hey y'all --
here's something i've been thinking about: for those of us who do a lot of cardio (30+ minutes/day, 3+ times a week) and also weight train, do you spot train the muscles you use for cardio? that is, if you run, do you also do leg presses, ham curls etc. at the gym? and if you do, do you work your legs as hard as you work other body parts that you don't use for cardio?
i alternate between (a) treating my legs like any other body part, and working them hard with weights and lunges and squats and (b) thinking that i use them so much for cardio that my poor knees and thighs and calves could use a break. i can figure out if i'm being (a) neurotic or (b) lazy!
what do you do?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
cardio & spot training?
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5 comments:
hey p,
I don't think you're being neurotic but I do think you are over-working your legs (esp. your knees). I think of my running as a "two-for" so I only occassionally do major leg work at the gym. My ankles are really weak so I tend to do a lot of ankle-strengthening stuff like balancing on one leg while I do bicep curls or balancing on one leg to touch a row of dumbbells standing on end. I worry about my knees and hips and lawd knows I ain't no spring chicken no more! I don't want to have to have everything "re-built" later on cuz things are almost never the same afterwards with regards to your physical capabilities.
well, i rarely work my legs with weights. They can get so bulky so quickly...and finding a good pair of jeans to fit is hard enough for those of us with a little "junk in the trunk" and muscular thighs. so when I go to the gym I only do the cardio machines that involve the arms and legs...
What does your body tell you?
I've been doing so much free weights/multiple muscle groups things, I don't know that I can weigh in specifically. Because they can rely heavily on the large muscle groups of the legs, I tend to amp it up or down depending on how I feel.
It seems to me, though, if you're doing a lot of cardio, and you're doing yoga regularly, you don't necessarily need to specifically train your legs (except, as Kev says, working some of the smaller stabilizing muscles).
Kev, I just did a good stabilizing thing you might like--it's the first move in the Self Challenge strength training. In short, hold one dumbell (10+ lbs) at your chest (holding one end in each hand), lift a leg about 6 inches, point your toes & trace the alphabet with it. Switch for one rep...
Thanks, Kath! I LOVE it! Talk about feeling the burn! : ) Do you do cursive or block lettering? ; )
I've tried both--I think cursive is easier, and goodness knows my toe writing is not nearly as neat as my handwriting!
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