sub-3 or blow-up trying

Great job on the bench press. About 4 years ago I could get up 225 3-5 times. Now, I am straining with the weight I used to warmup with! But, my mileage and pace make up for the lack of upperbody strength, I guess. Only so much time to work out, and weights (and tennis) are the casualties for me.

Jeff,

Yeah, I'm just clinging on to some of my strength at this point. However, to reach the next level, I may need to sacrifice some muscle mass. A year ago I could bench 275 x 5, but weighed 205 and could run my present mp for only 2-3 miles.

I don't even want to get near a bench!!! Too scary to even think about it. However, I'd like to see how much I lost in squats and deads. I use to rep out 440 in those movements. I could pick up the rear end of a car, but I felt like my rear end was the size of a car!!!

So Robert, I saw you lost 60lbs. What was your top weight and strength?

According to my training log, I weighed between 240-245 back in 2000. At that point I was doing 440 deadlifts, 430 squats, 720 leg press, 250 bench, 520 calf raise, 175 shoulder press, and 45 weighed dips all for 2-3 sets x 6-10 reps. I did a variety of other stuff (cleans, farmer walks, etc.) sticking to multi chain movements (no bicep curls, tricep press, leg extensions, etc.). During 2001 I started to run 3 times a week with heavy lifting on opposite days. My desire for endurance training gradually took over. However, I now have a thick torso, core, and legs from years of lifting, which I can't seem to shed. I'd like to lose another 10-15 and get down to 165, but can't seem to get there without being a complete jerk around the house. Not worth it right now. Sorry for the long post.

You were a beast! I'm impressed you've made such a solid transition into endurance training. At my peak, my squats were only sets of 8-10 @ 315 lbs. I always had somewhat lean mass and could never quite keep up with the "big boys".

Squats at 315 is nothing to snicker at because not many can even do their own bodyweight on the bar. My transition to running took about 4 years (got serious in late 2005). I'm glad the Lord directed me to running. I found that specializing in weightlifting only is a dead end and the end goal (maximum strength) does not pay in terms of health benefits since it means getting bigger and heavier. I found drugs and cheating are rampant as well. A balanced approach of power and endurance is a much healthier option, but as you know you have to specialize at a certain discipline (endurance running) in order to improve. We'll have to talk more about this stuff at Boston.

Would love to...I was really into the weightlifting in college and would literally have to sneak into the gym due to my baseball coach's philosophy on lifting. However, I came to the same conclusion as you, just within the past year or so. My "lean" muscle mass was starting to become less defined and it seemed and 5-10 years of gaining a pound or two was adding up. Never dreamed I'd become a runner (still don't quite consider myself one).