<p>Conducting an experiment with my upper body weight lifting routine. Have structured 2 distinct types of workouts. One is a strength/power workout based on 3-4 sets per exercise of 4-8 reps at 80-90% of my 1 repetition max. The other is a hypertrophy (muscular size) workout based on 4-5 sets per exercise of 8-12 reps at 70-80% of my 1 repetition max. 2 lifting sessions per week with either routine with 72 hours between the first and second session. (The other 5 days in the week are 4 days cycling training and 1 active recovery day where I do light body weight exercises.) Gonna play with one week of each type or 2 weeks of each in an alternating cycle. Will be interesting to see how it works.</p>
<p>Also scheduled my personal training certification exam for July 24. Having a set date should help me to continue to plow through the literally 1500 pages of content dense course materials, hours of videos and online quizzes necessary for the test preparation. I am stunned at how difficult it is to retain, absorb and integrate these materials. I think going through law school and taking the bar exam was easier. Of course, that was more than 36 years ago, so maybe I’ve lost a few brain synapse since then. :)</p>
<p>Am also experimenting with using My Fitness Pal for nutritional planning and logging compared to Weight Watchers points. Haven’t “counted calories” for 25 years. Am running both systems side by side and doing double entries. Have been doing it for 3 weeks now and there are days when I’ve exhausted the WW points but still have MFP calories left which I happily consume. The food lists available through both apps, while structured differently, cover the gamut of everything I would normally eat. I have not gained any weight using MFP even where I am exceeding the WW points on a given day. My daughter swears by MFP and uses it with all her personal training clients for nutritional monitoring. The real test will be to see how the 2 systems compare when cycling season hits and I’m doing long outdoor rides. </p>
<p>^^^ I have a fitbit that attaches to my waistband or pants pocket that measures my steps. It doesn’t work well when biking. I have tried attaching it to my shoe but isn’t accurate at all. Do you know of something to use for biking?</p>
<p>My approach to food is pretty basic. Choose simple, unprocessed foods over heavily processed ones, don’t let myself get too hungry. Some protein for lunch and dinner. (Breakfast is often eaten in a rush, but it is eaten.) When very active, like on a ski trip or when training for an endurance event, think of food as fuel. In fact, always think of food as fuel! If my clothes get too tight then I am eating too many sweets. </p>
<p>"Of course, that was more than 36 years ago, so maybe I’ve lost a few brain synapse since then. "</p>
<p>This! I can’t imagine studying for a bar now- or doing what you are doing, Michael! </p>
<p>2 miles this am. It was nice out, but cold, so I opted for the basement treadmill. It would have taken longer to get all the clothes on for outside than it was worth. Having my usual meltdown about racing tomorrow. I do NOT care about my time- so it isn’t that. This is a popular race and one where people tend to do really well. (except for me, that is- with the exception of last year) It’s flat for this area- and out and back so you get to see people. It’s a half marathon, and it is going to be cold at the start and warm up quickly. I’m stressing the “cold at the start” part. My daughter is trying for a PR and out of town friends are here for it. All I have to do is survive, right? How hard can it be after the straight up cliffs half marathon two weeks ago? Right? I signed up to help my company team, but it turns out only one other person is doing the half marathon- the rest are in the 5K. I don’t think we can score with only two runners. This winter really did people in around here.</p>
<p>Oh- Willie Nelson says thank you, but he already knows he is gorgeous! :)</p>
<p>NorthMinnesota: There are a number of devices that can be used on a bike. The first thing you need to do is define the functions you want the device to perform. If it is simply “calorie counting”, then any heart rate monitor that calculates calorie burn will suffice with the proviso that the calculation will be a rough estimate unless the protocols used by the heart rate monitor to calculate calories are more sophisticated and take into account age, gender, body weight, max hr and resting hr and whether you have been a regular cardio exerciser. If you go the heart rate monitor route, it’s important to thoroughly investigate what metrics are used by the monitor to calculate calorie burn. Some hr monitors are much more sophisticated (and therefore accurate) than others. Price ranges can vary from cheap (under $100) to expensive ($200+)</p>
<p>If you are looking for a device that also provides bike computer functions, you have more options. Many bike computers will also calculate calories. Again, you need to understand what metrics they look at to do so since that will impact on accuracy. Prices can again vary from under $100 to over $300 depending on the sophistication of the devices and whether there are GPS functions. Cat Eye and Garmin are two well known and popular brands. I personally use a Garmin Edge 800 GPS unit. Below is a link to the best website comparison of calorie burn calculations for Garmins that I’ve been able to find. Hope this is helpful</p>
<p>Re the eating-meals, I find that I do much better with bigger breakfasts, medium lunches, and small dinners. I find myself not hungry at all by dinner and sometimes just eat a Greek yogurt and a piece of fruit or something. I’ve never been a night / snack eater, so that’s good. </p>
<p>Doing some new killer Pilates moves this morning! Weight is pretty stabilized, and higher than I’d like, but I feel good about how my body is toned and how I’m able to do more complex things, and LIKE exercise, so that’s 7/8 of the battle!</p>
<p>Interesting how we are all different in the way we lay out our calories throughout the day. Clearly, more than one thing works - it’s a matter of listening to your body (and stomach) and figuring out what works for you!</p>
<p>Pizza, sounds like you’ve landed in a nice place. Content with your exercise plan!</p>
<p>Hoping to get a short run out on an outdoor trail later today - temps should be in the upper 30’s mid afternoon - woo! Have a weekend trip to the windy city to visit my S so hoping to add to my “One mile, Each State” list by running at least a mile somewhere in Chicago - either in the hotel fitness room or if I’m lucky, with my son in his neighborhood! </p>
<p>I rotate rep ranges on a longer cycle. I’ll do 12 rep sets for the entire workout for a month. Then, I’ll rotate to 6 rep heavy sets for a month. (Mike Boyle recommends not lifting heavier than 6 reps. I figure it’s good enough for the Boston Red Sox and the women’s olympic hockey team, it’s probably good advice for a geezer like me!) Then, I’ll rotate to 10 rep sets.</p>
<p>I like the longer cycle because it’s easier to lay out the weights for the workout, rather than guessing as I have to do at the start of each new rep range.</p>
<p>It’s amazing what different challenges they are. I think, overall, shorter/heavier sets are easier. The 12 rep sets can get really tough on the final few reps.</p>
<p>I try to pick weights where the last rep is really hard – right at the point where my form breaks down.</p>
<p>" I think going through law school and taking the bar exam was easier"</p>
<p>You can totally pass this test. I did a similar thing a little while ago - it was hard but not impossible. And I bet both you and MOfWC can study for and pass the bar with ease even now. :)</p>
<p>MOfWC - good luck to you and WC’s sister. Wishing you both calm nerves and fast feet! </p>
<p>I just hope that I can breathe tonight when I go for my run. This @$#% cold is something else - my body is perfectly fine, yet I sound like I’m about to keel over. Lol. </p>
Did a killer spinning class today–I didn’t think it was possible to sweat so much.
NM to track spinning on your Fitbit–you have to manually enter it. I think you go to the dashboard to do it. If you go to the Fitbit website you will find the information.
Weather this afternoon was a balmy 37 degrees–did a quick 1.5 mi. stroll to the post office.
<p>For all of our sunbelt friends who are suffering through warm spring weather and sunshine and flowers and birds, a taste of what you are missing… :)</p>
<p>Beautiful, iDad- but I am totally over anything COLD!!! Bunsen- good luck with the run and the cold.
Thanks for the well wishes for the run!</p>
<p>Thought for the day- My slouchy jeans would be more “slouchy” if I lost 3 pounds! These are NOT the thermometer jeans- those still create a muffin top!</p>
<p>5 miles on the dreadmill and 1 mile walking the dog. I am pretty tired but think I will rebound after I eat a late lunch. Have been sleeping so much better this week since I have kicked up my exercise. Back to tracking, too. </p>
<p>Good luck to those running races this weekend.</p>
<p>NM, were you asking about indoor cycling or outdoor cycling (my response was geared to outdoors). If you are talking about indoor cycling, then using a sophisticated hr monitor is your best bet. The computers on indoor cycles are lousey at calculating calories burned for a whole variety of reasons from lack of consistent calibration to unsophisticated calorie formulas/algorythms.</p>
<p>Blankmind, did you actually mean, “3/4 of a box of thin mints - my reward for running 3.5 miles” or “3.5 miles - my reward for not eating the whole box” :D</p>
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