OT: Fitness and Nutrition XII

[sandviper]

Yeah treadmills suck.

I don’t mind treadmills. I still do them in my offseason. What sucks is the StairMaster. I hate that thing. My gym’s owner is toying with the thought of getting a jacob’s ladder? I think that us what it’s called. I said I would go to another gym if I saw that here lol.

As tge weights getheavier I find I really don’t have a choice but to put squats and DL last. They ruin me for the rest of the workout. They’re my only two leg exercises so it works out putting them at the end. Legs are still relatively fresh and I have enough to give it my all. But if I do them first I’m ruined for everything else.

Oh, I agree. I don’t know your full routine but yeah, if you’re upper focused first half, doing those legs at the end makes sense since legs is like half the body.

In my case, i do legs only on my leg day so I have to manage it a little different.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I don’t mind treadmills. I still do them in my offseason. What sucks is the StairMaster. I hate that thing. My gym’s owner is toying with the thought of getting a jacob’s ladder? I think that us what it’s called. I said I would go to another gym if I saw that here lol.



Oh, I agree. I don’t know your full routine but yeah, if you’re upper focused first half, doing those legs at the end makes sense since legs is like half the body.

In my case, i do legs only on my leg day so I have to manage it a little different.

Day 1
Bench
Pushups
Bent over row/Inverted row - superset
Squats

Day 2
Shoulder press
Chin-ups/ Dips superset
Curls/Tricep band pull downs superset
Deadlift

I used to work in some other stuff but as the weights have gotten heavier the workouts are longer so I just do this.

 

[Mrb1p]

I don’t mind treadmills. I still do them in my offseason. What sucks is the StairMaster. I hate that thing. My gym’s owner is toying with the thought of getting a jacob’s ladder? I think that us what it’s called. I said I would go to another gym if I saw that here lol.



Oh, I agree. I don’t know your full routine but yeah, if you’re upper focused first half, doing those legs at the end makes sense since legs is like half the body.

In my case, i do legs only on my leg day so I have to manage it a little different.

I love the stairmaster, because it's actually useful. A treadmill is boring. 10 minutes on the stairmaster will have you wishing you were dead, 10 minutes on the treadmill and you'd just wish you were some place else.

Jacob's ladder are stupid IMO. Never seen one in use.

 

[overlords]

I love the stairmaster, because it's actually useful. A treadmill is boring. 10 minutes on the stairmaster will have you wishing you were dead, 10 minutes on the treadmill and you'd just wish you were some place else.

Jacob's ladder are stupid IMO. Never seen one in use.

Sick movie though, I do recommend it.

 

[NotProkofievian]

I love the stairmaster, because it's actually useful. A treadmill is boring. 10 minutes on the stairmaster will have you wishing you were dead, 10 minutes on the treadmill and you'd just wish you were some place else.

Jacob's ladder are stupid IMO. Never seen one in use.

It's not always that harder = better, especially for cardio. If you're dead after 10 minutes you were wayyyyy over your lactate threshold which may not have been your goal. Usually shouldn't be.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

It's not always that harder = better, especially for cardio. If you're dead after 10 minutes you were wayyyyy over your lactate threshold which may not have been your goal. Usually shouldn't be.

Zone 2 is underrated by most runners. I didn’t do it for years and now after having done it for years I wish I had done it from the beginning. It’s no problem getting in 5-6 injury free runs a week which ultimately improvise performance more than running in zone 4 and needing 2 days recovery every few workouts. Zone 2 literally saved my life. I couldn’t jog for 4-5 mins in zone 2 when I first started. I would have to walk about 30 seconds in. Now I can usually complete my entire workout in zone 2 depending on the elevation and distance. I will drift to the high side eventually, but it’s amazing. Can do it almost everyday and the improvement has been huge.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Sick movie though, I do recommend it.

Very differerent flick. I haven't seen it in a long time. In the Mouth of Madness had a similar theme.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Zone 2 is underrated by most runners. I didn’t do it for years and now after having done it for years I wish I had done it from the beginning. It’s no problem getting in 5-6 injury free runs a week which ultimately improvise performance more than running in zone 4 and needing 2 days recovery every few workouts. Zone 2 literally saved my life. I couldn’t jog for 4-5 mins in zone 2 when I first started. I would have to walk about 30 seconds in. Now I can usually complete my entire workout in zone 2 depending on the elevation and distance. I will drift to the high side eventually, but it’s amazing. Can do it almost everyday and the improvement has been huge.

I think these days it's now overrated and a meme

But yes, it's the meat and bones of all endurance training, you can do so much more volume and the higher pace you can sustain while burning mostly fat the faster you can go generally.

However, I noticed that things go best for me when I let my inner Forest Gump out once or twice a week.

 

[sandviper]

Day 1
Bench
Pushups
Bent over row/Inverted row - superset
Squats

Day 2
Shoulder press
Chin-ups/ Dips superset
Curls/Tricep band pull downs superset
Deadlift

I used to work in some other stuff but as the weights have gotten heavier the workouts are longer so I just do this.

That’s actually a solid two day routine. Also good deadlift and rows are different days.

I love the stairmaster, because it's actually useful. A treadmill is boring. 10 minutes on the stairmaster will have you wishing you were dead, 10 minutes on the treadmill and you'd just wish you were some place else.

Jacob's ladder are stupid IMO. Never seen one in use.

I had to use the stairmaster during prep but it was tough because it caused a lot of systemic fatigue. I had to move my stairmaster to the end of the day so it wouldn’t impact my training.

The treadmill was easier. I could stay in zone two pretty easy and time flew because I’d just watch YouTube or a show/movie during my walk. Calories per minute aren’t as efficient as a stairmaster, but I managed my time well.

I have never personally used a jacob’s ladder but a lot of the hybrid athletes at my gym love it which was why our owner is thinking about it. It’s just an enormous waste if space though and not sure if its worth it for the minority of members.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

That’s actually a solid two day routine. Also good deadlift and rows are different days.

They have to be.

I’m actually thinking of flipping them. The chest/back day is a lot harder than shoulder arm day.

I’ve always found squats to be a lot harder than deads.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

I think these days it's now overrated and a meme

But yes, it's the meat and bones of all endurance training, you can do so much more volume and the higher pace you can sustain while burning mostly fat the faster you can go generally.

However, I noticed that things go best for me when I let my inner Forest Gump out once or twice a week.

I don’t think there is anything overrated about it. 80% of your work should be in zone 2. Letting your inner gump out is good too, but it shouldn’t make up a significant portion of your work.

Many runners go out and try to PR every run and then make huge gains within a few months but ultimately end up injured and on sidelines for months until they eventually give up altogether. This is most imo.

 

[NotProkofievian]

I don’t think there is anything overrated about it. 80% of your work should be in zone 2. Letting your inner gump out is good too, but it shouldn’t make up a significant portion of your work.

Many runners go out and try to PR every run and then make huge gains within a few months but ultimately end up injured and on sidelines for months until they eventually give up altogether. This is most imo.

All true. What I mean is that everyone and their dog is on zone 2 now, and some people are so intensely into zone 2 that if their heart rate goes above 130 for a bit they don't count it. There's even zone 2 only programs.

That was me for a bit . But I found that I really broke through after adding speed work in. It actually raised the pace at which I could stay in zone 2.

 

[Andrei79]

My age is starting to show. It used to be that I could train everyday and sometimes two times, but now just straining a bit harder means I have to take a day or two off. I even have to stretch before/after for injury prevention. Im fine with it, but with ski season coming up Im hoping I'll be able to ride everyday during my vacation. I have to cut my workload by half compared to 10-15 years ago lol.

 

[Leto]

I'm going to buy a wahoo kicked for the winter. I can do threshold and vo2max stuff on the treadmill but zone 2 on the treadmill is just so dull. I have some morning meetings that I can just take from the bike and still end up with 3 or 4 hours of zone 2 per week.

I have been using my Kickr with TrainerRoad for 3-4 years now, from December-March. March is always a slog to get through. I've now added running, staying indoor for most of the winter gets old quicky.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

My age is starting to show. It used to be that I could train everyday and sometimes two times, but now just straining a bit harder means I have to take a day or two off. I even have to stretch before/after for injury prevention. Im fine with it, but with ski season coming up Im hoping I'll be able to ride everyday during my vacation. I have to cut my workload by half compared to 10-15 years ago lol.

I find working out three times a week is the sweet spot. You can add in a HIIT workout and some walks during the week but your body needs more time to recover as you get older.

 

[PavelBrendl]

I'm going to buy a wahoo kicked for the winter. I can do threshold and vo2max stuff on the treadmill but zone 2 on the treadmill is just so dull. I have some morning meetings that I can just take from the bike and still end up with 3 or 4 hours of zone 2 per week.

My bike trainer saved my life. It's the only way I've found to beat winter depression, and it was the first time I ever had a power meter to properly structure my training with. Got into better cycling shape in one winter on the trainer than I ever had purely riding on the road.

Been off the bike for the last few months following a back injury and the start of a major tattoo project so I'm reluctant to sweat for prolonged periods following my sessions, but once I'm done with that I intend to be back on the bike at least 3x per week, along with my typical strength/running training.

 

[Andrei79]

I find working out three times a week is the sweet spot. You can add in a HIIT workout and some walks during the week but your body needs more time to recover as you get older.

Same here. Three times, four sometimes, but I have to manage my workload. The days of training all week are pretty much done though.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

Same here. Three times, four sometimes, but I have to manage my workload. The days of training all week are pretty much done though.

I try to get enough strength training to augment my running and that’s it now. I do about 5-6runs a week depending if I have 2 hard ones or just one. On easy days I usually 2-3 times a week I do my kettlebell routine that takes about 20-30 mins and then lots of stretching. It’s been working for me, running performance/efficiency is continuing to improve and the injuries have been limited. I did screw up my sacroiliac joints earlier in the year due to my hip mobility, but the kettlebell has improved that by leaps and bounds. I use to lift/run 5 days a week, but it’s way too much when do. 50-60 miles a week.

 

[Mrb1p]

My age is starting to show. It used to be that I could train everyday and sometimes two times, but now just straining a bit harder means I have to take a day or two off. I even have to stretch before/after for injury prevention. Im fine with it, but with ski season coming up Im hoping I'll be able to ride everyday during my vacation. I have to cut my workload by half compared to 10-15 years ago lol.

Me too... and now this hernia is completely killing all my gains and fun.

 

[Andrei79]

Me too... and now this hernia is completely killing all my gains and fun.

The injuries are piling up, it's insane. I almost regret doing so much powerlifting with all the years and tendinitis that caused. I mean, I don't as it helped strength wise and gave me great results in terms of physique, but man I feel it gave me bad habits.