Back on December 18, I wrote about strength training and how I was going to do P90X3. I had the best of intentions and a very compelling reason to try and incorporate a strength training program into my triathlon training.
According to "The Triathletes Training Bible"...
"...women in particular benefit from year-round strength training. Unlike men, women tend to lose muscle mass more quickly once they stop working in the weight room.
Most women duathletes and triathletes are relatively stronger in their legs than in their upper bodies. Especially in need of strength are the abdominal muscles and arms. This weakness impacts climbing hills when on the bike."
Unfortunately, I found it very difficult to incorporate P90X3 and my triathlon training. So I shelved it after a couple of weeks and tried to focus on my base training.
My New Strength Training Plan
As a Beachbody coach, I have had the opportunity to try out most of their workout programs. There are definite standouts and each program has its strengths and weaknesses. One of my favorites is Les Mills Pump...I don't know why I didn't consider this program sooner as part of my triathlon training.
Les Mills uses lighter weights (barbell) at a higher rate of repetition to create lean muscle not big, bulky muscles. On top of that, the strength training routines are only 3 times per week. It's hard to see in the calendar below, but on the first 3 weeks the weighted routines are Mon-Wed-Fri. This works perfectly with my schedule...Les Mills first thing in the morning, swim in evenings (Mon & Wed) and run on Friday.
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| Much easier to incorporate into my triathlon training |
Plan for Success
Working out first thing in the morning can be a challenge. I start work at 6am so I need to be up by 4am in order to workout, eat and shower. This really cuts into my screw around time...making lunches, picking out something to wear, playing Candy Crush! LOL
In order to be successful, I have to plan ahead. UGH. Not exactly my strong point. However, I am so serious about this endeavor that I am really making an effort. In fact, if I know I'm going to be doing a workout in the morning, I have started making our lunches the night before.
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| Today's lunch...prepared last night :-) |
More Info
Here is a short promo video about the Les Mills workout.
What makes LES MILLS PUMP so exciting?
- Beachbody® and Les Mills International teamed up specifically to bring to the world the best trainers, the best chart-topping music, and the best body-changing PUMP moves, so the same results can now be achieved at home that millions of people get in gyms every day.
- Done three times a week, this barbell-based rapid weight loss and accelerated strength-training program reshapes a person's entire body extremely fast!
Why is LES MILLS PUMP so effective?
- It's all about THE REP EFFECT™. Unlike traditional strength workouts, which feature heavy weights that bulk people up, this program features light-to-moderate weights used at a higher rate of repetition.
- The constantly changing tempo, body position, and speed of THE REP EFFECT breaks down more fat reserves, targets more muscle fibers, and burns more calories than traditional weight training.
What are the workouts like?
- Muscles reach fatigue by performing 70-100 repetitions per body part. That's about 4 times more reps than one would typically perform in a standard gym workout.
Do people really have to work out only 3 times a week? If they want, can they work out on other days too?
- We encourage anyone to engage in non-resistance training workouts (such as cardio or cross-training) on days that they're not doing LES MILLS PUMP.
LES Mills Challenge Pack Special (March 2014)
Message me if you are interested in learning more about Les Mills.
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