Limited growth is a relative thing. The intrinsic hand muscles are small but I suspect any type 2 fibers can hypertrophy there by fractionally as much as elsewhere. Absolute increase will still be small though. Not finding much about fiber type but interestingly apparently different portions in dominant vs non-dominant hand.
Plus most grip strength is provided by muscle extrinsic to the hand, in the forearm. Probably my hands feeling trashed is as much tendon attachments as anything else? Strong forearms is not just wrist flexion and extension.
Probably decreased endurance.
Interesting to try to think about which exercises and activities engage wrist extension muscles the most. Backhand in racquet sports. Swinging a bat. Steel club and steel mace exercises. Kettlebell swings. A fair amount of rings work even just to stabilize in static hold top position and dips. Lateral raises and that shoulder workout you detailed. Others? Certainly not many isolation exercises but maybe more than I would initially think, as part of compound movements?
Okay possibly not the ideal thread for this question but I really don’t think it deserves its own thread.
My youngest, age 22, is currently in Sweden doing an au pair gig and is starting to train for her first marathon: in Copenhagen May 5th. We are planning to visit her starting with meeting her to support her run a then spending time in Sweden with her.
I haven’t done a marathon in 25 years and my last tri was over ten years ago. I’m now 64. Still … I regularly run 6 to 7 miles once a week or so now and have been biking 45 minutes each way to work once or twice a week. So I have a reasonable aerobic base and plenty of time.
She’d be thrilled if I ran it with her. Even more thrilled to leave me in her dust I am sure!
Talk me in or out of this.
I’d keep strength training my one hour session weekly.
The biggest challenge is the long slow distance run getting up to two hours outside by end of January in Chicago. Bleh.
I suffer no illusion that this is better for my health than keeping up with my current emphasis on variety, probably will lose some strength that I’ve worked hard to gain, never planned on doing another marathon … but … Copenhagen … bonding with my daughter … did a half with eldest son a couple of years ago as he was training up for his first (and I am sure only) marathon (impressive as his thing is powerlifting).
It’s good to set goals and push yourself. So it’s not crazy to consider it. But you need to be realistic about the amount of work involved, the amount of time that would take, opportunity costs and the real risks of injury in doing such training (reducible with smart training, and a good place to run in the winter). If you did a half, you likely know all this.
I used to run lots of 10Ks but have never done a marathon - long distance running is not what I now personally enjoy, and I wouldn’t personally do it since I have other athletic goals. A few Dopers here were avid runners (though Scylla may have met Charybdis), and there are lots of decent books on how to train for a marathon (which you likely have read), I believe much of which involve doing frequent 5-10km runs with weekly longer runs. There might be a local running club to give you support. You’re looking at a big time investment, much of it in winter, so you’d want to be realistic about how much time and work, other priorities and how important a thing this is to you. Bonne chance.
I’m smarter than I was 25 years ago and appreciate that my rookie mistake was training too hard too often: the only time commitment above and beyond what I invest in exercise now is when the long run gets over seven miles a week. Once a week extra time. Not as bad as the year I did a half Ironman … but older now and need to respect recovery more.
Refreshing my familiarity with marathon training programs it must be noted that most of them strongly advise including strength training. They vary on degree of lower body emphasis from “only”, to just “mostly”… … but even with a pure endurance focus there is belief that strength training helps lower injury risk and improves running economy.
I have always really enjoyed going to the gym. The main thing that has always chased me back out again is the lack of fresh air. The HVAC is just never up to the task and the air is stale. I’m not talking about the smell here, I’m talking about the combination of exhalation and cleaning fluid making it feel like there’s not enough oxygen.
My daughter, a 22 year old woman, as mentioned, is currently living in Sweden. She has a gym membership is wanting to do some of her running on the treadmill there when weather is particularly bad. Problem is that one of the trainers there keeps hitting on her whenever she goes, hanging around and trying talk to her when she is running (conversation pace running). She is not interested, is trying to politely get that point across, but is having a hard time telling him more firmly to leave her the ef alone, that she wants to exercise in peace listening to her music (headphones are in place which should be a sign). She doesn’t want to seem rude. But she is starting to avoid going to the gym rather than deal with it.
Obviously she is not the only woman who has to deal with this. Any advice to me to encourage her to state it more clearly? I tried the “speaking as a clueless male, sometimes we don’t get things unless we are hit hard over the head” bit but she is still reluctant to tell him to just piss off.
Not a woman but the first thought that comes to my mind would be to invite some friend over for a workout and the friend can totally flip out on the guy and start berating him as a stalker freak.
My understanding of strength training for runners is that there is a focus on hamstrings, the key muscles and most likely to be injured. And prioritizing strength over weight gain.
I have run into chatty people at the gym when I just wish to workout and may only have so much time to do so. If it becomes too much, I just tell them I want to focus on my workout. With headphones it shouldn’t be difficult to get the message across.
Squat deadlift and lunge basically. Some throw in some core. Yes the serious runners don’t want to gain mass.
My goal OTOH is to avoid losing fat free mass, including upper body mass. Maintaining current strength would be nice. It isn’t like I have so much I can afford to give it up! And at 64 rebuilding after is challenging.
As to your experience with chatty people. I suspect the experience of an obviously strong man lifting heavy is different than that of a pretty young woman on a treadmill in a lower zone?
Given that outcome, I think she shouldn’t worry about being rude. Just be direct, as others have said. “I’m trying to focus on my workout.”
And although it probably doesn’t apply here, where the guy has already initiated conversation, I have a theory that a woman who wants to be left alone at the gym would do well to wear a t shirt and soccer shorts; it’s starkly different from the low cut and skin tight stuff that predominates, so I think it will help a person just fade into the scenery.
(I realize that it is pretty sad that a woman would need to dress specifically to avoid attention, but the opposite effect - men noticing women in very tight workout gear - definitely occurs. Many women feel uncomfortable when it does, and I suspect they could avoid unwanted glances if they wore more baggy attire)
She is not saying anything that direct. I’m trying to encourage her to. She seems to just be hoping and expecting he will get the message by her lack of engagement. She has instead made up up a serious boyfriend back home to discourage him. Frustrating for me as dad that she’s more comfortable with just avoiding going to the gym than saying that leave me alone man message in a very clear way.
One. I am not going to be the father who tells my adult daughter to dress frumpy to avoid attracting unwanted attention. If she is comfortable working out in yoga pants style outfits it is her call.
Two. She is an attractive young American in Sweden. For all I know the doofus just wants to practice his English. But she is identified by him as standing out from the scenery.
My comment was more spoken in the general sense. My specific advice to her is what others have said: be direct about “I’m working out right now.”
And I also agree that women should be able to wear what they want. And those short skin tight shorts, or other revealing clothing, are undoubtedly more comfortable to wear when sweating and straining than something more bulky.
But I also believe that an answer to the OP’s question (“why don’t you work out”) is answered by women who say that they don’t like to be leered at.
To that, I think a simple answer is to just put on a t-shirt and baggy shorts. It will cut down on the looking, if being looked at bothers you.
And if it progresses from being looked at to being talked to? That’s when you have to say something about not wanting to be distracted.
He is definitely hitting on her, which is bad form, but it sounds like she hasn’t given him any real reason to think she doesn’t want his attention. Some people really are just clueless socially.
I feel bad for her because I have been her. It doesn’t even have to be sexual interest, just unwanted engagement, and you have to find a way to be firm without hurting the other person’s feelings. I have not mastered this yet so it’s easy for me to say what she should say, but really I hate that feeling too. Some people will make you feel like a bad person no matter how kindly you reject them. And the sad truth is that many predators rely on that guilt.
I suspect most women could easily handle such a situation; probably commonly do. I can only say what I might do. Different norms exist in different countries and cultures. I know many personal trainers and most are professional. Many are chatty, some try to drum up business, there is no obvious reason not to assume good faith based on what has been said here. I’m sure she has options if she is uncomfortable, and more experienced people than I might elucidate those. It is probably more productive to start off with relative politeness, unless there is little ambiguity, such as someone who responds rudely to a polite but firm refusal. But you are right I cannot claim equivalent knowledge or experience, so can only suggest what seems reasonable to me.
I’m not as sure as you are that most women can easily handle it. My daughter is a strong self confident person. Outgoing and very skilled in people skills, much more than I am. Makes friends every where. If getting hit on drives her out of the gym then I suspect many other women would be in the same circumstance. Might not be lifting weights this time but odds are applicable.
… but even with a pure endurance focus there is belief that strength training helps lower injury risk and improves running economy.