Swim, Bike, Run...and Lift

[SwimBikeRun]

Hi All!

I just found Nerd Fitness recently through my favorite running blog, and it seems like it might be just what I've been looking for.

The rundown: 30 years old with a full-time career and a busy fitness/racing schedule as an age-group Olympic distance triathlete. I'm in pretty good shape, but I'm 5'10" and I've weighed between 147-153lbs since high school. I work out every day (sometimes a couple times a day), both swim/bike/run workouts and strength training at the gym, and eat healthy (though I probably don't eat enough), but no matter what I do I can't get bigger. My body's definitely changed and I've got stronger, but I'm ready to take it to the next level.

The goals:

1) Get moving immediately on accountability - workout and diet logs without the usual laziness!

2) Get up to 165lbs, still lean but totally solid (with all the training I do, my core/abs are not where they should be).

3) Learn barbell lifting and how to do it safely without a consistent gym buddy/spotter - advice wanted! (Right now I lift dumbbells, do a lot of body weight stuff, and use those awful machines).

4) Go full paleo on the diet front.

5) Level up - Find my dream apartment, move in, and make it a place I love to live.

6) By December, start training for my first Ironman - no excuses!

There's so much information and stuff going on in the forums, I'm not really sure where to begin, but here I am and I'm ready to go.

-SBR

[Tola Seng]

Hey SBR,

I've just recently joined the community myself, but wanted to say "hello." I think it's awesome that you're a triathlete and looking to compete in Ironman. I'd love to do that myself. I got into fitness to build up my strength and muscle size, but find myself increasingly wanting to do endurance type competitions.

I'd be glad to offer you help with your muscle building goals. Also I'm from Cali, but looking to move over to NYC sometime this summer!

[SwimBikeRun]

Hi Tola,

Thanks for taking the time to say hi! I did my first triathlon for charity, but it was such an amazing experience that I just got hooked. Definitely if you're looking to get involved in endurance training or racing, let me know if there's any way I can help.

As for my strength training, I think the main reason I don't get bigger is that I don't eat enough. But I also think I could be doing heavier lifting. I'm just really concerned about safety. I can do a few sessions with a trainer to make sure my form is good on the lifts I want to learn, but I don't want to pay for a trainer long-term. I'm just nervous to start heavy barbell lifting without someone I can count on to spot me. I guess first things first. I should schedule those trainer sessions, learn the lifts, and then figure out the rest. Any advice?

[Tola Seng]

Sounds good SBR, the closest thing I've done as far as endurance type training was that I use to compete in track and field in elementary and jr. high.

You're right, your diet will be key when you're looking to pack on size. Do you know how much calories you should be getting and your macro targets? Also, you probably wouldn't want to train triathlon at the same time. It would make building muscles all that tougher.

You don't really need to go that heavy to pack on size. I know there's a belief that low reps = size, high reps = definition. But in actuality, muscle hypertrophy is great at reps of around 8-12. But I believe a combination of low to intermediate reps are ideal. So, you can begin your training without going too heavy. You'd want to focus on the major muscle groups and do big compound movements to shock your CNS and start releasing hormones like testosterone and growth hormones. Exercises such as Squats, Deadlifts, Rows, Overhead Presses, Bench Presses. No need to worry about biceps, triceps, forearms, abs, etc.

You need a workout routine/split?

You're right tho, you want to avoid the machines and body weight. If you don't have the proper form down, a trainer would be ideal. But I've also learned alot from Youtube videos.

[andygates]

One of the big challenges for iron-distance training is just packing the calories in. My local Ironman seems to live on fish & chips.

[SwimBikeRun]

Right now I'm just training for a full season of Olympic races. Ironman will be next year. But I do feel I would see benefits in all three disciplines if I could pack on a solid 15-20lbs through my chest, core, and legs. I've got great endurance, but I need the extra strength to get faster. More calories is for sure a huge part of it, so I have to figure that out.

[Tola Seng]

SBR, hit me up with your current weight and I can give you a calorie/macro goal if you like.

[SwimBikeRun]

Thanks, Tola! I've run all the BMR and Harris Benedict numbers before, but I'm always looking for input from experienced people. I'm currently at 5'10" 149lbs. My guess is for the amount of weight I'm looking to gain and the level of my activity, I need to be somewhere around 3,500 calories. What do you think? And I could definitely use some advice on the macros levels.

[Tola Seng]

Hey SBR, I used the same equation for you and got around 3500 calories as well. I think that would be a good starting point and adjust as needed. For macros, I'd go 1.5g/kg for protein and carbs, and make up the rest in fats. If you want to do a clean bulk, my friend got really good experiences with this program: http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=811783