In need of some critical input

[ama55]

Greetings,

I've been trying for a number of months now to design a good work out that fits my needs, is enjoyable, and produces results. I've had a couple of goals:
1)To increase endurance to compete in a Sprint distance triathalon
2)To not gain muscle, but rather lower my body fat % to produce a more fit look

The way I've been doing just isn't working and I've come up with something new and I'd like to know if this'll work.
-Do cardio 6 days a week, 2 days of running 3.1 miles, 2 days of swimming 500 yards, and 2 days of biking 12 miles
-lower calorie intake to somewhere around 1500-1900 (an online calculator says that I burn somewhere around 2700 calories a day)
-Muscular endurance workouts, consisting of pull-ups, push-ups, dips, and some boxing

The thing I need help with is 1) I would like to know at what reps and sets I should be doing my muscular endurance workouts 2) am I working all the main body parts with this workout? 3) What, if anything, should I add or take away from this to produce a leaner look?

Thanks for taking the time and look at this!

 

[oicdn]

I would suggest looking at the running subforum since you're training for a running event.

Most of the people in there train specifically for running, so they'de be better to assist you.

The best way to train for what you're doing is to do it. So if you're going to say be running a 3 mile run, run 4-5 miles. If you're training for a specific triathlon, find out what/where it's going to be, and train along those guidelines and or in those specific places.

You can always do exercises and changes to things that help whatever it is you're going to do. But nothing replaces the actual physical activity you're training for.

 

[tcajim]

Sorry, but change a lot

With all due respect... you are really overtraining, way, way too much and not allowing your body to rest when it comes to the running. Of course, that is my opinion, and I am only one person.

To start with the running element of the sprint triathlon... logging miles is not going to make you faster!!! Trust me, it won't help your speed. Here is my personal example of when my friend challenged me to this concept. This type of training is also documented, tried, tested and proven. You just have to find the article... I have, which backs up what I write below. Our challenge to each other: we decided to race a 5k. He ran, and still runs 5 days/week, between 4 - 5 miles each day. I ran 2 days/week, no more than 2.5 miles per workout - totalling 5 miles per week. I won. Don't get me wrong.... he still ran a fast pace for him, his best. I ran 20:20, he was something like 20:40. Now for those who are 'runner's this time sucks. We both are not ' runner's, but I weight around 180, he was about 190. Oh, I should mention that I bench nearly twice my body weight. And I'm clean, not on steroids, etc. To run faster and have more time to rest... you need to do interval training at or near 100%. I divided the 3.1 miles into 1/2 miles and repeated them as fast as I could for five repeats. I rested after each 1/2mile until I was pretty well recovered, and repeated. You won't get faster unless you run near your fastest. As many articles I've seen say, if you run your race at 70% of you 100%, and you want to run your race faster, increase your 100%, THEN TRAIN AT OR NEAR YOUR 100% SO IT INCREASES. Not by logging miles below your 100%.

Soo.... all this means: Divide your total distance of running by 5 or 4 or 3, run that as fast as you can, rest until a near full recovery, then do it again until you run the race distance. About every three weeks, maybe two weeks, decrease the amount of rest you need. Trust me, trust me, trust me... I did it, and there are studies that prove it with experienced marathon racers who did interval vs. 'mile logging' and increasing tempos. Increasing tempos still are sub 100%... you are not going to get the results as pure interval training..... plus the days of rest are significantly more.

Biking.... my assumption is the same.... divide that distance into 3 or 4, go 100% and rest to full recovery, then repeat. What people have a hard time believing is that endurance will not be there.... well.... it is. You are still completing the full distance!! I know this sounds bad, but you are doing it at 100%!!! Versus at 70% in one run or bike. There is a finish... and the first one to cross it first wins... to mean the fastest person wins.... not the one who can run for another four hours.

The swim... not my area of expertise... sorry.

The bike.... yeah the speed/interval article tells the same story.. and I know it works for the run. Again, it was tested by 36 people. They competed in an 800 meter run, and a 10K - before and after the training cycle. The interval people increased their 800meter time by nearly 11 seconds, and their 10k time by more than 2 minutes!! The mile loggers were about half that!!! Oh yeah, the interval trainees only ran two days a week!! Seriously.

Interval training for on the ground!!