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Can You Train For A Marathon, Without Sacrificing Your Hard Earned Gains?

Jacked trainer Chris Nayna weighs in - by Scott Henderson
  • 02 Oct 2018
Can You Train For A Marathon, Without Sacrificing Your Hard Earned Gains?
Twitter/RossEdgley

Look, we're going to be blunt right up front; you don't see too many yoked marathon runners, and there is a reason for that. The nature of the beast and physical demands of an endurance event are extremely calorie reliant, placing enourmous demands on the muscles and energy systems required for such a prolonged period of exercise. Essentially, long periods of exercise require large amounts of energy, which are obtained from body fat. When these fat stores are depleted, the muscles are broken down for energy, making it hard to maintain mass.

On the other end of the spectrum you have muscle-bound lifters that dominate social media, relying on explosive power to build the muscle required for shorter bursts of work. They're big, they lift big, and they eat big, however their efforts are limited in duration, allowing for mass to be cultivated.

Unfortunately for endurance athletes, it's just how the world works... or is it?

Confusion arises when you analyse a new breed of athlete on the rise, the multi-sport athlete. Not content with success in one domain, these athletes are seemingly smashing expected physiological reactions to training.

Take the sport of CrossFit as an example, where athletes are expected complete heavy Olympic lifts, and back it up with efforts such as a 42km on the ski erg. Heavy lifting with literal marathon efforts, completed by weapons that only come in one size; jacked.

rossedgley View Profile
8,093 likes - View Post on Instagram
Swim GAINZ :-) After 23 days (and over 500km) LOTS of people asking me if muscle mass hinders endurance (both cardiorespiratory and muscular). My short answer: It's highly dependant on the sport. My longer answer needs FAR more explaining (topic for my @lborouniversity lectures?) BUT consider this... Studies show whether you're running, walking or crawling as soon as you add weight you burn more calories, according to scientists from the Chaim Sheba Medical g who found the additional weight leads to a, "Significant increase in energy (calorie) cost over time." What's more it's not just energy (bioenergetics) but research published by the European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology examined the influence carrying 10kg, 20kg and 30kg of weight had on the cardiorespiratory system (heart and lungs). After measuring oxygen uptake, heart rate and pulmonary ventilation they found, "Each kilogram of extra weight increases oxygen uptake with 33.5 ml/min, heart rate with 1.1 beats/min and pulmonary ventilation with 0.6 l/min." THAT'S ONE EXTRA KILOGRAM and I have found this to be true, running with fell racers 30kg lighter than me. So HOW did I swim 100km weighing 95kg whilst pulling a 100lbs tree? Firstly, swimming is not so strictly bound by the laws of gravity (plus the tree floats, so drag is the resistance). Secondly, could it be argued my muscle mass is an asset in long-distance swimming simply based on research from the Centre for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado that claim, "Glycogen (carbohydrate) storage capacity is approximately 15 g/kg body weight." Couple this with an understanding of the energy-yielding properties of fat, perfect biomechanics and a perfect pacing strategy and in theory what you have is the human version of a whale, capable of covering distances previously thought impossible. As you can imagine this gets far more intricate and needs further explaining, but i LOVE how the #GreatBritishSwim is becoming a testing ground for this & proving many of the theories proposed in #TheWorldsFittestBook (order yours through the link in the bio) | Tag friends & together let's change perceptions of our perceived potential

Likewise, adventure and ultra-athlete Ross Edgley, who is currently circumnavigating the UK by water... yes, he's swimming around the entire isle, and he is not a small lad by any means.

So how can you balance the demands of training for an endurance event, without sacrificing both functional and aesthetic muscle mass? We turned to a man with not only the intellectual know-how to back it up, but one who is a physical testament to his word, Melbourne-based Critical Care Nurse and PT at Train Station Fitness, Chris Nayna.

Currently preparing for a crack at the Medibank Melbourne Marathon Festival, Nayna is living proof you can have it all... if you approach your training and nutrition correctly.

MH: How can men train for endurance events, such as a marathon, in the gym with supplementary exercises?

CN: A supplementary exercise like strength training can be advantageous for marathon runners. It’s not only beneficial from an injury prevention perspective, but it can also make you a stronger, faster and more efficient runner. Focusing on compound (multi-joint) exercises that are more specific to running like hip, glute, calves and corset dominant work is a good starting point. Squats, deadlifts, walking lunges and planks are some examples of these. With stronger muscles, tendons and joints you will be more resilient to the demands of endurance running.

chrisnayna View Profile
991 likes - View Post on Instagram
Squad HIIT 👊🏻 Swipe 👈🏻 Circuit: 3exercises x 3sets per round. 👉🏻 30sec working 10sec rest. ▪️Round 1: Skipping. R-band Sumo deadlifts. R-band RDL's. ▪️Round 2: Skipping x10 each side. R-band push ups. Straight leg band walks. ▪️Round 3: Squat jumps. Mountain climbers. Lunge jumps. ▪️Round 4: Tire flips. Farmer walks. x2 push ups x2 shoulder taps. ▪️Extras: Walking lunges. Strict press. Feat. @lizlyons_ @mikenayna

In your opinion, is it possible to be fit and strong or is there a trade off when training for either outcome?

Well, it depends how you define fit. Take CrossFit athletes for example, they are trained across multiple components of fitness, e.g. strength, power, speed, endurance, coordination etc. In my opinion, being proficient across multiple domains can be challenging because of this ‘trade-off’. Physiologically speaking, when you train a fitness component specifically (e.g. strength, agility, speed, power etc), your body will adapt accordingly.

For example, endurance runners adapt very differently to power lifters in response to their training stimulus. This example demonstrates there is a trade-off depending on which training component is prioritised. This stresses the importance of training specificity (training that’s relevant to your sport or goal) so your physical adaptations favour your goals or sports performance, not hinder them.

chrisnayna View Profile
1,375 likes - View Post on Instagram
I've decided to make a late return to football. Missing a pre-season and 13 games means I've got some serious catching up to do. HIIT is preferable as it's short, sharp and effective. I'm taking my new @underarmourau #UAHOVR sonics for a spin. They're comfortable, lightweight, look awesome and are available at @rebelsport 🏃🏽‍♂️ Check out my story for my the full hill sprint HIIT session. #UAPartner

Can an athlete achieve muscle hypertrophy (growth) whilst simultaneously preparing for an endurance event? If so, how is this achieved?

It is possible, however training specifically for an endurance event, like a marathon, doesn’t favour muscle hypertrophy (growth of muscle cell size). Therefore, the athlete would need to undertake some form of hypertrophy favouring resistance training simultaneously whilst consuming adequate amounts of calories (and protein). Muscle hypertrophy training is typically 4-8 exercises with a moderate to heavy load, 3-5 sets, 8-12 reps with 1-2minutes rest between sets. If muscle hypertrophy is the goal and focus, it would be wise to seek professional assistance with programming to get the right balance between hypertrophy and endurance training.  

What would a day on a plate look like for you?

Nutrition for me changes depending on my goals. Once I have established a goal, I plan my daily meals to correspond with my calorie/macronutrient requirements, and repeat daily. Automating this process eliminates variables, minimises the guess work and saves time and effort. Currently I’m happy with my body composition, so I’m aiming for maintenance calories (approximately 3000-3200 calories and aiming for 200g of protein a day).

Currently my average day looks like this:

Meal 1: Coffee with milk.

Meal 2: Eggs, sauerkraut, beetroot, almonds, bacon, avocado.

Meal 3: Protein shake or bar.

Meal 4: Pre workout meal- Meat, vegetables, sauerkraut, beetroot and carbs.

Meal 5: Post workout meal- Meat, vegetables, sauerkraut, beetroot and carbs.

Meal 6: Super protein shake (blend, protein powder, cinnamon, turmeric, spinach and LSA mix)

Meal 7: Greek yogurt, blueberries and peanut butter.

chrisnayna View Profile
1,122 likes - View Post on Instagram
1,000 rep park session with the boiz @peterday__ & @dcn_electrical 👉🏻 100 reps of each 👇🏻 ▪️Hanging leg raises ▪️Squat jumps ▪️Weighted Walking lunges ▪️Ring rows ▪️Dips ▪️crossover crunch ▪️Chin up/pull up ▪️Kick sits ▪️Plyo split lunges ▪️Shoulder press

Similarly, what would a week of training splits look like for you, specifically when you were preparing for an endurance event?

My training remains resistance focused as I am running the ASICS 10km distance.                                                                    

Monday: Bodyweight Pull

Tuesday: Hypertrophy Legs

Wednesday: Bodyweight Push

Thursday: Hypertrophy Pull

Friday: Run + Mobility

Saturday: Hypertrophy Push

Sunday: Run + Mobility

For more from Christopher Nayna, check out some of his other work here.

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Scott Henderson
Scott Henderson
Scott is the Editor of Men's Health Australia, where he oversees all editorial content of the country's largest men’s magazine. As a fitness addict, adventure sport lover, and passionate story-teller, Henderson is committed to living the Men’s Health brand.

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