A little long winded here, but this is my opinion. No, I'm not a trainer so take it all with a grain of salt.
I'm going to give you a couple ways to look at this. I've done a ton of training from olympic style sprint training to distance running over the last 25 years with a number of pro coaches at different levels/sports, and it's all different. It totally depends on what you're trying to achieve. My opinion is based on my experience, nothing more.
There are 2 ways I look at this. Looking fit, and actually being fit. The best advice I ever got was from a guy I trained with that also trained olympic sprinters. Get the body fit first. The pleasing aesthetics are a natural byproduct.
The fittest I ever looked was when I was swimming 1/2 mile 3 days a week, running 4k twice a week, and doing heavy weights in the gym a few times a week. Typical workouts were chest/tri, back/bicep, shoulder/calf, and a heavy leg day. You probably see the average gym goer doing exactly that.
The fittest my body has ever been was when I was doing 4 days of cardio (30 minutes per), one day of INTENSE interval training (when I say intense I mean to the point of vomiting) and 3 days of heavy olympic lifting. Heavy as in one rep lifts (squat, snatch, and cleans). The interval training was 30 seconds of MAX effort, 30 seconds rest. 2 rounds of 15 minutes, with a 5 minute rest between. The theory was your body can't handle more than one day a week of intense interval training, but can handle the cardio and the olmpic lift exertion. I was insanely fit throughout my entire body when I was doing this, and running a 4.5 second 40yd dash. It was tough to keep up with though, and required serious commitment. No booze, no garbage food. Not because you put on weight, but because you couldn't fuel properly, and you wouldn't make it through the strength or interval session. The trainers knew right away if you went on a weekend bender, and would berate you for it all week. It sucked.
Right now I'm a crossfit junkie, but even that has drawbacks. It's high intensity training for sure, but it is a LOT of metabolic conditioning with high output and short rest periods. I don't find that you get the same aerobic conditioning that I like, so I supplement it with a 4k run once or twice a week. I'm also a bit of a meathead and like to do bench press, so I do that once in a while as well. I also do arm curls, because I'm "that guy", but whatever. I notice the increase in measured performance with my cross training, and crossfit is great for recording those gains.
Find what works for you. Like someone mentioned, diet is the most important component, and it really is. Unless you train 6hrs a day you can't eat whatever you want because you work out. Try to keep it varied here too. There's a reason the ex overweight guy turned marathon runner still looks flabby......he doesn't condition the anaerobic system or do strength training (or he runs 40k and eats 4 big macs). Muscles provide strength, and you won't build muscles without weight training in some form. You also won't "lean out" without cardio sessions, so don't go lifting low rep heavy weights while neglecting your cardiovascular system.
Anyways, that's what works for me. I'm sure people will disagree, and I'm sure there are other theories out there, but at 39 years old I've followed that type of routine and managed to stay pretty fit my entire life. I've never done a crash diet, never done steroids, and never cheated. Just maintained a modest workout with a decent diet, and I'm pretty happy with my overall well being.
|