Fitness Dopers: I'm exercising... now what?

In My Humble Opinion
21

[QUOTE=JThunder]
That’s right. Nobody denies that.

However, if you use an elliptical trainer or treadmill, then you’ll be working those muscle groups AND A WHOLE LOT MORE.
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What you’re missing is that the cardio vascular system can only expend so much energy.

If I’m putting out 250 watts on the bicycle, and you give me dumbbells to curl (50 watts of work, say), I’m not going to start outputting 300 watts.

I’m going to decrease what my legs are doing to 200 watts, and use my remaining 50 for the curls.

It’s not inefficient just because it’s not working every muscle group.

22

[QUOTE=Nava]
Another coach potato here (although my idea of “a nice walk” is along the lines of 40km in 4 hours). Everybody mentions the sweat… is it, like, really necessary? It feels like a completely dumb question to ask, but the thing is, I almost never sweat and some of the gym people I’ve been with were totally freaked out by that. A while back I joined a club and in a couple of the weight machines I did sweat, but on the threadmill or bike I don’t break out into a sweat unless I’m pushing so far I’m dizzy. Weirdest thing is, sometimes I’ve been exercising and not sweating at all, and I start sweating when I stop. It’s like my body can’t be bothered with sweating and moving at the same time.
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Well, I guess sweat is a relative term. If the gym is a dry cool 65 degrees and they have good ventilation you just may not sweat.
What I’m referring to is the effort people put into their cardio work. When I’m done on an elliptical and walk over to the water fountain I’m still busy trying to catch my breath. The people who hop on a treadmill and can have a conversation with the person next to them aren’t giving 100%.
You don’t have to push yourself to the point where you get dizzy, but you do need to push yourself. A leisurely pace isn’t a cardio workout. You might as well go do laps at the mall.

23

[QUOTE=jakeline]
I’ll be 30 in December, I’m overweight, and I don’t exercise regularly. I have a lot of weight to lose, and I’ve worked on that on and off. I don’t want to make any changes to my diet that I can’t maintain permanently, so I try to implement small changes and work on maintaining them. <snip>
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THis is where I’m at, too. I’ve ruined my metabolism by yo-yo dieting all my adult life, so I swore off diets about seven years ago (I reached my body’s set point of 40 extra poounds, and I’ve stayed there with virtually no effort). If it isn’t sustainable, I won’t do it now, and depriving myself is not sustainable. I’ve been reading the “Curves” book, and they say the same thing - to get our metabolisms heated up again, we need more muscle, not more dieting.

Something someone said on the Dope here once has stuck with me - I am working on changing my attitude towards exercising. I don’t like it much, but that isn’t important. I don’t like flossing much, either, but it isn’t optional if I want to keep my teeth. I’m working at getting muscle-building and cardio exercise into each day so it becomes my routine.

By the way, humans need a balanced diet of approximately 30% fat, 30% protein, and 40% carbs. I know we live in a lo-fat everything world, but don’t skimp on the fat and protein. Good fats (i.e. non-McDonalds fats) are required by your body, and you need protein to build muscle.

24

[QUOTE=Nava]
Everybody mentions the sweat… is it, like, really necessary?
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This is not a dumb question to ask, I had similar questions when I started working out regularly in high school. I don’t sweat much unless its hot out or I’m exerting a LOT of effort. This is largely related to how your body operates, and also some to your fitness level. I know some people who are in just about as good shape as I am, but start sweating profusely on their first set; I can go through 2-3 hours of an intense workout and not break a sweat until I’m busting my ass on cardio.

The primary factor when doing cardiovascular exercise is the heart rate and the length of the exertion (ie, anaerobic vs. aerobic). As you become more accustomed to how your body reacts to various levels of exertion, you will find ways to roughly estimate how hard your going based on your breath and sweat and such. For most people, sweat is a good indicator; I think a better, more consistent one is the depth and frequency of your breath.

25

[Quote=Gozu Tashoya]
And as for the extra day of exercise, have you considered buying a yoga mat (if you don’t have one already), and just doing that on your own? I mean, once you’re comfortable enough with the positions that you’re not going to hurt yourself and all.
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Really good point. As a matter of fact, I’ve been meaning to do the sun salute every morning, but I haven’t quite gotten the motivation up for that yet. (I totally agree with anu-la1979 that having someone working with you helps motivate you a lot better, so the live yoga classes are great for me. I’ll check the schedule to see if there are any other classes at the gym that I can join. No spin classes, though. The gym is very clean and pretty nice, but it IS part of a community college, so it’s not too fancy.)

Good way of putting it in perspective. I keep telling myself that the fact that I’m not an active person is a result of my habits. If I want to be an active person, I just have to be active until it becomes a habit.

[QUOTE=Trunk]
This OP just has to get his ass to a gym and start working out, though, without worrying about what’s more efficient than other stuff. Go there. Do the bike. Do the rower. Do the elliptical. Run a bit if you can. Wear yourself out. At least twice a week, just completely waste yourself at the gym.
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I completely agree that I just need to do it, and I’ve definitely started. However, the problem is that I don’t know what to do when I’m there. When I leave my yoga class, I ache in places I didn’t know existed (in a good way!). When I leave the gym after riding or doing the elliptical, my legs feel great, but the rest of me feels just like it does every day. I know I’m getting the benefits of getting my heartrate up and keeping it up, but shouldn’t I be working on getting my entire body stronger while I’m there? (Oh, and for the record, it should be “her ass,” not “his ass.” :D)

There’s a scene in La Femme Nikkita where Nikkita is at a grocery store and has no idea how to grocery shop, so she just follows a lady around the store and buys what she buys. I’m pretty much at that point where I’m ready to find someone who looks like she knows what she’s doing then try to subtly follow her around the gym. Probably not a great idea, but it makes me laugh.

26

[QUOTE=Trunk]
What you’re missing is that the cardio vascular system can only expend so much energy.
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No, I’m not missing that. It’s irrelevant to the topic at hand.

That’s because dumbell curling is anaerobic, not aerobic.

Moreover, this assumes that you ARE putting out 250 watts on the bicycle. For many people – especially those who are out of shape or don’t have a lot of fast-twitch leg muscles – this may be difficult to sustain in the long haul. Engaging more muscle groups makes it easier for somebody to burn energy at the same rate, and over a longer period of time.

Here is a chart of caloric consumption for various aerobic activities. Exercises that engage more muscle groups (such as skiiing and running) tend to burn more calories than those that use fewer muscle groups, such as cycling. Of course, one could say, “Well, you just need to cycle harder then!” but that’s a foolish reply. One could just as well argue that more calories would be burned by running or skiing with greater vigor and speed.

That’s a rather simplistic view, to say the least. It assumes that calorie burning is a net-sum game – that is, that whatever calories you burn using one body part means fewer calories from other parts. That’s not how the human body works.

For one thing, each muscle contains its own glycogen supply. Even when you’re in fat-burning mode, some glycogen will be required. Muscles will preferentially burn their own glycogen supplies before stealing it from other body parts. That’s one reason why it’s fallacious to say that if you burn 50 watts in your arms, you necessarily burn 50 fewer watts in your legs. The body just doesn’t work that way.

Moreover, your argument assumes that you’re pushing yourself to your maximum, or close to it. Most people find that physically and psychologically difficult to sustain for extended periods. In addition, one’s maximum rate is not a fixed value. Among other things, it depends on the type of exercise, and how many muscles are engaged – for reasons that have already been given.

So no, calorie burning can NOT be reduced to a simple, kindergarden-level formula like “50 watts of power used in the arms means 50 fewer watts that the legs would use.” That’s not how humans normally exercise, and it’s not how the human body is designed to work.

27

Well I had a girl and I’m a girl myself. There were some real hotties in terms of trainers but I felt more comfortable with a woman leaning over me, screaming and adjusting as necessary.

Worth every damn penny I paid her. I’m pretty committed to getting myself a trainer every 4 months or so from now on, just to check up on my routine, switch it up a little. I simply cannot push myself the way they can push me. I have a lot of self-discipline in terms of going and getting my cardio in but I abhor the weights and isotonic exercise and movements they make you do in a complete workout. The praise and affirmation is nice too (it isn’t all screaming :))

Before I got a personal trainer I thought it was just a matter of self-discipline and doing cardio faithfully and they were unnecessary but my parents encouraged me last year and I really saw the results and now I’m a pretty firm believer in their ability to shape you up (of course, I was also doing my part by keeping up cardio 5 times a week and eating very healthily).

So any personal trainers on the board…you guys totally rock.

28

[QUOTE=JThunder]
Here is a chart of caloric consumption for various aerobic activities. Exercises that engage more muscle groups (such as skiiing and running) tend to burn more calories than those that use fewer muscle groups, such as cycling. Of course, one could say, “Well, you just need to cycle harder then!” but that’s a foolish reply. One could just as well argue that more calories would be burned by running or skiing with greater vigor and speed.
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For a 170 pound man. . .

Cycling (9.4) mph burns 74 calories every ten minutes.
Cycling (racing) burns 130
Skiing (cross country) burns 106

My typical cycling workout over flat ground is almost double 9.4 mph, but less than my racing speed. This chart isn’t clear at all about whether an activity that requires arms and legs is any better than one that just requires legs.

So, yeah, I could say “you just need to cycle harder then”.

To which you would reply, “well, then I’m just going to ski harder”.

But, it’s eventually going to boil down to a place where all you’re saying is “the same amount of exertion burns the same amount of calories”.

What does it all come down to physiologically? Calories are a unit of work. One way to measure “work” in the body is heartrate. If I get my HR to 150 on a cycle or on a Nordic track, I’m doing the same amount of work. I’m not sure what you’re trying to say beyond that. Of course you tone a different set of muscles, and that has it’s own advantages, but i don’t know why anyone would ball one a “more efficient form of cardio”. I’m not even sure that phrasing makes sense.

Further, it’s hardly accurate to say that cycling is aerobic and lifting dumbbells is anaerobic. You can cycle anaerobically (not for long) and you can do aerobic weight training. And, neither is so rare that I’m just being pedantic by bringing it up.

29

I second the notion of just getting into some sort of a routine. It sounds like the OP is at the very beginner stages of cardio workouts, so something, almost anything, is going to be good. As others have said, set a target heart rate (better yet, use your breathing as a guide… think talk but can’t sing) and workout for 40 minutes 5 to 6 days a week. If you set a machine for a target heart rate, target the cardio zone and not fat burning. You’ll burn more fat for the same length of workout in the cardio zone.

Consistency and longevity are the keys. Find something that works for you. The best exercise routine in the world is the one you’ll do.

30

[QUOTE=Trunk]

…
But, it’s eventually going to boil down to a place where all you’re saying is “the same amount of exertion burns the same amount of calories”.

What does it all come down to physiologically? Calories are a unit of work. One way to measure “work” in the body is heartrate. If I get my HR to 150 on a cycle or on a Nordic track, I’m doing the same amount of work. I’m not sure what you’re trying to say beyond that. Of course you tone a different set of muscles, and that has it’s own advantages, but i don’t know why anyone would ball one a “more efficient form of cardio”. I’m not even sure that phrasing makes sense.
…

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A bit of a nit, but this is not quite true. I asked a former head coach for USA Triathlon once why it was so much harder to get my heart rate up when swimming or biking than when running. He told me there were a few reasons. First, when you swim, you are horizontal, which lowers your heart rate relative to the vertical position of running. The biking position is between the two. Another factor is that you can only push certain muscle groups so hard. Being a runner, I have trouble generating the leg power to get my heart rate cranked up. Almost anyone can run hard enough to get their heart rate up. Swimming, of course, uses the upper body much more than either of the other two. I’ve also noticed that most pools are kept at a temperature that prevents you from overheating, which means your body does much less work to cool you than when running. Again, biking is between the two, because of the much higher windspeed.

The meaning I would apply to “efficient form of cardio” is number of calories per unit time. In which case, it is hard to beat running or cross country skiing.

Nava, where do you live? You are sweating, you just may not notice it. Believe it or not, you can even dehydrate while swimming, because you do sweat and you can’t tell. Likewise, here in CO I can be sweating profusely, but be unaware of it because it evaporates quickly.

The single most important thing is to find a cardio sport, preferably a few of them, that you like, and do it. The list is endless: stair machines, cycling, yoga, basketball, volleyball, running, walking fast, fencing, tennis, elliptical trainers, even some forms of weightlifting. The next thing is to get a dog or friend to do it with. (It is hard to beat a dog as a running buddy, at least if you can get out into nature. They truly live for it.) If you are letting someone down by skipping, you won’t. Plus, if you have someone to talk to, the time flies by.

31

that was supposed to be “…leg power to get my heart rate cranked up on a bike…” I can not sustain a heart rate of 130 for any length of time on a bike. Yet! I’m working on it.

32

What others have said, yes, you can make weight training an aerobic exercise. All it involves is a stopwatch or a clock with a second hand.
You basically pick an exercise with a moderately heavy weight. You do 12 reps, rest for 60 seconds, 10 reps, rest 60, 8 reps, rest 60, 6 reps, rest 60, 12 reps.
(To be the correct weight you should only be able to complete about 6-8 reps on your last set of 12).
Then rest for 2 minutes and start with another exercise.
You can complete 5 good excercises this way in about 45 minutes and really be exhausted and have your heart pumping when your finished.

33

Some people can do mindless exercise Riding an exercise bike etc. Some cant. I play racketball 3 or 4 times a week. It is something I enjoy and want to do. Try differerent exercises. The trick is to find one you will do whatever it is. Swimming is good for some.

34

Everyone always says the trick is finding an exercise you like and sticking with it. I think that is simplistic advice that just doesn’t work for everybody. I don’t actually like any exercise. If I could get fit by taking a pill, I’d do it in a heartbeat and do other, enjoyable stuff with my time. I think some of us need to go in with the attitude of I don’t like it, but I’ll do it, because I have to; waiting to find an exercise we like is a great excuse to do nothing.

35

[QUOTE=featherlou]
Everyone always says the trick is finding an exercise you like and sticking with it. I think that is simplistic advice that just doesn’t work for everybody. I don’t actually like any exercise. If I could get fit by taking a pill, I’d do it in a heartbeat and do other, enjoyable stuff with my time. I think some of us need to go in with the attitude of I don’t like it, but I’ll do it, because I have to; waiting to find an exercise we like is a great excuse to do nothing.
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You have to be willing to experiment for what might seem a long time. In my college days, I never thought any reasonable human could enjoy running. I started running mostly as a way to get outdoors, and more specifically, out of the house after my fourth kid was born. I ran a race and got hooked. It helped that the race had a spectacular venue - Pikes Peak. I was helped by the fact that I live within easy running distance of a spectacular park (Garden of the Gods). Now I have friends that run ultras (100 mile races) and would do them myself, if I had time. Granted, my environment made running more pleasurable initially than it would have been otherwise, but the fact remains that I learned to enjoy it.

One thing you find when you start any form of exercise is that you develop friends who exercise - for some, eventually all of their friends are active. That makes any form of exercise more fun, and the desire to see your friends makes you exercise more. In time, you can’t imagine not being active.

As you become more fit, more activities become fun, and activities that were previously impossible become possible. It is quite possible for the Op to reach a level of fitness to ride a bike to work, without needing a shower on arrival. You can also find yourself doing things that aren’t especially fun, because they meet another goal. I do speed workouts to stay fast, not because I enjoy them, but they also keep me in shape. A serious volleyball player will run and lift in order to be a better volleyball player. It is akin to flossing because it is good for your teeth and smile, not because it is enjoyable. (Well, I’m sure somebody in a nation of 300 million gets off on flossing. We’ll ignore them.)

The trick is to find that thing you wish to be serious at, or to find that thing that has lots of people participating that you can be friends with.

36

Yeti’s Slash and Burn Program:

August 1st, 2006:
Weight: 305-310 lbs. (depending on which scale used)
Ellipitical Machine: 30 minutes…500 calories per day, 4x per week = 2000 calories burned.
Cut out sodas and sugar…roughly 500 calories per day, 7 days per week = 3500 calories saved.

October 13th, 2006:
Weight: 265-270 lbs. (depending on which scale used)
Ellipitical Machine: 40-50 minutes…750-850 calories per day, 5x per week = 3750-4250 calories burned per week.
Still not drinking regular sodas and not eating any seconds…still saving 500 calories or more per day for a minimum of 3500 calories saved.

The elliptical machine has saved me from chronic knee pain (had surgery when I was 13) that has discouraged me from exercising in the past, and has burned calories at very efficient rate…as high as 20 calories per minute. I am beginning to feel good about myself, and my breathing during my aerobic exercising is keeping up with the oxygen needed with a heart rate of 150-155. I have a sweat-soaked T-shirt after about 20-25 minutes, and I am proud of it!

37

[QUOTE=featherlou]
Everyone always says the trick is finding an exercise you like and sticking with it.
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That’s because the trick is sticking with exercising in general - and people are making the unstated assumption that you’re more likely to stick with something you like than something you absolutely detest. Of course, YMMV. But for me, if the only way I could stay fit was to play tennis (which I absolutely detest), I’d stop. It isn’t worth having to play tennis. (or take step aerobics. I hate step aerobics). But I mind other activities less, and I’m willing to do those enough. Like you, I’d be more than happy to take a pill. (And yes, I’ve tried it. Whatever exercise anyone’s thinking of suggesting, I’ve tried it.) But I haven’t found a pill. So, I do the activities I like the most and avoid the ones I absolutely hate.

38

I think the trick is finding something that doesn’t feel like “exercise” as much as it does any other type of fun-type hobby.

However, to a certain extent I agree with the people who hate the concept of “working out”. I get up at ungodly hours of the morning to go to the gym not because I like it tremendously, but because I hav yet to find another option that makes me feel as good (nay, amazing) afterwards, even though I have to battle the feeling of not wanting to go before I get up in a sulky huff and haul ass there.

On the other hand, I have a hard time wrapping my mind around not liking physical activity at all. Even walking around looking in store windows is a physical activity. Gardening is a physical activity. I can’t understand being completely and utterly sedentary-we’re built to do more than just sit around.

39

[QUOTE=anu-la1979]
I think the trick is finding something that doesn’t feel like “exercise” as much as it does any other type of fun-type hobby.

However, to a certain extent I agree with the people who hate the concept of “working out”. I get up at ungodly hours of the morning to go to the gym not because I like it tremendously, but because I hav yet to find another option that makes me feel as good (nay, amazing) afterwards, even though I have to battle the feeling of not wanting to go before I get up in a sulky huff and haul ass there.

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Well, there is the obvious option. :wink:
(Of course it fairly requires you find an, ahem, workout partner, and for some of us it’s just easier to haul our asses to the gym…)

40

[QUOTE=Yeticus Rex]
Yeti’s Slash and Burn Program:

August 1st, 2006:
Weight: 305-310 lbs. (depending on which scale used)
Ellipitical Machine: 30 minutes…500 calories per day, 4x per week = 2000 calories burned.
Cut out sodas and sugar…roughly 500 calories per day, 7 days per week = 3500 calories saved.

October 13th, 2006:
Weight: 265-270 lbs. (depending on which scale used)
Ellipitical Machine: 40-50 minutes…750-850 calories per day, 5x per week = 3750-4250 calories burned per week.
Still not drinking regular sodas and not eating any seconds…still saving 500 calories or more per day for a minimum of 3500 calories saved.

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You lost 50 pounds in 2.5 months! That’s awesome! Good job.