Everyday Systems

I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and do cardio. I started doing pilates and resistance cord workouts at home from dvd. I also keep a kettlebell at the office and use a heavier one at the gym. I walk as much as I can.

I researched videos and heard that the 30-day shred by jillian michaels was the best ($9 at target or walmart). I recommended it to a friend... and she's done if for 20-minutes every morning and lost 20 lbs. I should get it, right? : ) She is always thanking me for turning her onto it. I feel bad because I don't even own it.

PS I tried to add this to the discussion already in place, but it made it a new topic... weird.

I used to do this first thing in the morning during the winter when I didn't feel like exercising outside--what a way to wake up. I didn't have any weight to lose, but I found it appealing because it offers strength and cardio in a very quick workout. It's REALLY intense, but when the whole thing's over in 20 minutes, you can make yourself slog it out.

I've told people about things I don't or wouldn't consider doing. Unless you're not satisfied with your current workout or it's something you want to do -- why even think about it?

The best thing is to do shorter work outs but really intense ones ... that burns more fat and boosts your metabolisms for the whole day.

20-30 minutes as hard as you can would give you more benefits than 60 minutes or more where you don't push yourself too much. If you can't do 20-30 minutes in a row, you can split that into two sessions, morning and evening for example, 10-15 minutes each time, that would be super effective as well.

Last night I was training super hard ... but it only lasted 30-32 minutes total.

Cheers !

Marc

38 Years Old, 5'10" Tall
Nov. 1st. 2008 : 280 Pounds
Nov. 1st. 2009 : 190 Pounds
(1 Year : - 90 Pounds)

Current Weight : 193 Pounds

bluebunny27 wrote:The best thing is to do shorter work outs but really intense ones ... that burns more fat and boosts your metabolisms for the whole day.

20-30 minutes as hard as you can would give you more benefits than 60 minutes or more where you don't push yourself too much. If you can't do 20-30 minutes in a row, you can split that into two sessions, morning and evening for example, 10-15 minutes each time, that would be super effective as well.

Last night I was training super hard ... but it only lasted 30-32 minutes total.

Seconded. Interval training burns more calories in a shorter amount of time, and research has shown that it gives the same fitness benefits (if not more) than steady-state cardio. The best thing is that you can do it with any sort of exercise--on a bike, with weights, or just walking and running. Most mornings, I walk my dog and we do 1-2 minute interval sprints throughout the 35-minute workout.

What's more, I think intervals are why Jillian Michaels' DVD is so effective, and how you're able to get a real workout in in only 20 minutes.

Well, now ... it's nice that you folks feel that interval training works well for you, but let's not discourage more gentle forms of exercise, shall we? Whatever works to get people moving, and some people may have no interest in doing intense bursts of hard-core exercise -- and they'll get benefits from walking or doing other things.

I'm also just about as skeptical of exercise research as I am of nutritional research: both suffer from the same pattern of wild claims of having found The One True Way, followed by Another (completely different) True Way announced the next year. I'm inclined to treat these things the same way as claims for The One True Miracle Food: ignore it, and do something that seems sensible to you.

So I'm afraid that I just don't believe that anyone has proven conclusively that interval training is somehow the "best" thing to do. A few years ago, I was being told that long-duration, sustained cardio was the only way to burn fat: they said that you didn't even start to burn fat until 20 minutes had elapsed; until that point you were burning glycogen or some darn thing. That was probably inaccurate, but wait a few years -- it'll be back.

[EDIT: This probably came across as crankier than I intended ... sorry. I just worry that people will get the idea that it's hard-core or nothing, and of course that's no more true of exercise than it is of diet.]

DaveMc- I think you are right. NFL and NBA players interval train. If someone offered me $10 million a year to hit singles I would interval train, but in truth for 99% of us walking is just fine. Jumping rope is great as well.

DaveMc wrote:Well, now ... it's nice that you folks feel that interval training works well for you, but let's not discourage more gentle forms of exercise, shall we? Whatever works to get people moving, and some people may have no interest in doing intense bursts of hard-core exercise -- and they'll get benefits from walking or doing other things.

I'm also just about as skeptical of exercise research as I am of nutritional research: both suffer from the same pattern of wild claims of having found The One True Way, followed by Another (completely different) True Way announced the next year. I'm inclined to treat these things the same way as claims for The One True Miracle Food: ignore it, and do something that seems sensible to you.

So I'm afraid that I just don't believe that anyone has proven conclusively that interval training is somehow the "best" thing to do. A few years ago, I was being told that long-duration, sustained cardio was the only way to burn fat: they said that you didn't even start to burn fat until 20 minutes had elapsed; until that point you were burning glycogen or some darn thing. That was probably inaccurate, but wait a few years -- it'll be back.

[EDIT: This probably came across as crankier than I intended ... sorry. I just worry that people will get the idea that it's hard-core or nothing, and of course that's no more true of exercise than it is of diet.]

I'm definitely not discouraging more gentle forms of exercise--I think both have their place--especially because interval training isn't typically recommended for every day. The body needs time to recover in between sessions.

Also, interval training may not be scientifically proven as the "best" thing to do, but it's been the best in my own personal experience. I lost weight quickly and easily when interval training (sprinting and walking for 15 to 20 minutes), while nothing changed when I did steady-state cardio (running for 40 minutes). Plus, it takes less time and yields the same cardiovascular benefits--what's there to lose?

DaveMc wrote: I just worry that people will get the idea that it's hard-core or nothing,
and of course that's no more true of exercise than it is of diet.]

This is SO Very True.

BrightAngel wrote:

DaveMc wrote: I just worry that people will get the idea that it's hard-core or nothing,
and of course that's no more true of exercise than it is of diet.]

This is SO Very True.

I hope that's not true! There has been so much research that's shown how hugely beneficial a simple walking regimen can be for health, weight loss, and well-being in general. You can walk every day and be perfectly healthy. But some people might have an additional goal in mind--increasing their endurance or taking off those last couple of pounds that walking alone just hasn't accomplished. I think interval training can play a key role here. But in no way am I suggesting that you have to do hardcore, painful exercise every day in order to be healthy.

On the old Cyber-Pump page (it was about high intensity weightlifting if anyone was wondering...) they used to joke around about the "Latvian Snow Shovel Lift". Well tonight I shoveled snow for 45 minutes.

No workout DVD needed. Makes me wonder why I moved to the high desert. Next stop, the Caribbean.

The best thing is to do shorter work outs but really intense ones ... that burns more fat and boosts your metabolisms for the whole day.

I think the best thing for most people is to find something, or a variety of somethings, that they like well enough to stick with over the long haul.

Oh yes, that was implied of course .. that you have to be in decent shape if you are going to interval train ... you can't do that if you are severely out of shape, or if you are quite older or have not worked out in a long time ... etc. I'd say most people are not able or willing to work out like that anyway cos' it's much harder to do.

It's REALLY hard to do because you push yourself all the time as hard as you can .. (Heartbeat in the 160's) then you stop ... and then you go again as fast as possible as soon as your heartbeat drops around 125-130. After 5 minutes of doing this you will want to stop ... that's if you are doing it right ! If you are not thinking about quitting after 5 minutes you are not working hard enough !

You can keep going for at least 15-20 minutes but not more than 30-35 at the most ... you will be wiped out after 30 minutes if you do it correctly anyway ...

The work outs are short but they are super intense. Any form of exercise is good of course, that was not what I was implying. Most people do regular cardio anyway. (That's good too but too much regular cardio can make you lose muscles, look at marathon runners vs sprinters or football players for example ...)

Cheers !

Marc

38 Years Old, 5'10" Tall
Nov. 1st. 2008 : 280 Pounds
Nov. 1st. 2009 : 190 Pounds
(1 Year : - 90 Pounds)

Current Weight : 193 Pounds

I'm another one who believes that it's more important to find what you enjoy and what works for your body and stick with that. I know for me, interval training does not work. It makes me tired and super hungry (which causes me to overeat), and it makes me cranky (I haven't figured that part out, but I'm guessing it either depletes me of cerain vitamins or affects my hormones?). I also have tweaky joints, and my knees get VERY cranky if I do too much high impact or a lot of squats and lunges. What works for me is moderate, low impact cardio, moderate weights for upper body, and a combination of pilates and floorwork for abs and lower body. I also do lots of stretching.
Also, I did try Jillian's 30 Day Shred a couple of years ago, and I did NOT click with her personality AT ALL. I tried it several times, just to make sure. But, that's just me.

I guess I would like to know what kinds of exercise do you LIKE to do and for how long at at time.

If you want specific exercise dvd instructors, one of favorites is Tracey Mallett. She has several dvds out where the workouts are divided into short segments for cardio, toning, abs, etc... I especially love her ab work. My abs respond really well to it. I also do mostly Leslie Sansone for cardio, and I'll occasionally throw in one of Ellen Barrett's workouts. I also have a few other instructors I'll sometimes do for cardio (Petra Kolber, Denise Austin, and Shelly McDonald from the Caribbean workout series). For weights, I mainly do Margaret Richard. Her UB work is tops, in my book. She doesn't use super heavy weights, but with the number of reps and the type of exercises she uses, I always feel really worked out after doing one of her dvds. Her floorwork sometimes makes me whimper for mercy. LOL!
In terms of time length, I work out M-F. On Mondays, I usually keep my workout pretty short (30-40 minutes) because my son is off from preschool. My son goes to school Tue-Fri, so on those days, I work out for an hour.

I do either 50-min fitness classes (step aerobics, weights-plus-cardio classes, etc.), or biking or stair-climbing on machines, for 20-30 minutes at a time. The fitness classes are a fun group activity that I enjoy, and for the cardio machines I bring my iPod and watch TV or listen to audiobooks, which makes the time pass quickly.

I enjoyed going to classes, but the new gym I joined does not offer any, but they do have a movie theater with all different types of cardio machines... it's great! Then the ones in the actual gym also have tv screens and ipod hookups.

oliviamanda wrote:I enjoyed going to classes, but the new gym I joined does not offer any, but they do have a movie theater with all different types of cardio machines... it's great!

Wow, I've never encountered such a thing. I guess if there's someone tall in front of you, you just have to jump to see over them, increasing your cardio?

oliviamanda wrote:a movie theater with all different types of cardio machines... it's great!

I want one.

oliviamanda wrote:I enjoyed going to classes, but the new gym I joined does not offer any, but they do have a movie theater with all different types of cardio machines... it's great! Then the ones in the actual gym also have tv screens and ipod hookups.

That's so funny, our local movie theater is the exact opposite. You sit in seats with long tables in front of you and order food, so it's like a restaurant and movie theater in one. Lots of fun!

San Diego's Petco Park (baseball) has a gym that faces the playing field in Right Field. (The adjacent building anyway.) I have seen people on TV using the exercycles and watching the game.

The gym I go to is RetroFitness... it's $20 a month. So, I guess they can't pay instructors charging those rates. : )