Interviews

Can you train for endurance sports and still look good naked?

I chatted with Rachel Cosgrove a few months back because she fascinated the hell out of me. Here was a triathlete who was competing in the triathlon world championships in Vancouver and who had also set a powerlifting record in the deadlift. Talk about two very divergent activities!

Rachel just wrote a great piece for Figure Athlete called “The Final Nail in the Cardio Coffin.” She talks about the her training for the Ironman distance race and how her body responded to the traditional endurance training protocol and how she had to change that training once the race was over so she could see her abs again.

What we have in play here are two mutually exclusive goals: being competitive in an endurance sport and looking good naked.

If your primary goal is to do well in endurance events, then by all means train as you should be training with a lot of long-slow distance activities and a few speed sessions judiciously thrown in the mix. However, reading the blogs of many endurance athletes and knowing dozens of others, I’ve found that a lot of people got into the game as a way to lose weight. While they may publicly acknowledge that they are seeking a path to test their mental and physical limits and to better know their “true” persona, they’re secretly hoping to lose a few pounds along the way…to look good naked.

If that’s the case, then why spend your winter months investing in a huge base if you are not planning on being competitive in your respective sport? Why not take three months and focus on that private goal?

Take a read on Rachel’s thoughts about this. I want to come back and talk more about the topic in the weeks ahead.

Related posts:

1. Rachel Cosgrove: Strength and endurance, part II Read part II of my interview with multisport athlete extraordinaire...
2. Rachel Cosgrove: Mixing strength and endurance, part I Meet multisport athlete extraordinaire Rachel Cosgrove. Not only is she...
3. REVIEW: So you want to train for your first triathlon After interviewing Rachel Cosgrove (click here to read part I...
4. Crossing the finish line looking like a figure competitor Rachel Cosgrove has a great blog post about training for...
5. Are endurance sports good for you? An older, but fascinating, story from the New York Times...

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