Just because I *get* it doesn't mean I like it

I've been doing this swim-bike-run thing for awhile...this year makes my 7th season. I will admit the first few years i did not pay much attention to the finer details of endurance sports and digging into the academic aspects such as the physiological aspects of endurance sport. But since I am such a big nerd, it was only a matter of time before I started researching the biophysics, physiological, and many other esoteric topics involved in different parts of triathlon such as yaw angles, the physics of aerodynamics, and then there are the numerous nerdy papers I have read on nutrition. And before I move on...can i just say...please avoid fructose (not just high fructose corn syrup...but that is its own topic) if possible if you have a touchy stomach. Ok...that is its own blog post right there.

But anyway...the point of this post is even though I UNDERSTAND the why of something specific to training....that I GET it...it doesn't mean i like it. The topic at hand...weight lifting. And actually i should clarify...i like weight lifting. Actually i REALLY like weight lifting. But lifting weights and training when you mix them together especially when the weight lifting prescription is: LIFT HEAVY...hurts...a lot...

Endurance training is actually quite catabolic in nature...this means that with lots and lots and lots of long distance the body produces the stress hormone cortisol. This same hormone is what is produced when you are under stress so if you are under a lot of stress or aren't sleeping a lot or not recovering a lot your body goes into a catbolic state. When the body is in a catabolic state it starts to destroy the muscles...and makes you feel bad. If you let this go on for too long the symptoms of overtraining start to arise. Restlessness, can't sleep, depression, ect. You can experience these things if you are in general under a lot of stress. Ever get really stress out...suddenly you aren't sleeping...depressed...ect. I'm always suprised to see a list related to 'overtraining symptoms' and not see someone say: HEY!! don't you also feel like this when you are also mega stressed out?? Well...at least I do.

Crazy part...if i'm really stressed out...i can just watch my times get slower...and slower. Blame the cortisol and the fact i'm not sleeping. And if i'm really stressed out it is unlikely that I am eating well. So...a perfect storm that leads to some ugly training.

So how to balance this? Get the body to produce anabolic hormones...no i am not advocating steroids. But your body does produce anabolic hormones like growth hormone, testosterone, ect. to help balance out the catabolic ones. HOW? sprints and weight lifting will do this...lifting heavy amounts of weight are optimal.

I have two weight lifting sessions per week that just say: lift as heavy as you can on that day 2 x 10. um...i didn't lift last week and waltzed into the gym on friday and was pretty excited to be back lifting weights. In all honesty I like lifting weights. And weirdly...i like lifting really heavy weights. I find it sorta funny in a weird way. Don't ask me why i think it is funny (no disrespect to weight lifters) but maybe it is just ME wandering around the free weights trying to get the gossipy boys to stop hogging the squat rack that makes me sorta laugh under my breath.

So yesterday i did just what was prescribed...nice and HEAVY lifts. And got my 2x10 squats @ 95 pounds...so i'm excited i'm flirting with 100 pounds considering I started around 65 pounds. Yes...i know...i'm no power lifter. And yes I am a to-parallel or below parallel kind of girl...A2G. I know it makes some people freak out by a full squat like that...but i know there is literature on both sides of the debate and thus far no one can give me a good reason to not use my full range of motion. For me...i have found it has strengthened my glutes and fixed my psoas in so many ways i'm sold on the full squat for the moment. So that was pretty exciting.

And then i got to my deadlifts and i have little goals i make up they tend to be a little arbitraty and considering training sometimes makes me have to lighten them up, which my coach has warned me about it is supposed to be HEAVY for that day and not worry about how i had done previously, some days i'll lift more some days less. The point is to get the body to release anabolic hormones...and for these managed to pull 2x5 @ 150lbs....another PR for 5 reps. So i'm doing all kinds of good things to keep my keep my catabolic hormones in balance...but here's the issue....i.am.sore.

Today i had to push my long bike to Sunday. Biking on sore legs is much easier than running on sore legs. oye...i got some sore glutes that did not want to move for a long run. it was a sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow run today...but got it done.

So just because I UNDERSTAND why i am supposed to do these heavy lifting....and even though i even LIKE lifting heavy...doesn't mean i like it when i'm dragging my sorry legs around cuz they hurt. Oh well. I'll live.