Newby seeking advice please!

[NeedToAskPlease]

Hi everyone.

My gym includes one PT session as part of it's membership. I explained l wanted to strengthen and tone all over to help with my running.

The PT gave me the following programme which I'm doing twice a week:

Squats 3 sets of 8. 20kg bar

Deadlifts 3 sets of 8. 30kg

Assisted pullups 3 sets of 8

Dumbell bench press 3 sets of 8 5kg

Hanging knee raises 3 sets of 7

Sit ups till fatigue

He then said increase the weight and reps as l gain strength.

This takes me about 30mins. Is that a correct length of time? I just feel l should be doing longer as there are people in the gym before me and are still working out when l leave.

Are those the weights you started with? Howe long have you been using just those weights?

Next session, try to add 5 kilos (2.5 ea ch side) to your bar bell at each set. So start with just the bar for your first set of squats (20 kilos); for your second set, add 5 kilos so you're squatting 8 for 25 kg. Third set go up another 5 kilos, so you're squatting 8 for 30 kg.

Between each set, rest for at least 1 minute, but preferably two.

Do this with your deads as well. Add 2.5k plates on each side of your barbell.

And then in your next session, start at your 2nd set weight, and do a series of sets ascending in weight. As you get heavy, take more rest time between sets - up to 2 minuyes at these fairly light weights.

Hi.

I started last week so l have done two workouts so far.

I barely rested between each rep... literally about 30 seconds so I'll increase that

No, do each set of 8 reps smoothly. But rest between sets.

You should get to a level of effort that means that you can only just finish your heaviest set. So add weight on each set - around 5 kilos to start.

I agree it's not time in the gym, it's progressive overload. The last two reps should feel like failing, having to dig deep to get them. Then recover the next day and see those muscles get stronger!

Best tip for someone new to lifting, watch/listen to Mind Pump!

I'm gonna disagree a little bit. If your goal is to strengthen for running, I wouldn't be going to failure on squats and deadlifts. That would be very fatiguing and impact on your running. My focus is entirely on strength and I'd never squat and deadlift in the same session, and I'd not go to failure. Outside of competition I've failed a squat once and a deadlift never in 18 months. That would take too much out of me and risk injury. Which is even more what you don't need if running is your goal. I'd also only put weights up once you can do all 3 sets at that weight, with the last reps feeling challenging.

In terms of whether you're doing enough, I do less than that and it takes much longer than half an hour. Ignore the people staying ages, I'd happily do that just cos i'd enjoy it. Rest between sets. And if you're super fast it might mean you're not going heavy enough. But really I'd ask the PT as they know why they've programmed it the way they have.

Id agree with @RayKray Strength training to support running is going to be different to strength training as the main focus. Also the idea of adding 5kg a session is aimed at young men who have plenty of scope to build muscle, and given we're on Mumsnet I'm going to guess that you're not 21, full of testosterone and able to get plenty of sleep!

Deadlifts and squats in every session is ok in the very beginning, if you're doing light weight and learning the movement. To learn the movement and get to the point it feels natural, high frequency is good. However once you start adding more weight you'd usually do them in separate sessions as it's too much strain on the body otherwise.

Are you in a position to go back to the PT for a review?

Many thanks everyone. Really appreciate your input.

The PT wanted me to drop some of my cardio and lift weights instead.... obviously in a one to one session with him ££££££..... He said l do too much cardio .. and how he doesn't do any.

Being "muscle" fit only doesn't appeal to me at all... and the strength training is to compliment my running - which l did explain to him

In that case maybe look online for a programme for runners, or a different PT (if you can afford)

The job of a PT is to support you with your goals, not theirs! As long as you're not asking for anything dangerous, who gives a shit how much cardio he does? It sounds like shorthand for 'i didn't need cardio to get the body I wanted' and that he has no experience or even awareness of sports specific training.

Now I'm certainly not a coach, but if it's any help re what I've learned from this being a hobby - my advice would be to come up with two workouts and alternate them, if you're going twice a week. So you'd have squats in one workout and deadlifts in the other, and build up from there. Tbf all the exercises he's given you are good for adding strength in a time efficient way, which is what you want if it's to support another skill. In the longer term you might want to look into single leg exercises and movements like hip thrusts, not for the booty gains that most people do them for, but because single leg exercises in particular tend to have good crossover for running, and explosive power.

Keep in mind that you probably want lower volume and less time in the gym compared to other people, or what you might see online. Most online content and the fashion for women is for adding visible muscle, especially to legs. That's why people spend 90mins + in the gym. As a runner though you don't want to be adding a lot of mass, you want to be strong for your size.

Is your end goal based on running achievements or your body aesthetics?

That's a good question. I assumed that the squats & deads in the same workout had a specific reason, but as others have said, I'd never do them in the same session. But I lift heavy and only run about once a week.

Have a think about WHAT you want to develop in terms of strength. When I was running more, I had a persistent hamstring strain (weird because I am almost hyperflexible - hands flat on floor, splits etc). My physio said it was "weak glutes" - but that most people have weak glutes for what we ask of them.

So you could do quite a lot of work on strengthening glutes, but also keeping your hips strong and mobile, as well as working your posterior chain (back). For that lot, think about:

one-legged work: start with body weight & eventually weighted (hold dumbbells in each hand) - you can find good guides to all of these on YouTube.

• box step ups - make sure you put weight on the leg/glute which is stepping up, not the leg on the floor you're pushing off from - try to minimise that pushing off, actually! And try to lower really really slowly. This will kill your glutes.
• Split squats
• glute bridges: you can do with a barbell, or with your legs up on a Pilates ball (much harder in many ways)
• single leg squats - my physio taught me to do them standing on a low box, and hanging on to something for balance. Then just bend the standing knee and get as low as you can! It's hard.

I did all of these in "kneehab" - torn meniscus from running sprints (I was going at 14 kph, so feel it's a badge of honour) so they're good for quads and knees as well.

Also standard barbell squats & deadlifts will strengthen glutes, abs, and posterior chain. But if you're not getting out of breath or finding the top weight a challenge, I"d question what they're doing for you, frankly. If too much weight training feels bad for your running, cut your sessions back to twice a week, and include some conditioning work & some stretching.

I do a lot of Bosu ball balancing on one leg or balance board on one leg and then touching my toes (really good for control, intrinsic muscles in feet, and abs). Or try standing on one leg and closing your eyes. When you can do that, balance with eyes closed and touch your toes. I also do projectile stuff: jumping forwards, backwards, sideways.

Then stretch: typical runners stretches are really important and maybe include the hip stretch here:

Look at the alternating hip rotations at around 3:19 into the vid.

I think both really. I need to strengthen to compliment my running.... but I'd really like to loose the saddle bags on my outer thighs.

Many thanks, this was hugely informative.

My physio said my glutes and core are/were weak when l saw them in Oct '22. I'd injured my right thigh tendon and was given exercises like the ones you've mentioned.

I try and run 3 times, swim twice, body combat once and do the weights twice a week. I always stretch after exercise and warm up really well beforehand too.