What do you think of this fitness routine

[fairybasslet]

As a track and cross country runner I would recommend doing cardio AT LEAST 6 days a week. If you don't have to take the 7th day off then do that to. After 48 hours your body starts to lose all the training that it has gained from working out. A good idea would be to run 5 to 6 days of the week and swim the other 1 to 2 days. Swimming works muscles that no other training does. Good Luck!

That's what I thought. I can't run because of bad knees, but I guess I could work in laps in the evening on the days I do weights during my lunch hour.

 

[WIBB]

After 48 hours your body starts to lose all the training that it has gained from working out. A good idea would be to run 5 to 6 days of the week and swim the other 1 to 2 days.

It takes some muscles 48 hours to recover. And it takes recovery to get stronger and faster.

It is my understanding that you don't lose progress till 7-9 days out. We occasionally take a week off for recovery after a hard period. But, it depends on intensity. I don't like to do it but I am always glad afterward. I feel fresh when I resume and don't suffer any performance hits.

I personally agree with 6 days of efforts for foundation work (very little high intensity). But, I find 3 days running with 2 days cross training works better during specialization (plenty of high intensity leading up to the week before an event).

I feel like I am killing myself with a 6 day routine at the required intensities. There just isn't enough recovery time for me to improve and the risk of injury increases.

YMMV.

 

[Airric75]

Cardiovascular fitness is different than muscular fitness. You tend to lose gains in cardio much quicker than you would muscular strength or muscular endurance. If Fairys' goal is to increase her cardio performance, then you need to stress or at the very least increase the amount of cardio you have been doing previous.
This is a common issue with personal trainers: clients who need to improve their cardio but have orthopedic problems limiting them (bad knees or low back pain). Fortunately, swimming is an excellent cardio workout. Mix up your cardio days by doing the machines on two days and the pool on the other two day. Remeber, cardio benefits are cumulative, so park in a farther away spot, or take the stairs to your office, walk up and down every isle in the supermarket. Take walks up and down the beach when your not diving...
anyway, it sounds like you are doing it, just keep up with it. If you want to get more serious with a structured plan later you can do that, but a good foundation is so important...
Eric

 

[fairybasslet]

Cardiovascular fitness is different than muscular fitness. You tend to lose gains in cardio much quicker than you would muscular strength or muscular endurance. If Fairys' goal is to increase her cardio performance, then you need to stress or at the very least increase the amount of cardio you have been doing previous.
This is a common issue with personal trainers: clients who need to improve their cardio but have orthopedic problems limiting them (bad knees or low back pain). Fortunately, swimming is an excellent cardio workout. Mix up your cardio days by doing the machines on two days and the pool on the other two day. Remeber, cardio benefits are cumulative, so park in a farther away spot, or take the stairs to your office, walk up and down every isle in the supermarket. Take walks up and down the beach when your not diving...
anyway, it sounds like you are doing it, just keep up with it. If you want to get more serious with a structured plan later you can do that, but a good foundation is so important...
Eric

Thanks Eric. My goals are several. I do want to increase my CV fitness, but I also want to increase my muscular strength too. My upper body is pretty weak. I cannot carry steel 100's to the boat. I added 30 minutes of swimming to the mix this weekend. BTW, for my 30 minute cardio, I do 10 minutes ellitical, 10 minutes treadmill (walking), and 10 minutes bike. I do have issues with my knees so I need low impact.

 

[Airric75]

Fairybasslet,
Great, sounds like you have some good goals. Since you are interested in upperbody strength there are a couple things you might wanna try, ya know, if you're feeling frisky !
Most gyms have some sort of circuit training, this is a great way to incorporate strength exercises into a cardio routine without spending hours in the gym... they ususally have an upperbody station, followed by a cardio station, then lower body, then cardio, then back/arms, then cardio..well you get the picture...
My suggestion is that before you get really carried away with strength training, do at least one week of nothing but core stability exercises first. As divers, the abdominal region is so important to having a good fun dive without completely sucking down a tank...hehe. It is not just ab's either. The back muscles are just as important. Make sure you are doing low back, mid back and shoulders.
Keep us posted on your progress

 

[aushealer]

If your program is working for you great! Your questions should be are you enjoying it and not get bored? Are you achieving or making progress toward your goals? Here are some things to ponder:

- simply stating "I want to get stronger" or "increase my cardio" are fairly broad goals, can you narrow them down to "I want to toss my steel 100's on to the boat" or "I want to compete in the local 10k run". I find it best to list a couple of short term goals {achievable within a couple of months}, along with a couple of long term goals{achievable within a year}.

- I see most people in the gyms don't actually 'push-it'. It's not the time you spend in the gym, it's the actual effort you put in. I can get a better work-out in twenty minutes {incorporating both strength and cardio} then most people to in an hour in a gym. This leads to the old phrase “work smarter, not harder”.

- adjust your program to achieve your goals, it may help to get a personal trainer for the initial change and setup of a new program.

- do something, anything is better then doing nothing {you already know this with what you are doing}

- do something you enjoy doing, some people don’t enjoy lifting weights {I sure don’t}, some people do… There are a lot of options for you. Also, variety! You have a good mix of activities which is good, but could become a deterrent to achieving your goals. As an example your cardio, instead of splitting it up into three segments on three different machines, why not do thirty minutes on one machine and change the machines on different days?


My two-cents,



Daver

 

[Wayward Son]

I think it's pretty good & beats the snot out of what I've been doing lately, which is nuthin'. I've been slacking

 

[fairybasslet]

Thanks for the encouragment guys. The last time I used a PT was bout a year ago, when she gave me the free weight routine. I think it's about time for a new routine though.
I actually like my workouts. I don't get bored since I mix it up. I did have a bad day today. Had to quit after 18 minutes of cardio. I think it was a blood sugar issue.
Anyway, we're getting some new machines and stuff delivered this month so I'll be able to maybe try that circuit training. We don't have it set up like it now, so I would have to run from one side of the gym to the other to do that kind of training. But the PT I used did suggest that kind of routine. She says it shocks your metabolism.

 

[Wayward Son]

You should shake up your routine about every 6 to 8 weeks. Even something as simple as changing the order in which particular exercises are done will help. The reason being that your muscles adapt to how you use them, they become more efficient. Over time the same exercise becomes less beneficial to you.

so if you're lifting, make changes. Change from moderate wt/medium reps to heavy wt/low reps for a few weeks. Change the timing. if you're lifting on a 2 count up, hold 1, 4 count down, change it to a 3 count up, hold 2, 3 down, for example. Anything to make it different helps.

If you're running steady pace distance, shake it up & mix in some sprints. If it's all flat, add some hills. Come up with a new routine, stick with it for 6 to 8 weeks, then change again. Even changing back to the previous routine works bc it's different now.

 

[fairybasslet]

You should shake up your routine about every 6 to 8 weeks. Even something as simple as changing the order in which particular exercises are done will help. The reason being that your muscles adapt to how you use them, they become more efficient. Over time the same exercise becomes less beneficial to you.

so if you're lifting, make changes. Change from moderate wt/medium reps to heavy wt/low reps for a few weeks. Change the timing. if you're lifting on a 2 count up, hold 1, 4 count down, change it to a 3 count up, hold 2, 3 down, for example. Anything to make it different helps.

If you're running steady pace distance, shake it up & mix in some sprints. If it's all flat, add some hills. Come up with a new routine, stick with it for 6 to 8 weeks, then change again. Even changing back to the previous routine works bc it's different now.

Thanks Stu. That's helpful.