Taking it to the Next Level

Now that I've got 4.5 months until my A race, it's time for me to get back into the gym and get back to some good solid strength training.

I have been a gym goer for the last 7 years but truthfully I don't really know much about strength training.  I am a relative newbie when it comes to weights.  I've always done relatively basic strength work, focusing on the larger muscle groups, which has definitely helped me out but I feel like it's time to up the ante.

Enter Krista Schaus' "Next Level Training". 

She is one of the PN exercise experts and she has developed a great program for folks that are looking to get stronger but are still perhaps some what new to the gym.  Many of the ladies on the PN Forum have done this program with great results and have had nothing but positive things to say about it.  Looking through it, I realize that I sure do have a lot to learn.  I think I'll be spending a LOT of time on You Tube this weekend looking up how to do half of these exercises properly.  Because if your form is not correct then you won't reap all the benefits of the exercise and even worse, you could end up injuring yourself. 

I have to say, I'm pretty excited about starting this program.  It's 12 weeks in length with 3 different phases.  It also means that I'll have to hit the gym 3 times a week, which might be tricky but I'm willing to give it a go.  I will probably have to ease up on the weights a few weeks out from Scotia but by that point I think I should have a solid enough strength base to really help me push through the pain that I'm sure I'll feel around the 18km mark. 

Who knows by the end of it all, I might actually have some nice muscles to show for it as well!