Archives for October 2008

Progress Update: Down 4.5 Pounds

Just a quick progress report on how I’ve been doing with my workout routine. I’ve been back exercising for almost a week and a half now. Two nights ago I did my upper body weight training routine, and then last night I ran a couple of miles using HIIT.

It’s getting back to the point now where I feel good when I exercise, and not as much when I don’t. That’s a good place to be at. Now I just need to be a bit more disciplined about my eating habits.

Since I’ve restarted the workout plan I’ve dropped about 4 and 1/2 pounds. Not bad for a week and a half! My goal is to lose 1-2 pounds a week, and at this rate I’ll be at my goal in no time!

Exercising – Hitting Your Stride

By Peter Leave a Comment

It’s been just over a week now that I’ve been back on the exercise wagon. Since last monday I’ve ony taken one day off from my cardio and weight training routine, and I took that day (Saturday) off by design. In my plan I workout 6 days a week, with alternating days of weights and cardio.

photo credit: shoothead

On Sunday I did my lower body weights routine for the second time since I re-started, and while it was hard, I wasn’t as sore as last week when I did the same routine. The routine is starting to set in.

Last night I went running on our treadmill using a built in high intensity interval training (HIIT) program. In the program you start out walking, and work your way up to running 6.5 miles per hour at a higher incline after a few minutes. The routine repeats this pattern 4 or 5 times.

By the time I was done I was soaking with sweat and was extremely short of breath. I think I am right at the point where I’m doing just the right amount -not enough to make me collapse, but enough to challenge me.

Tonight, I’m back on the upper body weight routine that I talked about last week.

My workout plan does get a bit repetitive, but I know it works since I lost so much weight last year doing the same thing. After I’ve been doing it for a few weeks I may switch things up a bit with some workout tapes or other types of cardio to make sure I don’t burn out on the routine – and to keep me motivated.

What types of things do you do to keep motivated, and keep things interesting?

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Running

By Peter 2 Comments

Last night I did my upper body weight workout for the first time in a couple of months. Whenever I go that long without doing a weight workout, the first time I lift again I get really sore. This morning, I am really sore – I can barely lift my arms above my head!

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photo credit: Gio JL

Today, since I am alternating between cardio and weights days, I am once again back to a cardio workout. Today I’ll be doing some interval training, or better known as high intensity interval training (HIIT). Here’s an explanation of what it is from Wikipedia:

Interval training is broadly defined as repetitions of high-speed/intensity work followed by periods of rest or low activity.

This training technique is often practiced by long distance runners (800 metres and above) although some sprinters are known to train using this technique as well.

Distance runners often practice intervals on tracks, running hard at a certain pace for a specified distance (or, less often, time) and jogging, walking, or resting between (for a set distance/time.) An example could be 12 repetitions of 400 meters with a 200-meter jog between each. Distances can also vary; one example would be a “ladder” workout consisting of a 1600-meter, two 1200-meter, three 800-meter, and four 400-meter repetitions, each at an appropriate speed and with an appropriate amount of recovery.

Interval training is a favorite of coaches because of its effectiveness in cardiovascular buildup and also its ability to make more well-rounded runners.

More generally, it can refer to any cardiovascular workout (e.g. stationary biking, running, rowing, etc.) that involves brief bouts at near-maximum exertion interspersed with periods of lower-intensity activity. One popular workout that incorporates this methodology is so-called “walk-back sprinting,” in which one sprints a short distance (anywhere from 100 to 800 meters), then changes directions and walks back to the starting point (the recovery period) to do it again. To add challenge to the workout, each of these sprints may start at a predetermined time interval, e.g. 200 meter sprint, walk back, and sprint again every 3 minutes. The time interval provides just enough recovery.

It is believed by many in the fitness industry that this method of training is more effective at inducing fat loss than simply training at a moderate intensity level for the same duration. This has been confirmed in at least two studies

As mentioned above, HIIT is an excellent way to maximize your workout if you are limited on time as I often am. I know it works from experience. Last year I lost almost 40 pounds using a combination of weight training and HIIT. Unfortunately I stopped doing it and I’ve gained 15 back. But now I’m back on course and looking to lose that last 25 or so pounds.

Wish me luck!

My Upper Body Weight Workout Routine

By Peter 5 Comments

Tonight I’ll be doing my upper body weight workout. I recently signed up for a site that allows me to post video of different exercises on my blog, so I thought I’d use some of those exercise videos here to show you my routine that I’ll be doing tonight.

How do I do the routine

When workout out with weights I have a pretty simple routine that I follow. I lift weights 2 to 3 times a week, alternating every other day with upper body and lower body workouts. For each body muscle group that I’m working out I’ll do 6 sets, with varying weights and with reps of 12, 10, 8, 6 and two sets of 12 (but different exercises). For example, for my shoulders tonight I might do something like this:

Dumbell Shoulder Press
Set 1: 12 reps with 15 pounds
1 minute rest
Set 2: 10 reps with 20 pounds
1 minute rest
Set 3: 8 reps with 20 pounds
1 minute rest
Set 4: 6 reps with 25 pounds
1 minute rest
Set 5: 12 reps with 20 pounds
no reset
Set 6: 12 reps with 20 pounds, but a new exercise.

Upper Body Weight Workout

So here are the exercises I’ll be doing tonight.

Chest:

Shoulders:

Back/Shoulders:

Triceps:

Biceps:

What are you doing for a weight routine? How often do you lift?

Went Running Last Night. Boy Am I Sore

By Peter Leave a Comment

photo credit: maHidoodi

I went running last night on our treadmill for the first time in months. The weather here has cooled down a bit, and sometimes its just nice to run inside, instead of freezing outside. I know I shouldn’t mind the cool weather because it’s going to get a whole lot colder than this very soon. Oh well, sometimes I just like running inside so I can watch some TV as well.

I did a high intensity interval workout on the treadmill last night, running for about twenty minutes. Man was it tough! I can feel the results of not working out for a couple of months!

For the interval training I started out running slow, and then worked my way up to running 5 minutes later – doing this 4 times. Top speed for me tonight was about 6.3 mph, which for some might not be too fast, but for me is fast enough with the shape I’m in.

I am so sore today. I had forgotten how tough things can be when you don’t workout for a while. The first time you lift weights or run after a long hiatus, it can be a big wakeup call. Luckily I usually am able to bounce back after a few days, and the soreness gets better. Read about why you get sore in this previous article.

Tonight I’m doing upper body weights – wish me luck!

I’m Back On The Wagon

By Peter 1 Comment

Earlier this week my wife and I decided that we needed to finally start exercising again, and actually watching what we eat. We had slipped into a bit of a malaise where we didn’t care much what we were eating, or where we were eating.

So this weekend we made a pact with each other that we’re going to get back to exercising 5-6 days a week, and eating healthy.

Monday evening I re-started my fitness routine by doing the high-intensity cardio from a DVD put out by the TV show “The Biggest Loser”. Normally I can’t stand doing workout routines via DVD – but this one is actually not too bad. It features the trainer Bob from the hit TV show, along with contestants from season 2 or 3 of the show.

What does the workout consist of? It starts out with some back and forth skating motions followed by some tire runs (lifting your knees high running in place) and football runs (moving your feet as fast as you can). Then you do some shadow boxing and finish up with 1 knee lift and leg kicks.

Every time I do this workout I go in thinking its not going to be that bad, but every time I am finished I am drenched with sweat, and panting for breath. And it feels great!

Yesterday I re-started my weight lifting routine. I started with a lower body routine with some squats, followed by some hamstring dead lifts. I finished up with some calf exercises and some ab exercises. Once again the workout left me tired.

I’ve learned that if I haven’t lifted weights for a while I tend to get really sore the first 2 or 3 times I lift weights, and then the soreness isn’t as bad. As expected, I’m pretty sore this morning.

So I’m off to a good start this week, now I just have to stay motivated in the face of all the other stuff life is throwing at me this week. Transmission problems on my car, teaching a class, just being fatigued in general. Just another week!

What kind of workouts are you doing right now? Are they working? Do you feel like you need to try something different? Tell me about it in the comments!

How Much Should You Exercise If…

By Peter 3 Comments

photo credit: mikebaird

The government released some new guidelines for physical activity this past week, telling us how much we need to exercise in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and fend off problems like heart disease, stroke and diabetes. But what if you have other goals like buffing up, getting ready for a race or just slimming down?

MSNBC talked with fitness experts to get an idea of what kind of activity you’ll need to reach those goals. The first area they touched on – slimming down. So how much exercise do you need to drop a few pounds?

To lose significant weight and keep it off, many people will need more than 300 minutes a week of moderate activity, the guidelines note. Spread out over the course of a week, that amounts to at least an hour of exercise for five days, which is in line with other recommendations for weight control. If you’re sedentary, begin slowly and build up.

So it sounds like losing weight is no easy process, you’re going to have to put the time in and really make a goal and stick to it. 5 hours a week really isn’t that much, but it can be if you haven’t been working out at all. Take it slow and work up to it- and you’ll get there.

What if you want to bulk up like a weightlifter or sport a sculpted bod at the beach? Depending on what your goal is, you can expect to be exercising and doing strength training from 3-5 days a week:

If your goal is to look good in a swimsuit (toned but not overly pumped up), aim to strength train (using any available approach to overload the muscles, including free weights, machines and resistance bands) three to four times a week for 45 minutes to an hour each time, working all major muscle groups, Dawes says. Allow each muscle group to recover for at least 48 hours. You’ll also need to watch your diet and burn calories through cardio. Looking toned requires both boosting muscle and minimizing body fat.

If your goal is to sport a rock-hard bodybuilder bod, you’re in for some serious time in the gym – about five days a week, Dawes says. This can put you at risk for overuse injuries, so it’s a good idea to consult a personal trainer for advice on devising a safe routine that gives your muscles adequate recovery time.

How about if you’re training for a race? What kind of time input can you expect for that?

Not surprisingly, building aerobic endurance for competition in a 10K, marathon or triathlon requires much more effort than exercising to stay healthy.How much more? “It’s a continuum,” says James Pivarnik, president-elect of the American College of Sports Medicine and a professor of kinesiology and epidemiology at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

It all depends on where you start, Pivarnik explains. A hard workout for a mere mortal might actually decondition an elite athlete who’s accustomed to much more advanced training on most days of the week.

“If you want to get fitter today, you have to somehow overload where you are now,” he says, and then build on that program.

Comana recommends that people start off using the “talk test” to gauge how hard to push themselves. This means that you should be able to talk continuously for 30 seconds while exercising, he says. If you can’t, it’s too difficult. Build your program from three days a week to five, he recommends.

Whatever you’re doing, what’s most important is to make a commitment and get started today. The gains you’ll make will happen one day, and one rep at a time. Good luck!