Fitness
Ashley Horner’s Hacks For Strength And Endurance
If you haven’t noticed, here at TRAIN for HER, we love badass women. We don’t believe that health and fitness comes in a one-size-fits-all model. We say no to cookie-cutter inspiration and yes to diversity and January’s cover star is exactly that.
Ashley Horner has a pretty impressive resumé. She’s a sponsored fitness celebrity, mother, entrepreneur, triathlete and so much more. Her tattooed skin and dramatic makeup isn’t the only thing that sets her apart – have you seen her abs?!
Chisled to perfection, Ashley shows us all that beauty comes in different forms and if that wasn’t enough to make you fall in love with her, she also founded Unbroken Foundation, a charity that helps and aids battered women and children shelters across the States.
One of the main things Ashley is known for, however, is her endurance training. She isn’t afraid to get sweaty and she has the muscles to prove it. TRAIN for HER caught up Ashley to find out everything she knows about becoming a true hybrid athlete.
The Starter’s Whistle
You shouldn’t just think of endurance training like going out and smashing a marathon distance run or a century ride on your bike. Gradually begin to add in endurance work, even if that means three miles – but it’s imperative that you keep strength training as a staple of your programming.
The skinny on distance
To those who are worried about getting too skinny, know that bodies react out of change; you’re not going to see this happen overnight, or even the course of a week. If you’re wanting to add more endurance training throughout the week, make sure you’re lowering your rep range (6-10) and resting between sets.
When your goal is to gain strength and muscle, I recommend two minutes of rest between each set. You’ll like what you see and how you feel: you’ll be faster, more powerful, stronger and leaner.
Endurance benefits everyone
Most endurance training is mental and the feeling of completing a long run or being able to swim a mile without stopping is so rewarding. The endorphins that you get both inside and outside of the gym will keep you coming back for more. And not only that, the cardiovascular strength gains your heart muscle receives is incredibly beneficial. It’s the muscle we tend to forget about, but it’s also the most important one.
Feel good feelings
Most times while doing endurance training, you’ll find yourself alone on some back trails, hitting up sprint repeats on an empty track, swimming with nothing but your own thoughts, and it’s a great way to really separate and get the mind clear. It’s letting loose and pushing yourself with no one around but you – the person in your head. You push, you achieve and you conquer and that’s what keeps bringing you back.
Balancing strength and endurance
You must incorporate both. Especially for long term, you can’t just focus on one because the other will deteriorate. It’s finding what works best for you and what you can commit to long term, but the best advice is to always start slow. If you’re currently an endurance athlete and want to start training to increase your strength, begin by adding 1-2 days of strength training per week and, you’ll develop the ligaments that support your joints, too.
The same advice holds true for strength athletes who are looking to mix in endurance training: start slowly and begin to add one-two endurance days in your week. Keep in mind that the distance you should strive for is different for each person; for some it might be three miles and for others it’s eight, but the key is to just get started.
Supporting moves
First and foremost, listen to your body. You can’t expect it to perform, regardless of the activity, if you don’t fuel it appropriately. If you put mud in the gas tank of your car, it wouldn’t get you very far, right? You need the best foods available, which means you shouldn’t go for the cheap, processed foods and instead eat real food with real ingredients.
When my volume of training increases, I supplement with Kaged Muscle products. The Glutamate mixed with Hydracharge are perfect for staying hydrated throughout the day. During long training sessions, I rely on Intrakaged to keep me going. Turmeric is also a great all-natural supplement to help fight inflammation and I find it useful as a recovery protein
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