We’ve been blessed with some fantastic winter running weather this year, but when the white stuff does pile up and makes outdoor running difficult/miserable/hell-on-Earth, most runners would do well to spend some time in the weight room at the gym.
Runners often think they don’t need weight training, but most do. Ever heard of the phrase “skinny fat?” Though it’s a horrible term, it applies to many runners — myself included. (sigh).
So, I’ve added weight training into my routine. I’ve been doing it pretty regularly for about 6 months now and I’ve yet to see any flip-your-lid, check-out-her-6-pack results, but it could be because I was making some of these 14 common weight training mistakes. (The vintage photos illustrating each “mistake” are awesome).
It could also be that it just takes time …and I need to lift heavier …and get over my aversion to working out in the free weight room at the YMCA with the no-neck, ultimate-fighter-types that grunt with every effort and leave sweat trails behind them.
* Do you do weight training on days you don’t run? Have you seen results?
* Does the term “skinny-fat” make you homicidal…or is it just my skinny-fat ass?
* Are you intimidated disgusted by grunting, profusely sweating guys who leave 100 lb. weights on the freakin’ leg press?
When I see you next, remind me to show you my imitation of the guy who pants like a dog while doing some sort of shoulder-lifting-thingy with huge weights at the Pennbriar. He makes me feel even more homicidal than “skinny-fat”.
And yes, I weight train. I always see results when I do it regularly. However, I must confess that if I only have time for one or the other, a run always wins.