Lifters, do you lose athleticism?
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tgh1914
Posts: 1,036 Member
Or do you care anyway? The more I've dedicated myself to compound lifting with goals of gaining strength & size, it seems the more I've lost some of what I used to aspire to the most. I completed a year of StrongLifts 5x5 about 7 months ago & have been doing Wendler 5/3/1 since (which has me dedicating one gym day to one major lift + assistance work). Over the last couple years I've abandoned P90X, for the most part abandoned jogging/running (really need to start wind sprints again), and I limit myself to one basketball session a week. This is basically all for the sake of not overdoing cardio & giving my body the recovery it needs for muscle growth.
Unfortunately I can now really notice a decline in my overall athleticism - things like lateral quickness, turning on a sprint, flexibility, leaping & overall endurance. Of course, I suppose I could blame age for this too, but that's my last resort. These are things I do care about & am trying to figure out how to best incorporate some things into my week that at least let me maintain athleticism w/o interfering w recovery too much.
Any ideas? Anyone else go thru the same thing?
Unfortunately I can now really notice a decline in my overall athleticism - things like lateral quickness, turning on a sprint, flexibility, leaping & overall endurance. Of course, I suppose I could blame age for this too, but that's my last resort. These are things I do care about & am trying to figure out how to best incorporate some things into my week that at least let me maintain athleticism w/o interfering w recovery too much.
Any ideas? Anyone else go thru the same thing?
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I ditched running in favor of weights. FWIU, if you are doing cardio on your days away from lifting, then you are all good. So lift one day and play basketball the next. Most athletes lift AND do their sports as well, so I see no reason to abandon the sports, especially if you enjoy them. Added strength gained from muscles should aid you in the long run with most sports.
If you are losing flexibility, then stretch at home when you are watching TV, reading, checking your cell phone. Lateral quickness, sprints, etc-maybe add in some drill time before a basketball game actually starts. Or do 1 day as a game, the next off day from weights as a drill day.
I'd do something like this:
Monday-Weightlifting(not sure if you do full body or splits-I'm not familiar with the Wendler)
Tuesday-sprint drills/lateral quickness drills
Wednesday-Weightlifting
Thursday-basketball game
Friday-Weightlifting
Saturday-OFF
Sunday-Alternate weightlifting and endurance training0 -
seems like lifting adds to athleticism in general. but pro body builders definitely sacrifice athleticism for those builds. i guess the question is where on that spectrum does the loss of athleticism start.0
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if u dont practice speed u loose speed, if u dont practice agility u loose agility, if u dont practice strength u loose strength. train 4 what u want.0
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I haven't. But my training is quite varied. I've lost the ability to run very long distances like I used to but I also don't care about that anymore. Not unfit but less 2hr type cardio fitness.0
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i don't , i do heavy weightlifting 4 times a week and also do parcour/freerunning 2 times a week0
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simliar here to chris. i can still run 5km. but anymore would kill me to death. lol.
i am faster over a short distance though, eg sprints. 20-100m. way quicker off the line...0 -
if u dont practice speed u loose speed, if u dont practice agility u loose agility, if u dont practice strength u loose strength. train 4 what u want.
^^^^^ This. I am in the same boat. I used to run a lot and was trianing for a marathon. I picked up weights, and now only do sprint intervals once or twice a week, and low intensity cardio while I am cutting for a competetion. Otherwise, no other cardio. After doing this for over a year, I am stiff and inflexible. I am adding stretching and pilates to my routine to combat this. As for side to side and jumping....I did a session of Insanity the other day and was slow and sluggish in movements. So, I do think it takes away from your overall athleticism.0 -
I def hear ya on this. I lift either 4 or 5 days per week and am trying to gain lean mass (and seem to be struggling to do so). So I know that recovery/rest is a high priority. That's what's kept me from doing these other things.if u dont practice speed u loose speed, if u dont practice agility u loose agility, if u dont practice strength u loose strength. train 4 what u want.
I'm thinking maybe I can use one of my two off days to do some intervals/speed training (only after an upper day) and some yoga.
Appreciate the feedback!0 -
Train for what you want, for sure! Agreed! To be honest, I train now for pure aesthetics and to feel good. After I hit 30, I just didn't have an interest in being the fastest/strongest. Being in the gym, for whatever reason, will still keep me more athletic than those that flat give up. I suppose it is a trade or concession to "maturity". lol0
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If being an athlete is your primary focus, then maintain the conditioning required to keep doing the things you like to do.
Wendler even reccommends doing a few conditioning workouts each week. Run hills or push a prowler.0 -
I combine my heavy lifting with plyometics and cardio. I don't necessarily want to get big but I do want strength, speed, agility and overall fitness. I'll sacrafice bulk and long dist cardio endurance to get that. Although I do run on the treadmill for a few miles.0
