Cardio....

Well summer is just around the corner here in the Sth Hemisphere, which pretty much means less beer and more running, well start running.
Last time i started cardio was Febuary and lasted about 12weeks, dropping about 12lbs.
Since then i have put on a little bit of weight( ok, 30 lbs… some of it muscle :wink: ) and have decided that some of it needs to come off, and i am going to do a series of biathlons (run/swims) over the Decemebr/Feb period as abit of motivation.
Que my first real run, today. I felt better than i thought, but my legs were raw afterwards (chaffing like a bastard) and knees felt like they had been hit with a bat.
Getting bigger isn’t that much fun when you have to start pulling it off (the weight that is)… oh well…
As far as a weight training program goes, any ideas as to what would be best to hold on to my strength while bumping up the cardio, drastically?
cheers all!!

Whetu: My thoughts on maintaining strength would be to keep the volume down and poundage relatively heavy. I would go with one of the recent routines Chad W. has written about or perhaps a 5x5 program. Personally I would choose Chad’s program as his style of periodization would help out performance wise with you biathlon while still maintaining strength.

frequency?
im thinking 3 heavy session per week doing a basic push, press legs split (M/W/F) with two very short power sessions (mainly O/lifts) on the tues and thurs

I’d be interested in hearing opinions on this matter, too, as I am in the same boat.

Hey Bro,


What is your primary goal- looking good nekkid, or doing well in the Biathlons? You know too much yourself to realise that these are probably mutually exclusive goals. Training like a Biathlete will unwillingly lose you a fair amount of muscle (spoken as a former triathlete “skinny bastard”). Anyway, it sounds like you’ve competed before, so you understand what I’m on about.


When you mean “drastically up the cardio”, what exactly are you doing? Sprints? 3k? 5k? 10k? What are the Biathlon distances you’re aiming for (swim and run)?


I will save my thoughts on weight training till I hear your reply, though after your limited info post, a short power/strength routine 3x/wk sounds best to keep your muscle. If you’re swimming’s been taking a back seat, it might be wise to place an increased focus on water cardio for a while, both for your technique, water fitness, and to save your legs!!


Cheers, SRS