X-Training and Baby Biceps

In November 2009 the Alabaster Runner and I finally realized that muscles don’t just appear out of thin air and we signed up at L.A. Fitness. After 18 months of consistent weight training (at least four times a week for 45 minutes), I’m reporting that I’m drunk happy with the results. My arms are more tone and shapely – and if I look just right in the mirror, I can see a little two-pack. I could have had even better results by this point, but I tend to easily fall of the clean eating wagon and take my time getting back on the Oregon Trail. There are surprisingly a copious amount of vegan friendly snacks that aren’t good for you (and I do not endorse tofu – you keep that to yourself Alicia Silverstone). Isn’t there some horribly accurate statistic where diet is 80% of your overall fitness, and exercise is merely 20%?

But bragging about my baby biceps isn’t the point of this post, that’s just gravy on the mashed potatoes. For most of the duration that I’ve been a gym member, weight training is all I’ve ever done (besides the initial treadmill runs and occasional yoga class). I thought weights were quite enough of a cross training tool and consider me well done. It wasn’t until I was out of running commission that I discovered spin class and how beneficial it might just be to break up my cardio as well. While I still plan on running in the morning four days a week; at my discretion I can use other days to spin and hover my little heart out. Not only does spin class give me a sweaty balls workout, it always protects my legs from a constant beating and hopefully prevents re-injury. Here is my typical week:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
5 a.m. weight training	4:15 a.m. run (3-4 miles)	5 a.m. weight training	4:15 a.m. run (3-4 miles)	5 a.m. weight training	7 a.m. run (3-4 miles)	7 a.m. run (3-4 miles)
5:45 a.m. Spin class	5:30 a.m. weight training	5:45 a.m. Spin class	5:30 a.m. weight training	5:45 a.m. Spin class	Rest	Rest

The runs will get longer as I feel my arches can handle the increased mileage – and sometimes a weight training session might move to another day, but this is the general consistency that I have grown to crave. Any way you cut the mustard, I’m done all my fitness related hoopla by early morning and feel genuinely energized the rest of the day. Additionally, while I’m always working out to some degree every day, the exertion level and difficulty of the workout is never back to back, so I can let certain sets of body muscles rest before they are heavily used again.

I firmly believe that cross training is essential for me in order to shift out of my old running logic (that thought going from my first 5k to a full marathon in less than 9 months was the of the same genius thinking level as Stephen Hawking) and begin to significantly train smarter.

But speed work can still s*** it.