Target Heart Rate

[coach_izzy]

I’m not the physiologist but the way I understand it, as soon as you raise your metabolism your body thinks it needs to eat more to make up for it and that urge doesn’t always go away when the increased energy consumption drops.

That is very close! However, what triggers the hunger mechanism more than anything is a constantly elevated metabolic rate rather than short periods of activity. That's why proper resistance is so important in a thorough weight control program. Catherine, good food is our fried, and with resistance training, your caloric demands will increase, and if you consume several small meals during the day, you will drop instead of gain, as Bill just pointed out. The trick is to PLAN and never let your body go hungry. If you actually get bothered by hunger pangs, you're not eating often enough, and you will have to exercise A LOT of self-control during your meals to avoid binging. Remember that it takes 20 minutes for the brain to receive the signal that we're eating. If you ever find yourself hungry, eat slowly, if you can't eat slowly, then just eat a small meal, drink plenty of water and wait.

A similar recent case for me was jumping into cold water for less than 5 minutes, but as soon as I got out I was as hungry as if I’d been on a cold water dive for hours and I wound up eating as much if I’d been in the water for much longer.

Actually cold immersions trigger the mamalian reflex which diverts all the blood flow to your core and reduces your metabolism. If there's any form of shivering as a result of the inmersion, then you'll be HUNGRY after. Shivering is the mechanical response to cold, the first in the line of defense. The Shaking produces heat, not externally, but inside. You'd be amazed at how significant the calorie usage will be with shivering. The leaner you're, the more you'll burn. If you're hungry after such conditions, eat a small meal slowly. A warm, decaff drink also helps.

When you push yourself with resistance training it takes much longer for the muscles to completely recover than when you do just an aerobic workout and those muscles continue to burn a lot of energy for a rather long time trying to recover so the entire metabolism stays operating at a higher level. By keeping the metabolism at a rather constant rate, the bodies hunger mechanisms stay at a more constant level and while you might actually eat more, that food is getting burned off at a more steady and continues rate.

Beautifully said! Perhaps more people should stay at the Holiday Inn!

As for the weight, I think I’d be looking more at the inches instead. My weight fluctuates around 10 pounds during the course of a year and when I’m at my heaviest, my waist is 2” less than when I’m at my lightest. My wife finally decided to get seriously in shape a couple years ago at the age of 51, and it took her a while to get used to the fact she was actually eating more but losing weight, and then she stopped losing weight but kept losing inches. She found that using the South Beach Diet along with her new found training discipline really helped her because she cut out many foods with a high glycemic index that also were causing her metabolism to spike up and down.

What people need to pay attention to depends on their current state and their goals. Some people do need to follow the scale, some people rely more on anthropometric measurements (skin-folds, girths), while some people only need visual feedback. You brought up an excellent point at how people fear eating when trying to control their weights and how the smaller meals produce such a change. Though I do not agree with a lot of things the South Beach diet prescribes (excessive reliance on grains without concern to allergies, recommending margarine (what's up with the transfats), usage of splenda (sucrolose is a messy issue)) it does have some excellent guidelines and if people adjust them to their particular needs and conditions (for instance, somebody allergic to glutten would not go around eating wheat products) it can provide with a solid basis for better nutrition in the long term.

By the way, HGI foods do not increase the metabolism. They do mess up the interactions of blood glucose, insuline, and glucagon, but they're so simple, the body does not need to break them down. Comsumption of protein on the other hand, DOES raise your metabolism since the molecules are far more complex and they need to be broken down to extract their nutritients.

Thank you for bringing up a well written and intelligent post. Your analytical abilities are excellent and the more you learn the better you'll get. Best of luck with your program

 

[coach_izzy]

No, Only the aerobic portion, with a suggestion to ditch the eliptical and stay with the treadmill, use incline.. Which I have done..

I walk for 10 mins (3.2 - 3.6 mph) working up to get my heartrate going...

Then :30 @ 5.5 mph Followed by 3:00 back at 3.6 mph.. repeat for 30 mins. Incline at 6%
Cool down, Incline at 0%, (3.4, 3.3, 3.2, 3.1, 3.0 mph) for 5 mins. Total = 45 mins.

My heartrate is ~ 145 during warm up, 175-180 during the :30 sec spike, and returns to ~160 - 165 during the 3:00 min interval.

I am only using the handrail when I slow down from 5.5 - 3.6 for balance

My weight routine is an older one that I had.. using "machines" (Icarian I think?)

Leg Curl
Leg Extension
Chest Press
Chest - Flies
Shoulder Raise? (to the sides)
Back - Seated Row
Bicep Curls
Tricep Extensions
Calf Raises

Each done for 2 sets, 20 reps (very light weight, I'm a wimp!).. 30 secs "rest" between sets.

Focusing on 2 second "power" (positive) breathe out, hold for 1 second, 4 second negative, breathing normally.

Right now I am not looking at muscle gains, this is more of a way of getting used to the weights again, focusing on form (proper setup of machine, seat, etc) looking that my joints for the working area are in proper alignment.

When I start to see progress / start hitting plateau's, I may be looking towards a personal trainer.. Hence my other threads..

You may want to bring down your HR to the mid or high 140s for the "easy" part of the bouts. Then again, if you feel comfortable at those rates, stay with it.

The load on the exercise dictates the speed of the movement, not the other way around. That means that light weights move faster than heavier weights, and that's simply because of the actions of gravity. 2 seconds positive, 1 second hold (isometric), and 4 seconds down is TOO slow for light weights. That tempo is part of the HIT dogma, and while it has excellent applications if all you want is pure hypertrophy (yeah, as in putting on size) is not useful for somebody to get conditioned since it trains your nervous systme to be slow. I think it's time to pay a visit to the trainer and get his feedback. Bring out what you just mentioned and if they tell you that you have been training correctly and nothing needs to change, then move on and find another one. Good luck and keep up the terrific work. Thanks for keeping us posted.

 

[countryboy]

....usage of splenda (sucrolose is a messy issue)) ...

Can you please expand on this? I am just reading information about how "bad" sucrolose is (Splenda).. Which I am consuming more of, since kicking the "Sweet & Low" (Aspartame?) out..

The majority of what I am reading has more to do with limited testing, or only testing done by the sucrolose companies, no third party research. The research that has been done, was limited in time (no long term research) and the amounts used in the tests (lab animals) was not at the proper proportion when trying to convert this info on how it will affect humans.

I am reading honey is a better alternative (using to sweeten my coffee)??

....
By the way, HGI foods do not increase the metabolism. ...

Maybe I missed something.. What are HGI foods?

 

[coach_izzy]

Can you please expand on this? I am just reading information about how "bad" sucrolose is (Splenda).. Which I am consuming more of, since kicking the "Sweet & Low" (Aspartame?) out..

The majority of what I am reading has more to do with limited testing, or only testing done by the sucrolose companies, no third party research. The research that has been done, was limited in time (no long term research) and the amounts used in the tests (lab animals) was not at the proper proportion when trying to convert this info on how it will affect humans.

I am reading honey is a better alternative (using to sweeten my coffee)??

I don't know if you read my posts about nutrition, but like I say, there's research that brings out the truth, and there's "research" that wants to prevent the trutch from reaching the public and spreading further. One of the best sources is the works by Doctor Mercola. The works ARE VAST, so it's nearly impossible to cover it all in one shot, but he writes in a friendly format. As far as the sweetners, Stevia has been found to be benigne, but that in my opion is still too early. If you want to sweeten your coffee, a bit of honey should not be a problem. Try to wean yourself of all sugar if possible.

Maybe I missed something.. What are HGI foods?

High Glycemic Index.

Hope that covers your questions. I have a client now. I'll check in later. Take care.

 

[Vayu]

Countryboy,

I'm not a coach like Izzy, but I do know from personal experience that when you throw that many muscle groups into the mix, it becomes very easy to overtrain. Make sure you are listening to your body and rest accordingly if you decide to keep with those sets.

-V

 

[countryboy]

Countryboy,

I'm not a coach like Izzy, but I do know from personal experience that when you throw that many muscle groups into the mix, it becomes very easy to overtrain. Make sure you are listening to your body and rest accordingly if you decide to keep with those sets.

-V

I am all ears if you have suggestions...

This is only for 2 - 3 weeks, 2 times a week, to get back into weight training.. First time was Saturday (Sun, Mon treadmill only) weights again tonight (tues) no treadmill, treadmill wed., thurs off completely, etc..

I am doing very little weight (10 - 40 lbs, depending on what) focusing more on form, posture, control and core.

Once I get the "feel" back, I will look for other weight training regimines (sp?).. The issue at the moment, my arms are weak.. so the larger muscles (chest, back) do not get a full workout, more like a good stretch. (for now)

Thoughts / suggestions are welcome as always...

 

[Vayu]

There are lots of ways to lift weights and full-body workouts are certainly a valid way to do it. I approach it like alot of bodybuilders do and split the sets so that I only work a couple muscle groups each time. What has worked for me is a 3 day split for example:

Monday: Chest/Bi (Flat dumbbell presses, incline dumbbell presses, flys, hammer curls, preacher curls, chinups) I do 4 sets of each exercises with 8 - 12 reps each and build up the weight each time in a pyramid fashion. Its important not to use too much weight. Alot of people do chest/tri however chest exercises naturally work the tri and bicep + back exercises tend to work each other. On my chest day I also do 5 sets of squats 5 reps each.

Tuesday: Rest and/or swim.

Wed: Back/Tricep (Lat pulldowns, straight arm pulldowns (http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/LatissimusDorsi/CBStraightArmPulldown.html, rows, skullcrushers, french presses, kickbacks)

Thurs: Rest and/or swim

Fri: Legs/Shoulder (leg lifts/quads, leg curls/hams, calf presses, squats, military press, lateral/front extensions, shrugs)

Sat: rest

Sun: rest

I also bike roughly 20 minutes a day to school, which I try to do at high intensity. Often if I swim hard one day I will not lift the next day and vice/versa. If I plan to dive on a saturday I usually allow 1-2 rest days before and after. If I dive I consider the dive a leg and shoulder workout specifically so will cut that from my weekly workout (but keep the squats). Sometimes i'll throw in ab work 2 times a week. Sometimes I'll run. Its a good idea to crosstrain and mix things up a bit. If I am not feeling 100%, am not hydrated, or did not eat right I will not do anything on that day.

Another split routine I have seen alot of people do can be found here: http://www.wannabebig.com/article.php?articleid=25

There are various ways to do it and like I said full body workouts are still valid as long as you are careful not to overtrain. With any workout routine it is most important to keep a good diet and give yourself lots of rest. Maybe izzy or someone else will comment on these routines and give you more of an idea of what will work for you.

-V

 

[Cacia]

I am blown away that you are running HR's that high. Not that I have an opinion....I just can't do it. And I have beeen doing aerobic exercise every day for two years. And...if my heart rate went to 170-180, I think I would keel over. My resting rate is 68, BP 116/70. am I not working hard enough...?

 

[Vayu]

Catherine I think the heart-rate thing is more voodoo than science and is largely dependant on the individual. Take it slow and don't push yourself too hard if you are feeling pain or otherwise not OK. I can usually pump mine up to 175 - 180 but I am also 22.

-V

 

[coach_izzy]

I am blown away that you are running HR's that high. Not that I have an opinion....I just can't do it. And I have beeen doing aerobic exercise every day for two years. And...if my heart rate went to 170-180, I think I would keel over. My resting rate is 68, BP 116/70. am I not working hard enough...?

My RHR is in the high 40s Low 50's and my resting BP is always around 110/60, yet in high intensity bouts of interval training I usually bring my HR up to the high 190s and ocasionally 200 (not for too long though). Would I recommend that to everybody? heck NO, it is a very advanced form of training, but it has developed the tolerance capability of my body to good levels, hence I can easily sustain work at significant rates for significant periods of times without getting overwhelmed.

The way you train is the way your body responds. You mentioned that you were doing cardio on your Treadmill with a laptop posting on SB. Now honestly, would that be hard work? Did you notice what a difference it made when you let go of the rails and the effort demands your attention? These are the kind of challenges that signal your body that it needs to improve, provided that you let it rest enough. Follow the routine I gave you and adjust your rates accordingly. You'll be pleasantly surprised at your work capacity at the end. Talk to you later!