Coach Budd: I've been working out pretty consistently with dumbbells, bench presses, and assorted lifting devices for about four years. Lately, I've noticed I can't seem to put any more muscle on, and the weights I used to do are much harder to lift. Is it from the cross-country and track training? Thanks for any advice.—Sean.

Sean, years ago, when I was an undergrad at Springfield College, my Physiology of Exercise Professor, Dr. AJ Mahurin, talked about the "Energy Bucket Theory." Basically, it relates to using your body's energy and allowing time for the body to restore that energy.

Picture a bucket filled with water (energy) and a small hole in the bottom. At rest, very little energy runs through the hole. During exercise, more and more energy runs through the hole. Above the bucket is a faucet that allows water (energy) to fill the bucket. This replacement of energy is related to nutrition and rest.

Nutrition and rest need to meet or exceed the use of energy (or lost water) in the bucket.

Where the heck am I going with all this?

Well, distance running produces thin muscles that can repeat an exercise for long periods of time. Lifting "for strength" produces larger muscles that can lift heavy weights for a short time. You're asking your body to expend a lot of energy on two activities that produce different effects in the physiology of your body. You are draining the bucket faster than it is being filled. The end result is poor performance in the weight room as well as in your running.

So, the answer is yes: The energy you are using in your running is going to affect your lifting workouts in a negative way.

Talk to your running coach and lifting coach about "periodization." This training theory creates phases of training throughout the year that will change your focus and goal. Done correctly, the phases will compliment each other as you progress from one to the next and allow you to reach levels higher than ever before.

Have a question for Budd? E-mail him at askbudd@rodale.com