Spinning 4 Fitness

I'm Back!

2006-08-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a whole year since I posted! I've been active, though. I'm now training for the LA Marathon and have been lifting weights for a while. I can run 5 miles in under an hour, so that's a good pace since I'm aiming to run the marathon in under 6 hours. I hadn't run a mile since high school (over 10 years) so I'm really hyped about my new found endurance.

My weightlifting is really what's holding it together, though. My bench press is up to over 300 lbs. I haven't maxed out, but I suspect that I can probably hit 330 or so 1 time. I can curl over 120 lbs. I can shoulder press over 200 pounds, but I need to be careful with that because I slightly tweaked my back during my last set (my fault - bad form). Progress at the gym is coming on strong and it's starting to show!

My pants fit better... but my shirts are getting a bit tight and for the first time, that's a good thing. I need to buy XXL shirts because my chest and arms have really expanded while my waist has lost a few inches. Overall, I feel GREAT!

As a recommendation, pick up the following 2 books:
The Wisdom Of Mike Mentzer High Intensity Training The Mike Mentzer Way

Mike Mentzer was a true pioneer in the science of bodybuilding. I've read both books and have successfully used Mike's approach to lifting, annoying my friends who spend countless hours performing mind numbing set after set. I get into the gym, lift for 20 - 30 minutes TOPS, and don't show up for another week. In the process, I can lift heavier weights than my buddies who have been training for a longer time than me.

I know training for the marathon does not fit into Mike's overall philosophy (and I can understand why), but it is something that I've always wanted to do. I only run twice a week in order to not totally deplete my energy reserves, but I know it takes a toll. I workout so hard that I am drained for a few days afterwards, so my running progress is coming a bit slow. I do ride my bike, but the majority of my training is lifting and running.

Mentzer feels that aerobic exercise is counterproductive because of the large amount of energy reserves that it depletes, while not really complimenting a bodybuilding program. He feels that it is also too hard on the body (I can attest to that) and therefore is not fundamentally healthy. He sites research that shows that training with heavy weights and heavy intensity is enough to stimulate the cardiovascular system. I need to do more research into this line of thought, but I know that my weight lifting has strengthened my running.

Mike Mentzer was a true genius; read his books and you'll know what I mean. He was also a philosopher and an excellent writer. His logical approach to training is what drew me back to the iron game and I can attest to the success of his methods. Do yourself a favor and check out his website and get his books:

http://mikementzer.com/

Tursday, 8 pm

2005-08-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

Finally got to workout before 9 pm, and it was a good workout. I will not be able to workout tomorrw because I am attending a function, so I decided to make tonight a good long ride.

Here's what I did:
1 hr.
159 avg HR
184 max HR
859 calories lost

I was watching boxing so that kind of helped. It was also a cool and breeze night here in Los Angeles, so I situated my bike by an open window and was comfortable the whole workout.

Wednesday, 8 pm

2005-08-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

My legs are a bit sore from my Monday and Tuesday workouts, so I'm sitting today out. I'll do some push-ups, dumbbell curls, shoulder presses, and some stretching. I'm up to 30 push-ups per set. I'm hoping to be able to do over 50 soon.

Tuesday, 10 pm

2005-08-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

I had another great workout today. I kept it short because I had some e-mails to take care of. I was aiming for a heart rate between 139 - 150, but I felt good so exceeded that.

Here's what I did:
30 mins.
153 avg HR
170 max HR
302 calories lost

A brief but good workout.

Monday, 10 pm

2005-08-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

Monday's are tough. I was thinking of working out on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, while skipping Mondays and Fridays. I would then do a light spin on either Saturday or Sunday. However, I felt good since I didn't workout yesterday, so I got on the bike and had a good workout.

Here's what I did:
32 mins.
160 avg HR
182 max HR
520 calories lost.

I spun at a high cadence and avoided any sprints. Overall, a great workout.

HR Workout Zones

2005-08-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here are the recommended heart rate training zones. They are all based on your maximum heart rate:

Zone 1
60-65% - Development of economy and efficiency with very high volume, low stress work. Very long sessions improve the combustion and storage of fats. Combine with Zone 2 for practical unstructured low stress rides.

Zone 2
65-75% - Development of economy and efficiency with high volume, moderate stress work. An important intensity for establishing a firm base for all riders. Combine with Zone 1 for practical unstructured low stress rides

Zone 3
75-82% - Development of aerobic capacity and endurance with moderate volume work at a controlled intensity. Should be done alone or in a small group to stay in zone. Possible (but boring) on a turbo trainer for up to one hour in bad weather. 'Modules' can be incorporated into Zone 1 or 2 rides to increase intensity whilst maintaining volume.

Zone 4
82-89% - Typical 'mean' intensity of most road races. Useful for tapering and as preparation, to simulate race pace, rather than as training. Sessions should be ended when the effort starts to tell.

Zone 5
89-94% - Raising of anaerobic threshold, improvement of lactate clearance and adaptation to race speed. Should be done alone and:

as a specific road or 'turbo' session or
for controlled periods within a shortened Zone 1 or 2 session or
in a 10 or 25 mile time trial.

Zone 6
94-100% - High intensity interval training to increase maximum power and improve lactate production or clearance. Probably best done on hills or a 'turbo' trainer.

Should be done only when completely recovered from previous work.
Heart rates are not the best guide for this type of training. Intensity should be such that the effort can just be held to the end of the interval. Ride on feel and use heart rate for feedback.

Saturday, 11 pm

2005-08-14T01:19:00.000-07:00

It is now very late and I had a long day. We went to the Los Angeles Health Expo in the downtown Convention Center. We walked around all day and I almost justified that as enough of a workout and considered skipping tonight. However, I took a day off yesterday so I knew I had to get home and spin. After mulling around my place for a bit, I did manage to get a good workout. I spent some time taking care of some business after my workout, which is why I'm now posting at a little after 1 am.

Anyway, here's what I did tonight:
44 mins.
141 avg HR
207 max HR - this was from my sprint at 43:30 into my workout
506 calories spent.

I was surprised by my 207 max heart rate reading. My fitness test stated that I only had a 185 max, so I was not expecting anything past 190. Also, I tried to stay at Zone 2, which is 75% of my max heart rate and only an average 139 HR. I kept looking at my heart rate monitor and had to keep slowing down and dropping the resistance on my spinning bike. I felt like I could have kept on going so I like this new workout. Varying the time spent in the different training zones is more productive than just going all out each time I jump on the bike, so I'm going to fight the urge to go harder each workout. I'll post the different training zones later along with some suggested workouts.

I learned at the Health Expo that my blood pressure is 122/74, which is very healthy. I know I'm a big guy, but I do carry some muscle around and I know my spinning is doing my heart and lungs some good. I'm excited by the prospects and motivated to keep going. So a good week; 3 workouts it 4 days after recovering from being sick. I feel great so I'm looking forward to having a good workout tomorrow.

First Progress Report

2005-08-11T23:34:00.000-07:00

I just posted my workout but I wanted to share my first little progress report. I've lost 3 lbs. since I started and I think that's a good number for me at this point. I did drink a lot of Gatorade through my workout so I know that my loss isn't just sweat. May not be a big amount of weight, but I'll take it because I did get sick and missed several workouts. I don't intend on skipping anymore workouts so I'm hoping to loose between 2 - 4 lbs by next Friday, August 18.

Good night!

Thursday, 10 pm

2005-08-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

Had another good workout today. I was very conscious of my calf because it was a bit sore from my cramp yesterday. I began with a very light warm-up and gradually increased the tension and RPMs (revolutions per minute).

My legs felt good, even though I could feel my calf the whole time. I made it a point to hydrate well. I drank plenty of water at work and some Gatorade at home before and during my workout. I purposely kept my cadence high and the tension low, although I still got a good high average heart rate in.

Here are tonight's stats:
31 mins.
152 avg HR
172 max HR
407 calories lost.

As you can see by the calories burnt and my average HR, I didn't push it as much as I did yesterday. I stood several times but I did not do any sprints. I decided to stop after just 31 minutes because I began to feel my calf just a bit more than usual on every upstroke with my right leg. I gradually eased the tension and lowered my cadence and then did some light stretching.

I think I'll be good and ready for another hard workout tomorrow. I need to start incorporating zones into my workout but I'll hold out on that until next week.

I'm telling you, that cramp hurt! I do not want that happening again because my calf was sore all day. However, active recovery is better than no activity because a light spin gets the blood flowing, warms up the muscles, and provides a little stretching. I started my workout late but I'm glad I felt good.

Wednesday 8:00 pm

2005-08-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

Today marked my semi-triumphant return to the spinning bike. The last few days off really helped because I felt great (except towards the end, but more on that later).

First, I came to the conclusion that my cheap little Polar heart rate monitor was not going to cut it. It only cost around $35 and has the basic functions - HRM, time, and that's about it. My spin bike has no computer on it so I needed something that would help me better log my workouts. Enter my new HRM, the Polar S410. Check out the site for all the features.

I performed the Fit Test and was pleasantly surprised - I'm only 1 point away from being average. That's not great, since I'm below average, but after so many years of not working out, I expected to be in the poor category. I'm going to do this test every 2 weeks to see the changes.

I put on my Creative MP3 player, turned on the Dodger game (they lost... again), and began to spin.

So here's what I did today:
32 mins.
157 avg HR
183 max HR
456 calories lost

I felt good with the last minute being the exception. I had to cut my workout short from my 40 minute goal because I decided to raise the resistance to max and do a sprint. I've read that you should not sprint for more than 10 seconds and I now know why. I lept out of the saddle and started to pump hard! I felt great until a little after 15 seconds when a twitch in my right calf turned into a small knot and then a full blown cramp. I was clipped into my pedals so I quickly turned my ankle to release and the pain just exploded through my calf. My leg looked like I was wearing high heals because I could not bring my foot forward. I stayed on the bike until the pain subsided and then got on the floor and did a little stretching and massaging.

So, overall a good workout. I hope my calf doesn't feel sore tomorrow because I'm really excited about my new heart rate monitor and plan to use every feature available.

Washout!

2005-08-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

Well, my first week was a bit of a washout. I didn't workout Sunday, Monday, or today. I was sick on Sunday and worked late both yesterday and today. I worked past 9 pm yesterday and a little after 8:30 pm today, so I really didn't have the energy to spin. I am so tired!

But my team seems to have a grasp on things now so I don't expect to work late for the rest of this week. Next week also looks ok so I have at least a window of 2 weeks and a half. We have a big deliverable due on the first week of September. This means that the last week of August and the first of September will be very hectic and, unfortunately, erratic. I better make the best of the next couple of weeks and spin like crazy!

By the way, this month's issue of Bicycling Magazine is devoted to weight loss. If you need some motivation, pick it up at your local bookstore or newsstand.

Sunday - All Day!

2005-08-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

I overdid it a bit yesterday with the hopes of compensating for missing Friday, but that was counterproductive. My legs are really sore so I'm taking another day off. I don't feel well anyway, so I doubt that I will workout. I feel sick and have been in bed all morning. I'll workout tomorrow.

Saturday, 1 pm

2005-08-06T14:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I did take Thursday off but I also took Friday off. I had a big project due on Friday so I worked really late on Thursday. I just didn't have the energy.

So here's what I did on Saturday:
40 mins. on the bike, with the last 5 mins. or so at a high intensity. My bpm where at 173+. My whole workout was a bit intense. My average heart rate was well over 150 for the whole duration.

Wednesday, 10 pm

2005-08-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

Again, got kind of a late start to my workout. Work is really getting a bit stressful so I come home drained. I didn't feel as good as yesterday and frankly, my butt was a bit sore. It was sore by the sit bones, so it's a good sign that my bike settings are ok. I had no lower back or neck pain so I think I'll just have to get used to the soreness for a while.

Here's what I did:
35 mins. with an average of 140+ bpm.

Not too bad, but like I said, I didn't feel as good as yesterday. If I didn't have my monitor on, I would say that I worked out harder today. But my bpm where lower and I worked out for about 10 mins. less.

I'll take a break from the bike tomorrow and do a little lifting. Still, I'm happy with my ability to stay on longer than 30 mins. That seems to be a barrier for me. Once I cross 30 - 35 mins., I know that I can stay on for at least 1 hr. Not today, though.

Later!

Tuesday, 10 pm

2005-08-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

Kind of late, but I still got in a decent workout.

Spinning 45 mins. 5 min warm-up with a little less than a 5 min cooldown at the end.

Heart rate fluctuated between 140 - 160 bpm (beats per minute) for whole duration. Peaked out at 182 bpm during 2 sprints. Stayed above 150 bpm for over half of workout.

Light stretching afterwards in front of the fan.

Felt good and my legs where strong. My left leg quivered a little towards the end when I stood on the bike.

Welcome!

2005-08-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my training (b)log. I want to keep track of what I do each day in my quest for fitness. I will post again after tonight's workout.

Here are my stats:
Sex: Male
Age: 30
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 233 lbs (I know!)

Let's see how these stats change. I'm giving myself a month to loose between 10-15 lbs. I am a former weightlifter so I know that I have the discipline to get in shape. Changing jobs (I'm now a consultant for IBM) really changed my workout and eating habits leading to my weight gain. I basically stopped working out and began to eat out almost every day.

But after a few years of this, I've decided to get in shape. This training log will serve as a motivational tool since I'll be able to read it no matter where I am and track my progress. I know there are more sophisticated tools out there (I've even written one in PHP+MySQL), but the public and informal nature of blogs is what appeals to me. I don't want to crunch numbers; I want to simply count crunches.

I used to be able to bench 300+ lbs and squat over 320 while only weighing 165 lbs. I don't intend to get into that type of shape anymore. It's too hard to maintain and frankly, I'm not up for injuries. My aim is to simply loose weight and get some aerobic fitness. For this reason, cycling will be my main form of exercise. I used to be an avid cyclist but unfortunately, my beautiful Specialized road bike now sits with 2 flat tires and some rust on the chain. I just purchased a new spinning bike, a heart rate monitor, and some weights. Weightlifting will be a part of my training, but it will not be the main focus as when I was younger. I intend to resurrect my Specialized and start riding again once I drop about 30 lbs.

Feel free to leave tips, advice, comments, and also to share your training activities. What motivates you? Share it with me!

Let's see what happens!