Originally posted by ERCougar
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I'll chip in my two cents...
I was looking to get back into strength training a few months ago and about a month ago, finally settled to a program that worked really well for me a few years ago. I've found that I never really stick to a program unless it's relatively short and I can do it any day, anywhere--otherwise, I find excuses to skip and then I get out of the routine. This is why running has worked so well for me. I can't remember the source for this, but I've varied it up a little to the following:
3 days a week
Day 1: 6 sets total, with 3 minutes rest between each. Each of the first three sets is a circuit of pullups
ushups:body weight squats in a ratio of 1:3:5. Determine level by how many pullups (generally the limiting exercise, although as I've progressed, it has switched to pushups before) you can complete 3 sets of that number of reps. So if I can get 3 sets of five pullups/15 pushups/25 squats, I'm a level 5. The final three sets are whatever variant I want to do, but push/pull/leg workouts. I have a knock-off TRX strap that I use for Let Me Ups for pulling. Pushing is either pike pushups or dips between two chairs. Legs are pistols or one-legged standups from a chair.
Day 2: 20 minute timed how many half sets of the above you can do in twenty minutes. Level 5 would be sets of 3 pullups/9 pushups/15 squats. This is exhausting but pretty fun
Day 3: Time how long it takes to complete 5x your level. Level 5 would be 25 pullups/75 pushups/125 squats. This gives a good progress stick to see how many pullups you can do in a row. Say it's 10. Then you do 30 pushups and 50 squats. Rest a bit and work on knocking off more pullups. Keep going through cycles until you finish 25.
Workouts never take longer than 20 minutes and all I need is a pull up bar (I have one in my house, but I also have this one for the road that works on about any door) and a couple of chairs for dips. I stuck to this for about a year a couple of years ago, which is a record for me. It's nice if you're not a total gym rat but still want good functional strength. Yes, the body weight squats are easy, but studies show that doing these as you age is the best thing you can do for balance and functional mobility. Plus, pistols are not easy and once a week, I push myself with these.
As for running, I'm coming off of a couple of injury issues (ITB last summer, Achilles last month) for the first time in years, so I'm trying to change something up there. There's a guy in St George that runs a running blog that swears by a program of running x miles a day, easy, every day, then double it on the weekend. When you feel good through the whole week, add a mile on your daily run. Continue until you're at 10 daily miles and 20 on the weekend. Then you're ready to run a marathon, and you'll run it fast. I know a few guys who have gone in the very low 3's with this program when they were barely breaking 4 hours before. I don't care all that much about time any more (that's what caused my ITB issues, I'm convinced), and I'm also pretty done with marathons for a while, but I did commit already to one more June marathon, so I thought I'll try a variation of this until June. I'm starting at 5 daily miles, every other day, with half that followed by my strength routine, on the alternating days. Running easy every day. I'm only doing long runs every other week. I'll add when my body feels really good on everything. I figure I should be up to 10/5/10/5/20/5 by June and that would be a respectable 55 mile week. Here goes...
EDIT: If you can't do pullups (a couple of years ago, I could barely knock off two), do negatives--stand up on a chair to the bar and let yourself down slowly.
I was looking to get back into strength training a few months ago and about a month ago, finally settled to a program that worked really well for me a few years ago. I've found that I never really stick to a program unless it's relatively short and I can do it any day, anywhere--otherwise, I find excuses to skip and then I get out of the routine. This is why running has worked so well for me. I can't remember the source for this, but I've varied it up a little to the following:
3 days a week
Day 1: 6 sets total, with 3 minutes rest between each. Each of the first three sets is a circuit of pullups
ushups:body weight squats in a ratio of 1:3:5. Determine level by how many pullups (generally the limiting exercise, although as I've progressed, it has switched to pushups before) you can complete 3 sets of that number of reps. So if I can get 3 sets of five pullups/15 pushups/25 squats, I'm a level 5. The final three sets are whatever variant I want to do, but push/pull/leg workouts. I have a knock-off TRX strap that I use for Let Me Ups for pulling. Pushing is either pike pushups or dips between two chairs. Legs are pistols or one-legged standups from a chair.Day 2: 20 minute timed how many half sets of the above you can do in twenty minutes. Level 5 would be sets of 3 pullups/9 pushups/15 squats. This is exhausting but pretty fun
Day 3: Time how long it takes to complete 5x your level. Level 5 would be 25 pullups/75 pushups/125 squats. This gives a good progress stick to see how many pullups you can do in a row. Say it's 10. Then you do 30 pushups and 50 squats. Rest a bit and work on knocking off more pullups. Keep going through cycles until you finish 25.
Workouts never take longer than 20 minutes and all I need is a pull up bar (I have one in my house, but I also have this one for the road that works on about any door) and a couple of chairs for dips. I stuck to this for about a year a couple of years ago, which is a record for me. It's nice if you're not a total gym rat but still want good functional strength. Yes, the body weight squats are easy, but studies show that doing these as you age is the best thing you can do for balance and functional mobility. Plus, pistols are not easy and once a week, I push myself with these.
As for running, I'm coming off of a couple of injury issues (ITB last summer, Achilles last month) for the first time in years, so I'm trying to change something up there. There's a guy in St George that runs a running blog that swears by a program of running x miles a day, easy, every day, then double it on the weekend. When you feel good through the whole week, add a mile on your daily run. Continue until you're at 10 daily miles and 20 on the weekend. Then you're ready to run a marathon, and you'll run it fast. I know a few guys who have gone in the very low 3's with this program when they were barely breaking 4 hours before. I don't care all that much about time any more (that's what caused my ITB issues, I'm convinced), and I'm also pretty done with marathons for a while, but I did commit already to one more June marathon, so I thought I'll try a variation of this until June. I'm starting at 5 daily miles, every other day, with half that followed by my strength routine, on the alternating days. Running easy every day. I'm only doing long runs every other week. I'll add when my body feels really good on everything. I figure I should be up to 10/5/10/5/20/5 by June and that would be a respectable 55 mile week. Here goes...
EDIT: If you can't do pullups (a couple of years ago, I could barely knock off two), do negatives--stand up on a chair to the bar and let yourself down slowly.
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