The following gym workout is for strength gain and is ideal for anyone who is struggling to maintain or build muscle tissue. While I devised the programme to help myself become a better endurance athlete, it is what enabled me to maintain muscle mass throughout my shift to a mostly vegatarian diet. It works exceptionally well for not only muscle maintenance, but also creates mobility and fluidity of movement. If you are an athlete, it will keep you lean and will improve strength-to-weight-ratio and therefore efficacy, endurance and ultimately running performance as a whole.
I perform this routine three times per week. It is extremely effective, but keep in mind that it was designed for someone who has been weight training consistently for at least a year. Tendons, ligaments and connective tissue need to adapt to a more advanced training programme such as this, so as not to cause injury. If you are new to weight training, I suggest a more basic programme to begin with that will gently allow for your body to adapt. Then you can give this one a try.
Nutrition is a vital part of physical training. Of course, what you eat becomes the building blocks used to reconstruct muscle tissue that the training has broken down. Make sure to consume a nutrient-packed, protein-rich veg, smoothie after each workout. Quick and efficient recovery from each workout is key. The faster you can recover, the sooner you can train again. This is what leads to true gains and will improve your results more than any other single principle.
WORKOUT SPECIFICS Perform lower body exercises two times per week, immediately following intensive cardio training sessions. The upper body portion can be performed two to three times per week, on alternate days. Rest 90 seconds in between lower body exercises and 60 seconds in between upper body ones. You may choose to do abdominal exercise in between upper body sets. For all exercises, breathe in while lowering the weight, and breathe out while lifting it.
LOWER BODY
Lunges: 3 sets of 15 reps
What it does
A good all-round exercise that helps develop the stabilizer muscles. Particularly important if you periodically run on uneven ground. Also serves as a good warm-up. How to do it
With feet shoulder width apart and a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inward, take a giant step forward with your left foot so that your shin is perpendicular with the floor. Pause for two seconds. Slowly straighten your left leg. Repeat movement, switching legs. This is one rep.
LEG PRESS: 3 sets of 6 reps
What it does
This is an ideal exercise to quickly increase overall leg strength without putting your back in jeopardy, as is common with squats. How to do it On a leg press machine, with feet shoulder width apart, slowly press the weight until your legs are completely extended, but without locking your knees. Pause for two seconds. Slowly lower the weight to starting position.
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