Weight Lifting for Running

Why do athletes lift weights? Is it to have a nice tone? Cant they just run everyday and achieve the same results versus putting themselves under further strain with weight lifting? Well to answer these questions we first have to understand what lifting weights do for athletes, and there are two main  reasons.

Helps to reduce injury 

Injuries when doing sport is inevitable as you are placing your body under immense stress, however, a comprehensive, well-organized, properly administered and year-round strength training program results in musculo-tendon units that are more resilient to the stresses and impact forces sustained in athletic activities. It also serves as a foundation for harder training that an athlete would have to face leading up to when he or she will have competition. This claim is was backed by sports scientist Mary Beth Horodyski who said that in a focus group study seventy-eight percent of severe injuries to the upper body struck non-lifting athletes, or those athletes  who were not in a controlled weight-lifting program.

Packing Power 

The stronger your muscles are equates to more strength while running as well as greater recovery after training. It also allows coaches to increase the intensity of the training programs as their athletes muscles become stronger and more developed. The combination of strength training and specific skill work also has a positive influence.  Larger, stronger muscle fibers (especially the “fast twitch” variety), result in a higher rate and level of overall muscle force production, which results in the ability to demonstrate pronounced power output in designated athletic skills. In essence as we learned in physics force is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration, therefore speed is dependent on (force), and how this is achieved is by (mass) "weight lifting" with a combination of speed work.

Question 

• Do you think weight lifting is important? If so why?

References 

https://coachad.com/articles/powerline-why-strength-training-is-important-for-all-athletes/
https://news.ufl.edu/archive/1997/10/sports-scientists-say-weight-lifting-is-key-in-preventing-severe-injuries.html

Nutrition In Running

Fig 1.0 Mo Farah Helsinki 2012

What makes some athletes perform better than others? Yes genes may have a part to play in the success of individual athletes and their capability to run a certain distance or at a certain speed. In figure 1.0 above we see the well renowned distance runner Mohamed Farah crossing the line in first place in his 5000m event at the Helsinki championship in 2012. What most people may not know is that Mo Farah along with a very intense training program of up to 135 miles per week, sticks to a specific diet to maintain peak performance and reduce muscle fatigue. We will take a closer look into three of the key nutrients needed for maximum performance.#KeepHealthy

Iron 

This mineral is very important because the body uses it to metabolize efficiently. The hemoglobin proteins within the red blood cells are partly made up of iron and the iron within the hemoglobin protein binds oxygen so that it can be delivered to the runner’s working muscles. Therefore, more iron equals better breathing and fatigue tolerance. 

Fish Oil or Krill Oil 

Where runners are concerned, the top advantages of fish oil is that it fights inflammation and reduces lactic acid build up in the muscles. That means less soreness, longer runs, and quicker recovery, and one can see how this can fast track an athlete allowing them to train harder and more efficiently. Fish oil also serves as a natural lubricant for the proper functioning of joints.

  

Zinc and Magnesium 

Lastly zinc and magnesium.The minerals zinc and magnesium are very advantageous for runners. Magnesium helps transport energy to your muscles and also assists in muscle contraction. Zinc, on the other hand, helps you metabolize energy (so you can put it to good use). Both of these minerals are essential, and both can be depleted quickly during runners endurance exercises. In these cases, a little supplementation can go a long way.

Question 

How has this reading aided in your knowledge in nutrition?

References 

https://www.progenexusa.com/blogs/science/from-5k-to-ultramarathon-8-supplements-to-get-runners-started-off-on-the-right-foot