Agreed FireandRain - seriously? Runners do the opposite of detract - to me, seeing people running, biking, walking - for exercise purposes is a JOY to see! Who are the runners bothering? The people inside looking out their windows?!!
Super productive night tonight. Full day of work. H and D2 brought home a giant tree - whee! Got the sucker up and I did the lights and S came over and helped us decorate. Ran 3 miles before the decorating. Was thrilled that I had a Costco chicken in the refrig to help make a quick dinner for us all. Just sitting down for the first time today at 9pm. Good day!
Tomorrow is our small group holiday work party. There was a bigger one tonight (but really, not big) that ended up being cancelled. Admittedly, I backed out of that one earlier in the week. It been a hella busy week and I just wasn’t going to give up an evening to go to Outback Steakhouse (sorry co-workers!) - especially since most of us are bringing in potluck tomorrow. I’m bringing green salsa chicken tacos.
Did an indoor ride tonight. Last FTP workout in the 12 week FTP foundation period. After a warmup, I did 4x 10 minute intervals at FTP with 2 minutes recovery in between each. Purpose was to build muscular endurance at high power levels. Glad that’s done! Next week will be a recovery week at 50-60% FTP. Then on to the next phase.
I think you guys are speaking in code or in a foreign language!
I am hanging in with my simplistic workouts (am about to meet a friend for a walk) and I’ve gotten more serious about what I am eating (eating mostly fruits, vegetables and protein (meat/fish/eggs, etc). Have cut back on the unhealthy snacks and, whether it’s real or temporary, have lost 2.5 lbs. But it’s int he right direction. Am pleased that I am getting my head in the game, even at my very basic level.
I may go to the gym after my walk and lunch. I find the elliptical painfully boring :-S
Ohio, yes, absolutely. Your FTP is the starting point for structuring wattage based training. Winter is the perfect time to do structured FTP workouts to build your foundation for the riding season. Not only is the timing right for periodized structuring that leads you to race or event specific preparation in the spring, but indoor rides enable you to focus with control and consistency on the particular target ranges in your program’s progression. Because of the vagaries of topography, it can be very difficult to stay within prescribed wattage ranges when riding outside. The slightest uphill or downhill can easily cause major deviations above or below your target zones. In my experience, the only way I can adhere to structured wattage training outside is to do closed circuit rides in relatively flat neighborhoods or at abandoned airports converted to recreation parks. And when riding season hits, how much of your riding time do you want to spend riding in big circles over and over :). On the other hand, riding inside during the winter on a trainer or spin bike with wattage provides consistency, control and an ability to set whatever duration is called for without disruption or deviation from the program due to road conditions. Once you get through your winter training, you would probably want to do another FTP test to measure your improvement and reset your baseline for Spring training.
jym626, simple is good! You don’t need to immerse yourself in all this technical stuff to achieve your goals of fitness and health. Keep doing what you’re doing. You are enjoying it, you are being consistent with your efforts and will achieve noticeable successes. The technical stuff can come later if you are ever interested in it but you don’t need structured heart rate or wattage training to achieve high levels of fitness. If you do a search of my posts on this board, you’ll find several where I discuss how to regulate cardio training just based on how hard you’re breathing and your ability to speak in paragraphs or full sentences. That’s about as technical as you’ll ever need to get unless you decide to train for competitive performance.
Thanks MK, I also bookmarked those simple at-home exercises!
Jym, I have this workout written down in my phone and by my desk at work as a reminder - I too get “bored” with too long of anything at the gym to get motivated. This is a nice variety, creates a good workout that includes different muscle sets and can be modified depending on the time you have - I think I got it from someone on this thread but can’t remember who to give credit to!!
10 minutes elliptical
5 minutes bike
10 minutes treadmill with slight incline
5 minutes rowing
10 minutes walk/jog on track (my gym has an indoor track)
5 minutes UBE
10 minutes arc trainer
With a five minute cool down that’s an hour that can go by pretty quickly! Or you can modify.
Arc Trainer - like a elliptical, but with different leg movement
The Arc Trainer, is scientifically tested to be gentler on your joints, burn 16% more calories than an elliptical, and is stronger and more durable than the leading ellipticals. On the Arc Trainer, the legs travel in a biomechanically correct path of motion. There’s less stress on the knees and more activation of the glutes and hamstrings. http://www.cybexintl.com/products/arc-trainers.aspx Watch the short video for an explanation
I really wanted to like the ARC trainer during some of my past injuries, but it almost felt too big for me, if that makes any sense. I couldn’t get comfortable with the motion. There is a similar machine (I think Arc is Cybex and the one I could use more easily might be Precor) which did work for me and still has more engagement of muscles than the elliptical.
jym- You need good TV to stand any of those machines for very long!
Please be very careful of cars with walking/jogging/biking - friend of a friend was hit by a car and is being called ‘wonder Wendy’ because she has survived and is slowly recovering, many days in ICU.
You are certainly right SOS - just like driving we need to be defensive as exercisers! But we also can’t let that stop us from our mission/hobby that we are committed to!!!
I tried it a few times in Precor stores and gyms and did not find it exciting.
I am probably a real oddity here… I can make myself run up to 2 hours on treadmill without TV or music. What I did find interesting is that watching sports or wilderness survival show makes me run easier. News and other stuff - not so much.
Wow, Bunsen. That’s incredible! I REALLY need distractions on the treadmill. And, yes, it was the AMT. It was purely an injury necessity. I think I’ve mentioned my running friend from Wisconsin who was on the US National Team for the 24 hour race in 2010 in France. He used to run on his treadmill for 8 hours straight staring at a wall to prepare. He was, um, a little unusual in a lot of ways.
Walked 3 miles with a friend this morning , went to lunch (veggie omelet and fresh fruit) and now at the gym. Just finished a 14 min mile on the treadmill and now am in the bike. So far 11,600 steps but Fitbit doesn’t count bike pedaling in its steps.
