No one wants to eat the same food every day, or wear the same clothes. So why would you always do the same workout? Variety is important in everything, including exercise. The two things you need to vary are...
1. Type: Every sport works specific muscle groups more than others, so if you only do one thing, you will develop muscle imbalances. There is the principle of specificity which says that the best way to get good at something is to do that thing as much as possible, but that has it's limits. Even professional runners who spend most of their workout time running will also work weight lifting into their schedule to keep everything strong.
And those of us who aren't trying to become world-class at one specific thing should probably have even more variety; if your main thing is a hard game of basketball with your friends, try swimming one or two days a week. If you always jog first thing in the morning, replace some of those with some weight-lifting. The key is trying to pick something as different as possible from what you normally do, so that you can recruit different muscle groups. Biking and riding an elliptical are pretty similar, so those wouldn't be the best contrast.
2. Difficulty: Most people know you need some hard days and some easy days. But I think the need goes more than that: you should do workouts that cover the complete spectrum of difficulty. And difficulty has two parts, duration and intensity, so make sure to experiment with both of those. When I was 18 and training for a marathon, every run was 45 minutes as hard as I could possibly go. And it was disastrous: I burned out hard after two months and needed some serious rest to recover. What I should have done is some 45 minute tempo runs at high intensity, but also some easy days with a light 20 minute jog. And I should have done some 60-70 minute runs at low intensity, and some hard, short sprint workouts.
One reason variance is so important is that your body is forced to adapt when it experiences something new; so if you always do the same thing, you wont grow. So change things as much as possible, and see what happens! Another purpose of variance is psychological: new things are more fun. Instead of a one trick pony, wouldn't you rather be someone who runs and bikes and swims and kayaks and spelunks? That sounds way more exciting. And guess what, the more excited you are to work out, the more of it you will do.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Odyssey
"Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
driven time and again off course..."
I want to put in a plug for my favorite book, "The Odyssey." Most of you probably read it in your western civ class as a freshman, and based on the chatter that I recall, you probably don't count it as one of your favorite experiences. But if you really love reading and you are a little older, I'd check it out again. Because I did, and I found so much more this time around.
I remember liking the story when I first read it, but as an 18 year old kid a lot of the themes went over my head. But I picked it up again a few months ago, and this time through was so different. Now that I have had more challenging experiences in life and I think about things a little differently, I can see and appreciate the depth of the story. Odysseus spends ten years fighting the Trojan War, and on his way home he inadvertently angers Poseidon. But this is the god of the sea, the one person who holds the key to Odysseus' return. This is where the story begins, and we follow him for the next ten years as he tries desperately to make it back to his family.
The story is astoundingly simple; a man trying to go home. But at the same time it is about war, love, revenge, loyalty, and faith. It is about man's relationship to God, the duty one has to family, and the importance of never giving up when facing impossible challenges. It is every story, it is the story. It is lengthy (290 pages of verse) but the Robert Fagles translation is amazingly lucid for a 2800 year old text. And it does get pretty slow at parts, but at it's worst it is gorgeous, soaring poetry; and at it's best it's a gripping and suspenseful narrative.
You are probably wondering what this has to do with sports or exercise. The answer is inspiration. Anything that is hard in life requires something deep down inside to move you forward; call it faith, call it hope, call it desire. It may be tricky to put a word to it, but we all know how it feels when it swells up inside. Suddenly the banality of life melts away, and we feel something, something that seems more real and substantive then any of the ten dozen little chores that took up the day to that point. "The Odyssey" inspires me, the way few things have. And we need inspiration to live a full, active life, including exercise and sports. Athletics is all about pushing oneself, the challenge, the accomplishment. An endurance athlete especially can appreciate the story of a man who fights for 20 years for a goal like being reunited with one's family.
I haven't seen epic poems on many reading lists, but this one should be. If you are looking for something new, something to change the way you view yourself, your life, the world and it's myriad obstacles, try the tale of the man from Ithaca.
driven time and again off course..."
I want to put in a plug for my favorite book, "The Odyssey." Most of you probably read it in your western civ class as a freshman, and based on the chatter that I recall, you probably don't count it as one of your favorite experiences. But if you really love reading and you are a little older, I'd check it out again. Because I did, and I found so much more this time around.
I remember liking the story when I first read it, but as an 18 year old kid a lot of the themes went over my head. But I picked it up again a few months ago, and this time through was so different. Now that I have had more challenging experiences in life and I think about things a little differently, I can see and appreciate the depth of the story. Odysseus spends ten years fighting the Trojan War, and on his way home he inadvertently angers Poseidon. But this is the god of the sea, the one person who holds the key to Odysseus' return. This is where the story begins, and we follow him for the next ten years as he tries desperately to make it back to his family.
The story is astoundingly simple; a man trying to go home. But at the same time it is about war, love, revenge, loyalty, and faith. It is about man's relationship to God, the duty one has to family, and the importance of never giving up when facing impossible challenges. It is every story, it is the story. It is lengthy (290 pages of verse) but the Robert Fagles translation is amazingly lucid for a 2800 year old text. And it does get pretty slow at parts, but at it's worst it is gorgeous, soaring poetry; and at it's best it's a gripping and suspenseful narrative.
You are probably wondering what this has to do with sports or exercise. The answer is inspiration. Anything that is hard in life requires something deep down inside to move you forward; call it faith, call it hope, call it desire. It may be tricky to put a word to it, but we all know how it feels when it swells up inside. Suddenly the banality of life melts away, and we feel something, something that seems more real and substantive then any of the ten dozen little chores that took up the day to that point. "The Odyssey" inspires me, the way few things have. And we need inspiration to live a full, active life, including exercise and sports. Athletics is all about pushing oneself, the challenge, the accomplishment. An endurance athlete especially can appreciate the story of a man who fights for 20 years for a goal like being reunited with one's family.
I haven't seen epic poems on many reading lists, but this one should be. If you are looking for something new, something to change the way you view yourself, your life, the world and it's myriad obstacles, try the tale of the man from Ithaca.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
A Year In Review
After a long absence I opened up the blog to see how it was doing. I had the stomach flu and a long string of migraines, but now that I was feeling better I wanted to get back to writing and see if anyone was still going to the site. Much to my surprise, "Rebuilt Runner" was still getting decent traffic. The stats were pretty interesting, so I wanted to share them with you so you can see how other people are getting to this blog and what they are reading.
THE STATS:
Total Hits: (since I started the blog in May): 1,914
Top Three Posts:
1. Why People Hate Running*: 56 hits
2. The Once and Future Sarsgaard: 46 hits
3. How Thin Is Too Thin: 41 hits
* Its funny that this is my most popular article, because it makes it sound like the blog is about hating running, even though I totally love it. Oh well.
And finally, some popular Google searches that lead here:
I'd like to give a special award to the Thornock family for being the top evangelizers. Their blog is the number one referring site, so way to go!
Like most blogs, this is something I do just because it is fun for me to write. Writing is a way to process information, to figure out exactly what you know, and to come to new conclusions. So in that sense, this is a personal effort, something I do just for me. But it is deliberately public, so it is also meant as a way to share things with others, and I'm really happy that people are enjoying what I write and getting something out of it.
For those of you who come here often, if there is something you would like me to write about, or new features you wish "Rebuilt Runner" had, please let me know because I would welcome the feedback. Just leave it in the comments and I will check it out.
Have a Happy New Year!
-Colin
THE STATS:
Total Hits: (since I started the blog in May): 1,914
Top Three Posts:
1. Why People Hate Running*: 56 hits
2. The Once and Future Sarsgaard: 46 hits
3. How Thin Is Too Thin: 41 hits
* Its funny that this is my most popular article, because it makes it sound like the blog is about hating running, even though I totally love it. Oh well.
And finally, some popular Google searches that lead here:
- why people hate running
- crazy ivans exercise
- drowning
I'd like to give a special award to the Thornock family for being the top evangelizers. Their blog is the number one referring site, so way to go!
Like most blogs, this is something I do just because it is fun for me to write. Writing is a way to process information, to figure out exactly what you know, and to come to new conclusions. So in that sense, this is a personal effort, something I do just for me. But it is deliberately public, so it is also meant as a way to share things with others, and I'm really happy that people are enjoying what I write and getting something out of it.
For those of you who come here often, if there is something you would like me to write about, or new features you wish "Rebuilt Runner" had, please let me know because I would welcome the feedback. Just leave it in the comments and I will check it out.
Have a Happy New Year!
-Colin
Saturday, November 12, 2011
My first foray into barefoot running
The long wait is over. After three months of physical therapy, I decided I'm ready to start running again. I wasn't planning on starting up quite yet because a month-long bout with bronchitis got in the way of my plans. But this Monday when my lungs finally felt normal I decided to get back into the pool, and my ritual pre-swim weigh-in shocked me: 129.6 lbs! Before getting sick I had been oscillating between 130 and 135, and during the last week of bronchitis I ate more junk than ever. Combined with a solid month without a single hard, aerobic workout, I was sure that I had put on some weight. But I guess I lost enough during the serious sick times that whatever I put on afterwards wasn't enough to cover it.
The only workouts I had managed to do while I was sick was my back extensions, and after gradually phasing in more aggressive yoga poses, my back actually felt really strong. Combine that with my lowest weight in 6 months, now seemed like the perfect time to return to running.
But as a mulled all of this over, I wasn't happy with my shoes. My last shoe switch was to a pair of construction-orange, 80's era Saucony's that I picked up used at Deseret Industries for 8 dollars. Not a bad shoe- less cushioned than my previous pair which was a step in the right direction- but they still have a steep heel-drop which makes forefoot striking difficult. They look totally rad, so I will still wear them around, but for training I feel like I needed something more...or something less?
A new running store opened up just blocks from my apartment, so I considered stopping in and getting something new, something perfect- lightweight, zero-heal drop, but with a rugged, grippy out-sole. But how would it effect my form? The best shoes are the ones that won't change your stride from how you would normally run barefoot...but what does barefoot running really feel like? I've never done more than a few strides on the grass in the park without something on my feet.
So I decided to try running barefoot. Not as an overall running-lifestyle change, but as an experiment. If running barefoot is the most natural and the most natural way is the best, wouldn't that give me an idea for what running should be? I've tried and failed enough at running lately that trying something new seemed worth it.
It's cold enough here in Utah that running unshod outdoors would just be too cold, so I headed to the BYU Indoor Track for phase one of this experiment. I always feel the best after doing my back workouts, so I started with those to get me primed for the track. (Normally I do them in my underwear in the privacy of my bedroom, because I like the feeling of being unconstrained during the twistiest of the yoga poses. But I'm sure they'd frown on that in the Fieldhouse, so for fear of the Honor Code Police, I stuck with running shorts and a t-shirt.) But I did ditch the shoes, because the child pose is hard on the ankles with shoes on.
After working through my usual circuit, I gingerly started trotting around the track. It felt a little weird at first, like I was missing something. It's also eerily quiet- your feet don't make much of a sound when your soft flesh is hitting the ground instead of a hard plastic outer-sole. But I kind of liked it. McDougall says over and over in "Born to Run" that without shoes your foot-strike naturally changes to the ideal way. I don't know if what I was doing was the ideal, but my feet definitely wanted to do it a certain way. When I've run in the past with shoes, I've felt like there was a myriad of ways to hit the ground, and I had to consciously pick which one to do. But this felt like I didn't have to choose, like my feet were choosing for me and I was just going along for the ride.
After a little more than half a mile my ankles started to hurt a little, so I called it quits the day. I must be flexing more in the ankles with my shoes off, which is why they felt a little over-worked. I also might not be bending enough at the knees; when I broke my left knee-cap 5 years ago I started walking with straighter legs to avoid using that damaged tissue. My knee has long since healed, but I still catch myself moving that way, especially on my left side, so maybe that is something that I still need to work on. But wherever the stresses are on my body, as long as they are off of my L4-L5 disk I'm fine with that. And this shoe-less running definitely feels softer, feels lower impact than any of the other way's I've moved before. So I give it a tentative thumbs up.
Tentative because only time will tell how my body (and specifically my back) will react to this new motion. That feedback will let me know if I am moving forward or backward, so I will listen carefully to see what it has to say. I will keep doing short runs on the track every other day, and gradually increase the distance as my ankles permit. If this works well I will definitely get new shoes soon so I can take my miles out of the stuffy confines of the indoor track, but I feel like this time without shoes will be informative, instructive, foundational. With everything in my life I like to start from the base and work up. And I don't think I can get any lower than the soles of my feet.
The only workouts I had managed to do while I was sick was my back extensions, and after gradually phasing in more aggressive yoga poses, my back actually felt really strong. Combine that with my lowest weight in 6 months, now seemed like the perfect time to return to running.
But as a mulled all of this over, I wasn't happy with my shoes. My last shoe switch was to a pair of construction-orange, 80's era Saucony's that I picked up used at Deseret Industries for 8 dollars. Not a bad shoe- less cushioned than my previous pair which was a step in the right direction- but they still have a steep heel-drop which makes forefoot striking difficult. They look totally rad, so I will still wear them around, but for training I feel like I needed something more...or something less?
A new running store opened up just blocks from my apartment, so I considered stopping in and getting something new, something perfect- lightweight, zero-heal drop, but with a rugged, grippy out-sole. But how would it effect my form? The best shoes are the ones that won't change your stride from how you would normally run barefoot...but what does barefoot running really feel like? I've never done more than a few strides on the grass in the park without something on my feet.
So I decided to try running barefoot. Not as an overall running-lifestyle change, but as an experiment. If running barefoot is the most natural and the most natural way is the best, wouldn't that give me an idea for what running should be? I've tried and failed enough at running lately that trying something new seemed worth it.
It's cold enough here in Utah that running unshod outdoors would just be too cold, so I headed to the BYU Indoor Track for phase one of this experiment. I always feel the best after doing my back workouts, so I started with those to get me primed for the track. (Normally I do them in my underwear in the privacy of my bedroom, because I like the feeling of being unconstrained during the twistiest of the yoga poses. But I'm sure they'd frown on that in the Fieldhouse, so for fear of the Honor Code Police, I stuck with running shorts and a t-shirt.) But I did ditch the shoes, because the child pose is hard on the ankles with shoes on.
After working through my usual circuit, I gingerly started trotting around the track. It felt a little weird at first, like I was missing something. It's also eerily quiet- your feet don't make much of a sound when your soft flesh is hitting the ground instead of a hard plastic outer-sole. But I kind of liked it. McDougall says over and over in "Born to Run" that without shoes your foot-strike naturally changes to the ideal way. I don't know if what I was doing was the ideal, but my feet definitely wanted to do it a certain way. When I've run in the past with shoes, I've felt like there was a myriad of ways to hit the ground, and I had to consciously pick which one to do. But this felt like I didn't have to choose, like my feet were choosing for me and I was just going along for the ride.
After a little more than half a mile my ankles started to hurt a little, so I called it quits the day. I must be flexing more in the ankles with my shoes off, which is why they felt a little over-worked. I also might not be bending enough at the knees; when I broke my left knee-cap 5 years ago I started walking with straighter legs to avoid using that damaged tissue. My knee has long since healed, but I still catch myself moving that way, especially on my left side, so maybe that is something that I still need to work on. But wherever the stresses are on my body, as long as they are off of my L4-L5 disk I'm fine with that. And this shoe-less running definitely feels softer, feels lower impact than any of the other way's I've moved before. So I give it a tentative thumbs up.
Tentative because only time will tell how my body (and specifically my back) will react to this new motion. That feedback will let me know if I am moving forward or backward, so I will listen carefully to see what it has to say. I will keep doing short runs on the track every other day, and gradually increase the distance as my ankles permit. If this works well I will definitely get new shoes soon so I can take my miles out of the stuffy confines of the indoor track, but I feel like this time without shoes will be informative, instructive, foundational. With everything in my life I like to start from the base and work up. And I don't think I can get any lower than the soles of my feet.
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Once and Future Sarsgaard
A few months ago I read an article about a film adaptation of "Born to Run." It was exciting news, because I had just finished reading the book and thought more than once, "wow, this would make a GREAT movie!" The lowdown was actor Peter Sarsgaard was a huge fan of the book and was planning on directing a small-budget film of Christopher McDougall's running odyssey.
But then I didn't hear anything else about it. I read way too much about movies AND running, so news about a running movie wasn't likely to slip by me. Movie's die in pre-production all of the time, so I tacitly assumed that this one met a similar fate. Until today.
McDougall wrote an article in The New York Times called "The Once and Future Way to Run" that summarizes the main ideas from his book, and then he told how he found an early 20th century pamphlet that describes a workout meant to teach the perfect running form (how he finds these things I'll never know). The exercise is diabolically simple, but it has some early endorsements from some serious bio-mechanics experts.
I read the article on the New York Times website, and it had a link attached with a short video of McDougall jogging through the streets of Manhattan and teaching this exercise to several writers at the paper. And in the video he is running with none other than "actor, director, and super-fast trail runner" Peter Sarsgaard! The funny thing is that Sarsgaard doesn't really do anything in the video, he is just hanging out with McDougall. I realized that if this journalist and movie star are just bro-ing out in the Big Apple, this movie has to be still in the works.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sick Time and The World's Greatest Single Exercise
Question: Why hasn't the Rebuilt Runner written anything in the last two weeks?
A: Because he had acute bronchitis!
I thought lots of time in bed would mean lots of blogging, but when walking up a single flight of stairs caused a coughing fit, I didn't feel like even reading about exercise, let along writing about it. My body gave up on me, so I decided to temporarily give up on it. I did exactly one workout during my sick days and it didn't end well, so the rest was definitely for the best.
I'm still only at about 50 percent so I'll ease into things this week, but I finally had an idea for the blog. I thought, "what is the single best exercise I could recommend to someone?" Obviously to be in your best shape requires variety, but what one thing does the most in the shortest time?
The walking lunge! Here's a video:
Lots of muscle guys only work the upper body, which seems ridiculous because your legs are what actually move your body around, your arms usually just move other things. And the walking lunge is a great overall lower body exercise because it works your glutes, quads, hamstrings, calf muscles, hips, and abdominals. Another reason I like it so much is that it works each leg individually; most of us have one leg stronger than the other, so we rely on the strong one to do most of the work which just further intensifies the muscle imbalance. But single leg lifts like these force you to focus on one at a time, which does wonders for evening everything out.
The key to getting the most out of this is focusing on your form:
1. Keep good posture.
2. Keep your hips pointing forward.
3. Keep your feet straight.
And because it's pretty low intensity (you are only lifting your own body weight) most people can do a lot of them, so several long sets become a cardiovascular workout. Other good overall exercises include squats and push-ups, but if your short on time and you can only pick one, I'd go with the walking lunge.
A: Because he had acute bronchitis!
I thought lots of time in bed would mean lots of blogging, but when walking up a single flight of stairs caused a coughing fit, I didn't feel like even reading about exercise, let along writing about it. My body gave up on me, so I decided to temporarily give up on it. I did exactly one workout during my sick days and it didn't end well, so the rest was definitely for the best.
I'm still only at about 50 percent so I'll ease into things this week, but I finally had an idea for the blog. I thought, "what is the single best exercise I could recommend to someone?" Obviously to be in your best shape requires variety, but what one thing does the most in the shortest time?
The walking lunge! Here's a video:
Lots of muscle guys only work the upper body, which seems ridiculous because your legs are what actually move your body around, your arms usually just move other things. And the walking lunge is a great overall lower body exercise because it works your glutes, quads, hamstrings, calf muscles, hips, and abdominals. Another reason I like it so much is that it works each leg individually; most of us have one leg stronger than the other, so we rely on the strong one to do most of the work which just further intensifies the muscle imbalance. But single leg lifts like these force you to focus on one at a time, which does wonders for evening everything out.
The key to getting the most out of this is focusing on your form:
1. Keep good posture.
2. Keep your hips pointing forward.
3. Keep your feet straight.
And because it's pretty low intensity (you are only lifting your own body weight) most people can do a lot of them, so several long sets become a cardiovascular workout. Other good overall exercises include squats and push-ups, but if your short on time and you can only pick one, I'd go with the walking lunge.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Running Shoe Giveaway!
Hey everybody. One of my favorite bloggers, Hungry Runner Girl, is having a shoe giveaway on her blog. It's for the Altra Intution (for women) and Altra Instinct (for men) running shoes. I had never heard of the company so I did some research and it sounds like they have some smart ideas. The first thing that stood out is that they make different shoes for men and women; apparently men and women have different feet shapes (makes sense) so they built unique designs for each.
The other main feature is that the shoes have zero heel-drop, which means that the sole is the same thickness front to back. For decades they've been making shoes with thicker heels, which causes you to land on the heel instead of the forefoot. But most experts now think this isn't the right way to run, so shoes have been changing back to a simpler design to make running more natural.
Simple is exactly what these shoes look like, down to the design. So many new shoes have crazy patterns which I think is really off-putting, so it's refreshing to see something with just one color. I've seen Hungry Runner Girl do give-aways before, so I know this is for real. If you want to enter, just follow this link:
RUNNING SHOES GIVEAWAY
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