TacticalBarbell.com

I recently posted in the member introduction thread as I'm a new member to the forum.

What my question to you all is,

Not being to a great amount of E work in my program in finding it difficult to make my way into the longer E workouts in base building.

I'm currently in week 3 of base building and the thought of running for more than 30 minutes is a bad enough thought as it is, so anything longer than this is virtually impossible. Due to this I've been using a spin bike for my E sessions but in the back of my mind I just feel like this isn't the optimal way for me to be doing my E sessions.

Is there any advice anyone can give me to building up my endurance enough so that I can be able to run for the longer 60+ minute sessions?

Run between 120 and 150BPM (get a heart rate monitor to track this while you run). With this BPM you should be able to run for a long time - 2+ hours. You may have to just walk fast to reach that BPM, so be it.

utrinque wrote:Run between 120 and 150BPM (get a heart rate monitor to track this while you run). With this BPM you should be able to run for a long time - 2+ hours. You may have to just walk fast to reach that BPM, so be it.

Thanks for replying!

Maybe that's just what I'm gonna have to do...

Would you say that running/walking is the best way to increase my aerobic base or would cycling be okay too? As long as I'm within the BPM?

I remember a post on this forum of a guy wondering why his LSS runs weren't improving even though he was cycling lots. KB or J-Madd replied saying that if you want to get better at LSS runs then do LSS runs. I would get on the roads if i were you.

Have you read both books?

I love my cycling and swimming. Well, I actually sort of hate swimming, but I do a lot of it. Nevertheless, if I have to decided between running and any other mode of conditioning, I would take running. I've found for me at least, running carries over to everything thing else better, burns the butter better, and has the best effect on me psychologically. Now while I'm in Black and only doing 1 LSS every 2-3 weeks, I always make it a run (or fun run) and I try to do as many of my HIC as possible with some kind of running. If I need to cut my E to the bone, then I'm going to run.

If you have injuries, then you might need to take up other modes. I got into cycling in the first place because I was having injury problems. When I'm in a base phase, I do mix in swimming and cycling to keep from falling into over use problems. If you aren't as "high mileage" as I am now in my advance "maturity" you might not have that worry (yet!). [Keep in mind also, that ended my last base phase with a triathlon, so I had that priority too.]. In any event, taking the time to build a good endurance base and general competence as a runner will reward you ten-fold in the long run. (Pun intended!) As other posters have said, if you can't get beyond 30 min, consider slowing your pace and/or looking into a HRM (which practically will come to the same thing). Also, consider running for 30 min, and then adding minutes walking. There is also the option of doing "Triples" from TB2. That might be perfect for the OP's case. If I were in the OP's situation, I would probably do 2-3 30min runs/week and one 60 min (or more) cycling or rucking session/week. Mix in other modes to get more mileage, but still make becoming a competent runner your first priority.

In the same way that everybody wants to get to >15 pull-ups, 1.5 x bodyweight bench press, etc. as markers of solid strength competence, I really think we should treat running three miles in something like <24 min as a mark of general running competence that everybody should have a basic goal (even for recreational fitness people). I think that's a pretty solid mark that any healthy human being can probably get to over the long haul.

Weejoe wrote:I recently posted in the member introduction thread as I'm a new member to the forum.

What my question to you all is,

Not being to a great amount of E work in my program in finding it difficult to make my way into the longer E workouts in base building.

I'm currently in week 3 of base building and the thought of running for more than 30 minutes is a bad enough thought as it is, so anything longer than this is virtually impossible. Due to this I've been using a spin bike for my E sessions but in the back of my mind I just feel like this isn't the optimal way for me to be doing my E sessions.

Is there any advice anyone can give me to building up my endurance enough so that I can be able to run for the longer 60+ minute sessions?

Welcome to the forum!

First off, the Base Building template in TB2 is a standard template for people with an existing level of fitness, like soldiers trying out for SOF, or cops trying out for SWAT. That being said, you are given options to adjust the program to your needs. If running 60 minutes is not possible for you this time around, you don't have to do it. The minimums for each block are clearly stated, and as long as you do the minimums you're following the program. The minimum requirement for E during Base is 30 minutes only.

So just because a session calls for 45-90 minutes, doesn't mean you have to do it. You can do 30 instead.

If doing 30 is near impossible, moderator Grouchyjarhead created a "Pre-Base Building" template in the member articles section that builds you up a little slower, with 15-20min runs for the first few weeks. You can find that here:

http://tacticalbarbell.com/forum/viewto ... ?f=16&t=25


Couple other points;

1. If you're not training for anything specific, a spin bike or any other tool is fine. Base is mostly about adaptations to the heart, but specificity is important if you're training for something in particular.

2. Is it your heart/lungs or legs that give out when you try the longer runs?

3. Make sure you get a heart rate monitor. It seems to be a trend that people go faster than they should. For most, a Base LSS pace is slightly faster than a fast walk. You might be going too fast making it too difficult to sustain.

Thanks again for another reply!

Just back from the gym now and had an amazing workout! Read your post just before I left and took what you said and did it and the difference was night and day! My problem has definitely been my heart/lungs giving out before legs but I just slowed my pace right down and checked my HR every 5-10 mins (I counted how many beats there were in 10 seconds and multiplied by 6 to get a rough estimate since I don't have a HR monitor) and I managed to run the whole 50 minutes.

Ideally I run on a track but living in Scotland that can be a difficult task!!

Thanks!

The big thing for me in basebuilding was slowing down. You gotta go slow. Are you going slow? Nope - still too fast. For some of us it's excruciating. But along with the aerobic base you build, it is a fantastic ego-buster. Nothing makes you laugh at yourself more than getting passed by every sort of person while you try to stick to that heart rate zone.

Hey guys, I am on week 2 of base building and for week 1 of my LSS challenge I just went a little bit longer with my run = 40 minutes instead of the 30 minutes. Is that what the intentions of the LSS challenges are - to go a little longer then the previous two LSS days? Just wondering If I am doing it right as my LSS challenge day is coming up again in week 2 and wanted to see what my options were for the LSS challenge(s) .. Thanks all!