Surviving Ultra

Because DFL is still an accomplishment

Tag: weight-loss

  • Macrofactor

    One of the things I encountered over the course of my last two training blocks is that the additional running really upped my appetite and I suspect I was at times over compensating in the calories I was consuming as I gained a few pounds.  While some of that weight was additional muscle mass from the max strength days in both the Tactical Barbell Base Build and the MTI Max Strength + 6 Mile Run programs (my lifts went up a bit in both) not all of it was.  Furthermore, my speed and endurance would probably benefit from a bit of a cut, but in cutting I’d like to ensure that my macros are on point to minimize any muscle loss. 

    In order to achieve this, I decided to give the app Macrofactor a try.  When you first set it up you fill out a questionnaire that it uses to estimate your TDEE and from there you “weigh-in” periodically to track your progress.  Based on your weight changes it learns how your metabolism works and updates your TDEE.  Your learned TDEE is than viewed in the context of a cut, bulk, or maintain goal and the app gives you a breakdown of the macros and calories you should be consuming to meet that goal.  It readjusts these targets every week to account for any changes to your TDEE. I like the way it calculates a trend weight for these calculations that smooths out the noise seen in scale weights from the daily weigh-ins. 

    I’ve been using the app for a couple of weeks now and seems to be working well.  Logging food is less painful than I thought it would be and the act of logging alone I have found extremely informative and beneficial.  Seeing the nutritional breakdown of certain foods has definitely helped to pinpoint some unexpected areas for improvement and I find seeing the numbers makes me more likely to hold myself accountable when I’m pondering that extra cookie. 

    The recommendations on calorie intake seems to be in a sustainable range as well and performance has not suffered when following their recommendations so far. I’ve also managed to drop about a pound (trend weight) in my first two weeks of using the app.  I think this app was a great find and I’m looking forward to using it keep nutrition in line to support my strength and endurance goals. 

  • Burpee Ladders

    While trail running tends to be a largely aerobic activity and burpees can rapidly turn into an anaerobic one, being introduced to ultrarunning through Spartan races, you can’t help but form a love/hate relationship with the burpee.  Burpees feature prominently not only in Spartan inspired workouts, but also as penalties for failing an obstacle (although penalty loops have become more common in recent years).  Burpees have long been a staple of my training and burpee ladders in particular are a go to when looking for an intense HIIT workout. Burpees are something I find:

    1. Help build explosive power – The quick transitions between positions and the full body muscle engagement makes burpees a great way to train explosivity, which as a Spartan racer can help you power your way over an obstacle.  As a trail runner they can help you power your way up a particularly steep section of the trail.
    2. Mental Toughness – Burpees rapidly get challenging. Just like the ultra saying “run the first half with your legs, the second half with your mind”, completing a burpee ladder can often turn into a mental game.  They are a great way to prove to yourself that you can endure.
    3. Can be mixed with hill sprints  – Mixing alternating rounds of burpees and hill sprints forms a killer workout.  For example, do a set of burpees and then sprint up a hill, walk down, and repeat. 
    4. Can be done indoors with limited space – We all have days when we can’t go outside or get to a gym.  Burpees require no equipment and very limited space allowing for an intense workout almost anywhere.

    For some interesting ideas on burpee ladders and burpee variations I found the Jailhouse Strong book Josh Bryant and Adam benShea worthwhile.  I liked the different burpee ladder options that it offered such as the Baker’s Dozen and the Prisoner Burpee Challenge, but what I really liked is that it did not just provide the workout but target times for different levels of fitness.  While progress can always be assessed by I ran faster or I lifted more, sometimes it’s nice to see how your time stacks up against a standard as a goal of beating or exceeding a certain standard can be motivational.