Exercising without a gym

[Skunk]

Just weighed myself. 68.8kg! First time I m under 70kg since my god, when I was in my twenties!

 

Last I weighed myself was Jan 6, 72.1 kg in my birthday suit. Just now in my t-shirt, shorts, coins in pocket, ahem

 

 

waliao eh u r so light ah....when i was 68kg, i was maybe 14 years old LOL

 

when i was 17, i was already 75kg.

 

 

In this photo i was around 82kg....i really can't imagine going down to less than 70kg....must be dead skinny lol

[Chickenbackside]

That seriously doesn't look like 80+kg.

 

You must be pretty tall?

[Skunk]

That seriously doesn't look like 80+kg.

 

You must be pretty tall?

 

1.75m....average bah...

 

now u know why i was so shocked to hear of men being so light....my wife (chubby lah lol) is already 65kg at 1.5m+ (she's super short).

[Topgun]

Maybe my bones hollow? I'm 1.72m tall.

 

I've never been able to get myself below 70kg, for the longest time even when I was exercising religiously and more active, I always hovered around 74-75kg. Then last decade around 76-78kg. Until recently just before this thread started I was training for marathon from Aug 09 (meaning longer runs n 6x a week), and cutting my rice to 2 spoonfuls ONLY AT DINNER (I continued with heavy breakfast n lunch, lots of carbo), I lost 6kg by the time I ran the marathon Dec 6. But immediately after I put on back a few.

 

So, since begining of Jan, wth the info provided by CBS, my only cheating was my kopi, 2 cups a day and the 4 days I was in Ipoh. Otherwise consciously no carbo. In fact, I run alternate days now and 30min only. Doing some push-ups and chin-ups and crunches and v-sit-ups.

 

Well, more importantly I want to do a blood test in 3 months time. I'd a thorough medical checkup last Sept. 1st time my cholesterol was borderline (CBS I m gonna PM u my choloesterol readings). My BP has always been betw 135/90 125/85 for years (not on any bp medicine and don't want and don't intend to start).

 

That's why weight is one thing, but overarching objective is for health and well-being.

Edited January 24, 2010 by Topgun

[Blackwind]

So, since begining of Jan, wth the info provided by CBS, my only cheating was my kopi, 2 cups a day and the 4 days I was in Ipoh. Otherwise consciously no carbo. In fact, I run alternate days now and 30min only. Doing some push-ups and chin-ups and crunches and v-sit-ups.

 

 

hmm... is it possible for you to run longer than 30 mins..... do it in a more leisure pace but not to easy so that you will end up burning more fats..... i feel that 30mins is too short and you will not burn off much fats

[Bighappyjer]

hmm... is it possible for you to run longer than 30 mins..... do it in a more leisure pace but not to easy so that you will end up burning more fats..... i feel that 30mins is too short and you will not burn off much fats

true for steady state cardio, but definately untrue for hiit

[Topgun]

hmm... is it possible for you to run longer than 30 mins..... do it in a more leisure pace but not to easy so that you will end up burning more fats..... i feel that 30mins is too short and you will not burn off much fats

 

 

Yup. 45min to 1 hr is my typical runs usually. Only these couple of weeks have been slacking a bit, partly i've some recurring pain (not sharp or anything) at the arch of both my feet so just giving them some rest, thats all.

[Skunk]

i feel that 30mins is too short and you will not burn off much fats

 

is this true? Can anyone verify?

 

My workouts have always been 30 mins, but i make sure it's super hiong....I run like someone's chasing me with a knife, i swim like a shark's behind me LOL

 

[Topgun]

is this true? Can anyone verify?

 

My workouts have always been 30 mins, but i make sure it's super hiong....I run like someone's chasing me with a knife, i swim like a shark's behind me LOL

 

 

I'm trying to do intervals. Not strict about it but 6 intervals of sprints of 30s within the 1/2 hour.

[Chickenbackside]

In the first place, I think using exercise to lose weight is a wrong strategy to begin with. If weight loss is the priority, the diet should come 1st.

 

I mean, if you think about it, running at 10.5km/h (not exactly slow) for 45 mins on a treadmill burns around 5-600 calories according to my Life Fitness treadmill in my condo gym. That's really pretty pathetic. 1 lean chicken breast salad will easily put that 45 mins of running to waste.

 

A better strategy would be to put your body in a constant state of fat burning where insulin levels are low and glucagon levels are high. That way, whether you exercise or not, your body is emptying its fat cells constantly, all day long.

 

Coming back to exercise, from what I have gathered, slow steady cardio or SSD burns fat only during the exercise. So while it's true that the longer the you do SSD, the more calories you burn, it does not carry through the day.

 

However, if one exercises at a very intense level, like intense weight lifting or HIIT, even for a short period, the effect lasts for a much longer time. In fact up to 24 hours after the exercise. So in the grand scheme of things, short but intense exercise will burn more fat when looked at over longer periods.

 

Also, SSD is known to greatly increase appetite, which pretty much makes the exercise redundant as people tend to overeat after.

 

Intense exercise is known to suppress appetite.

 

From my own experience, it seems true. When I go running for 45 mins, I tend to be really hungry right after. However, when I do 1/2 hour of HIIT with body weight exercises, I totally don't feel like eating until much later.

 

Also, if anyone thinks that jogging for 45 mins is harder than 15 mins of HIIT (high intensity interval training), he/she should try it out.

 

My 2 cents.

Edited January 24, 2010 by Chickenbackside

[Blackwind]

but some wouldn't want to do intense workout and put on muscles e.g. the female population

 

so what should ppl in this category do to lose weight in terms of exercise?

Edited January 24, 2010 by Blackwind

[Topgun]

...

However, if one exercises at a very intense level, like intense weight lifting or HIIT, even for a short period, the effect lasts for a much longer time. In fact up to 24 hours after the exercise. So in the grand scheme of things, short but intense exercise will burn more fat when looked at over longer periods.

 

...

 

I just borrowed a book, "Run for Life - The Anti-Aging, Anti-Injury, Super-Fitness Plan to Keep You Running to 100" by Roy M. Wallack, it has a chapter on 'the ultra interval' which basically summarises at the begining of the chapter:

 

"Going all-out for 20 or 30s can melt fat, save your joints via reduced workout time, stop your VO2max from declining, increase muscle power and longevity. If you can handle it."

 

The book basically talks about various strategies and studies that premise we should be able to run into our eighties if not older, and be fitter and healtier! If we overdo our endurance runs, marathons and overtraining which we cannot maintain 'active' running beyond a certain age.

[Chickenbackside]

There are better strategies than jogging slow and steady for 45mins - 1 hour.

 

For example, you can do 6 MAXIMUM SPEED sprints, each lasting 30secs or however long you can manage to sustain, with say 3-5 minutes rest in between. That way, your workout is very short, leaving you more time to do better things in life, while setting up your body hormonally to burn fat.

 

This won't make you put on any muscle while greatly improving your cardiovasular conditioning. BTW, ladies shouldn't worry too much about putting on too much muscle. What you see on TV in ladies body building contests is practically impossible without the use of steroids. Ladies who are working out intensely with weights in the gym without the use of steroids will look like Jessica Biel or Angelina Jolie rather than Miss Body Building. So unless Jessica Biel or Angelina Jolie are too muscular, there should be no worries about putting on too much muscle.

 

For those who want some info regarding the school of thought that cardio might not be as good as it's cracked up to be:

 

http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2009/11...rt-disease.html

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/aerobic_fallacy.htm

http://www.xiser.com/store/pdf/HIIT_vs_zon...ic_training.pdf

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/high-fat-di...-washboard-abs/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/chronic-cardio-2/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/

 

[Chickenbackside]

"Going all-out for 20 or 30s can melt fat, save your joints via reduced workout time, stop your VO2max from declining, increase muscle power and longevity. If you can handle it."

I definitely subscribe to this logic.

 

To be able to handle this does take some conditioning. I remember the first time I did sprint intervals. After 3 sprints, I puked, haha.

 

Now I push myself to keep the sprints for 45secs - 1 min and rest for max 2 minutes before the next sprint. I'm totally wasted after 6 rounds. But it's definitely great for saving time.

 

[Triproton]

"Going all-out for 20 or 30s can melt fat, save your joints via reduced workout time, stop your VO2max from declining, increase muscle power and longevity. If you can handle it."

 

This is contrary to my experience. Everytime I do interval training (speed or hills), I will get pain in my joints. Whereas Slow and Steady Cardio is ok for me. Most people I know get injuries while doing interval training. Hence, it is only recommended that interval training is only done once or twice per week. On the other days, you can do a slow and easy base run. My base run is 7km per day.

 

If you want to train for endurance, stamina and your aerobic base, you will need to do slow and steady cardio like long runs and base run at an even pace. If you want to improve speed and power, you must do interval training. You can run a marathon with only doing slow and steady cardio. But you cannot do a marathon with only interval training. If you intend to run shorter distances like 5km, then interval training is perfect but it is really demanding and the risk of injury is high expecially for older runners. That's is why you find a lot more older folks running longer distances like the half and full marathon compared to 5k and 10k. Somehow, the slow and steady running seems to be better for the joints. So, I disagree with the author of that article based on my personal experience and from what I have observed in races like 5k, 10k, 21k and 42k.

 

I also find that my training for the full marathon has improved my aerobic base significantly so much so that I can use the same base for cycling. I just did my first 100km over the weekend. All I had before the ride was a bowl of muesli with full fat milk and I burnt 3700 calories at the end of the ride, approximately 700 more calories than running a marathon but with less pain. I did another slow and easy 20km cycle on the same day and burnt about 700 calories. So, in all, I burnt about 4400 cal in a day on a low carb diet. so, I figured that most of the calories are coming from burning fat! And no, I didn't feel too hungry after all this cycling but was dead tired at the end of the day

Edited January 25, 2010 by Triproton

[Topgun]

This is contrary to my experience. Everytime I do interval training (speed or hills), I will get pain in my joints. Whereas Slow and Steady Cardio is ok for me. Most people I know get injuries while doing interval training. Hence, it is only recommended that interval training is only done once or twice per week. On the other days, you can do a slow and easy base run. My base run is 7km per day.

 

...

 

Oh this is really case of little knowedge is dangerous. Of course if you have been doing intervals before, like thing else, you have slowly build up to it. And embarking on any games or exercise regime, may even be prodent to do check up with doctors. In anycase, the book advised at most 2 consecutive days of interval training if you're a fit guy. Not supposed to train like that for 6 days a week. You need to let muscles recover and grow.

 

So you're right, cross train or slow & easy days in between intervals and hills and what nots

 

I really enjoy cycling too. But find it dangerous on S'pore roads so I've almost but give up cycling.

 

 

 

[Topgun]

This is contrary to my experience. Everytime I do interval training (speed or hills), I will get pain in my joints. Whereas Slow and Steady Cardio is ok for me. Most people I know get injuries while doing interval training. Hence, it is only recommended that interval training is only done once or twice per week. On the other days, you can do a slow and easy base run. My base run is 7km per day.

 

...

 

Oh this is really case of little knowedge is dangerous. Of course if you haven't been doing intervals before, like anything else, you have to slowly build up to it. And embarking on any games or exercise regime, always slowly build up to intensity and interval. It's prudent to do check up with doctors if you overweight and never exercised for since school or NS. In anycase, the book advised at most 2 consecutive days of interval training if you're a fit guy. Not supposed to train like that for 6 days a week. You need to let muscles recover and grow.

 

So you're right, cross train or slow & easy days in between intervals and hills and what nots

 

I really enjoy cycling too. But find it dangerous on S'pore roads so I've almost but give up cycling.

[Triproton]

Oh this is really case of little knowedge is dangerous. Of course if you haven't been doing intervals before, like anything else, you have to slowly build up to it. And embarking on any games or exercise regime, always slowly build up to intensity and interval. It's prudent to do check up with doctors if you overweight and never exercised for since school or NS. In anycase, the book advised at most 2 consecutive days of interval training if you're a fit guy. Not supposed to train like that for 6 days a week. You need to let muscles recover and grow.

 

So you're right, cross train or slow & easy days in between intervals and hills and what nots

 

I really enjoy cycling too. But find it dangerous on S'pore roads so I've almost but give up cycling.

 

Ha - ha. So its the same advice! You should never do HIIT too many times in a week. Problem with most runners, me included, is you feel very antsy if you don't run even for a single day, so slow and steady cardio still forms the base. It's like an addiction I just love the feeling during and after a nice and easy run. It makes me relaxed and also lowers by blood pressure. That's another benefit of slow and steady cardio, it lowers my BP immediately!

 

Yup, I know what you mean about cycling on Singapore roads. To reduce the risk, I cycle in a group but I must admit that it is still pretty hairy and I am still getting used to it! Especially around the Bukit Timah and Clementi area. But it is pretty pleasant and safe in the East Coast and North East areas. If you are really interested, you can join us. I just started last week.

 

What I find useful about cycling is that if you cycle fast enough, generally above 25km/h, the intensity (cal/hr) is almost the same or even higher than running because of the air resistance BUT without the impact on the muscoskeletal system. So, cycling is a perfect cross training for runners! Downside is that cycling is a much more expensive hobby than running