Finding Balance

[Yooper]

So I've been struggling with this lately and figured I'd pose the question to you guys and get your response. How do you personally find balance in your workout programs?

I've recently bought in to the MTN Tough workout plans/app and so far have completed the KB20 program. I'm now 3 weeks into the 45-70 heavy pack program and to be honest I'm starting to miss my past workout regime. Previously I was a big fan of the Wendler 5/3/1 programming for my training but felt I was lacking in the cardio/endurance side. So I went full on the other direction and really focused on that but sacrificed the weight training. I'd like to blend the two, maybe, but always open to advice.

My goal is really to just be in good shape and maintain that. I'm 42 now. I don't move like I did when I was 20, but I still feel good most days. I try to hunt out west every year chasing elk and love being in the back country. I like being fit but I'll never win a power lifting meet nor will I compete in the Crossfit games. I've got two kids that absolutely love the outdoors and other sports so my time feels really limited most days trying to fit everything in.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has found themselves in a similar situation and how you handled it.

 

[JP7]

Create hybrid programs. Use the general idea of cumulative training effect over a week versus a day. You don’t need all the fitness in a day. But you can mix and match. Also I do 5/3/1 programming for my main lifts before my MTNTOUGH workouts and my running.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hunting1]

Mix it up or I do CrossFit 4-days a week, usually run one day, and ruck one day. Mix it up and just keep moving. Many people over look stretching, make this part of whatever you do.

 

[*zap*]

Increasing aerobic capacity requires very regular, longer duration lower intensity training....so that is almost daily, start @ 20-30 minutes (increase the duration at a level you can do daily) and not to exceed conversation pace (a pace which allows you to talk normally or with minimal disruption to conversation due to increased breathing). That creates your aerobic base....this requires time to do because you are setting your body up to change at a cellular lever because it is in your body's best interest to do so. You simply cannot do that in a 16 week or so plan.

Doing both a good aerobic capacity program and a good strength program can be difficult but you need to adjust the volume of it all to a level that allows a regular program and gradually increase that over a long period of time...years not months or weeks.

You can determine your aerobic threshold via a heart rate drift test and stay under that for 90% of your aerobic training sessions and build your aerobic capacity from the bottom up. By keeping the intensity low you can increase your frequency and durations without the debilitating effects of higher heart rate cardio. there are a lot of good articles on this at the uphill athlete website and a book on mountain athletes training is available there also.

Keeping the heart rate low forces the body to create atp without glucose and by using body fat which will cause the changes at a cellular level. You can increase those effects by being fasted (lack of insulin in the blood) when you do the aerobic workouts...if doing longer sessions you might have an energy bar and a short break at the one hour mark. Mitochondria enlarging/splitting, greater capillary density and more aerobic enzymes. When your operating at a higher heart rate your body just dumps more glucose to create more atp vs a slow steady transition over time to change the things mentioned above.

ymmv

 

[mtwarden]

@Zap has it right; you want both- strength training and lots of lower threshold aerobic training

My "routine" is hiking 5-6 days a week; most are in the 4-5 mile range- not lollygagging by any stretch, but not panting for breath either. I usually get one hike in that's longer and usually get one that is steep too. This is broken up by longer day hikes/backpacking trips throughout the year.

Strength train twice a week; modified Wendler where I combine squats/bench and deadlifts/overhead press- so I'm hitting them all in a week, just not working out four days as the original plan

It's worked pretty well for me the last 15+ years

 

[Backcountrycardio]

So I've been struggling with this lately and figured I'd pose the question to you guys and get your response. How do you personally find balance in your workout programs?

I've recently bought in to the MTN Tough workout plans/app and so far have completed the KB20 program. I'm now 3 weeks into the 45-70 heavy pack program and to be honest I'm starting to miss my past workout regime. Previously I was a big fan of the Wendler 5/3/1 programming for my training but felt I was lacking in the cardio/endurance side. So I went full on the other direction and really focused on that but sacrificed the weight training. I'd like to blend the two, maybe, but always open to advice.

My goal is really to just be in good shape and maintain that. I'm 42 now. I don't move like I did when I was 20, but I still feel good most days. I try to hunt out west every year chasing elk and love being in the back country. I like being fit but I'll never win a power lifting meet nor will I compete in the Crossfit games. I've got two kids that absolutely love the outdoors and other sports so my time feels really limited most days trying to fit everything in.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has found themselves in a similar situation and how you handled it.

I would try and do cardio 4 days a week and strength train 4. Do 2 of the strength training days on cardio days so you always have a day off a week. Cardio is much more important in the mountains than strength training in my opinion.