I feel great.
I got out of bed this morning and drove to the gym. I climbed into the stationary recumbent bike, plugged in my iPod, and pedaled for an hour.
Yes, I realize that the Body for Life program specifies 20 minutes of “intensity intervals” on the aerobics days. Maybe I’m short-changing myself, but I’d rather approach the cardio portion of my workout in a way that I know works for me.
Ten years ago — after I’d lost 40 pounds — I developed an aerobic routine that brought me to the best fitness of my life. It started with the recumbent bike. I’d pedal from 45 to 90 minutes on most days using the “Alpine Climb” program. (This program mimics the Body for Life intensity intervals in a sense, with a variety of hills and valleys, culminating with a tall peak.)
So that’s what I did this morning: spent sixty minutes biking 18.38 virtual miles through hilly terrain. Then I came home and ate breakfast — one chicken sausage and 1/4 cup Egg Beaters with 8oz of the green Naked Superfood juice — and showered. Now, at 11 am, I’m ready to write.
And, as I said, I feel great.
I had forgotten how good exercise can make a person feel. An hour of intensity can produce a day of good vibes.
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Just remember, more isn’t always better. Fit for Life may well have a reason for stating 20 minutes. Possible explanations:
1) the intensity they demand should not be sustainable for an hour (if you can go for an hour, your not pushing yourself hard enough)
2) any good exercise program is about confusing your body and keeping it guessing. by alternating types of workouts and durations, your body doesn’t know what to expect so it just shoots for general fitness
3) longer periods of exercise on aerobic days may be good short term, but lead to burn out, and low energy over the longer scope of the exercise plan.
Generally I find that when I tinker with plan that’s been proven to work, I’m much more likely to degrade my results than improve them.
Obviously not everyone is the same, but just be careful about rationalizing exceptions to any plan. It’s a slippery slope.
Congratulations on a great workout day! I wish I’d had more of those this week, but I’ll keep plugging along anyway.
I find intervals pretty much awesome, as I’m an incrementalist at heart and longer workouts fly if the terrain–real or virtual–is changing every few minutes. I’d say if it works for you, it’s hard to argue against it.
Congrats on the workout. Isn’t the “high” from a good workout great!
One of the best things I get from doing a good aerobic workout is a feeling of contentment and achievement. The feeling does last all day, even if the workout was tough and my legs are tired. I also find that I am able to do some of my best thinking during a workout, if it is not too intense.
Keep working out in the morning and writing after that and you will be cranking out high quality posts day after day!
Great job, JD! I am so with you. I got in a great endorphin releasing aerobic session at lunch today. Gotta love the onsite gym and showers here at work!
Aaron, thanks for your perspective on changing up a tried and true plan. I have been following Cool RunningÂ’s Couch to 5k program as presented in these podcasts. I started off well and very disciplined about the program but then just wanted to have longer sessions so I tweaked it. I realize now that thereÂ’s a reason why itÂ’s only 30 or so minutes a day. ItÂ’s to build you up slowly and make each step seem manageable. I am back on track with using the podcasts and I plan to stick with it to the end this time.
Good stuff! It’s great when you can really enjoy a workout.
Yup! You are feeling it! That’s great!
Btw, there are many studies about interval training benefits. The “key” is that you are teaching your body to ramp-up and recover, and ramp up again (but after already having ramped, it’s in a ‘stressed’ state so it has to learn to increase fitness that way).
And blah blah like that
Intervals really do work. Maybe try it for a week and see…
And I love those Naked green juices. Kinda weird but I feel wonderful afterwards.
I’m new to your blog… but, if your cardio is working for you in terms of your goals then I say, keep on keepin’ on. However, it is good to change up workouts and keep your body guessing!
That said, I’m not so sure the recumbent bike is the best for trying to do interval training. Especially if you are just getting back into shape. I hurt myself and developed plantar fasciitis, which I am STILL fighting nearly a year later after ONE intense interval session on a recumbent bike. Mind you, I had worked up to the more intense session by doing numerous less intense sessions. And still… I got hurt.
The foot doctor told me that he has seen numerous problems from folks using the recumbents… and suggested an upright bike for the future.
So, when you are not in shape… sometimes you need to get to a certain level before you can even do much in the way of intervals safely. And the recumbent may not be the safest option for really intense intervals.
That said, I include intervals about once a week on my Nordic Track. But I still have to be careful not to get my feet flared up. As I lose weight, I hope to eventually be able to do HIIT twice a week. But you do what you can do!
New reader here, I really like the blog. But just one question: why drive to a gym? Wouldn’t it be possible to ride a bike there?
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