*Official* Work Out Thread

[Reddy]

That's not quite how cardio works, but ok.

 

then explain it to me. the whole reason your heart rate rises is because the task at hand is more difficult than walking down the street, or sitting doing nothing. more muscles are firing and working, which requires more blood flow, which requires the heart to pump faster which requires more oxygen so you breathe heavier.

 

correct so far?

 

so when the muscles get STRONGER, they don't work quite as hard, which means the blood doesn't have to pump quite so fast, which means you don't have to breathe quite so heavy, thus you burn fewer calories.

 

this is basic stuff. it's called a plateau. why do you think they happen if not for this reason?

[Reddy]

Example:

 

where i live there's a huge flight of stairs coming up from the subway. it's like almost 100 stairs. there is also an escalator, but that's besides the point.

 

I can run up those stairs and barely start breathing heavy at all. I probably don't burn many calories doing that. someone who's out of shape, attempting the same 100 stairs, will take twice, three times, maybe four times longer than me to ascend the stairs. Their weak muscles will have to work significantly harder than mine.

 

you're saying they won't burn more calories doing that task than I did?

[StrangeSox]

If your body isn't actually more efficient at converting stored energy into motion, no. I don't know if that's the case, though.

[Y2HH]

then explain it to me. the whole reason your heart rate rises is because the task at hand is more difficult than walking down the street, or sitting doing nothing. more muscles are firing and working, which requires more blood flow, which requires the heart to pump faster which requires more oxygen so you breathe heavier.

 

correct so far?

 

so when the muscles get STRONGER, they don't work quite as hard, which means the blood doesn't have to pump quite so fast, which means you don't have to breathe quite so heavy, thus you burn fewer calories.

 

this is basic stuff. it's called a plateau. why do you think they happen if not for this reason?

 

You will be able to do the same amount of "calorie burn" in a shorter period of time, because you'll be able to move faster/longer...but your heart rate will be the same as it was before when you were moving slower.

 

You would be right IF, and only if the person that gets into shape continues to run or move at the same old pace instead of increasing the pace, which they should be naturally doing.

 

The same goes for a person doing bicep curls. If they start out at 25lbs 10 times, and never move up in weight or reps, then you'd be right...but natural progression says they'd move up or increase reps, or both.

[Reddy]

You will be able to do the same amount of "calorie burn" in a shorter period of time, because you'll be able to move faster/longer...but your heart rate will be the same as it was before when you were moving slower.

 

You would be right IF, and only if the person that gets into shape continues to run or move at the same old pace instead of increasing the pace, which they should be naturally doing.

 

The same goes for a person doing bicep curls. If they start out at 25lbs 10 times, and never move up in weight or reps, then you'd be right...but natural progression says they'd move up or increase reps, or both.

exactly! that was my point. you get gym bunnies who do the same s*** every time and they get upset when they stop losing weight.. that's all im saying

[Y2HH]

Example:

 

where i live there's a huge flight of stairs coming up from the subway. it's like almost 100 stairs. there is also an escalator, but that's besides the point.

 

I can run up those stairs and barely start breathing heavy at all. I probably don't burn many calories doing that. someone who's out of shape, attempting the same 100 stairs, will take twice, three times, maybe four times longer than me to ascend the stairs. Their weak muscles will have to work significantly harder than mine.

 

you're saying they won't burn more calories doing that task than I did?

 

If you run for 30 minutes when out of shape, let's say you cover 2 miles, meaning 15 minutes per mile, which is incredibly slow.

 

Now let's say you get into shape...but you run that same 30 minutes. You shouldn't be running for only 2 miles still. Let's say a this point you're able to do 5 miles in that same 30 minutes. It's possible you'd burn even MORE calories in the same period of time because you did more.

 

The point is, you can do something about this, and you're pretending you can't. Just because you use an elliptical machine everyday doesn't mean it becomes less effective on it's own...the person would have to allow it to become less effective by not doing more. The repetitive motion, however, has nothing to do with that.

[Y2HH]

exactly! that was my point. you get gym bunnies who do the same s*** every time and they get upset when they stop losing weight.. that's all im saying

 

Those people are usually already skinny and IMO, shouldn't be doing that much cardio in the first place.

[LittleHurt05]

Don't you hate on stair steppers - they are the s***.

 

So I usually use the large stair machine, where the stairs are like 4 feet high and it's like actually walking up stairs. Sometimes those are full and I try to use the smaller machines, where it's more like your feet are on pedals so to speak. I can never figure out how to use those. Every 2-3 steps, my feet hit the ground and it can't keep the machine going. Am I going too fast or too slow? Do I need to change a setting?

[Steve9347]

So I usually use the large stair machine, where the stairs are like 4 feet high and it's like actually walking up stairs. Sometimes those are full and I try to use the smaller machines, where it's more like your feet are on pedals so to speak. I can never figure out how to use those. Every 2-3 steps, my feet hit the ground and it can't keep the machine going. Am I going too fast or too slow? Do I need to change a setting?

I've never used the ones you speak of at the end of your post.

[Reddy]

If you run for 30 minutes when out of shape, let's say you cover 2 miles, meaning 15 minutes per mile, which is incredibly slow.

 

Now let's say you get into shape...but you run that same 30 minutes. You shouldn't be running for only 2 miles still. Let's say a this point you're able to do 5 miles in that same 30 minutes. It's possible you'd burn even MORE calories in the same period of time because you did more.

 

The point is, you can do something about this, and you're pretending you can't. Just because you use an elliptical machine everyday doesn't mean it becomes less effective on it's own...the person would have to allow it to become less effective by not doing more. The repetitive motion, however, has nothing to do with that.

*sigh* we're talking about two very different things here, and you're purposefully disagreeing with something I haven't even said.

 

I'm saying, if you continue to simply use an elliptical without 1) increasing time 2) increasing speed for a long period of time, it stops becoming effective.

 

you and I see that as obvious, but you'd be amazed how many people don't understand that, and think that getting their 20 minutes on the elliptical is "enough"

 

yes - you may lose some weight initially, but like I said before, you won't get much stronger, faster, more athletic, or perform any better. Ellipticals, etc are purely for achieving a moderate amount of weight loss (slowly i might add) and that's it. They're the lazy person (or morbidly obese person) workout.

Edited January 25, 2013 by Reddy

[Reddy]

Those people are usually already skinny and IMO, shouldn't be doing that much cardio in the first place.

i'm skinny. i do cardio. because i want to increase my athletic performance and my cardiovascular strength. you can be skinny and have crappy cardio endurance

[Y2HH]

i'm skinny. i do cardio. because i want to increase my athletic performance and my cardiovascular strength. you can be skinny and have crappy cardio endurance

 

I thought we were talking to cardio bunnies that do nothing else but the same thing over and over?

 

Now you're one of them?

[Y2HH]

*sigh* we're talking about two very different things here, and you're purposefully disagreeing with something I haven't even said.

 

I'm saying, if you continue to simply use an elliptical without 1) increasing time 2) increasing speed for a long period of time, it stops becoming effective.

 

you and I see that as obvious, but you'd be amazed how many people don't understand that, and think that getting their 20 minutes on the elliptical is "enough"

 

yes - you may lose some weight initially, but like I said before, you won't get much stronger, faster, more athletic, or perform any better. Ellipticals, etc are purely for achieving a moderate amount of weight loss (slowly i might add) and that's it. They're the lazy person (or morbidly obese person) workout.

 

I have some news for you -- if you do any exercise without increasing time, speed, or weight, you'll get no where fast, no matter how much you change it up.

 

You have to constantly push yourself, regardless of what you you enjoy doing. I say enjoy doing, because I'm convinced there IS a type of exercise out there a person will enjoy, they just have to find it. Where I find home workouts tedious and boring, I LOVE lifting weights. So that's what I concentrate on doing more than anything else...but I still try to mix it up a bit. I did some of the P90X Core workout the other day, and I'll do Plyo soon.

[witesoxfan]

When I started doing cardio in January on the elliptical, I did interval training for 30 minutes at resistances of 5 and 8. Now I do intervals for the first half hour at 6 and 9, the next 20 minutes at 7 and 10, and the final 10 at 8 and 12. I'm sure I'll keep going up.

 

I'm still losing weight.

 

I also can't stand running on treadmills either, which is why I prefer the elliptical if I'm focusing on cardio.

[Steve9347]

I also can't stand running on treadmills either, which is why I prefer the elliptical if I'm focusing on cardio.

Buy tablet.

 

Watch whatever you want on said tablet while running on treadmills.

[Y2HH]

Decided I'd share Y2HH's workout today (yes, I referred to myself in the third person), which was performed a little while ago.

 

This was today's Chest (major target) and Ab (minor target) workout.

 

I swap from barbell to dumbbells to machines week to week, this was a more dumbbell centric workout, as you'll be able to tell. In every set, I use smooth slow control both on the positive and negative and the final rep is concentrated on the negative over about 5 seconds (about twice as slow as normal).

 

Warmup:

 

Bench Press Machine (uses pullys/cables): 50lbs @12 reps

Push Ups: 12 reps

 

Workout:

 

Incline dumbbell bench press:

50 lb db's @ 10 reps

55 lb db's @ 8 reps

60 lb db's @ 6 reps

 

Dumbbell bench press:

70 lb db's @ max reps (9 completed)

75 lb db's @ max reps (5 completed)

 

Fly machine (uses pullys/cables):

10 reps @ 12

8 reps @ 14

 

I wish I could tell you what the 12 or 14 represented...I can't, but it's not super light, nor is it super heavy.

 

Incline dumbbell fly:

30 lb db's @ 10 reps

35 lb db's @ 8 reps

 

Ab crunch machine (no weight added):

Set 1 @ 40 reps

Set 2 @ 30 reps

Set 3 @ 20 reps

Set 4 @ 10 reps

 

Finish:

 

Hammer Strength iso-lateral bench press:

2 45lb plates on each side to failure (4 completed)

 

-----

 

There you have it...Friday's Chest and somehwhat Ab routine.

Edited January 25, 2013 by Y2HH

[RockRaines]

Thats a pretty short workout, like 30 min?

[ptatc]

*sigh* we're talking about two very different things here, and you're purposefully disagreeing with something I haven't even said.

 

I'm saying, if you continue to simply use an elliptical without 1) increasing time 2) increasing speed for a long period of time, it stops becoming effective.

 

you and I see that as obvious, but you'd be amazed how many people don't understand that, and think that getting their 20 minutes on the elliptical is "enough"

 

yes - you may lose some weight initially, but like I said before, you won't get much stronger, faster, more athletic, or perform any better. Ellipticals, etc are purely for achieving a moderate amount of weight loss (slowly i might add) and that's it. They're the lazy person (or morbidly obese person) workout.

There is another part of your discussion that you are missing. There is the neural adaptation to activties that will burn more calories. When your body is learning a new activity it is less coordinated at it. Thus is takes more work to do the same activity. As your body adapts and coordinates to it, it becomes more efficient at the activity regardless of speed. So if it's a treadmill workout as you become more efficient at it you will burn less calories doing the same activity because you are more efficient. This is part of the plateau to which you are referring. A good example is running outside vs. a treadmill. On a treadmill the conditions are the same (unless you change the % grade throughout the workout which I highly recommend) vs. outside where there are uneven surfaces, curves and wind.

[clyons]

Have any guys on here ever tried yoga? I lift and run a couple times per week, but I'm debating about whether to give this a try. I think the increased flexibility would aid in preventing injuries as I get ready to train for a Fall marathon, and although I think I would feel ridiculous chanting, I'm intrigued by the stress relief its supposed to bring.

[StrangeSox]

I've done it as part of P90X. I don't know about the "stress relief" part, you're holding a lot of uncomfortable poses.

[Reddy]

There is another part of your discussion that you are missing. There is the neural adaptation to activties that will burn more calories. When your body is learning a new activity it is less coordinated at it. Thus is takes more work to do the same activity. As your body adapts and coordinates to it, it becomes more efficient at the activity regardless of speed. So if it's a treadmill workout as you become more efficient at it you will burn less calories doing the same activity because you are more efficient. This is part of the plateau to which you are referring. A good example is running outside vs. a treadmill. On a treadmill the conditions are the same (unless you change the % grade throughout the workout which I highly recommend) vs. outside where there are uneven surfaces, curves and wind.

I didn't use the word neurological, but I wasn't missing this - we both described the same exact thing, just from different frames of reference

[Reddy]

Have any guys on here ever tried yoga? I lift and run a couple times per week, but I'm debating about whether to give this a try. I think the increased flexibility would aid in preventing injuries as I get ready to train for a Fall marathon, and although I think I would feel ridiculous chanting, I'm intrigued by the stress relief its supposed to bring.

Yoga is the best exercise there is. Hits every aspect of fitness AND mental Wellness. If you do nothing else, do yoga.

[illinilaw08]

Have any guys on here ever tried yoga? I lift and run a couple times per week, but I'm debating about whether to give this a try. I think the increased flexibility would aid in preventing injuries as I get ready to train for a Fall marathon, and although I think I would feel ridiculous chanting, I'm intrigued by the stress relief its supposed to bring.

 

Just started a weekly Yoga class for men (read runners who lack flexibility). There hasn't been any chanting, but it is difficult and then super relaxing at the end. I'm sticking with it.

[Y2HH]

Thats a pretty short workout, like 30 min?

 

Depends on how fast or slow I decide to go. I can probably compact that down to 15 minutes, if necessary. Usually, I go for about 30-40 minutes, and maybe 10-20 minutes of cardio work. My workouts are never more than an hour, but always target only 1 bodypart per day...that way I can maximize the lesser amount of time I want to spend in the gym. More than one bodypart at that kind of time would be inadequate, but targeting just one gives me an awesome targeted workout.

[Y2HH]

Have any guys on here ever tried yoga? I lift and run a couple times per week, but I'm debating about whether to give this a try. I think the increased flexibility would aid in preventing injuries as I get ready to train for a Fall marathon, and although I think I would feel ridiculous chanting, I'm intrigued by the stress relief its supposed to bring.

 

Yea, tried it...don't like it.

 

It's for girls.

 

Edit: And yes, it's very hard to do, I'm not saying it's not hard. I'm merely saying it's for girls. Because it is. And I don't care what you say.

Edited January 25, 2013 by Y2HH