I’m a discus, weight and hammer thrower on a track and field team. We throw and lift year round so I’ve got a toned, muscular build. We lift Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the morning for most of the year and throw five days a week of average 25 throws (one event per day) at practice in the afternoon.
A lot of people lift weights to get muscle definition and tone; I’ve already got that. I’m not overweight, but I’ve got enough body fat that it takes away from my athletic build. I used to jog and do cardio often (4-5 days a week) for extended periods of time in high school but my coach wanted me to stop when I got in college. I’m almost too small to be a NCAA thrower so he doesn’t want my body weight to get too low. That’s why I got taken away from the shot put event; I’m smaller and fast therefore better for the speed events rather than shot where it helps to have a lot of mass behind you. I don’t necessarily agree with him on this one because I feel I was in better physical condition and quicker in high school than I am now.
I can do shorter cardio sessions; just not the hour-long jogs or bike rides I used to do. I still 2-3 days a week of 20-30 minutes on the elliptical or jumping rope. I’m trying to eat better too. I’ve pretty well eliminated the processed junk food and the fast food. The next thing on my list is getting rid of the diet sodas.
I’m looking for any advice you can give me to help improve my physic that also won’t break down muscle mass as I need to stay strong for throwing. Advice such as when to add the cardio to a time that won’t harm my gains from either practice or throwing. I can always use nutrition tips as well. I’m trying to set up a schedule that will allow my muscles to rest and rebuilt but also be able to have a time to work on fat loss. I’ve got the muscle, if I lost the extra weight I’d look more fit and athletic. The muscle isn’t always a good thing; since I’ve got more than average females it makes me look bigger especially if there’s fat over it. Thanks for your help.
A lot of people lift weights to get muscle definition and tone; I’ve already got that. I’m not overweight, but I’ve got enough body fat that it takes away from my athletic build. I used to jog and do cardio often (4-5 days a week) for extended periods of time in high school but my coach wanted me to stop when I got in college. I’m almost too small to be a NCAA thrower so he doesn’t want my body weight to get too low. That’s why I got taken away from the shot put event; I’m smaller and fast therefore better for the speed events rather than shot where it helps to have a lot of mass behind you. I don’t necessarily agree with him on this one because I feel I was in better physical condition and quicker in high school than I am now.
I can do shorter cardio sessions; just not the hour-long jogs or bike rides I used to do. I still 2-3 days a week of 20-30 minutes on the elliptical or jumping rope. I’m trying to eat better too. I’ve pretty well eliminated the processed junk food and the fast food. The next thing on my list is getting rid of the diet sodas.
I’m looking for any advice you can give me to help improve my physic that also won’t break down muscle mass as I need to stay strong for throwing. Advice such as when to add the cardio to a time that won’t harm my gains from either practice or throwing. I can always use nutrition tips as well. I’m trying to set up a schedule that will allow my muscles to rest and rebuilt but also be able to have a time to work on fat loss. I’ve got the muscle, if I lost the extra weight I’d look more fit and athletic. The muscle isn’t always a good thing; since I’ve got more than average females it makes me look bigger especially if there’s fat over it. Thanks for your help.
