Hello,
Just signed up and it is good to be here.

Some advice please.

I am 100kgs of mainly muscle. However most of the fat I carry is around my waist/stomach. My aim is to lose this, get better defined abs and go down to a weight of 94 kgs.

Almost every other day I run 10kms on hard pavement because stationary treadmills and similar machines bore me so much. Days when I do not run I do weight training.

So as to reduce the impact I suffer when running I deliberately go at a slower pace. I believe this works. However my knees and ankles still hurt.
I am thinking maybe I should stop running.

Any thoughts on this? Are there really loads of older citizens out there with screwed-up knees/ankles/joints from running the way I do?

What if I just did weight training almost everyday instead, is this really wrong? Some body builders train twice a day, don't they?

I keep reading that you have to have some rice or pasta or bagel after weight training to get the best results.

My ideal after weight training meal is a hot vegetable casserole packed with fish and tofu. A banana or two with honey for dessert. Would I really be in the wrong if I consistently had vegetable/fruit based meals like this after weight training? Would meals like this cause me to lose a lot of muscle mass?

I want to eat meals like this because I want to get leaner, take in less calorie daily and eat more fruits/vegetables.

Any relevant advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Oriola -

I was told by a trainer that after weight training, your body needs both carbs and protein together. I was told a nice turkey or tuna sandwich on whole wheat is a nice after-workout snack. Today, I had a Boca Soy "chik'n" patty with melon chunks - carbs and protein. It may have been a little high on the fat side (6 grams) but it had a lot of protein.

Always opt for the whole grain alternatives to simple carbs: brown rice or whole wheat pasta and throw some protein in there, as well. That's my suggestion.

I keep hearing that running is really bad on the joints. In any case, if something is making your joints hurt, then that means STOP doing it.

Weight training is okay to do every day if you are training a different muscle group each day. Do upper body one day, lower body the next. Your muscles need to have a day after training in order to get bigger. I've known a few people who were weight training every day for months and didn't gain any muscle mass because they didn't realize the muscles needed a day off! Abs only need 24 hours to recover, so you can do those every day.

I second what Lucky Abs said. Combine carbs and protein if you just want to gain muscle. Just have protein if you want to lose fat. The protein is definitely important if you want to gain muscle mass. I like to do my strength training when I first wake up and then have eggs and bacon for breakfast.

I would get on the eliptical. That thing is extremely low impact and will keep you're cardio rate up for you're heart. I'm a active runner(about 50 miles a week) and when im dealing with a injury I always use the eliptical machine.

It may be worthwhile to have someone examine your running technique. If I recall correctly, endurance runners land predominately on their forefoot not their heel. Supposedly this has a big influence on the stress placed on your ankles and knees. One way to work on this is to take shorter strides when you run. But I really know very little about it, so its probably worth while talking to a running specialist. Orthotics may help or maybe even some barefoot running.

The other thing of course is that maybe you are running in the wrong kind or at least sub-optimal type of shoe for your foot/gait/weight.

Cheers guys.

John Stephens:
Will look into that, do not know what an eliptical machine is. I am wondering though, if you do not use this machine for your 50miles a week, until you have an injury, I might not want to use it for my 10km every two days?

Joe N,
Interesting. I would have thought that landing on as much of the foot as possible would be safer since the experienced impact/pressure will be dissipated over more area?. Or something like that; cannot remember my physics 101.

Thxs again.