Still hate running....

[Becca]

I can't find my last blog. Probably because I hadn't posted and it's burried someplace in the basement.


So! I am not training anything spacific right now. I tried to get back into wrestling before Easter, but my ex is back to his stalking BS and called the cops on me for abandoment.... for leaving my kids at grandma's house while I went to open mat. Now my 6-year-old is terrified of cops. So I don't try to go to open mat anymore. Instead, I started combing Craigslist for a grappling dummy.

I did find several listings for reel style human powered lawn mowers. I am not sue if I'm going to buy one of the used ones on there or just go down to Lowes and buy a brand-new one, but I definantly like that idea. The lawn does need cut and I have a big, big back yard. I also blew 3 lawn mowers last summer running over small cast-iron cars, large rocks, and odly enough, a log. Seems to me a non-moterized lawn mower might be more apropriate the wooping little bums for playing in the back yard.

I also was given a set of those "navy seal perfect push-up" things. I like them, nothing to write home about, but they are much easier on the wrists. that, my jumprope, and my ab wheel are about the only formal exersizes I am doing. Still working my forms from time to time and walking the mutts every morning. back to playing doggie soccar with them in the evenings. but not really doing much.

[Drake]

Not sure if you are talking about running, but I found for me the key is getting over that first mile or two. After that I hit autopilot and generally go for 5-6 miles, though my current max is 13.3 miles (The half marathon was over. Had to stop!).

I think a lot of the starting has to do with the pain and general unpleasantness of adapting to the movement of running, the expansion of the lungs, and the body's general dislike of anything that hints of high intensity cardio.

[Pork Chop]

If Becca's anything like me, I doubt it has anything to do with not wanting to sweat or breathe hard. For a lot of people running is very hard on the hips, knees, ankles, and back. I used to feel real guilty about not running more, and sometimes I still do. But then I see guys like Frank Shamrock and a few other pros out there that aren't all that big on it and don't feel so bad.

We all have to make decisions in our training about balancing doing the most we can and yet still being able to work out on a regular basis. For some folks, that means no hard sparring, for other folks, that means taking it easy on the jump rope, still other folks may find that their performance drops too much on a calorie or carbohydrate restricted diet. In my case, trying to jog more than a mile even a few times a week really puts my body in a compromised position.

EDIT: I just want to say I LOVE this thread:
http://message.axkickboxing.com/index.phtml?action=dispthread&topic=19734&junk=1160623317.78557
It's got a lot of good training info and it makes sense to me, almost 2 years after reading it the first time.

[gwa sow]

i like running just not the abuse my knees etc. take. as a side note, anyone see the story about the massai(spelling???) warriors running in a marathon on london. they are gonna run it in traditional dress carrying their spears and shields wearing sandal/shoes made from car tires. and they dont plan on drinking any water durin the whole thing. its to raise money for a water well in their home town in africa.

[David Jamieson]

use an elliptical instead. running is not natural. we CAN run, but we don't do it in a natural sense without someone chasing us, or we are trying to catch something.

as a form of exercise, it is antiquted and not very effective.

If you want to lose weight, diet and walking will be much more effective.

If you want to gain strength and endurace supersets will develop that quicker tahn running.

people love running because it is easy. It is ineffecient, but anyone can do it barring a handicapped and you don't have to look slick doing it, you just gotta locomote.

many runners, if not the greater majority of them have poor form, are not concscious of their continued poor form and encounter injuries. there are whole magazines dedicated to the act of running and the maintenance and treatment of injuries that are associated with running and so on.

one of the greatest proponents of jogging and running, James Fixx dropped dead from heart failure...while running.

simply put, it is very stressful on your body and not actually a very good way of getting exercise. Runners will hate me for that, but oh well, they may continue to jeopardize their skeletal structure and their cardio vascular system all they like.

swimming is better and more efficient for all the benefits people wish to derive from running.

to put it in the simplest terms of effectiveness for weight loss, running is the least useful method. You will have to run 64 km to trim 1 lb of fat in one go. This is ineffecient no matter how you slice it.

breathing burns calories. If you have effective qigongs, you can actually derive more benefit with less effort from this practice than from running.

end my rant against running. :-)

supersets! do those instead!

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

im not a fan of running either, but using hiit meathods for sprinting is supposed to be extremely effective.

http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp

[Becca]

That sounds doable. I can handle 4 minutes then build it up. thanks GDA! And Porkchop is quite right. I have no problem working hard, but running kills my hips and ankles. I'd rather pet a hedghog.:o Elipticals are borring; so are most spinning exorsizes. I just got my bike broke out of winter storage, so I'll go back to that, as I do spring/summer every year. I think GDA's HIIT will get me back in shape faster than just bike riding due to the inevitable "saddle sore" issue. :D

[sanjuro_ronin]

Be careful with HIIT.
You have to ge in relative good shape to use HIIT, it is HIGH INTENSITY after all.
Warm up well and cool down well.
The vast majority of HIIT data that is used to advocate HIIT is from true HIIT methods such as Tabata.
It is total "balls to the wall" training and NOT for everyone.
Typical HIIT is great and is much better than the moderate crap, but don't expect the same results as true HIIT.
Be forewarned.
And yes, I am a HUGE proponent of HIIT, I have some awesome HIIT workouts for MA and the heavy bag.
None of them are for anyone that isn't ready to puke.

[Dale Dugas]

Dont run anymore but I jump rope and go up stairs fast...

Do not like the idea of yacking much.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

And yes, I am a HUGE proponent of HIIT, I have some awesome HIIT workouts for MA and the heavy bag.
None of them are for anyone that isn't ready to puke.

share share?

[WinterPalm]

Kettlebell swings for time beat most anything else for cardio. And you can melt away fat without the dishonour of dieting or aerobics.

[Becca]

My type of running.....:D

[Pork Chop]

Kettlebell swings for time beat most anything else for cardio. And you can melt away fat without the dishonour of dieting or aerobics.

QFT

I'd almost forgotten how kettle bells for time feels...
You set down the weight feeling almost fine, but you notice that instead of your heart rate returning to normal, it just keeps increasing....and increasing.... 20 seconds after you've stopped you feel like you're sprinting in the olympics eventhough you're not moving....
*sigh* good times
need to get back into that again...
gotta find some kettlebells local, don't feel like buying another set...

[sanjuro_ronin]

share share?

Hmmm, where to start?

First off you have to do a couple of rounds ( 3 min w/30 sec breaks) to warm up at a moderate pace, fully body, kicks, punches, knees and elbows.
Then you put your timer ( and you MUST have a timer for HIIT) on one of the following:

For power oriented HIIT:
1 min rounds with 20 second break ( though you can start with 1 min w/30 sec to get used to it).
And you makes sure you do a min of 6 rounds, perferably 8.
Round 1 - hook punches - full force, full speed, move around the back and rill it as fast and as hard as you can in 3 strike combos.
Round 2- Round kicks, alternate legs, full force singles, low. mediium and high.
Round 3 - elbows
Round 4- knees
Round 5- punches and kicks
Round 6 knees and elbows
Round 7 and 8 full body.

Now, you MUST drill as fast and as hard as you can for short burst.
As with all HIIT, if you can talk at the end of any round you are going TOO EASY !

Speed oriented HIIT, same as above- 6-8 rounds, this time 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off ( can start with 20 on and 30 off to get used to it)
You must hit that bag as fast as you can NON-STOP for the time limit.
Full speed NON-STOP !, you basically stay in the same place and let it fly !

Round 1 - straight punches
Round 2- round kicks ( altrernat 5 kicks per leg - 5 right kick, 5 left kicks - MT drill)
Round 3- hooks
Round 4- knees
Round 5 - elbows
round 6- round kicks agian
Round 7- straight punches
Round 8- hooks and low round kicks :eek:

Again, if at the end of this you don't puke, you are going too easy.

HIIT is NOT moderate, it is NOT easy, it is you pushing and going beyond your max threshold, hence it is NOT for everyone.

Finish with 1 or 2 round of moderate kick and punching the bag.

[David Jamieson]

dunno about HIIT training specifically, but bag work in a regular way is astonishingly aerobic in nature and quite draining.

I do timed rounds with break downs and combos, varied force application, footwork bumping, guarding, ranging, etc etc.

probably one of the best things to do.

running in the 'zone' can be problematic because it is easy to fall into bed kinetics and create real problems in the long term with joints and tendon heads etc.

I gotta stick with running not being a desirable method of exercise. although, sprints,short period ****leks, plyometrics and other heavy leg stuff is good good good.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Bag work is one of the best cardio activities anyone can do, its very sport specfic though, running on a good tredmill that absorbs shock is quiet good, especially HIIT sprints, thing is, we all run, might as well get in good shape to do it;)

[Becca]

I don't run. I started training so I wouldn't have to.;)

I even got out of the Marines in part over my extreme dislike of running. Now bike riding is great, but I can't get myself to do it if I know it might rain or snow. Heck, it's been trying to snow all afternoon here. But HIIT, as I think I understand it, can be done inside, yes?

So, I have a set of horribly steep steps leading to my basement. Would sprinting to the top of them then walking back down them count as one rep? Or would going up and down them then doing something else work better? What about jump roping?

[Pork Chop]

I don't run. I started training so I wouldn't have to.;)


hahah i tell people the same thing :)

[Becca]

landing in my basement is too short, only 12 steps, to make it worth it. I have been using the back stair well at work, with is 36 steps. I run up the steps, not missing any, then back down them backwards, then up them skipping every other step the walk slowly down them. This being one set, and my legs are burning good by the end of one.

I still can only do 2 sets so far with a about a 2 minute brake in between. Don't know how long I'll be able to do this before I gotta find a bigger set of steps, but it seems to be working for now.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I don't run. I started training so I wouldn't have to.;)

I even got out of the Marines in part over my extreme dislike of running. Now bike riding is great, but I can't get myself to do it if I know it might rain or snow. Heck, it's been trying to snow all afternoon here. But HIIT, as I think I understand it, can be done inside, yes?

So, I have a set of horribly steep steps leading to my basement. Would sprinting to the top of them then walking back down them count as one rep? Or would going up and down them then doing something else work better? What about jump roping?

HIIT can be done anywhere with almost any activity that will make you break a sweat.
Full body activities being better for obvious reasons.
Step climbing (stairs) is ok, the faster you do it the better, squatting jumping steps is awesome, if you can do them safely.
Steps with dumbells is more intense.
The point being you have to do it as fast and as hard as you can for "X" amount of time.
No equipment?
Burpees are great, see youtube to get an idea how they are done.

Basically, the hard the activity and more muscles involved, the better ( and shorter) the HIIT.

[Becca]

Squat jumping steps????

So HITT is 1 rep of all you got, then catch your breath and do it again?

[sanjuro_ronin]

Squat jumping steps????

So HITT is 1 rep of all you got, then catch your breath and do it again?

1 "rep" is not how I would describe it.
More like as many reps as you can in a given time period, "balls to the wall", pardon my french.
You don't catch your breath, there is a 10 second break min and a 30 sec max, depending on how long each "round" is, which of course is dictated by how intense you go at it.

And squat jumps are when you squat down, hand on your head, and jump from one step to the other by squatting and jumping each step.

[Becca]

So twice up and down the steps is fine for 1 rep, but I need to do it as fast as I can, then do as many reps as I can?

[sanjuro_ronin]

So twice up and down the steps is fine for 1 rep, but I need to do it as fast as I can, then do as many reps as I can?

If you are gonna run steps and there are not a lot of them, I suggest you use some hand weights to get your upper body in on it too and maybe even doing push-ups at the top and bottom, I would run them up and down as fast as you can for 1 min and then take a 30 sec break, that is 1 round, do that for 6 rounds and see how you feel.
The frist couple may seem easy, but the last ones will be very hard.
Remember, if it is easy, don't add time, go faster, you must always strive for faster, not longer, that is the core of HIIT.
Intensity.
After a week switch to 45 sec wtih 20 sec break for 6 rounds, then after another week, 20 sec with 10 sec break for 8 rounds this time.
Remember the dumbells ( if you are adding push-ups, you might run out of time so don't add them if you don't have the time).
Crucial is to go as fast as you can.

Careful not to fall on your face.

[Becca]

Cool; I'll try that starting today. Thanks!

[sanjuro_ronin]

Cool; I'll try that starting today. Thanks!

Warm up for a good 5-10 min, and cool down too, don't forget the cool down.
And never go full out the first time you do HIIT, it takes a few sessions to get your body used to it.

[Becca]

Aw Sh!t; I read that tip the next day.:eek: I feel like I just did a full seminar on 5* and only worked out for about 30 minutes. On the other hand, it's really easy to blow past old bench marks when you're pumped. :D

[sanjuro_ronin]

Aw Sh!t; I read that tip the next day.:eek: I feel like I just did a full seminar on 5* and only worked out for about 30 minutes. On the other hand, it's really easy to blow past old bench marks when you're pumped. :D

*shakes head*
Trying to jump before you can walk...*tsk*, *tsk*

[Becca]

I'll rest for a few days then try it a bit lower intensity on Saturday. It was actually kind of fun in a twisted masochistic way.

[Becca]

OK, did it again today as yesterday couldn't decide if it wanted to snow or not and since weekends mean using outdoor stairs....

The warm-up consisted of *gasp* a jog up to the steps. I finally got to try the Asics my kung fu sister said were the best for running while actually running. Well, sort of running. Then running up the steps as fast as i could, then another short jog to a hill, then running as fast as i could up the hill. Then, because I hate running the back side of that circut, I turned around and ran back down the hill, slow jogged back to the stairs and squat jumped rather ungainly back down them, as my legs were like marshmellow fluf by that point. And now my knees are aching, but interestingly my hips are not too bad. Tonight sounds like a good night to go sit in the jacuzi tub for an hour or so.:D

[Becca]

Tried to ride bike to work this morning. Crashed spectacularly. Not going to be riding it till I get paid as the front wheel is no longer quite round. Didn't get hurt too bad, just skinned elbow and knees. And my nose has more or less stopped bleeding, though every time I sneeze.... :D

[Becca]

ra the steps ar work on Thursday. Was asked not do do this any more.:( I know there's stair climbers at the fitness center, but I'm not sure how to squat jump on them.:p

So.... Stairs rutine will have to be for Sundays exclusively, since I just don't have the time to go to the high school.

On a side note, while researching new bicks, I found out that I can buy a 50cc scooter for much less then a decent used car. Just as soon as I got the morgage thing nailed down I'm going to buy me a little Honda scooter. $2,000 brand new, 110 MPG, dosen't require insurance or a special liscense? I'm there! I only live 6 miles from work and can get there by side roads, so this aught to work out just fine.

And I got my first check in the mail from doing paid on-line serveys. It's boaring,tedious, and frusterating. But on the other hand, I made enough in a month to put a nice down payment on a very nice new lap top. And filling out serveys gives me something to do while watching my in-box for thread reply notifications. :D

[Becca]

Didn't do the stairs thing this week end. one of my human style monkeys broke an arm roller blading saturday so I spent most of the weekend trying to get him to leave the splint on it till I could get him in to an orthopedic specialist. The initial x-ray interpritation was that there might be damage to the growth plate, so the doc wouldn't put it in a cast. Turn out that wht was mistaken as "possible damage" was a normal growth plate right after a growth spurt. And the Monkey did just get done shooting up, so....

I did get something accoplished though, I built a new section of wood fence in the back yard to replace a bad section of chain link. Don't like the chain link as my mutts seem to e very good at scaling it. And then I weed whacked the whole back yard. I do have a working lawn mover, but I also have seedling grass in much of it. Weed wacker seemed the best option to takle what mature grass I have, a it wouldn't destroy the seedlings.

[SAAMAG]

Be careful with HIIT.
You have to ge in relative good shape to use HIIT, it is HIGH INTENSITY after all.
Warm up well and cool down well.
The vast majority of HIIT data that is used to advocate HIIT is from true HIIT methods such as Tabata.
It is total "balls to the wall" training and NOT for everyone.
Typical HIIT is great and is much better than the moderate crap, but don't expect the same results as true HIIT.
Be forewarned.
And yes, I am a HUGE proponent of HIIT, I have some awesome HIIT workouts for MA and the heavy bag.
None of them are for anyone that isn't ready to puke.

Dude...you need to send me your ideas on HIIT...I'd love to augment my regimen because I HATE running as well...lately it's been taking a toll on my lower back before I get tired. Looking for alternatives.

I've been running intervals lately...which seems to be in line with the HIIT methodology...but I'd like to see what you have laid out for the heavy bag and other fight oriented activities.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Sure, I can do that, you can also go over to Ross Boxing, he has some great stuff there.
First though you must get informed of what HIIT truly is, google Tabata protocol or go to Clarence Bass's website, he has a few artciles on HIIT too.

[Becca]

Ok, this week's workout consisted of :

Shadow boxing to a set play list (about 30 minutes long) with my boxing gloves. did this on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

As many pushups as I could get out every day. Didn't count them as I actually seem to do more if I don't keep track. I start off in a standard full push up, then switch to girls (knees on the floor) untill I just can't do any more.

Today consisted of helping a friend move from Gillcrest to Greeley. Yes, this counts as a work out as we moved an entier house plus a storage shed starting at 10 this morning and finishing around 6 this evening.

I have just embarresed myself by getting a buzz off a single alca-pop. One sure way for me to know I've worked good and hard though out the week is that alcahol hitsm e very fast. Sure did taste good going down, though.:D

[Becca]

This week is alot like last week. I did try to add hindu squats with the push-ups. I think I over did it though; my right knee has been bugging me any time I try to stretch out my gait wile walking. So I backed off that and won't be doing srairs this week end. I did start "strength training" my knee. It's more of an exorsize for the smaller supporting muscles, not sure any more what they are named. Basically I sit in a flat, hard chair that sits high enough I can comfortably rest my feet flat on the ground, then swing one leg at a time slowly back and forth untill the movement gets jerky. then switch lengs. I do this 2 times a day untill the pain is gone, then back it off to doing it a couple times a week.

[Becca]

Sweet! I think I found a "group" to train with once a week. Gotta love Craigslist!

[David Jamieson]

Sweet! I think I found a "group" to train with once a week. Gotta love Craigslist!

yeah well lets hope that "group" isn't "crazed serial murderer" and "train" isn't "tie you up in a basement and ball gag you".

:p

[Becca]

yeah well lets hope that "group" isn't "crazed serial murderer" and "train" isn't "tie you up in a basement and ball gag you".

:pLOL! nope, group is 3 or 4 people meeting at the rec center one evening a week when there is nothing else sceduled for the gym there.:)

[Becca]

went to that group thing. It ended up being in the park. Amnd since a cold front moved in last night it would have been smart of me to wear omething warmer than a t-shirt. But you know me... I didn't.

That was a blast! Since none of the 3 of us had a similar background in the same arts, the guy who organized it led us off with some light stretching then showed us some wing chun. Just the basics really and I can't remember what he called the various movements, but they were roughly ready stance, block up, block down, and block and strike. The only stance he "showed" us was a looser version of the san chin I learned in pai lum. The best part of this format? We were working the appication of "block and punch" before the first hour was up! Very nice!:):):):):):):):):)