After taking a week off from my running program, I am back to training. The week off was not really as it sounds. My running continued but the distance I ran was cut down dramatically. Instead of increasing my mileage as I have done everyday that I ran, I reduce my mileage to 1/3 of what my last long run was. In this case my mileage was only 2 miles.
I took this time off from pushing myself to add another facet to my training. Weight lifting is now part of my training program. I have to say weight lifting is easy, as a beginner all I have to is learn how to lift, The weight being used is very little.
The idea for the next 8 weeks is to develop great form when lifting. Great form, will lead to less chance of injury when the weight becomes serious enough for injury to happen.
The first time most people lift weights they are surprised at how much they can do. Well rested muscles tend to be able to lift substantially more the first time. The problem that most people are not aware of is the pain that will follow lifting weights for a first time. This pain is enough to make most people not lift again.
Not lifting again because of pain is not how a person should start a weight training program. This is probably harder for guys than for women but the first couple weeks should be the bare minimum weight you can lift. Work on using good form throughout the whole lift each time.
The best part about lifting weights is the long-term calorie burn. Building muscle is always great for making your body healthy, but muscle will burn more calories than fat even if you are not doing anything. After a workout you can sit on the couch and continue to burn calories at a higher rate all day than if you just sat on the couch all day.
After a few weeks you will begin to notice how your clothes will fit slightly different. Muscle is much more dense than fat, and because of this your weight may not be reflected on the scale at first.
Half way through week 2 of weight training I looked in the mirror and noticed that I was thinner and more athletic looking. I jumped on the scale and noticed I had lost 3 more pounds. Muscles were beginning to show up in places that used to be covered only with the soft stuff.
I think next week we will increase the weight by 5 pounds.
