Please, please, please don't do this

Forgive me for not telling you this sooner, but I've been involved in a fascinating project with an adjunct professor from Kent State University this spring and summer.  In a nutshell, I'm helping him relearn wrestling after a 30-year hiatus.  To give you the full story, he is a professor of educational psychology, and one of his research areas is multiple intelligence theory.  That theory proposes that there are nine (some experts argue that there are even more) different types of intelligence.  In each phase of this project he is exploring a different type of intelligence.  Right now he is working on the Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence, and what he is trying to do is reconnect neuro-muscular pathways from a physical activity he did long ago, wrestling.  I met him by pure chance at a wrestling practice at John Carroll University, and he recruited me to help prepare him to wrestle at the Police and Fire Championships (he is also a retired Police Officer).

By all means, try to do what he's doing and regain some muscle memory, but DO NOT do the following.  When going over his training regimen with him I found out that he had been running for 60-90 minutes a few times a week.  I cringe whenever I hear that for a few different reasons.  First of all, it's not efficient for fat loss.  Second, it doesn't meet all the energy needs of a wrestler.  And lastly, it can wreak havoc on your knees and other joints, especially if you're 50 and already have knee problems like he does.  What I advised (more like strongly recommended, or forced) him to do was switch up his conditioning to the following three workouts each week, done on non-consecutive days, and preferably after wrestling practice, rather than before:

• Hill sprints - run up the hill as fast as you can, and walk back down - this is much easier on the joints and whoops you into shape in about 15 minutes.  Bleachers/stairs are a good option if you don't have a hill.  This is the energy system (anaerobic) you use when you lift your opponent or execute an explosive movement.
• Intervals - find a track and sprint the straightaways and jog the curves - alternate this way for about one mile and you've got yourself an incredible workout.  This is the energy system (glycolictic) you use to win a scramble or dogfight lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to an entire period.
• Long distance - before you think I'm contradicting myself, I'll say that I'm only recommending running a mile or two, three at most.  Go at a nearly "race pace" and try to improve your time each week.  This is the energy system (aerobic) you use to make it through a six (or more) minute match without gassing.

Long distance running does have its place, but it can't be the sole source of your conditioning.  If your knees or ankles bother you, try substituting biking or swimming as I had my trainee do last week.  Wrestling is one of the most demanding sports and has very unique needs - you must develop all three of the energy systems that your body uses.  If you do that your opponents will have a difficult time wearing you out, and you will have an easy time losing weight.

If that weren't enough to convince you to ditch all the long distance cardio, someone at my office passed out from a heat stroke at mile 23 of the Cleveland Marathon - and he was one of several people carried off on a stretcher.  Hmm, something's not right here; if a particular exercise can put a highly trained athlete in the hospital, it may not be the best thing for you.

Please don't do that,
Jeff