Exercise and Fitness - Because sitting on your ass all day long is boring ;)

[Iskaral Pust]

 
Thanks, but vast majority of cycling is just going to work by bike (15 km one way) at a rather moderate pace. And some running was interval training (up to 5 km at a time), with 30 seconds high intensity run and 60 seconds low intensity run, but most of it was made at a pace close to 6 minutes per km, which is not very impressive.

Still impressive. It takes good habits or a lot of discipline to do that much. And a low intensity km still burns 60-70% of the calories of a moderate intensity km.

I average only 30km running per month and 30km of rowing, although I do them at high intensity.

[baxus]

Great job, guys.

It feels great to hear you are improving.

 

Thanks, but vast majority of cycling is just going to work by bike (15 km one way) at a rather moderate pace. And some running was interval training (up to 5 km at a time), with 30 seconds high intensity run and 60 seconds low intensity run, but most of it was made at a pace close to 6 minutes per km, which is not very impressive.

Intervals are the worst, as useful as they may be.

I absolutely hate it when we do that 30 seconds go hard, 30 seconds take it easy, no matter if it's running or rowing.

 

When I get the pace right, I can run a half marathon easily, and pick up the pace slowly as the race goes on.

But give me series of 200m fast plus 300m slow or anything like that and I'll be close to dead after a while.

 

I went out for a run last evening, for the first time since twisting my ankle.

A light 7km at the pace of about 6 minutes per km.

I enjoyed it quite a bit, though it was 25-30ºC but since it was after dark it was great and the trail along the river almost guarantees the light breeze throughout.

Will go for a few more runs until Tuesday when I'm going back to rowing 4 times a week.

[3CityApache]

Intervals are the worst, as useful as they may be.

I absolutely hate it when we do that 30 seconds go hard, 30 seconds take it easy, no matter if it's running or rowing.

 

That's why I do 30 seconds hard and 60 seconds easy, not fifty-fifty. This way it's much more bearable. Still, after 5 km or so of such interval training I'm probably more exhausted than after 10 km of regular running. Nevertheless I must say I find a strange pleasure in it. Sometimes it even feels like intensive run is smoother than the easy one. Anyway, I try to make half my running trainings intervals.

[Merunka is the Fury]

Wow guys! I rarely do more than what would be more than 2km when I'm running intervals!

But, I agree that it's a huge benefit in training. I've really been able to increase speed. Both over distance, but also my split time is consistently better now as well. It's feels like I can regulate my speed better after a few weeks of HIIT.

I know its been discussed quite a bit. But, regarding BMI, where or how can I get a real evaluation of this so I know where I'm at?

I'm thinking of adjusting some of my goals or at least training plan based upon that. Meaning: I did plan on doing IF and mostly cardio (some circuit training) down to a goal weight. Likely 180lbs, then focusing on working some weights and strength training back in.

I know its great to do both. And I have in the past. But my goal is to really be with out the "spare tire" and gut I have ALWAYS carried, no matter how many miles I run, or how much I can squat or DL.

?

[aceluby]

Wow guys! I rarely do more than what would be more than 2km when I'm running intervals!

But, I agree that it's a huge benefit in training. I've really been able to increase speed. Both over distance, but also my split time is consistently better now as well. It's feels like I can regulate my speed better after a few weeks of HIIT.

I know its been discussed quite a bit. But, regarding BMI, where or how can I get a real evaluation of this so I know where I'm at?

I'm thinking of adjusting some of my goals or at least training plan based upon that. Meaning: I did plan on doing IF and mostly cardio (some circuit training) down to a goal weight. Likely 180lbs, then focusing on working some weights and strength training back in.

I know its great to do both. And I have in the past. But my goal is to really be with out the "spare tire" and gut I have ALWAYS carried, no matter how many miles I run, or how much I can squat or DL.

?

 

A few things on this.  First, BMI is a crap measurement that should be generally ignored.  Fat % is a much better measure, which you can get from your doctor (probably other places as well.....).

 

Secondly, cardio isn't really going to help with the spare tire.  There are two kinds of fat that is stored on the body.  The first type is very mobile because it is close to your cardiovascular system.  This is fat around your face, arms, calves, and other places that you lose weight almost as soon as you start working out and eating better.  The 2nd type of fat is not as mobile and sits in your ass, lower back, and gut.... and is MUCH harder to lose.  It's doable, but will take quite a bit of effort, of which cardio will do almost nothing to make this fat more mobile.  This is why you see guys w/ ripped arms, but still have a spare tire.  There's a supplement called Yohimbe that when working out in a fasted state will help mobilize that 2nd type of fat.  Read up to see if it will work for you.

 

Third, if you want to burn fat you have to do a few things.  First, you need to create a calorie deficit every day.  It doesn't really matter what you eat (to a degree, you'll see why shortly), just that you are consuming at least 500 kcals less than you expend.  The second thing you need to do is to lift weights, and lift as heavy as possible.  This will not only burn a lot of calories, but will also help create muscle which will need more energy to keep up ongoing.  Last, you need to be sure to eat A LOT of protein (150g a day, at least) so your muscles can build and the heavy lifting doesn't eat both your fat AND your muscles.

 

If you want to lose the spare tire there is no silver bullet.  You need to do full body workouts, you need to make sure you're consuming enough calories to recover, but also need to make sure that you aren't consuming too many calories.  I've been doing this for about 3 months now and have gone from 220 to sitting at 194 and can finally see the outline of my abs for the first time in about 10 years.  

[Iskaral Pust]

Carpal tunnel flared up again last week after squats and got worse after air travel (the pressurized cabin makes the inflammation worse).  It messed with my sleep all week.  I averaged only 4 hours a night for five consecutive nights.

 

I finally had enough energy on Sunday to get back to the gym last night.  I ran and then did upper body weights: chest press, cable rows, pull-ups and some quick arms and abs to finish.  I was pretty sluggish throughout but did very well considering.

 

I slept a bit better last night and will hopefully get to the gym tonight for rowing and leg weights.  But I need to take a break from the squats for a while until the carpal tunnel is back under control.

 

 

Ace - I'm interested in your advice, although I've found that there are a huge number of subjective variations on this topic.  I'd like to cut my fat % by a couple of points but I have not been disciplined about reducing my calorie intake.  I'm not yet carrying enough fat to stimulate a sense of urgency on this, but it would be better to tackle it before it's something I feel bad about. 

 

When my sleep gets erratic, I find I need to eat more -- probably a combination of stress and offsetting fatigue.  That doesn't help me.

[aceluby]

Isk, when you sleep worse your body needs more energy in order to function properly to counteract the lack of proper rest.  That's why you need to eat more.  Since you already lift heavy I bet a small change in your diet of around 300 kcals per day would see results you want, but really your problem probably has nothing to do with diet and everything to do with how well you're (not) sleeping.  

[OnionAhaiReborn]

Secondly, cardio isn't really going to help with the spare tire.  There are two kinds of fat that is stored on the body.  The first type is very mobile because it is close to your cardiovascular system.  This is fat around your face, arms, calves, and other places that you lose weight almost as soon as you start working out and eating better.  The 2nd type of fat is not as mobile and sits in your ass, lower back, and gut.... and is MUCH harder to lose.  It's doable, but will take quite a bit of effort, of which cardio will do almost nothing to make this fat more mobile.  This is why you see guys w/ ripped arms, but still have a spare tire.  There's a supplement called Yohimbe that when working out in a fasted state will help mobilize that 2nd type of fat.  Read up to see if it will work for you.

 

Cardio won't help lose fat any more or less than any other exercise will, since it's creating a calorie deficit that's the actual weight loss mechanism. But any exercise, including cardio, can help to create a calorie deficit, by increasing the amount of energy your body uses (provided you don't increase intake along with activity). If you keep a deficit going long enough your body will eventually mobilize the "spare tire" or any other stored fat, because that's what fat stores are there for. Often fat will come off in first-on-last-off order, and since most people put their fat on the torso first, it's also the most seemingly stubborn.

[lessthanluke]

 
A few things on this.  First, BMI is a crap measurement that should be generally ignored.  Fat % is a much better measure, which you can get from your doctor (probably other places as well.....).
 
Secondly, cardio isn't really going to help with the spare tire.  There are two kinds of fat that is stored on the body.  The first type is very mobile because it is close to your cardiovascular system.  This is fat around your face, arms, calves, and other places that you lose weight almost as soon as you start working out and eating better.  The 2nd type of fat is not as mobile and sits in your ass, lower back, and gut.... and is MUCH harder to lose.  It's doable, but will take quite a bit of effort, of which cardio will do almost nothing to make this fat more mobile.  This is why you see guys w/ ripped arms, but still have a spare tire.  There's a supplement called Yohimbe that when working out in a fasted state will help mobilize that 2nd type of fat.  Read up to see if it will work for you.
 
Third, if you want to burn fat you have to do a few things.  First, you need to create a calorie deficit every day.  It doesn't really matter what you eat (to a degree, you'll see why shortly), just that you are consuming at least 500 kcals less than you expend.  The second thing you need to do is to lift weights, and lift as heavy as possible.  This will not only burn a lot of calories, but will also help create muscle which will need more energy to keep up ongoing.  Last, you need to be sure to eat A LOT of protein (150g a day, at least) so your muscles can build and the heavy lifting doesn't eat both your fat AND your muscles.
 
If you want to lose the spare tire there is no silver bullet.  You need to do full body workouts, you need to make sure you're consuming enough calories to recover, but also need to make sure that you aren't consuming too many calories.  I've been doing this for about 3 months now and have gone from 220 to sitting at 194 and can finally see the outline of my abs for the first time in about 10 years.  

I don't even know what to say about this post...

[aceluby]

 

Cardio won't help lose fat any more or less than any other exercise will, since it's creating a calorie deficit that's the actual weight loss mechanism. But any exercise, including cardio, can help to create a calorie deficit, by increasing the amount of energy your body uses (provided you don't increase intake along with activity). If you keep a deficit going long enough your body will eventually mobilize the "spare tire" or any other stored fat, because that's what fat stores are there for. Often fat will come off in first-on-last-off order, and since most people put their fat on the torso first, it's also the most seemingly stubborn.

 

That is not necessarily true.  Lifting weights can be much better to lose fat than cardio.  If you are lifting to failure, tearing the muscles down, providing enough protein to build the muscles up to be bigger, those bigger muscles will need more energy to stay that size, which will consume more calories.  If you're burning x calories doing cardio, and also x calories lifting weights, you'll get faster long-term fat reducing results lifting weights.

 

It really depends on what one's end goal is.  Cardio is great as an add-on to your exercise routine to burn some extra calories, but as a substitution for weights (as the OP was thinking of doing) it can be not as good.  I know for me personally that I have lost the most weight by having 3x a week heavy lifting sessions.

[aceluby]

I don't even know what to say about this post...

 

If you want to be snarky, then be snarky, if you'd like to educate me I would love to hear your thoughts.  I've been reading a lot of studies on this lately and have had some pretty good results for my personal end goal that seems to be the same as the poster and shared some of what I've been reading.  You obviously have much different goals than I do, which is something to keep in mind.

[OnionAhaiReborn]

That is not necessarily true.  Lifting weights can be much better to lose fat than cardio.  If you are lifting to failure, tearing the muscles down, providing enough protein to build the muscles up to be bigger, those bigger muscles will need more energy to stay that size, which will consume more calories.  If you're burning x calories doing cardio, and also x calories lifting weights, you'll get faster long-term fat reducing results lifting weights.

 

It really depends on what one's end goal is.  Cardio is great as an add-on to your exercise routine to burn some extra calories, but as a substitution for weights (as the OP was thinking of doing) it can be not as good.  I know for me personally that I have lost the most weight by having 3x a week heavy lifting sessions.

 

Any increase in mass is going to require more energy to maintain. While it's true that muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat, the difference is marginal, and several pounds of muscle mass have to be added (an impossible task while at deficit) to significantly increase energy expenditure.

[3CityApache]

From my personal experience, cardio is extremely effective in losing weight. For the last five months, since I started running, cycling and swimming, I've lost about 8 kilos (from 85 to 77 kilos) without changing my diet a bit (I even think I tend to eat a bit more of late).

 

My final stats for August are: 512,3 km of cycling, 98 km of running (including 34 km of interval training), 16,5 km of swimming, 6 km of rowing and 4 hours of tennis. This is by far the best month since my knee injury in March 2012. I wonder if I can keep it up.

[A True Kaniggit]

I read the earlier comments about planking being good for the abs and tried it for the first time today. Damn, those things are harder to maintain than I would've believed without trying them.

[baxus]

 

That is not necessarily true.  Lifting weights can be much better to lose fat than cardio.  If you are lifting to failure, tearing the muscles down, providing enough protein to build the muscles up to be bigger, those bigger muscles will need more energy to stay that size, which will consume more calories.  If you're burning x calories doing cardio, and also x calories lifting weights, you'll get faster long-term fat reducing results lifting weights.

 

It really depends on what one's end goal is.  Cardio is great as an add-on to your exercise routine to burn some extra calories, but as a substitution for weights (as the OP was thinking of doing) it can be not as good.  I know for me personally that I have lost the most weight by having 3x a week heavy lifting sessions.

 

Cardio and weightlifting are two different ways of exercising, each of which has their own benefits and faults.

 

Also, many people translate "cardio" to "running" which couldn't be further from the truth.

I find swimming and rowing to be much better cardio workouts than either running or cycling, AND they do engage all the major muscles in one's body and may help increase muscle mass.

Not as much as heavy lifting would, of course, but enough.

A year of regular rowing practices (3-4 times a week) has reduced my body fat percentage by close to 10% (haven't measured it when I first started, but am basing this assessment on pics that have been posted in this thread), got rid of the most of stomach fat and made my shoulders and legs visibly more muscular.

Sure, rowing practice includes lifting weights but it's mostly cardio - rowing and running, with some cycling.

[HairBearHero]

 

 several pounds of muscle mass have to be added (an impossible task while at deficit)

 

Not disagreeing with your overall post, but we covered this earlier. If you're overweight and still get plenty of protein, it's perfectly feasible to add muscle mass while on a deficit. I've pretty much doubled all my major lifts and packed on plenty of muscle whilst losing 15-20kg over the last couple of years. It might have been faster to do bulk/cut cycles, but it's still possible.

[lessthanluke]

 
If you want to be snarky, then be snarky, if you'd like to educate me I would love to hear your thoughts.  I've been reading a lot of studies on this lately and have had some pretty good results for my personal end goal that seems to be the same as the poster and shared some of what I've been reading.  You obviously have much different goals than I do, which is something to keep in mind.

Well pretty much everything you wrote is just wrong. Feels like you've been reading too much bro science. I'll elaborate when I get chance.

[OnionAhaiReborn]

Not disagreeing with your overall post, but we covered this earlier. If you're overweight and still get plenty of protein, it's perfectly feasible to add muscle mass while on a deficit. I've pretty much doubled all my major lifts and packed on plenty of muscle whilst losing 15-20kg over the last couple of years. It might have been faster to do bulk/cut cycles, but it's still possible.

 

I phrased that part poorly. In some cases you can gain muscle while at a deficit, but you can't increase your overall body mass at deficit, so there can be no significant increase in energy expenditure from this (while there would be an increase from adding several pounds of muscle mass on top of your starting weight).

[Iskaral Pust]

I did hit the gym last night for rowing and leg weights.  5km rowing at a moderate paced 22:20.  For leg weights, I did leg press and the lower back machine instead of squatting.  I had to do several sets of leg press at the max available 400lbs, but it still didn't challenge me like squats.  Then leg lifts, leg curls and calf raises.

 

I also tried planks as a new core exercise.  Definitely more challenging than I expected.  On a rest day, I was able to hold my first ever plank for ~90 seconds the first time and then ~60 seconds.  But after my workout last night I was only able to hold for ~60 seconds each time.  How many "sets" of planks should I do at a time?  Is it better to do them after a workout or on a rest day?

 

If I can find the time, I'm tempted to add additional rowing workouts during the week on rest days from weights.  It's a good way to loosen stiff muscles without the impact of running, and it doesn't seem to take too much out of the muscles used.

[Stego]

 

I phrased that part poorly. In some cases you can gain muscle while at a deficit, but you can't increase your overall body mass at deficit, so there can be no significant increase in energy expenditure from this (while there would be an increase from adding several pounds of muscle mass on top of your starting weight).

 

Try not to oversimplify how our body works. It's certainly nothing as simple as thermodynamics; it's a series of thousands of different chemical reactions. If all of our food were the same, perhaps that energy balance theory would make sense. But it's not. In fact, our body uses different macronutrients in different ways, mostly due to what your hormone balance looks like. 

 

Please consider reading 'Why We Get Fat' by Gary Taubes.