Why Is Lifting Important?
This is me in 2002 after winning the Catalina Island Marathon. Catalina Island is located off the coast of California and it is an off-road marathon. The total elevation gain was 4,310 feet, hardest race I have ever done. Here is a fun article from Multisports.Com http://www.multisports.com/news/1016524800.shtml.
Looking back over the past 12 years of racing and working out, I realized that lifting weights is just as important as building your engine. Proud to say, my mom taught me how to bench press in 9th grade. I was so weak back then, I could barely lift the 45 pound bar. Then I played soccer at the University of Louisville in 1995 and we had to lift weights. I only played one year of college soccer and then tore my ACL,MCL, and meniscus in 1997. I bet that would not have happened if I had been lifting weights for a longer duration of time to strengthen my legs and improve my muscle imbalances. I realize now how "fringe" of an athlete I was.
In 2000 I moved to California and started running. When I mean I started running, I mean I started "over doing it running." I had the mentality that more was better and I never lifted weights. I ran an average 8 miles per day, 12 miles on Saturday, and 16 miles on Sunday. Wow, what a mistake! I couldn't even do 10 pushups, I could not jump or sprint at all. Running long distance decreased my functional movement efficiency which you truly need in life!
In 2003, I was running at the "Camp Pendelton Mud Run," and tore my meniscus again. I then moved back to Minnesota in 2004 and started doing triathlons. When I was running and doing triathlons, I had a weak posterior chain, poor flexibility, poor power, poor muscle mass, and poor anaerobic capacity.
Thank goodness, I ran into Lonie (my now husband) and we started dating. He has been lifting his whole life, but I was still not convinced that I should be lifting as well. It wasn't until 2010 that I started lifting like I should. Now, after lifting for 4 years consistently, I have never felt better!
Last year we joined a Cross Fit gym where we learned how to do perform the Olympic Lifts. The Oly's would be the clean/jerk and the snatch. If you have never tried Cross Fit, it is addicting. The competition between yourself and other people in your class is amazing!
Lonie liked olympic lifting so much, that he went and got his Cross Fit Level I Certification and his USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach Certification (USAW). Since Lonie has all this knowledge from his college degree in Physical Education/Fitness/ and Wellness and recent certifications, we decided to lift on our own. Now we are incorporating lifting and biking!
We typically bike 5 days per week and lift weights 3-4 times per week. Once the race season starts, we lift 1-2 times per week. Lifting has done so many great things for me. Here is a list of the advantages of weight lifting:
- Increased posterior chain
- Increased lean muscle mass
- Reduced cortisol
- Gained the ability to jump again
- Reduced muscle imbalances
- Reduced my chance of injuries
- Increased power out
- Longevity in the sports
- Eliminated knee pain through weight lifting
- Reduced chance of ending up in a nursing home!!!
- But, beware you must recover from all workouts!
- LOTS OF FUN!!!!
This is me at a Cross Fit gym last May dead lifting 243 pounds for a one rep max. I never could have done this in 2002-2010. Lifting heavy weights improves your speed and power. Don't worry women, you won't get big! You will build beautiful, strong muscles that you should be proud of! Dead lifting is crucial to increase strength in your posterior chain. Cyclists are quad-dominant, so it is imperative to work on your posterior chain as well!
Here is a link to Lava Magazine: http://lavamagazine.com/linsey-corbins-future-why-and-how-shes-changed-the-way-she-trains-forever/
Thanks for reading, lift heavy, and bike hard!
I Corinthians 9:24
Do you know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
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