Winter is quickly approaching, which means it’s time to get back to the gym for some weight lifting. Defined Fitness offers FooMTB members a discount, so I go there. It’s a convenient location, and they have all the equipment I want to use. Otherwise, it’s pretty nasty. It smells funny, has a suspect clientele, and is run by kids. Boy do I sound old now…
I’m still following Dr. Ross’s workout plan, so I’m in the hypertrophy stage of weight lifting. I need some strength. I think this is where my primary weaknesses were this year with riding. I had to quit hypertrophy early last year. I had the double centuries to ride, and then I really injured something in the right, operated hip. This year I’m lifting safer. Just because I can lift a particular weight doesn’t mean I should. I think I was shooting for maximum pounds rather than good form, so form is my focus this year.
Along with Dr. Ross’s advice, I’m also following a little Hammer Nutrition advice for the weight lifting stage of my training. Hammer puts out a quarterly newsletter, and according to Issue 56, using Whey after workouts and both Whey and REM Caps before sleeping at night can help elevate my human growth hormone (hGH). Whey, when taken before sleep, enhances athletic performance and decreases recovery time (page 18 in the newsletter). The downside? You have to take your shot of Whey with ONLY water, about 4-6 ounces of it. I opt for 4 ounces since I think that straight Whey tastes like ass (of course I’m speaking metaphorically here). The less to drink, the better.
As for the REM Caps, I have a difficult time falling asleep at a decent hour, so I figured, what the heck, I can accomplish two things: fall asleep, improve my hGH. Apparently, these caps have 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and melatonin to knock you out for the night. I get more REM sleep, giving my body a boost in the stage of sleep where hGH is released (page 26).
Is it working? I don’t know. I’m still pretty tired the next day after lifting. My daily schedule is supposed to be: lift, ride, lift, ride, lift, rest, rest. Riding after a lift day in zone 3-4, shooting for some fat burning, leaves me with some twinges of cramping in the inner thighs, close to the hamstrings. This is exactly where I’ve been cramping after endurance rides this year. Regardless, I’m still giving this a shot.
I’m sleeping better!!
