Exercise and Fitness - Pursuit of Excellence (or improvement, for start)

[Quorra]

A few years ago I started doing short, intense workouts 5 days a week. These were referred to as High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT. The workouts were only 12-15 minutes.

I was lead to believe - by the trainer I worked with, that this method would get me into the amazing shape that she was in. She said that's all she did, along with her specific diet, to stay in shape. And she looked amazing to me.

(She described her diet as "ketogenic" which basically meant - to her - that she ate high fat, low carb foods 5 times a day. And she only ate starchy carbs like bread within 1-2 hours of a workout.)

So I attempted this plan but I wasn't as strict on the diet, and at first it worked really well for me. I mean, at FIRST it was super hard and I struggled. But then I felt like I was looking better, getting stronger.

But after a year and a half of this, I didn't look anywhere close to the way she looked. I didn't have nearly as much muscle mass increase, I hadn't progressed as much as I expected over the amount of time I was doing this. And my diet hadn't changed, either. So I was really disappointed.

Either I should have increased the weight I was using, or I started unintentionally slacking off on the workouts. Or I had seriously underestimated how much of a factor her strict diet played in her results. Or, she mislead me about what I could expect from such a routine.

Anyway, so I pretty much gave up on the 12-15 minute HIIT workouts 5x week and now I workout 3 times a week just calisthenics and small-medium weights, no HIIT, very little cardio. I decided I'd just be happy with looking decent naked instead of whatever else I thought I was going to get before. - Super ripped, I guess.

And don't tell me I should have taken up running, because I'd rather die.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

Ya. Everyone keeps talking about running like its something that you can improve on.

I think it's a grand conspiracy, and everyone is miserable while they are doing it. It still suck at it.

Maybe some people just aren't born to run.

QTF!

Running sucks ass.

But I will still do it 3 times a week, and be happy if it stays at a pace faster than walking ;)

[baxus]

Anyway, so I pretty much gave up on the 12-15 minute HIIT workouts 5x week and now I workout 3 times a week just calisthenics and small-medium weights, no HIIT, very little cardio. I decided I'd just be happy with looking decent naked instead of whatever else I thought I was going to get before. - Super ripped, I guess.

And don't tell me I should have taken up running, because I'd rather die.

Do whatever feels good to you but I'd recommend doing some cardio.

Running is the most popular cardio workout but it's not the only one.

Swimming, cycling, rowing, circuit training... take your pick.

[satori26]

About halfway through my training plan for my upcoming half (May 31), and I think I am in the best shape I have ever been. I ran what might be my fastest 3 mile time yesterday, and that was just on an easy training run. Really hoping I can keep this up and crush the race*!

*ie run <2 hrs. I love running, but I'm not the greatest at it!

If you're a chick, running a sub 2 hour half marathon would put you in the top 20% or so, and for guys, top 35% or so. I think that's darn fast. I hope the rest of your training goes well!

I went for a flat, paved run the other day, and I got phenomenally bored. I've realized as much as I like the idea of running and the meditation aspect of it, it really is just hard to not feel bored or focus on the discomfort. So, no more flat runs for me, I'm focusing on trail runs and taking my doggie every other time for the short ones.

[Loge]

Do whatever feels good to you but I'd recommend doing some cardio.

Running is the most popular cardio workout but it's not the only one.

Swimming, cycling, rowing, circuit training... take your pick.

Well, people who say running sucks will probably hae the same attitude towards any kind of endurance sport. It isn't the motion they dislike, it's the effort.

[Liffguard]

Well, people who say running sucks will probably hae the same attitude towards any kind of endurance sport. It isn't the motion they dislike, it's the effort.

It's less the effort and more the lack of engagement. I can happily roll for two hours straight at a much higher intensity than any run I could ever do, because there's a huge amount of variety in technique and I have an opponent to focus on. Long-distance endurance simply bores me to tears. I'll be going for less than five minutes before I start checking my watch,

[Greywolf2375]

It's less the effort and more the lack of engagement. I can happily roll for two hours straight at a much higher intensity than any run I could ever do, because there's a huge amount of variety in technique and I have an opponent to focus on. Long-distance endurance simply bores me to tears. I'll be going for less than five minutes before I start checking my watch,

Same here. Point A to Point B just bores me to tears.

[baxus]

About halfway through my training plan for my upcoming half (May 31), and I think I am in the best shape I have ever been. I ran what might be my fastest 3 mile time yesterday, and that was just on an easy training run. Really hoping I can keep this up and crush the race*!

*ie run <2 hrs. I love running, but I'm not the greatest at it!

I missed this comment earlier.

Great job! Looking forward to more updates like this one!

Well, people who say running sucks will probably hae the same attitude towards any kind of endurance sport. It isn't the motion they dislike, it's the effort.

I wouldn't say that people who dislike running and/or endurance sports dislike the effort.

Let's face it - endurance sports are just nowhere near as fun as team sports are.

And I say that as someone who's spent some 5 years swimming as a kid, total of about 7-8 years rowing since high school and a part time half-marathon runner.

There is no way anyone can convince me running for an hour or doing 10km on a rowing machine is more fun than playing a game of football or basketball.

I'd give up endurance sports in a heartbeat if I knew that I could play football or 3 on 3 basketball with my friends 4 times a week.

Alas, my friends are a bunch of lazy assholes when it comes to sports and as such are not reliable enough for that to ever work, so I switched to sports where I can train on my own if needed.

On the other hand, there is something about endurance sports that I find very enjoyable - the way you just zone out of every worry outside of your training.

It's very nice to have an hour in a swimming pool and think of nothing else than the angle at which your hand hits the water.

[satori26]

Well, people who say running sucks will probably hae the same attitude towards any kind of endurance sport. It isn't the motion they dislike, it's the effort.

Nah, a lot of people who say running sucks don't have access to the environment to make it fun. Running alone on a treadmill or even on the same paved surface outside is monotonous and completely unengaging. A lot of people can't make a running group work because of time commitments.

For me, a 2 hour+ run with a bunch of people or alternately over trails alone is exhilarating, but running in the aforementioned situations makes me just want to lie down.

People who don't like effort, don't like exercise in general.

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

I did my first couch to 5k training session this morning and I gotta say I feel pretty good. I took your advice and took it really slow and see how this is going to stretch me and get me where I need to be.

[peterbound]

People who don't like effort, don't like exercise in general.

Thats… not true. Really in any way whatsoever.

Effort can be defined in a lot of different ways.

[satori26]

Thats… not true. Really in any way whatsoever.

Effort can be defined in a lot of different ways.

"Don't like effort -> Don't like exercise" is not logically equivalent to saying "Don't like exercise -> Don't like effort". Something that doesn't require effort shouldn't be labelled exercise, so... I'll stick by the statement. ;-)

[peterbound]

Your definition of effort is limited to running. Something many would call wasted effort, and useless.

Now I'm sure that this will challenge your narrow vision of reality, but exercise does not begin and end with skinny people moving with no destination.

[satori26]

Your definition of effort is limited to running. Something many would call wasted effort, and useless.

Now I'm sure that this will challenge your narrow vision of reality, but exercise does not begin and end with skinny people moving with no destination.

I don't know what posts you've been reading. I didn't define effort as being limited to running. I imagine you're looking to have a fight with someone over the internet. I'm afraid I can't oblige you. Let's leave it at that.

[HairBearHero]

Knackering weekend - final rugby game of the season on Saturday (17-15 victory BOOM) followed by a few beers, then I'd promised to help MrsHBH in her first ever rowing race. 11km on Sunday morning in flat calm but very humid. Spent Sunday afternoon mostly asleep.

[Starkess]

Had a really good run yesterday, this was a sort of recovery week so it was only six miles. I purposely chose a hilly route (race day will have hills) and still finished in a good time. Felt great--until about 5 minutes afterward when my back started hurting. Lower back pain with every step I took yesterday evening and this morning. It was so bad I almost didn't go to work. But I hobbled around, and by early afternoon I wasn't feeling it anymore. Today is a rest day, but tomorrow I am back to running, and I'm nervous about hurting myself. Hopefully it was just a weird muscle tweak and nothing more serious!

[peterbound]

Lifted a lot of weight today. 3sec pause squats sucked, as did he Bulgarian Split Squats. I really enjoyed the circus dumbbell clean and presses though. Good work out though. Really liking the programming.

[3CityApache]

Ok, I just can't help but say how proud I am for my wife, who has done her second marathon on Sunday, two years after her debut. She has improved her time by more than 42 minutes! She finished Orlen Warsaw Marathon two days ago with the net time 4:16:04.

She said it was a great run, she didn't have any crisis and she managed extraordinarily stable pace (her fastest kilometer was 5:58 and the slowest 6:05) through the whole marathon. And she didn't even have any muscle sores the day after.

I would probably have a problem to sustain such a pace in a 10K race. She's my goddess.

[satori26]

Ok, I just can't help but say how proud I am for my wife, who has done her second marathon on Sunday, two years after her debut. She has improved her time by more than 42 minutes! She finished Orlen Warsaw Marathon two days ago with the net time 4:16:04.

She said it was a great run, she didn't have any crisis and she managed extraordinarily stable pace (her fastest kilometer was 5:58 and the slowest 6:05) through the whole marathon. And she didn't even have any muscle sores the day after.

I would probably have a problem to sustain such a pace in a 10K race. She's my goddess.

:-D That's great! I only wish I could channel that energy and dedication. What kind of training plan did she use to improve so much?

[3CityApache]

No training plan whatsoever I'm afraid. She doesn't have much time for jogging lately due to work, so all she can manage is running 2-3 times a week, mostly for about 12-15 km, in evenings or early mornings. Specifically for the marathon she was able to deliver three longer runs (two for about 20 km and one for almost 35 km, two weeks before marathon). That's it.