Workout Frequency

[katerinka]

Good Afternoon!!

So my father has registered me to do an event exactly 3 months from today. Granted, I've been wanting to do a run but I couldn't afford the fees right now, so I quite frankly havent been training for it... hardly at all. Bad me. Anyway, when I found out that my dad decided to pay my registration for my birthday in November, I am alittle panicked! I have three months to get ready!

I need to focus on running endurance & upper body strength. The strength is what lead me to this site. About ten years ago, I was a cross country runner so I know how to get back into training for the endurance. But I've never been very strong in my arms/back. I really need to work on it and I am determined to get myself up to par.

My question is, is it overdoing it to do running training & strenght training on the same days?
I read this thread -->> viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1950
Which lead me to believe it isnt overdoing it.
But how often should one work out? Three times a week? 2? If I do them together, should I just follow the plan here on simplefit & leave it at that, making it about three times a week & include my normal running workout?

I'd appreciate any advice! Like I said, I've never really been one for strength training & while I very much want to get my arms/back into shape, I don't want to push them too hard and end up getting nowhere.

[Bri3626]

What event are you doing? You training for an event in 3 months should be based solely on your ability to train for that event. Three months just isn't a lot of time. Now if you are planning a swimming event then swim, running event then run. If you want to crosstrain while training for the event thats perfectly fine but you need to be careful about losing site of the goal. For example if your trying to place in top 20 in a 5k then doing pullups pushups and squats for 3 months in addition to your training may or may not help you, and could hinder your ability to do well. Some will argue with me on this but I'm speaking about a prep time of three months, not prolonged training. For three months I would recommend training solely for your event. Thats personal opinion though.

If you are really out of shape and hoping that upper body strength training will improve a 5k for example then you might want to do a rethink. Having said that I've heard of crossfitters who have done nothing but crossfit and then do their first marathon running less than 4 hours. Personally I haven't found Simplefit in and of itself improve my run time, but I will say it has layered my foundation in fitness with a strong base teaching me to go past the "sticking point" or the point I just feel like quitting. Crossfit has improved that even more.

[DavidAguilar]

Well if you want to get cut your going to need to workout as often as you can, anyway if your average built I would concentrate on 3 cardio workouts for 30-45mins at medium-high intensity. And 2 overall body resistant training to help get definition. It would pay to run in the morning for ideal weight loss and makes you feel good for the rest of the day, just need to get dedicated !!!