Antioxidant vitamin supplements have been touted as health promoting supplements for over 30 years. Even in the exercise and sports communities, supplements like vitamin E and C have long been considered as logical suppressors of the free radical activity caused by vigorous physical activity.

But now, the health value of antioxidant supplements like C, E and beta carotene are being questioned, and recent studies suggest that vitamin C supplements may even impair the training response in exercisers rather than enhance it.

Here's the full story. Using Antioxidant Supplements in Weight Training.

The 2009 Tour de France cycling race has been underway for a few days, and I was fortunate enough to get to ask a few questions of the pre-eminent Tour de France commentators: Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett courtesy VERSUS. The race is 3500 kilometres (2188 miles) in length and comprises 21 daily stages.

What's weight training got to do with Le Tour? Well . . . there is an ongoing debate about whether endurance cyclists, like those in the Tour, need to do weight training -- and if so, what type. Of course, there is also great interest in whether Lance Armstrong, 7-times champion returning from retirement, can win again.

This wasn't the time or the opportunity for a long technical discussion, but here is what I asked and the replies.

Intro. "Thanks for the opportunity to ask you guys some questions about the 2009 Tour and especially Lance's chances. I'm the Weight Training Guide at About.com, so I'll try to get some focus on that if possible. I'm a Tour "nut" and former triathlete and I watch and listen to your commentary each year."

Q1. "First up is the obvious question: Can Lance do it an 8th time? I suspect the odds are against it, but as we all know, he's an incredible athlete; however the (Astana) team will be important no doubt."

A1. "I think that physically Lance has the ability to win but it may depend on how the race unfolds, he was impressive at the Giro d’Italia and I think there were days when he road well within himself. He knows himself very well and I think that will help in the last week of the race which is going to be very hard this year."

Q2. "When you read the cycling magazines and forums, there is a lot of discussion of the value of weight training in the gym for road cyclists and many diverse opinions exist. Lance actually was responsible for much of the interest in weight training with his well-publicized gym work. Is Lance still doing gym now and what do you think of weight training for cyclists?"

A2. "It depends on the discipline of the sport that the athlete is in. For track (cycling) sprinters it is obligatory to build up muscle mass, especially on the legs. Whereas for climbers I think they can all benefit from upper body work which gets left behind sometimes from just working on the bike."

Q3. "It looks like Robbie McEwen is out after his fall, but what about the road sprinters and their training . . . I know that Robbie did a lot of weights in his early years, do you think weight training is more important for road sprinters? And who do you favor to win the Green jersey this year? Cavendish seems hot favorite . . . who's his biggest threat?"

A3. "As above, I think it is very important for sprinters to build up the muscles mass in the legs for their explosive efforts. It's a pity that Robbie is missing this Tour because of injury. Cavendish is the big favorite for the Green jersey but his most dangerous rival will be Oscar Freire. The Spaniard has the chance to get points on the hilly stages as opposed to the other sprinters whose chances are limited only to the flat days."

End. "Thanks very much for your comments and the chance to talk."

Photo: (c) Tour de France 2009 Stage Four - Team Trial By: Jasper Juinen Getty Images Sport People: Lance Armstrong

Lifting a heavy weight or doing a heavy pressing movement like a leg press can raise blood pressure to numbers like 350 systolic (the top number) to 150 diastolic (the bottom number) -- even in people with normal blood pressure of 120/80. Running can also raise systolic blood pressure to around 200, but usually without raising diastolic pressure much at all.

For this reason, in the past, people with heart disease or high blood pressure have been advised to stay away from weight training.

However, several analyses of scientific studies of people doing weight training seem to show that progressive weight training lowers blood pressure by 2% to 4%. Other recent advisories suggest that weight training is acceptable for people recovering from heart disease. So what's the story?

Common sense comes into play here. First, get your regular doctor's opinion. He should know the state of your cardiovascular system better than anyone. If your blood pressure has been high, but is now under control, he may suggest that light, progressive weight training is okay. That is, build up slowly after starting with light exercise. And unless you're an advanced weight lifter or powerlifter, you should give the valsalva maneuver a miss -- a technique in which you virtually hold your breath under pressure of the lift or press. Exhaling on exertion is important.

If you have uncontrolled hypertension, or an unstable heart condition, you may get a "no' from the doc until things improve.

Kelley GA, Kelley KS. Progressive resistance exercise and resting blood pressure : A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Hypertension. 2000 Mar;35(3):838-43.
Cornelissen VA, Fagard RH. Effect of resistance training on resting blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Hypertens. 2005 Feb;23(2):251-9.

Recently I won a bronze medal at the Pan Pacific Masters Games at 60 meters, and a got a fourth in the 100 meters. Considering I had not raced sprints since high-school -- quite a few years ago -- and had only used starting blocks in a few pre-championship meets in my "comeback," I was stoked. My old hamstring injury even held up well to the training and racing.

I did spend many hours in the gym doing weight training in preparation, and it seemed to pay off. Even so, you do have to have a scheduled program of some sort, whether you're at high-school, college or beyond. The main game is still training on the track, but I've put together a generic weight training program that may help you get started if stronger sprinting or improved running speed is what you're looking for. Let me know how you go.

• How to Run Fast - Weight Training for Sprinters

Photo: (c) Getty Images / Digital Vision