do
so safelyâ she says. The extra efort - and weight â will all be worth it
for faster easier runs.
The solution however isnât
picking up weights at the light end
of the rack. âIf you want to prevent
injury improve your speed and last
longer you have to be willing to lift
heavier thingsâ says Pags. Lifting
light weights for a high number of
reps isnât bad; it just achieves the
same goal as running â building
endurance not strength. âThe
goal is to stress the muscle to the
point that the tissue is breaking
down creating micro-tears.
When the muscle rebuilds it
is stronger and leaner which
doesnât necessarily happen with
endurance trainingâ says Pags.
âIF YOU WANT TO
PREVENT INJURY
AND IMPROVE YOUR
SPEED YOU HAVE TO
BE WILLING TO LIFT
HEAVIER THINGSâ
JUNE 2018 RUNNERSWORLD.CO.UK 077BODY+MIND