3/23
Incline dumbbell bench (30deg) 80sx8, 75sx10, 70sx11
Weighted chins +30x6, +20x8, +15x9
RDL 3x6 @185
Leg curl 2x8
Cycling Sprint intervals 4x30s

Wanted at least 6 cycling sprints, too hard. Massive quad pump so passed on donk leg extensions.

Last week was not good, missed my long run. Saturday I aborted because of snowstorm and Sunday I was working all day, unexpectedly.

Around 3pm I was about to order a draft stone IPA since I was stressed out about work stuff but I knew there was a shot I could be done by 6pm and do my long run. Sounds facking awful to drink an IPA and then do a long run. Alas, I was working til 8pm. But I thought that was a major win, the threat of exercise kept me from drinking. But still only 22 miles for the week.

W3D1 11 miles 1:36:12
Avg hbm 145

Was frustrated about last week so I checked out this trail loop around the airport. It was exactly 11 miles, so I started off not sure I was going to do it. Went 5 miles and decided to go for it. I did kind of want to quit at 10 miles since there were plenty of elevation changes but also didn't want to walk back to the car, so finished the loop.

This might be a future jedi mind trick. Find loop at least target length of long run or longer, and just go for it. You won't want to walk back to the car so you will just finish it.

3/26 W3D2 AM Recovery run
5 miles 44:16
Avg hbm 135
Elevation 5500 feet

PM
Incline bench 180x6, 170x8, 160x11
Cable Crossovers 1 set with myo reps
Pullups 3x10
Unilateral leg press 2x15 @120
Weighted hypers 3x10 @+100
Ab wheel 3x10

Killing it these last couple of days. It's almost like running has zero effect on upperbody training. Felt strong after running 16 miles in 24 hours. Couldn't tell you anything about lowerbody training though. Most of my upperbody lifts are back to normal while lowerbody is in shambles. But that's because I don't really lowerbody, on the TCprotocol.

I have a video run analysis tomorrow and lactate threshold testing. Fancy play. Due to my high polar running scores, I assume my technique can't be that bad.

Pretty impressive rebound on the incline pressing. How long of a break did you take?

I told N1 I hadn't pressed in months and he stated in his log I hadn't lifted in months.

I would never take time off like that. I was always exercising 3x a week. Combination running and lifting. It wasn't enough, was spiraling out of control.

So I had the fancylad video run analysis and lactate threshold testing last Wednesday. Was waiting for reports so I could update. Still haven't gotten them.

But the synopsis is

Video run analysis

Upperbody savant, perfect posture and shoulder alignment with great use of arms.

Lowerbody donk. Extremely quad and calf dominant when running. Overpronator. Need to activate glutes more. Recommended single leg exercises such as lunges, since part of my problem is legs doing different things.

Lactate threshold

Solid data. I clear lactate like a machine. Waiting for the graph to see if I can adjust my training zones. But maffetone mostly nailed it, all this was a waste of money.

Lol

I had a monster running week, a whopping 34 miles. Running couldn't possibly be going better. I hit a whopping 68 polar running index yesterday. I am back !!

I did three runs with both wrist HRM and chest HRM. There was zero difference!!! Watch and chest strap, matched with identical heart rate avetages. And no, I didn't sync the chest strap to the watch. I ain't dumb.

So for me personally, my polar watch nails my heart rate. No need for a chest strap monitor.

If I could go back two years and give myself running advice it would be this

* Get Matt Fitzgerald's 80/20 running book
* Get chest strap heart rate monitor (way cheaper)
* Consistent self myofacial release on calves


Fitzgerald is very sciency, the Mcdonald/Aragon of running. I would charge my 38 year old self $5000 for the advice above.

But a lifting update is not good. Bad news. Dumpster grease fire.

I only lifted one time last week. But even more depressing, I measured my waist for the first time in years. I need to look back at my old numbers but it's not looking good.

Wow, who could have possibly predicted that outcome?

My offer to nood-off versus any natty S&Fer is off the table.

I got old and took up running. Just two years ago I would have taken on TC and JT. Now even the montecore might pose a challenge. Fakeb would make me look Somalian. Depressing.

4/1 W4D1
AM
Incline bench 2x5 @180, 180x8
Lunges on Smith machine 3x6 @115
Trap bar deadlift 2x5 @230
Barbell rows 3x8 @135
Pullups 4x8
Weighted leg raises

PM
5 miles 44:09
136 hbm

I've lived in Texas 10 years and never really been to Austin. It was love at first sight. Runners, dogs, kayaks everywhere.

It's 4/2 now and glutes really sore. Lol. I was going to do a long run today and I am thinking of passing. I cannot diet, train for a marathon, and have solid lowerbody workouts. It interferes. I will keep doing deadlift variations and single leg glute work but just gotta go super light if I want to run the next day. I can definitely incline bench what I can barbell backsquat, at the moment. Never really been seen, since the demise of realB

incline bench = squat prob very common in the detrained.

Austin is fun. Have any BBQ?

Lactate threshold results
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Training zones




I could explain some of this stuff but there are close to zero serious runners in this forum. All I will say is that this was at room temperature 5200 feet elevation. For cooler runs, my lactate threshold is definitely lower because I will access the faster speeds without heating up.

Basically the biggest thing I am going to take from this is that as long as I am hydrating properly I can go for easy runs up to 149 bpm in 70 degree weather. And for cooler runs, me using maffetone heart rate (144) is perfectly fine.

Lines and short hours make it not accessible.

I would love an explanation, loco

Lactate threshold is the most important performance marker in endurance training. All these training zones used by coaches are derived from knowing lactate threshold.

However, there are different definitions of where that occurs. The chart above has my lactate threshold heart rate at 168. That's way too high and while I am a running savant so expected solid results, that's too high.

Fast lab obviously defined my lactatate threshold heart rate at 4 mmol/L. That's mostly outdated, now people are using Dmax, 1 mmol/L above baseline, max steady state lactate threshold, etc etc.

It gets complicated with all these different definitions. But the important part is find your aerobic zone. And luckily, there is zero debate there. On my graph, my baseline blood lactate is 1.3 mmol/L. And as you can see, up close to 8 minute miles my blood lactate remains unchanged. I am using all fat to run, it's when I start using carbs that my blood lactate starts increasing.

There has been tons of research on endurance training, from running to rowing to cycling to swimming. All the research shows that training 80% of the time aerobically is optimal for improvement, in both amateurs and professionals.

Yet what do running donks train like? They all love to train too much in the higher intensity zones. Donks train up to 50% at higher intensities, mostly at where the body starts building up lactate. These people get injured, find running is not sustainable, and in general just hate it. But it's mostly because they train like donks.

Running should be enjoyable and that is done by mostly running at your aerobic heart rate. That's why it's so important to know your lactate threshold, to basically avoid working out too much at that particular zone and higher.

Luckily, lactate threshold correlates almost close to 100% to race performance. So you can find all your zones by taking a balls out race and inputting to Jack Daniels or McMillan calculator. No need for fancylad bloodwork.

So yeah I burned $150 in testing. But it proved that I am doing things correctly. Also, some research has been done and marathon pace is pretty much at 1 mmol/L higher blood lactate than baseline for most. So for me that would be 8.1 mph. I ran Berlin at 8.3 mph, but I am worse shape now. So for me that is absolutely right. To reach my goals I need to shift my lactate threshold to the right, so that at 8.5 mph I am at 1 mmol/L higher than baseline. So I need to get my easy miles down into the mid7s in minutes. And I mainly do that by running 80-85% of my miles aerobically at my current easy pace of 8:10. I am getting old so I will probably do 85 percent aerobic / 15% high intensity.

This is a change from last year, where I was training more like a donk because I used outdated running programs based on higher intensity. I am drinking the lower intensity kool-aid this year by mainly adding what I considered junk mileage last year, recovery miles. Hopefully it works, it sure is much more enjoyable. Fack tempo runs.

4/4 W4D2 10 miles 1:22:58 (8:18 pace)
Avg heart rate 139

Beast run, I didn't deteriorate. Last mile was 8:15 at 140 heart rate. Probably a combination of two things. Sun went down and it was 3 degrees cooler but I also think my running economy increased through the run. I got looser and more relaxed since I didn't really warm up. Things are looking up.

Happy for you but was really hoping you’d have to give up the jogging and turn your focus to becoming a mass monster so once you did you’d have to admit I’m right.

My mass monster days are over. Lifting just wasn't for me. I've only been running for a couple of years and look how exercise scientists describe me. This is three weeks after coming back from a layoff, just imagine the Ferrari engine I am going to have right before the marathon. I have good recovery and high lactate threshold. But I know my true specialty is VO2max. t's obvious I was literally born to endure.

Look at the montecore, guy was not born to lift. His student takes over him after one strength cycle. He has a mini euro sized car engine when it comes to lifting, just like I do. Probably 65 horsepower. Why would I play with that when I can access the 600hp supercar when I go running?


Age: 41yr old MALE
Body Weight: 74.1 kg / 163 lbs
Initial Lactate: 1.2 mmol/L
Martin, as we talked about on your testing day, you have a VERY well developed aerobic system. Running at the slower
paces, 6.0 up to 7.0 mph, you had almost no change in your baseline lactate levels. This is indicative of high fat oxidation
at these lower intensities. During low intensity exercise, blood lactate levels can remain at resting levels as long as
clearance matches production. The lower lactate accumulation may be attributed to a lower carbohydrate diet, making
less carbohydrate available for oxidation and/or a very well developed aerobic engine. My guess is that it is a
combination of the two factors.

Recovery
Along with an efficient clearing system, your cardiovascular recovery is AMAZING. Throughout the test, we saw a very
rapid recovery heart rate during the 30-40 seconds it took to make the blood draw. Within 30 sec your HR dropped 15-20
bpm when you were under threshold – again, a good indication of a strong aerobic base. Approaching threshold we still
saw a drop of 5 to 7 bpm and once over threshold, there was very little recovery in the time it took for the blood sampling.
The fast recovery transfers well to the real world of running – if you have to push the pace uphill, you will be able to
recover quickly.

Yeah that’s pretty sick.

loco,

Justifying your quitting by invoking my name only reinforces how insecure you are. I get that your loc-chismo requires you to invent an imaginary opponent because dodging the multiple real challenges from which you've slanked can be taxing (and perhaps also, in your rare moments of honest self-reflection, ashamed of your own cowardice), but maybe try to just do your own thing for its own sake for once and stop trying to, like clockwork, create beef whenever you get sonned.

Thanks for the explanation loco, but you aren't coming across well at all. You seem bitter.

I'm glad the lochuahua is finally acknowledging that genetic limitations and advanced age can have a profound impact on the results of natty training. It's almost like somebody was spamming that at him for years whenever the topic of steroids and nattys/non nattys came up...

But by the same token, N1H is about a decade younger with ~15 less hours of work every week (on his busiest weeks, maybe sometimes more like 30 hours less) and no kids/wife, so of course he'll rapidly exceed MonteOld even if he were not gifted with superior lifting genetics.

Also being the best distance runner is like kissing your really hot sister.