Intermittent Exercises?

[Serpent]

Is there benefit to doing exercises here and there during the course of the day?

i.e. Doing two or three pullups on a doorframe as you pass by, then 20 pushups an hour later, then a few one legged squats here and there, etc.

Is it worth it or is it better to put aside 40 minutes or whatever every day and do it all at once?

What are the pros and cons?

[Neurotic]

I would have thought all at once would have been a better option, as it is more inclined to increase your heart rate.

That being said, I have no formal training in this area.. totally based on assumption..

Interested to find out though.

I normally do a block of some sort a day.. ranging from 10 minutes to a few hours. Maybe I should be chopping this up into pieces in the day?

Neurotic

[wooha]

I think there's a benefit for strength gain. You probably wouldn't get much growth hormone release.

[vingtsunstudent]

try the articles section at www.dragondoor.com for one called grease the groove, it will help explain exactly what you are asking.
for certain exercises you will find it to be an excellent way of breaking through a plateau.
vts

[SaMantis]

The biggest benefit for me in doing intermittent exercises has been keeping fit for kung fu classes.

I'm not in the greatest shape and if I take a break from training my fitness level really sags (along with my gut). But then, my job often takes me away from training.

So taking the stairs at work (9-10 flights, twice daily), doing pushups/situps in front of the TV, stretching during coffee breaks, it isn't the same as a concentrated workout but it keeps me close to where I need to be.

If there's a way to translate intermittent exercises into a bigger benefit than that, I'd be even happier.

[David]

If you add intermittent training into your day, you're telling your body that you live in a more demanding environment than previously and you need it to be stronger all the time and not just for discrete blocks of the week.

I think it's a great idea. Also, hanging off a doorframe (for example) gets rid of built-up tension from work ;-)

That greasing the groove article makes a lot of sense and, in fact, started me doing such things a while back.

From another angle, there's the idea of filling dead-time. Some ppl use dead-time to learn (acadmically) from notes on cue cards etc --using it to do some training soon adds up to to a hell of a lot of training.

[abobo]

Doing the little things, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, tying your shoes while standing on your toes, and so on are a small step, but a step in the right direction nonetheless. If you like dropping down in pushup position or doing body weight squats in front of the tv or to break out of the boredom of work, go for it. Most body weight exercises test endurance, and it is unlikely that occasional body weight exercise will lead to overtraining. You'll be able to benefit from it, although more so when done on top of a structured program.

I'm in favor of anything that helps you lead an athletic lifestyle.

[abobo]

On a related note, there are ways to make your strength more practically applicable, i.e picking up rocks (http://www.geocities.com/dino_rack_training/page_2.html), doing pullups off of tree branches, lifting chairs, carrying buckets, climbing ladders. Some of that isn't beginner stuff, but strong men and rock climbers swear by it. It's not by coincidence that these are the people with some of the greatest relative strength.

Yard work, too, can be great exercise.

[David]

That was a very interesting read, Abobo.

In the style I train, we're told not to do any conventional weight-training and these old guys seem to provide circumstantial support for that dictum.

One-arm training (with a partner) is common, as is two-arm training including uneven loads, positions and vectors. Balance (root) is emphasised differently according to exercise - bringing the stabilizing muscles into play in concert with the main force. Just what you need for kungfu.

There are a few examples of training with ‘odd’ implements in Chow Gar. For example – grip strength - apart from empty hand grip-strengthening using dynamic tension, there is also an exercise where you (try to) pull heavy posts out of the ground by gripping their tops, claw-fashion.

-David