Ultra running & Starting Strength

[Griffin727]

Just a question- what is it about ultras that appeals to you? I don’t run anymore now that strength is my goal but I do understand the appeal of going for a run which used to be my exercise of choice. But why not just a few miles at a faster pace? Ultras seem highly destructive on every aspect of fitness apart from the long slow plodding involved.

That was my thoughts to. I enjoy a 2 mile run or a few 400 meter sprints, but jeez 25 miles catabolic jog, no thanks.

[Chris Bias]

I get the addictive nature of trail racing and the lure to get more and more extreme, but it might be worth while to consider how this activity might align with your longer term health and fitness goals. A lot of research points to endurance activities actually being really bad for you, especially cardiovascular health. After a certain point (many sources state >60 min duration) overloads the ventricles and atrium. This overstretching of the heart over time contributes to decreased contractility in the ventricles which can lead to heart failure and create substrate in the atrium that allows for abnormal electrical conduction and lead to atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. If that’s not enough, arterial health of chronic endurance athletes tends to be on par with obese and/or sedentary individuals who do nothing at all and trash their bodies by consuming crap. You can google scholar endurance/atrial fibrillation/atherosclerosis or any combination of endurance/ cardiovascular detriments, etc to find an abundance of literature. I don’t intend this post to be a persuasive argument but rather a simple “heads up.”

[Martin Shenfield]

The solution to this problem is one that I am not endorsing. PEDs. I assume that ultra running is not tested.

As for the health issues, I do think that high level athletes do not think about their long term health. Or maybe they do and decide the chance at glory is worth it.

[Maybach]

Man, lots of things are bad for you. I get that this is a "fitness" forum but let's not break our arms jerking ourselves off.

[Nick Delgadillo]

Hi Rip,

I compete in 72 hour trail races. This year I placed fourth at 188 miles. My goal for next year is to get more than 200 and to get a top three placing. Given my goals, should the program be modified? I just recently started lifting.

Stats:
Bodyweight: 131 pounds
Height: 5’7
Squat: 100
Deadlift: 150
Press: 50
Bench: 95

I am in my “offseason” which means running 60 miles a week. Even getting to just these small strength numbers (I could only get 6 reps in the squat with just the bar at first) has gotten rid of my joint pain.

Thank you, and I love your podcast!

I have a client in her 50s who's a retired ultra runner. She still regularly goes out and paces for people during long distance trail run competitions and will run ungodly amounts of miles just for fun. She's 104 lbs, rack pulls 285, deadlifts 250, and presses 105 lbs having started barbell training just a few years ago. She commonly tells me that she would have been so much better off spending some focus on getting stronger during her competitve days as she regularly outpaces her friends who are still competing and dealing with nagging injuries.

You're an athlete. Try training like one. You almost certainly don't need to run as much as you're running if you learn how to train productively. You're likely approaching your training like a hobbyist, and you just happen to be good at it. If you increase your force production baseline significantly, you'll get better.

I'm definitely not proposing that you stop running for any amount of time, but you will be able to get away with less mileage if you do things right. You won't forget how to run.

[Jason Donaldson]

Good question! For me it’s the journey. It feels like I live years worth of experiences in relatively short time.

And it also provides a goal/direction to strive towards.

For what it's worth, I have very, very similar experiences training under the bar, as do many other folks.

I do understand that people are different, however. (De gustibus non disputandum est, as the Latin saying goes.)

But if you take Nick's comment about training like an athlete to heart, you may just find that you experience another aspect of that dynamic with the iron that you do on the road.

[Chris Bias]

Man, lots of things are bad for you. I get that this is a "fitness" forum but let's not break our arms jerking ourselves off.

You’re right, but a lot of things are obviously unhealthy while chronic endurance training is most often misunderstood as being the polar opposite.

[mpalios]

Just engage with a SS coach. Pay them for 3-4 months. Will be the best money you’ve spent.

I’m completed 2 IM triathlons and many 1/2’s. Different animal than your ultras, but in the same realm. Wish I had a coach 15 years ago when I was hot and heavy into races.

Good luck.

[AndrewLewis]

Good question! For me it’s the journey. It feels like I live years worth of experiences in relatively short time.

And it also provides a goal/direction to strive towards.

Ultra running sounds like it feels a lot like working a double shift at the steel mill. It feels like multiple days have past. There's a sense of victory and accomplishment as you finish and know you can go home. You're fatigued and deprived with a general euphoria brought on by delirium.

[Maybach]

You’re right, but a lot of things are obviously unhealthy while chronic endurance training is most often misunderstood as being the polar opposite.

Yes, but we're not dealing with a clueless cardio bunny. We're dealing with a competitive athlete. They aren't doing this because they 's good for them. They're doing this because THEY are good for IT.