Regular fitness
- Thread starter billbindo
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bishblaize
Registered
billbindo;90220 said:
6 X 15 minute sessions doesn't equal 1 X 90 minute session. It doesn't work like that.
Daily exercise isnt necessarily the best way to improve fitness, if fitness per se is your goal. However it doesn't need to be a really long session instead. Check out that new Tim Ferris book for some interesting thoughts about the best pay off from the least amount of efforts.
However you dont just do exercise for the physical gains. Exercising daily is a great way of dealing with stress for example. So if thats important to you, do it daily.
Oogiem
Registered
billbindo;90220 said:
Actually to get lean and grow muscle you don't really need to do much cardio at all. Instead I'd do a 15 minute free weight program. Might check out the "Angry Birds Workout" over on the Nerd Fitness boards. Designed to be done in small spurts as you have time. I'm seeing significant results with my version of that style, mine is doctor approved, with a few changes to exercises I can't do.
Biggest thing to help improve fitness is your fork, second is weight training. Fix your diet and start lifting weights and you can go a long way to getting into much better shape.
What result do you want?
It depends on what you are trying to achieve.
For energy: Every time you perform activity of a demanding nature, your body has an "inflammatory" response. Think of this as an increased metabolism--higher heart rate, muscles warmed up, increased appetite, etc. To a degree, the more often you do this, the higher your energy level will be.
For being leaner: this depends almost 100% on how much you eat compared with how much food energy you expend. It is like comparing how much you deposit vs withdraw at the bank.
For growing muscle: this depends almost 100% on increasing the intensity of your physical activity, and then giving your body the rest it needs to grow in response to that. Other factors like diet are secondary considerations here.
So, to have high energy, do something mildly demanding regularly, such as a short jog, as often as every day, but remember: mildly demanding. To get leaner, eat less. To gain muscle, perform highly demanding physical activity infrequently, and then rest plenty. Note that all physical activity has a "cost" in terms of the repairs your body needs to make to be as good or better than the day before. Your body likewise has a budget as to how much it can afford to recover from.
If you only want to run, then the most benefit you can get from running would be to perform a mild jog or fast walk every day or every other day, and then to perform sprinting exercises for a short amount of time once or twice per week. Ideally you would not be using running as your intense activity, however, as it does not lead to strengthening the entire body proportionately.
billbindo;90220 said:
It depends on what you are trying to achieve.
For energy: Every time you perform activity of a demanding nature, your body has an "inflammatory" response. Think of this as an increased metabolism--higher heart rate, muscles warmed up, increased appetite, etc. To a degree, the more often you do this, the higher your energy level will be.
For being leaner: this depends almost 100% on how much you eat compared with how much food energy you expend. It is like comparing how much you deposit vs withdraw at the bank.
For growing muscle: this depends almost 100% on increasing the intensity of your physical activity, and then giving your body the rest it needs to grow in response to that. Other factors like diet are secondary considerations here.
So, to have high energy, do something mildly demanding regularly, such as a short jog, as often as every day, but remember: mildly demanding. To get leaner, eat less. To gain muscle, perform highly demanding physical activity infrequently, and then rest plenty. Note that all physical activity has a "cost" in terms of the repairs your body needs to make to be as good or better than the day before. Your body likewise has a budget as to how much it can afford to recover from.
If you only want to run, then the most benefit you can get from running would be to perform a mild jog or fast walk every day or every other day, and then to perform sprinting exercises for a short amount of time once or twice per week. Ideally you would not be using running as your intense activity, however, as it does not lead to strengthening the entire body proportionately.
jmsmall
Registered
re Regular Fitness
There is an excellent book called "Younger Next Year" that I recommend mostly for the motivational side. He gives good outcomes. In essence, you start where you are, moving up to 1 hour six times a week of either moderate aerobics (you need a heart rate monitor here to avoid overtraining) or weight training.
And no, a 1.5 hour run once a week is not enough. (better than nothing of course.)
Jim (the MD)
There is an excellent book called "Younger Next Year" that I recommend mostly for the motivational side. He gives good outcomes. In essence, you start where you are, moving up to 1 hour six times a week of either moderate aerobics (you need a heart rate monitor here to avoid overtraining) or weight training.
And no, a 1.5 hour run once a week is not enough. (better than nothing of course.)
Jim (the MD)
TesTeq
Registered
Running provides an opportunity for personal growth.
I agree with Michael Hyatt that running provides an opportunity for personal growth. As I said some time ago:
Listening to podcasts while I’m running and driving gives me a feeling of using each second of my life twice. That’s a great feeling!
Read Michael's blog post here 3 Non-Physical Benefits to Running.
I agree with Michael Hyatt that running provides an opportunity for personal growth. As I said some time ago:
Listening to podcasts while I’m running and driving gives me a feeling of using each second of my life twice. That’s a great feeling!
Read Michael's blog post here 3 Non-Physical Benefits to Running.