March 4th, 2010
A few weeks ago I alluded to the fact that carrying some extra weight while trying to improve your performance hurts you. In fact, I will take it one step further today and say that it is almost a waste of your time—not doing the sport, but trying to improve while having weight to lose. The problem is not necessarily food choices, laziness, lack of will or etc. The problem usually comes from lack of resistance training.
Running for weight loss
I totally understand why you think that your sport will help you to lose weight. It’s activity right? And you believe that getting up and going is all that you need to lose weight. Well think again. If you sit at the finish line of a marathon and watch the finishers cross the line, the first ones crossing are the elite runners and they are all close to ideal weight (some may be too lean but that’s coming a bit later). However, the longer you sit there the more you notice a trend that the runners are becoming heavier and heavier as the race goes on. Why didn’t they lose the weight running? They didn’t have to run less miles to train for the race than anyone else, so why are they still heavy?
Trying to use an endurance sport alone to lose weight is like shaving your legs with a kitchen knife: I’m sure in theory it could work but it’s going to be painful and awkward all at the same time.
It is known and accepted that the one of the best methods (really, most efficient because cutting off a limb is still effective in getting the scale to move fast) for weight loss is interval type training mixed with resistance training. Whenever I meet a runner, cyclist or triathlete of any size, they are only concerned with their sport and have no interest in weight training whatsoever. That’s a shame and needs to be addressed ASAP. Resistance training presented in an interval-type fashion is the answer to those whose must lose weight while trying to improve and it is the primary answer to those who are at game weight but still want to improve their time. Essentially, you will not get faster until you get stronger. Period.
Losing weight through kicking, hitting and punching
Imagine that. You show up to Jenny Craig and start kicking the daylights out of the lady at the door. Now there’s a visual—but so not what I mean.
Are you in a league sport? Soccer, tennis, martial arts? You have the right idea with your sport, you just need some fine tuning. Typically what we find here is you are not doing enough, poor nutrition/recovery and no formal weight training. Your sport, though, is fabulous for some weight loss because of the nature of the activity but imagine how much you could excel if you enhanced your athletic skill through the process of losing weight. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Not only would you drop some pounds, but what you would use to drop the weight would directly enhance your performance on the field. Heck, get me a beer—we need to celebrate.
Right weight, Wrong approach
Are you game weight but just cannot seem to improve no matter what you do? However, ‘what you do’ really is just variations of your sport; you’re not really trying anything new or innovative. For you folks it is all about the resistance training. Now instead lifting to lose weight with short, metabolically driven programs, you need to put a car on your back and walk it around the neighborhood. Essentially, you need to become stronger. In fact, make sure there’s a family of four in that car when you walk it around…with groceries in the trunk…and make it a Suburban…am I making my point?
If you are too lean or better yet, too thin but lacking muscle, you will find it incredibly hard to excel because you have no base for optimal power output. How are you going to get faster when you are not stronger? How are you going to get stronger when you are not doing anything to make that happen? Your focus, like everyone else’s, needs to be resistance training as well as making sure you are eating quality foods with enough fat for your size. We find that when you do not have to worry about your weight, that you tend to slack on the details. What you eat, when you eat and how much you lift matter the same as everyone else. Do not get too big for your britches.
In summary, I will meet all of you in the weight training room today at 3pm. Make sure you are adequately dressed for the occasion. No jean shorts (that’s for Joanna), bare feet or bad attitudes. We’re lifting to effect a change in your body so it’s going down. Do you think you can hang?
Tags: weight loss, weight training
This was actually a topic of discussion on the kiss108 morning show this morning – one of the staff members is training for the Boston marathon and can’t understand why he is gaining weight. I just sent over this article/blog post link to the morning show staff for you! : )
Great stuff! Finding a happy weight is a difficult thing…but once we give in to the fact that being too lean impacts performance and holding on to a few extra lbs can do the exact same thing.
P.S I’ll see you at the gym at 3:00 and I won’t be sporting “jorts”!
Okay, I’m in love with this post. EXCEPT the part about “no bare feet”! What the heck?! YES bare feet! (see my post on Monday 2/22 if you want to know why my supplex yoga pants are in a bunch) But definitely no jorts or “badittudes”.
Kristina: Ooooo, thanks girl! We’d love to help one of them out.lol They are a discerning bunch over there. Wonder if they’ll go for it…;)
Joanna: It’s funny. There are many who think being super lean is the answer and it is not. Your body needs to have some energy reserves on hand. Getting some of them to understand this can be tough.
Heather: Hahahahaha!! It’s funny that I put that in there b/c I really should say in the weight room of the gym b/c my KB gym wants you barefoot. Plus you know I am a fan of BF training, too. No worries, pick that wedgie, girl. We’ll let the advanced train BF.lol
This is fabulous! Often we forget how much lifting really is the answer. With the myriad of things out there for working out, sometimes the simplest approach is the one that gets you the best results!
“sometimes the simplest approach is the one that gets you the best results!”
I think you said that backwards…or at least I hope you did. Hate to know we’re not shooting for the best results…:o)
I mean the fact that resistance training is really the way to go. Simple resistance training. As compared to all the bells and whistles you see in infomericals and in the latest fads. As you said, go to the gym and move some weight. Put a car on your back….and so on. That is what I meant by simple. Simply moving weight.
Yea! Another great post! Answered someo of my questions too…. I volunteered for some marathons and used to be in awe of some of the women’s sizes that ran 26.2 miles! I thought to myself, “man, that must suck running 26 miles and not lose any weight!”….