Thread: Fitness Part Duex

Basically anything that elevates your heart rate.

It can be done running outside, on a treadmill or my personal favorite, the stairmaster.

Think intervals.

Get your heart pounding like crazy for a minute, then bring it down and recover for a minute, repeat that two step process for about 10-15 minutes. Remember to warm up and warm down.

I know for me personally I have a very hard time pushing myself to the next level when I'm exercising. For example, if I go for a run I'm basically running in survival mode from start to finish - it's not like I'm pushing myself to run faster than I feel comfortable with. I think most people would fall into this category.

For that reason, I find very structured workout programs to be the most effective. I'm a volleyball player so vertical jump height is important to me, when I was looking to lose some weight I did Air Alert 3. It's a 15 week vertical jump training program that starts off relatively easy (assuming you are somewhat fit) and gets to absolutely brutal intensity by the time it's over. I manged to complete the entire thing and went from ~220 to 169 over the 15 weeks (I'm 6'4 if it makes any difference).

Good luck man, it's a tough road but well worth it. Once you start actually seeing and feeling results it is so encouraging. Just keep it up.

Originally Posted by CivilWars

Body Weight Circuits Are Kickin' My Butt! | Fitness Black Book

Being able to do this is definitely something I want to shoot for. But obviously if it's hard for this guy it will probably be a nightmare for me.

But thats the kind of structure I like to have when considering a workout.

Originally Posted by bust331

Being able to do this is definitely something I want to shoot for. But obviously if it's hard for this guy it will probably be a nightmare for me.

But thats the kind of structure I like to have when considering a workout.

Start off doing what you can, and just do more every time. If you need to take more time to rest do it, but rest less each workout. If you can only do one set this week then work up to two next week. IMO that is one of the biggest mistakes people make when starting a new workout is to think they have to lift a Volkswagon or run a marathon the first day, then they end up getting hurt or feeling like a failure, so they quit. Just be honest with yourself, and do the best you can each day.

High intensity cardio basically means you elevate your heartrate for short periods of time, (three minutes or less depending on what you're doing), with short rests in between. The formula I was given was 220? minus your age for your max heart rate before it gets potentially dangerous, then run at 70-80 % of that for your high intensity. The particular flavor depends on what you're training for. I.E. Raush did it for vertical jumps, but most people do sprints or running. Martial artists do varying types of high intensity depending on what they're training for or what muscle groups they want to work in the process. An example I can give of that is the highly entertaining sledgehammer routine, where you basically use your whole body to swing a sledgehammer down onto a tractor tire or the like, where it bounces off, and you use the momentum to reposition / move around the tire to rinse and repeat. Another example, that uses your whole body, is raising a 12 lb medicine ball above your head, then hopping up and slamming it down to the ground, bending at the waist. Catch it on the rebound and rinse and repeat.

I did low intensity cardio because my knee had been messed up in the past and I don't take well to high intensity without a warmup. In my example I did a quick walk, bringing my resting heart rate up by about 30%, for which I would do a mile. If I found myself slowing down or losing track, i'd do a short jog to bring my heart rate back up, then slow back to my quick walk pace. You can get a heart rate monitor for less than twenty dollars at your average sporting goods store, if you want to track it specifically and know or push your limits. It's a handy tool to have, because only YOU can set your pace, and it varies from person to person and situation to situation.

Dougs 4 Day Split Workout | Muscle & Strength
I started doing that 2 weeks ago after finishing a long program, working well.
I also do core (abs) on Mondays/Tuesdays/Thursdays, more if my energy level is good.
Monday/Tuesday/Thursday I usually do 2 miles on an eliptical....... I know, not very good.
Friday with the leg workout I do 5k meters on a concept 2 rowing machine.
love rowing machines.

edit:
if anyone is looking for workouts check here: Workout Routines - Bodybuilding, Fat Loss & Weight Lifting | Muscle & Strength
good workouts for all kinds (fat loss, cardio, muscle building, etc....) free and pretty thorough.