legs tiring very quickly

Morpheus

hi all,

just wondering what muscles do i need to work on to stop my legs getting tired.

was at football and doing sprints last night, between circuits we were getting a minute and a half to recover but my calves felt like i had cables lashed around them and my quads seemed so full of lactic acid that they might explode! was struggling to complete the drills.

I do a lot of running but not at speed and the sprints last night was a bit of a shock to the system. Have noticed though since starting to jog / run with weights that calves tire very quickly esp on uphills. other than the running itself what else can I do here?

Am a member in a gym and go 2 - 3 times a week. Ive been out of football for a couple months due to injury but kept working in the gym. Didnt really do much on my legs admittedly but was jogging then running between 5 - 10 km once a week and probably 2 - 3 km twice a week and thought thatd be enough.

any tips greatfully appreciated.

Canis Lupus

Weight training won't really do much, you'll get some benefit from low weight high reps but the best answer is.... do more sprints Work fartlek sessions into your running as well and over time you'll get better.

Mellor

Morphéus wrote: »

just wondering what muscles do i need to work on to stop my legs getting tired.

I know you are looking for some other excercise that will help, but there isn't one.

If you want your quads and calfs to cop better with sprints, you need to train your quads and calfs with sprints

Hanley

Your legs gave up on you because you haven't done that sort of training in months.

Jogging means very little - totally different energy systems at play (aerobic versus anerobic). The lactate burn you felt is a result of the by products of the energy being produced to do those repeated sprints. It's not something that's required on the same level for jogging, and since it's only produced in tiny amounts then, your body can buffer it away leaving your lungs, and not your legs being the first to go.

Gym work will do very little - most people work their legs in isolation anyway and certainly not at a sufficient intensity to get in any kind of sprinting shape.

Basically, your legs will be fine. Just train more and get your sprints in. Each session will get it easier. It takes a hell of a lot longer to build fitness than it does to regain it after a lay off.

Morpheus

Ok, thanks for the tips, will introduce some more sprints to my program outside of the regular football sessions! Finding the same problem with running backwards being the major lactic acid builder.

Heres another one.

In the army we have to do a fitness test run with backpacks, I became quite interested in this and then took part in a competition run in the UK.

In the Irish army fitness test you must complete 10km carrying a 32 pound backpack in 90 mins or less in the Phoneix Park.

In the UK the course was just under 11km carrying 36 pound backpack and unlike the phoenix park it was up in the scottish highlands and obviously NOT flat! 2 huge hill climbs and 1 massive downhill involved.

winner ran the whole thing in 47 mins!!!!!

I managed a respectable (NOT last) in 70 mins.

Does anyone here run with backpacks with weights and if so what is the best way to train for this? I couldnt run the whole course I had to run / walk / run / walk which saps your energy, will and destroys any hope of pacing yourself. Am doing chest press, Shoulder Press, tri dips, lat pulldowns, and some free weights in the gym the last couple weeks to build up my upper body strength (for carrying) a bit. but need a decent running program..

heres what ive proposed - couple weeks running in the hills to get my 10km time down to what it is on the flat (fastest ive done on flat is 44 mins), then ill begin running in combats and boots without weights and get the time down again. then introduce a backpack with 5 - 10 pounds and get time down again, then increase the weights over the weeks / months and keep pushing my time back down.

is this a sensible approach or not? have spoken to one or two army PTL's but they had conflicting views outside of the gym work.

Morpheus77

Weights doesn't help you too much but you can try 3 times per week HIIT High Intensive Interval Training for 15-20 minutes: switch 2 minutes of jog 1 minute of run, you will see difference very quickly.
And for quicker recovery (Mellor will not agree with me :-) ) you can sip quick carbs (or carbs plus bcca's) during workout best will be Vitargo which is going straightway to the system.

Hanley

Morpheus77 wrote: »

Weights doesn't help you too much but you can try 3 times per week HIIT High Intensive Interval Training for 15-20 minutes: switch 2 minutes of jog 1 minute of run, you will see difference very quickly.
And for quicker recovery (Mellor will not agree with me :-) ) you can sip quick carbs (or carbs plus bcca's) during workout best will be Vitargo which is going straightway to the system.

3 HIIT sessions on top of his football training having come from doing nothing other than jogging and some weights work?

How long should he keep up HIIT for?

Should his intervals always be the same, or should there be inbuilt progression?

Should each day be to the same intensity?

I know what you're getting at, but if you're going to try and get specific, just giving some blanket recommendation isn't really going to cut it!!

Morpheus77

Do HIIT on your non footbal training days -not on the top of football training!!!
You can swap regular jogging with HIIT 15-20 minutes of HIIT is the same like 30-40 minutes of regular jogging.
Do it 2 to 1- 2 minutes jogging 1 minute sprint; for begginers can be 2 minutes walking and 1 minute of jogging(running).
After few weeks you will find out that you are able to increase speed or add some incline (if you are running on treadmill) or if you are running outside you will be able to make slower part shorter and faster part longer.
I hope that is more accurate

Mellor

Morpheus77 wrote: »

And for quicker recovery (Mellor will not agree with me :-) ) you can sip quick carbs (or carbs plus bcca's) during workout best will be Vitargo which is going straightway to the system.

No actually I wouldn't, bit would be fine for this guy.

The fact that you said this shows you still don't understand why I disgreed with you in the other thread. You are dishing out blanket info, one glove fits all.
One guy is trying to lose fat and the other tp increase his sprint ability. You can't see how there is a difference in goals and there a differnce in training required here.

Theresalwaysone

Having played football pretty much forever this sounds like preseason/Season layoff weakness.

Sprints, BW Squats/Burpees, and yes, jogging (more for endurance) will be perfect for this. Like Hanley said, it'll keep getting easier until you feel you're match fit.

Jambo221

You might want to try focusing on how you breath while running, make sure you've got a good airflow going, I find a 3:2 breath out:in per step ratio works great for me. Start off slow until the pattern becomes second nature, it might not solve all your problems, but no harm to give it a go.

Morpheus77

Hi Mellor
First of all english is my second language so sometimes I have problems with it, next is that if you want me to write full explanation I will have to write articles not only short answers- if about reduction I only write about around training time, how to loose fat not muscles - next important thing in fat reduction is rest of the day-your diet.
I think that my answer fot sprint ability is perfect. I know that HIIT is used in fat reducing programs but firstly was used to increase running ability, because is stimulating both kinds of muscle fibres.

Mellor

I have no problem with the advice you gave here. I'd agree with it.
But you felt the need to mention my name and make a silly comment for no reason.

I disagreed with you in the other thread. Because the goals were different. You've clearly taken this personally, it wasn't meant to be like that.
Short answers are fine, as long as they are suitable to the OP. (other thread, not this one)

Maars

There is a bit more to mountain running than just being fit enough to run up and down hills. The fastest person in a track 10k would not necessarily win a 10k mountain race. There is a very technical aspect to route selection on the ascent and a big combination of ballsiness and skill on the decent...then you need to get to grips with doing all that with other runners around you.
There is an Irish Mountain Running Association ( http://www.imra.ie/ ) which has plenty of races you could get some practice in.
I'd be inclined to get good at mountain running first then introduce the weight.
Have a search over on the Athletics/Running/Triathlon forum for some stuff on mountain running.