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2005/02/27, 05:18 PM
I wanna get into GREAT shape. I lift weights already, but am interested in the other aspects of health, i.e. cardio and diet.
Cardio: I always hear about runners being in peak condition, as there heart beats are low. They could probably run up the Empire State Building without much huffing. My question is this-
I'm not sure how much training is involved in getting into peak cardio condition. I want to also burn some fat, but also maintain muscle, so I know HIIT plays a role in that, but HIIT alone will not get me into that kind of cario shape. However, I don't want the flabby look of marathon runners either. So what exactly should I do? Do I have to do hours of cardio a day or something to get into this kind of shape?
DIET: I know how to eat healthy and already do. I have a fruit smoothie in the morning with OJ, banana and frozen berries, which is like 3 servings right there. I juice vegetables, and hopefully that counts for veggie servings. I'm going back on a multi vitamin. I eat whole wheat bread products with at least 3 g of fiber and include oats in my protein drink. I only eat natural peanut butter, only use smart balance spread etc. Is there anything else I should do? Also, seeing that I'm trying to cut some fat, i will probably have to lower carbs, so should I cut out my smoothie drink? Should I include a fiber supplement to make sure I get enough on a daily basis?
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2005/02/28, 09:35 AM
The most striking thing about this post is that your goals seem quite vague.
To really help achieve your goals, it is best if they are specific. What exactly do you want from your training? - you mentioned good cardio conditioning, but also how you look - why not pick a specific aspect to focus on?
How about a target body fat reduction, or a specific cardio performance goal (like getting your 5K run time down to a certain level)?
As far as your diet goes, it looks good, but where are you getting your protein from? Do you get good fats just from PB or from other sources?
Sorry I seem to have given you lots of questions instead of answers, but I hope they´re a helpful start. :)
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2005/03/01, 03:20 PM
thanks for tending to my questions, princess.
I have several goals, but I truly want to be in good cardio shape, like Olympic-type cardio shape, where my heart needs only to beat like twice a minute... OK, maybe not that low, but you get the drift. I think the ideal cardio shape is where the heart beats between 40-60x a minute, or something like that. I just want an all around strong cardio system, as I've always heard it is optimal for health.
However, I don't know how much cardio to fit in to accomplish this, and I don't want it to have a negative effect on my body, by storing fat and burning muscle.
I get fat from PB, Smart Balance spread, fish and occasional Salmon oil supplements. I get proyein from chicken, fish and whey.
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2005/03/02, 02:36 PM
Diet sounds good.
So does this mean your goal is to get your resting heart rate down? That would be specific.
What is your resting heart rate now?
What cardio are you doing at the moment?
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2005/03/02, 03:56 PM
From my experience getting "running" fit or as you put in "cardio" shape, can take a while or can be reached quite quickly. Naturally that depends on the shape you are in etc.
I would advise 30 - 40 minutes of cardio daily, perhaps a rest day in between is the way to go. What you do in those 30 - 40 minutes is entirely up to you and your objective.
Get in some distance, get in some inclines, a session of HIIT and get in some pace sessions too. Before you know it you'll be aspiring to great athletic heights.
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2005/03/02, 08:47 PM
Studies show that it takes a minimum of 3 endurance sessions per week on a regular basis for your body to adapt.
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
bb1fit@freetrainers.com
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2005/03/03, 05:10 PM
I think it's between 70-80. I'm just interested in getting in overall the best ahape I can possibly be in, and I know cardio is a big part of that. I already do strength training. Is there anything else i should do to accomplish a well rounded goal?
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2005/03/04, 05:28 AM
What are you doing for cardio at the moment?
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2005/03/04, 03:38 PM
Well, I'm getting back into it after an 8 month hiatus. The hiatus took it's toll. I had worked my way up to 8 mph for 30 minutes, but I've lost that. I'm doing HIIT for about 10-12 minutes, then turning that into steady running for the remainder of 30 minutes. I'm trying to do it between 3-5x a week.
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2005/03/05, 06:18 AM
Doing HIIT every cardio session can be too much, especially if you are just getting back into it.
This is just a suggestion, but you could do 1 HIIT session a week, 1 longer "endurance" session, and the rest steady pace 20-30 minute sessions.
Depending on how many sessions you do, it may also be an idea to do 1 of your sessions on a different machine, like elliptical or the bike.
When you are building up your cardio (especially if you run) you should increase your training volume (i.e. the amount of time you spend doing cardio) by no more than 10% per week -
So if you did 120 mins total last week, this week you could do 132 mins.
This should help minimise injury.
After you have done this for a few weeks, you could increase your HIIT to 2 sessions and drop one of the steady pace.
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2005/03/05, 03:19 PM
Sounds good, princess! Thanks for all your majesty's help. :)
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2005/03/06, 06:30 AM
No problem. Let us know how you get on.:)
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2005/05/21, 05:20 AM
As someone who has spent the last 3 months trying to acheive a optimum cardio shape, I'll share my techniques, though definetely not for everyone. I guess this is my first post so I'll give out some basics to give some background.
20 yr old male, Construction worker
Feb 2005- weight 235 lbs, BF 20+% (laid off from work from dec to April, causing big weight gain as I vegetated)
May 20th weight, 186 BF 11%, doing mainly cardio.
For the past 3 months I did a minimal amount of lifting, and a large amount of cardio. My weapon of choice is the elliptical, and it took me an hour a day, 6 days a week of fairly high intensity and 60% of max resistance on the machine. Now that it is warm I go one day running outside for 45, then one day on the elliptical, for the 6 and sometimes 7 days. Now going for 7 days a week is not a recommendation I would make, though I am lucky enough to have been able to do it without burning out our injuring myself. You have to be willing to push yourself during your cardio workouts, which can be a pain at first if you have never been a big fan of them. My resting heart rate is now between 51-54 bpm, my workout partner has one of 50-53, and both of us have been doing the workouts together for 3 months. Not quite marathon numbers, but definely respectable and trust me if I can get to that point, you can. I was the laziest waste of skin when we got laid off for the winter, so just stick with a program that works for you, and push yourself every time you train. Sorry for the rant its late. lol
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