The Deadlift and The Squat are for Real!

I have been struggling to find the best way to incorporate some kind of strength training into my routine, esp. stuff that focuses on the core and lower body.  I have tried P90x and variations of different CrossFit workouts and the one common theme seemed to be lots of time in the gym and or doing the workout.  I know that maintaining a strong core and lower body are essential to maintaining proper form when running high mileage and are a good way to keep injures such as ITBs at bay.

Maybe my efforts are misguided and the time that I am wasting at this point trying to fine tune some kind of a workout program could be better spent running.  I like to think that they are not and that maybe I have found something that requires less time in the gym and provides better bang for that time.  I am talking about the Greyskull LP method that is from JP over at Strengthvillian.  I am in my 2nd week of doing the two day a week workout and all those muscles in my core and legs that I thought I was working using those other workouts, well, not so much.  I am in and out of the gym in no time now and do two lifts per session.  The bench and press don't really phase me b/c I have always done those but the deadlift and squat are kicking my arse.  My posterior chain had basically ceased to exist over the years and my upper legs, esp. the top half of my hamstring and my rear end are crazy sore.  This has made running a bit of slog and I was only able to manage 27 miles plus 2.5 hours of stairs last week.

While I am not super happy about the reduced mileage right now, I am convinced that this will pay off in the long run.  I will be able to free up time for running by only going to the gym twice a week and spending less time there during each visit, thus making it possible to do on my lunch break.  My goal is to continue to slowly shed pounds, while adding strength and mileage.