Liar, Liar

I started using computers back in 1989. They were a bit more primitive back then (and the first nominee for understatement of the year is . . . ). I used Word Perfect for my writing projects. I remember how sometimes to get the settings to work right I would have lie to the computer, tell it a paper size or a margin was different from what it actually was. That was a liberating realization. It kept from fighting with the computer and allowed me to get my way.

Treadmills are notorious for over estimating the number of calories burned in a session. They give a false sense of accomplishment, making the user feel that he has worked harder than he actually has. But there is a way around this flaw.

Lie.

Select a treadmill that takes weight information. That data is figured into the treadmills computer to gauge calories burned during a workout. For a given speed, the higher the weight entered when the workout began, the higher the number of calories shown as burned. So at the beginning of my treadmill workout I will enter a lower weight than I actually weigh. The final number of calories burned will not be inflated.

This doesn't make the "calories burned" count accurate, but it will avoid the reporting of the unduly inflated number of calories burned.

So how much lower should the weight number be? My guess is about 20%. I'll try to look into that and get a more "fact based" estimate. My personal practice is to put in the weight I want to be, not the weight I am. That gives me some idea of how hard I will need to work to burn a set number of calories. It's still off, but it's a good starting place.

One more note: incline makes almost no difference, though it should. I've experimented with this on a few treadmills, keeping speed the same, but trying various incline settings. I really can't see that there is anything in the treadmills computer function that takes into account steeper inclines resulting in harder work and more calories burned.

Treadmill Redux

Coming back around to using a treadmill in my fitness quest. I'm a fan of P90X and sane nutrition, but there is a dynamic for me I using a treadmill that helps keep me motivated with exercise and nutrition. And, not to belabor the point, there is nothing passive about the way I use a treadmill.

I practice high intensity interval training sets on a treadmill (HIITs for short). There are several approaches to this, but the basic premise is that the intensity of the workout is varied from moderate to exhaustion through several cycles. When I was doing this regularly and running on the treadmill I would start with a slow warm up for 5 minutes, gradually picking up my speed and breaking out onto a jog. Then I would begin increasing my speed by intervals of 2 every 30 seconds until I reached exhaustion, at which point I would drop back down to my jog speed. After just a minute to rest I would begin increasing my pace again, but by intervals of 3, and continue until I reach exhaustion again. I would repeat that until I reached intervals of 6. After reaching exhaustion on that set I would start going back down in numbers (intervals of 6, 5, 4, 3, 2). I would consider it complete when's had reached the last set of intervals of 2. I'm not a fast runner, so my goal was augmented with the objective of running 3 miles in 30 minutes. The fitness variable was getting as much speed as possible before exhaustion.

Here I am now starting over again (I quit the pathetic fitness center where my membership was and tried to supplement it with walking around my community - not the same thing / same results at all). I'm having to start over walking on the the treadmill but I'm still practicing intense intervals, but with modifications until I'm running again.

I start off with a lower body stretch. I would always do. I like the experience of feeling my body becoming increasingly limber. I jumped on the treadmill once a few years ago, thinking I really didn't need to stretch that day and ended up with a pulled muscle. The pain of that experience has made me a confirmed stretcher for before and after each treadmill session.

I then do the slow warm up on the treadmill. When I'm ready to start I initiate the settings. Since I'm walking during my HIITs right now, I'm incorporating the use of steep inclines and make them the major variable. I set the speed at 3.5 (a good moderate pace) and the incline at 4. For each minute I increase speed and incline by intervals of 1 and continue until I' be reached maximum walking speed (right now 4.5 at lower inclines, less at higher inclines). After reaching maximum walking speed I continue to increase incline until I reach exhaustion. Then I drop back down on speed and incline, but not quite as far down on the incline (maybe only as far as 5.0, an increase of 2 intervals). I repeat the process until exhaustion, then start again at a higher incline.

I never start running. I make myself work harder by walking fast at a steep incline. Try this and you can get yourself I to a dripping mess, which, of course, you really want to do. People who never break a sweat using a treadmill really aren't accomplishing much. You will be able track you increasing fitness by using HIITs on a treadmill. And by the way, no holding on to the front or side hand holds. Walk with your hands swinging. That increases the level of your "work" while you're on the treadmill. At lower speeds you can also occasionally lock your hands behind your head, elbows high, for a workout of your abs.

This is where I'm starting as I work toward getting back up to running my HIITs on the treadmill again. In a few days I'll have to be on the road and away from my fitness center. The advantage of what I'm doing now is that I can still go out and just walk the neighborhood in order to keep my conditioning on track.

Remember, your goal is to work out on the treadmill, not just ride it. No matter what your fitness level, there is a way forgo to use a treadmill that is challenging and will improve your physical condition.

Which 50% Are You?

During the Thanksgiving break I heard a news broadcast that related appetite and exercise. Their report was on research indicating that exercise would increase appetite and was therefore suspect as a means of weight control. This took me totally back since my experience has been totally the opposite. This went report went on for awhile making this point about how questionable the value was of exercise for weight control. Finally toward the end of the report I caught the line that this was only true for 50% of the population.


Well, I guess I'm in the other 50%. I find that with exercise I can really ramp down my appetite. It’s when I don't exercise that I problems. And specifically, it is cardio that helps me to best control my appetite. A lot of the fitness people out there will rag on cardio as ineffective at worst or inefficient at best when it comes to burning fat. That may very well be the case. For me, cardio exercise has two other benefits that make it an important part of my weight loss regimen. First, I find it mentally helpful. Completing a good cardio or HIIT session gives me a sense of well being or positive mind set. I can stay in a much more positive mindset about my program when I'm doing cardio. So, if for no other reason than that, cardio (HIITs) would continue to be a part of my overall exercise program.

The second reason is that I find my appetite bumped down when I am doing cardio. If I skip my HIITs, if I stop doing any kind of cardio exercise my appetite begins to go ballistic! I mean, seriously, food starts calling my name. I get amazed at the students I teach when we have snacks of some kind. Some of them can eat a cookie or two and be totally satisfied. How can they just let it go? I want the cookies, all the cookies, and some more cookies. I want cookies until my stomach hurts. Then I want some more. I think I know what it must be like to be an addict or alcoholic. The best way to control those urges is to keep up a regular cardio program. I can do a much better job of avoiding binge eating if I just keep up my HIITs.

If it’s a 50/50 break down, I sure am glad that I'm on the half of the population whose appetite is helped by exercise. I still recommend that everyone try it. If you're having trouble controlling your appetite, find a level of cardio that is sufficient to keep cravings curbed.

Sometimes the talking heads just don't seem to want personal drive to work. Drive yourself to health anyway.

Does That Hurt?

I’m surprised that I have been so sore since Sunday after doing the cardio 3-4 of Power 90. I complete Power 90 1-2 sculpt 3 to 5 times a week, sometimes more. I run three miles about as many times a week as I do the Power 90. I certainly would not have thought that there was much in Power90 Sweat that would push me to the point of getting really sore. It did, though. I have felt the pain primarily in my claves, but it was in my legs, arms and shoulders at first.
I went to run last night after staying at school late. I arrived at Peak at 10 PM. I tried to start my HIITs on the treadmill, but I didn’t get through the first round before I could tell that running could possibly hurt me more. I had muscles in several places in my legs feeling like they would pull if I increased my speed very much. I had to stop at about 7 minutes and leave.

My calves are still really sore this morning. My original plan for today was to go home and do Power 90 Sculpt and Sweat. The schedule for the day has changed some and I’m trying to decide whether to keep with plan A or to go to Peak after church. Even as I write this I realize that the best thing to do will be to stay with the first plan. I’ll wait to get a run in tomorrow, but I’m doing another Power 90 Sweat tonight at home.

The episode has convinced me that I need to add the cardio routines from Power 90 to my regimen. There are muscles that get worked in that routine that all those weight resistance exercises don’t touch. Here’s to even more progress.

Is This Plateauland Already?

The past few days nutrition has been great, resistance training has been great and HIITs have been great. But my weight won't budge off of 187. Plateau already? The drop will come and it will come soon. My goal is still to be at 185 by Saturday.

Just the few days of getting back into Power 90 has caused some of my muscles to bounce back. Along with some noticeable added strength, I can already tell that the cleft between my pecs is deeper (pecs getting bigger).

I had a great session with my HIITs yesterday. My goal was to reach 100 calories before 10 minutes (counting the 5 minute warm up walk), 200 calories before  15 minutes and 300 calories before 20 minutes. I also set goals to reach 3 miles before 30 minutes and to continue the sprints until I hit over 400 calories.  I hit every goal, sometimes with only a second or two to spare, but made it none the less.

This was my final reading at the end of my cool down walk. I had to push into the 9 mph range several times and did it well. Good day yesterday. Now, if only I could find the exit from Plateauland.

Working My Plan

Four days straight of Power 90 sculpt. The plan I started this past weekend is working great. Before I go to bed I make sure everything is ready for me to do a session of sculpt. When I get up, the computer is on, the water and towel are out. The CD is in and ready to go. I literally just have to push play. But lets do this for a month before I declare "Mission accomplished."

Peak is going well. I'm getting my sprints in. That's another thing I make sure is prepared before I go to bed. The back pack is packed and by the door. I just have to pick it up and change at school before I leave for the day so that my first stop is the fitness center on the way home.

I'm pushing my sprints/HIITs. Rest periods between sprints is limited to 1 minute, 1 & 1/2 minutes, or until my heart rate is in the low 140's. One consequence has been that I don't run as long, but because of the speeds I'm selecting, I run as fast or faster. I should be able to bring my goals to 200 calories burned before 20 minutes and 300 burned before 25 and 3 miles reached by 29 minutes. Yesterday I missed 3 miles in 30 minutes by just few seconds.