The Strength Training Critic Blog

I have been doing cardio exercise for over a month now and lost 13lbs total. The problem is, I can’t seem to get my stomach flat. Would strength / weight training take care of this problem? I heard that cardio and ab exercises are not "spot" reducers. Am I right?

Congrats on your weight loss. Regarding your belly, it will probably just take time. You are correct about "spot reduction." (see source) You can firm up the musculature under the belly fat (and/or "over" if you have a lot of internal belly fat) thru abdominal exercise. Just keep after it and watch your diet.

Personally I do moderate cardio in the morning for 25 minutes, higher intensity calisthenic-type exercises in the evening for about 15 minutes and about 45 minutes of weight training in the morning (before moderate cardio). Current thinking is that either "fasting" moderate cardio or post-workout cardio is the most effective at fat-burning, as your glycogen stores are depleted at those times.

Good luck!

I’ve read somewhere that doing endurance and strength exercises in the same workout (day) decreases strength gains by %10. Which made me wonder as to what can be defined as strength training and what as endurance. For example: weight training – treadmill – heavy bag training (punches and kicks) – abs exercises.

My heavy bag training, whilst being mainly for technique and strength/speed, is not lower on the cardio ladder than running on the treadmill, as my heart rate goes considerably up.

endurance. If you wer to put heavy weights on your feet/legs it could be stregnth. Howver, kicking is usually endurance. A good measure of whats endurance training is the reps. If you kick the bag 30 or more times, its endurance. If you were struggly kicking it 10 or less times it would be stregnth.

I alternate between intervals and just fartleks/tempo runs/anything not intervals every other day. I have been reading alot about strength training recently and I would like to improve my core strength as well as some other areas. Should I do this strength training every day on different areas, or every few days on the same areas or what? Also, should I focus on just upper/core strength or should I work on my legs as well? Because I figure mmy legs are already getting enough of a workout from running and hills.

Core strength could be done every to every other day. Here are some core training tips:
Make sure you work all your abdominal muscles- upper and lower obliques and lower back. Go to these links for some exercises:
* http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/ar… (scroll down a little bit to see the exercises)
* http://www.runnersworld.com/video/index….
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71…
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71…
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71…
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71…
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,71…
The two from runnersworld.com are just a couple of the many they have. If you go to runnersworld.com and search abdominal workouts, it comes up with a whole page!

Our XC team incorporated strength training into one workout and one cross training. You don’t want to "bulk up" as a runner, you only want to "tone". For the cross training day we lifted weights, focusing a lot on our arms but also a little on our legs. Then we’d bike or swim, etc. For the regular workout days we’d call it "embedded circuits." We’d do light "tempo run" (2-4 miles at moderate pace), then a light weight lift (again, mainly arms but some legs too). In between ea. set of weight lifting we’d do 1 min. of cardio (bike riding sprints, jump rope, stairs, etc). We’d finish with another light "tempo run."

These are the exercises we did (in muscle group pairs):
- arms: shoulder press, arnold press, lateral raises, tricep kickbacks, one arm dumbell curls, upright rows, shrugs, and pull ups
- legs: squats, hamstring push ups, calf raises, hip adduction & abduction, & side leg lift
- we’d also do our core workout then, with cardio in between ea. pair.
- i don’t have links for the exact exercises, but I have other weight training links here:
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-266-11152-0,00.html
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285–9915-0,00.html
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-266-9211-0,00.html
* http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263-266-7522-0,00.html
* any article from runnersworld.com (especially in the strength and cross training tab under training)

Do you use weights? If so what kind and how often?

What do you use to build strength in your training?

For weight training I use Olympic style lifts, in a circuit work out.

I switch up my circuit and lifting routines about every 6 or 7 weeks. I do a lot of different programs.

Here is a quick example:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjDqi21Fbi6d85mI1inH5t7ty6IX?qid=20070821110102AAYC6aa&show=7#profile-info-O9HkXTRmaa

I rotate between weight training, and plyometric circuits. For 6 weeks I will do weights, 6 weeks plyos, 6 weeks another weight program.

All of them I do are circuit workouts, all are explosive power type of lifts. My reps are fast, and explosive as I can be, I want fast twitch muscle as opposed to bulk. So a lot of "norms" I don’t follow.

I stay away from any slow sets, doing super slow lifts. I don’t go too high up in weight on anything except my legs. I am less concerned with exact technique as I am with explosion. For example on bench press, I am more concerned with blowing it off my chest then I am pressing it in a controlled manner all the way up.

That is just my routine, I also like to do Spartan type training here and there, and throwing the medicine ball around, planks, etc. Lots of core stuff.

Do you use weights? If so what kind and how often?

What do you use to build strength in your training?

For weight training I use Olympic style lifts, in a circuit work out.

I switch up my circuit and lifting routines about every 6 or 7 weeks. I do a lot of different programs.

Here is a quick example:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjDqi21Fbi6d85mI1inH5t7ty6IX?qid=20070821110102AAYC6aa&show=7#profile-info-O9HkXTRmaa

I rotate between weight training, and plyometric circuits. For 6 weeks I will do weights, 6 weeks plyos, 6 weeks another weight program.

All of them I do are circuit workouts, all are explosive power type of lifts. My reps are fast, and explosive as I can be, I want fast twitch muscle as opposed to bulk. So a lot of "norms" I don’t follow.

I stay away from any slow sets, doing super slow lifts. I don’t go too high up in weight on anything except my legs. I am less concerned with exact technique as I am with explosion. For example on bench press, I am more concerned with blowing it off my chest then I am pressing it in a controlled manner all the way up.

That is just my routine, I also like to do Spartan type training here and there, and throwing the medicine ball around, planks, etc. Lots of core stuff.