When it comes to most things about running, I don’t know the answer.  There are thousands of aspects of running, from the biochemistry of lactate buffering, to the potential benefit of glycogen-depleted long runs in marathon training, to the best way to transition into spikes for a track athlete.  But there is so much to know, and that knowledge is much greater than what I do know, which means that much of the time when I’m asked a question, I don’t know the answer.  You know what I’m saying?

Today I received the following question via twitter:

 @coachjayjohnson Maybe masters can better stimulate hormones w/heavier wts? Is lunge matrix anabolic enuf 4 old guys? (Linked to this tweet was the article “Resistance Training Ups Testosterone in Muscles of Older Men.”)

Great question.  I don’t know.  My guess is that for the vast majority of masters athletes – maybe 95% or more – the Lunge Matrix is not going to give them the same hormonal stimulus that weight room work will.  

But here is what I do know:  if you progress from body weight exercises to some light external loads, such as rotational work with a medicine ball, then to a heavier external load, such as a kettlebell, and then go to the weight room, the chance that you’ll be healthy and injury-free is high.  But I don’t know exactly how fast you can move through this progression; I’m cautious with the athletes I work with, and move them to the weight room slowly.  But again, I don’t know – maybe we could go there earlier.

I also don’t know how to answer the following question, but I do look forward to hearing what others think about it:

@coachjayjohnsonQ: assuming one MUST choose between “enuf” sleep & getting all needed calories in a day, choose sleep? #runchat 

Honestly, as a former college athlete and college coach, I thought this question was a joke given how many runners have some level of disordered eating.  But my guess is that it’s an honest question, and to me there is only one answer: you have to get enough calories to support your training while also getting enough sleep to support your training.  But again, I don’t know exactly how many calories that is and how little sleep that is for @ReadEatWriteRun.  (Note: some confusion might have come from this part of this infographic that I shared in the Sunday Morning Reads last weekend).

This is a great opportunity for people to chime in with their thoughts.  I look forward to reading the comments.