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Post by wondermonkey on Dec 26, 2015 10:18:10 GMT -8
When I lift I do a small amount of cardio just to get the body warmed up and on many workouts I do a superset approach because I enjoy it and it keeps my heart rate up a bit. Other days I go hike, ride my indoor trainer, etc. I'm in a groove now with my workouts so that I'm going to try and do a three day a week early morning cardio only session. Thirty minutes to start, not because I can't do more than thirty minutes but because I don't want to get ran down before my fitness can handle the entire week. I suspect at first there will be a dip in my energy doing the weight training but I'm not real concerned. I don't use specific weights anyway, I go by feel (mostly) and the end result is the effort, as long as it keeps moving towards healthy.
I've got several options at home once Jan 1st rolls around. I have the equipment at home but my son is in his old room until he leaves for his training, then first duty station, and it would wake him up to use the bike trainer in the morning. So... for the next week I'll use our elliptical for an easy 30 thirty minutes. No intervals or high intensity, just steady state. When he ships out I'll alternate elliptical and trainer but maybe sometimes I'll go out for a walk in the morning just to do something different.
I won't do the early morning cardio on leg day just yet but if I can get to where I'm able to do that then I think that would be great.
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Post by rwtb123 on Dec 26, 2015 11:38:38 GMT -8
I definitely prefer to do cardio after weight training not before.But then again I don't think I know the definition of light cardio.Once I get started I have a hard time stopping.I always warm up with cable giant or supersets to get the heartrate going and blood flowing,but know many prefer light cardio.If you have the time available early morning, then that is definitely better than nothing and actually is otherwise a good time for cardio as you tend to burn more fat before you have time to load the bloodstream up with too many sugars.As long as you are in a groove you are on the right track as consistency is by far the most important factor for long term sucess(for some reason I feel like I'm preaching to the choir,lol).
I am resting now after a long bike ride yesterday.My metabolism is still raging from the ride so have been drinking protein shakes every few hours.Later I plan to do a weight session to get out of this catabolic(fat-burning)mode into an anabolic(muscle-building) mode.
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Post by wondermonkey on Dec 26, 2015 14:38:06 GMT -8
Light cardio is just five minutes to get the body moving before my workout. As far as actual workout cardio it would be in the morning with weight training during lunch or right after work. (for some reason I feel like I'm preaching to the choir,lol). Reinforcement, reminders and support are always appreciated. I miss being on the bike. Right now I have limited time and to do proper bike workouts and weights and this and that isn't working. However once it warms back up I'll be able to get back on my work commutes which is good. For those I can adjust the distance to make it one hour and I'll do that a few weeks then I'll start turning them into workouts. Balls out one day, steady state the next, increased paced the next, etc.
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Post by rwtb123 on Dec 26, 2015 23:32:57 GMT -8
For me, it is all about prioritizing.Lately,I had been prioritizing weight training while just maintaining the cycling and walking.This week I have been ramping up my cycling while maintaining in my walking and weight training.I plan to do a chest/back superset workout now where I will be setting no PRs and then heading out for a bike ride.
Sounds like you are in a groove with your weight training(and at least maintaining cardio wise).When I lived in an area with real winters, I also tended to hibernate hitting the weights hard this time of year and I guess that habit is still with me to some extent.Also,when I was carfree living one county south (where the traffic is even worse) and so riding my bike frequently at night, I tried to stay off my bike over the holidays when so many drunks and reckless drivers are on the roadways, thus hibernating in the weightroom...
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Post by wondermonkey on Dec 27, 2015 11:22:09 GMT -8
I don't ride on the road much at all. We have a pretty good paved path system around here so except for a few specific routes I'm on the path system.
My weight training is 100% focused on imbalances. Hamstrings are behind quads, Upper back is behind the front, etc. And I'm not lean enough. I need to get to 220 lbs then assess from there. The Winter is a great time, as you mentioned, to take care of some of that. Additionally as it hasn't been that long that I've been "re-activated" I've had to figure out how to handle things while still being a husband, parent, coach, and keep building my Plan B income. Tough to balance it all but I'm inching forward.
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Post by rwtb123 on Dec 28, 2015 5:03:00 GMT -8
IMO,as long as you're continuing to lose bodyfat at a steady rate I would continue to go full bore on that doing what's worked so far.Your body will tell you when it thinks you have lost enough by trying harder to hang onto what's remaining.Then you may need to get more creative by increasing the weight training and perhaps calories to burn more fat and create an environment where the body doesn't feel the need to hang onto remaining fat stores.So I think you are on the right track easing into the weight training at this point with the idea to ramp it up at some point...
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Post by wondermonkey on Dec 28, 2015 7:53:00 GMT -8
Some additional reasons for me to ease into it is to allow my connective tissue adjust. Kind of like the general rule of only increasing distance by 10% on a ride so you allow all parts to react. Also if I do too much I tend to not create a habit with it. I adjust, not change. Adjustment can then lead to change, of course.
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