Strength Training for Endurance (W1D2)

Last week I wrote about restarting my strength training program. Once again, I was able to get off to a good start, but didn't follow through the rest of the week.

I was planning to strength train on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of last week. I made it Monday, but was very tired on Wednesday, so decided to take a rest day. I had to push my Thursday run out to Friday, which meant I had to push my strength training out to Saturday, and that just didn't pan out.

So I ended up strength training one day last week!

Well, I am giving it another go this week. Today I completed Week 1 Day 2 of a beginner strength and conditioning program. The problem has three workouts per week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and continues for 12 weeks. After the 12 weeks you can either repeat the program, or move on to a 12 week intermediate program.

I am using an online training site that helps me to keep track of the workouts and also provides videos and detailed instructions to coach me through how to perform each workout properly.

The last strength training workout focused on the lower body. This workout focused on the upper body. I think the next workout will focus on the core, then circle back to lower body again.

I greatly enjoyed the workout today. I felt like I actually worked my arms and chest and could feel it after I was complete. I have modified the program slightly for endurance training. As as result, I am using a slightly lower weight with higher repetitions. I will adjust the weight each week as needed to ensure I exhaust the muscles by the end of the third set.

Just like anything else, I must get into a routine and that will help make my strength training a habit instead of the exception. I know the importance of strength training for endurance and will make it a point to stay at it.