Looks like I might be running out of excuses:
In… recent studies, Gibala and his colleagues had a group of college students, who were healthy but not athletes, ride a stationary bike at a sustainable pace for between 90 and 120 minutes. Another set of students grunted through a series of short, strenuous intervals: 20 to 30 seconds of cycling at the highest intensity the riders could stand. After resting for four minutes, the students pedaled hard again for another 20 to 30 seconds, repeating the cycle four to six times (depending on how much each person could stand), “for a total of two to three minutes of very intense exercise per training session,” Gibala says.
Each of the two groups exercised three times a week. After two weeks, both groups showed almost identical increases in their endurance (as measured in a stationary bicycle time trial), even though the one group had exercised for six to nine minutes per week, and the other about five hours.
This sort of intensity training, this “train until it hurts for short periods, rinse, repeat” is what CrossFit is all about.
It’s too late to start this week, but beginning tomorrow it’s back in the gym for me.
Which should be perfect, since tomorrow is a CrossFit rest day.
The question is… does it cause weightloss as well as endurance increase?
Rest day, indeed. Having been blessed(?) with a high metabolism I’ve been fortunate enought to stay “fit” without a regular work-out routine. Active duty workouts consisted of bi-annual physical readiness tests. These days workouts consist of keeping up and actively involved with my two young-uns.
I think I should’ve done some stretching exercises before hiking my butt around Sea World for nine hours yesterday, the latter part of which consisted of a 45lb sack of four-year-old about my head and shoulders. Kinda meets the premise of your posting. Carry him around as much as I could take it, put hime down, watch him go and falter, then up we go again.
Does that count?? Sure feels like it this morning. Lovely place ya have here. Nice to be back, but after a week or so, ready for the return to Mayberry R.F.D.
It’s often called the Tabata method. Many repeated studies show that bursts of training at max are better than sustained exercise – just like lifting 75% 1RM for 10 is better than lifting 25% 1RM for an hour.
The problem with it is that these studies mostly show effectiveness in increasing the endurance of those who start out unfit. The applicability of Tabata to those of moderate physical fitness is not yet demonstrated.
I always abide by the policy that when the urge to exercise hits me, I sit down and rest until the feeling passes.
WARNING! This post is dangerous!
Under inspiration of this post and its associated readings, I proved the following: 1 warm spring day + 1 unused-for-four-months mountain bike (+ X number of pounds of excess baggage since it was last used) + a winding off-road course around a lake + 1 impulsive person who thinks she’s in better shape she is + a “shortcut” = ass-kicking bike ride that includes dragging said bike up a 25-foot cliff of boulders at the end.
I truly thought I was gonna die–particularly when I staggered backward on the cliff. Good news is, I think that workout qualified for “cycling at the highest intensity the riders could stand.” The nausea will subside eventually, right?
Depends whether you sober up or not…
I am ready to resume might fitness routine, now that scientists have proven that beer is a better rehydration vehicle than anything else available.
I just gotta figure a way to mount a cryo-bottle on the bike frame, although I have to get the bike first.
Certainly a cold-pak will fit into my day-pack and hold a few cold ones for the end of the hike. Or those breaks in between. Or at the beginning, to wash down breakfast.
If someone would just invent a bacon flavored granola bar to go along with the pickled eggs…
Oh sure, you post about short and intensive when I’m training for a Marathon. I’m a couple of weeks into a 16 week program, doing 9 miles today.
And I’m still sore from the hill repeats I did a couple of days ago. And it doesn’t get any easier as I get older.
So, how do casualties stack up using the intensive vs. moderate approach, especially if you are, say, past thirty years of age (or a multiple of)?
AW1, I tried beerobics for a while with questionable results, but certaibly enjoyed the evaluation process.
Joe,
Soak for 15 minutes in a cold tub as soon as you can after any run longer than an hour or after a particularly diffucult interval or hill session.
Max cold water, no hot, get in and soak for 15 min while ingesting 16-24 ounces of sports drink mixed with protien powder. I reccomend Cytomax as a hydration/recovery drink. It costs more than Gatorade, but the G is crap anyway, especially when training for an endurance event.
Follow this recovery drill immediately post race as well to avoid extreme soreness and stiff legs. Worked wonders for me when I was training for an iron distance triathlon, and on reace day also. Felt like a million bucks the day after the race, a very different experience from my first marathon.
Sounds like a Union Pacific or BNSF physical agility/endurance test. Taken and passed on a couple of occasions. It is actually part of the interview process to hire on as maintenance of way. That is the guys who swing the spike mauls, grunt on lining bars, replace ties and that sort of thing. Everyone should try it.
I started crossfit back in 2005, and went hard at it for a year. Now I’ve shifted back to doing stuff outside (climbing, biking, hiking, running, skiing) to maintain fitness, but still cherry-pick workouts from WODs. Did 10 x (4 pullups/8 pushups/10 lunges) at the end of my 2 mile run today, for example. And Fran is always a favorite go-to workout.
But be very careful with the oly lifts and heavy deads. I #$%^-ed up my back with those.
I can also recommend hiking around with 50 LBs of body armor and weapons as excellent exercise, having just completed NIACT.
I prefer 12 ounce curls.
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