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Short and tough vs. long and moderate?

#1

ParadiseFalls , 06-30-2011 12:18 AM

Hey, everyone! I've been going to the gym every weekday for a week and a half now, and on cardio-only days (MWF). The first few days, I was doing 30 minutes on the bike, and then I started doing a little elliptical and then moving to the bike when I got too tired on the elliptical. Today, I did 10 minutes on the elliptical on the hill/cross-training mode on the elliptical, then I did 10 minutes on the Stairmaster's weight-loss interval mode.

I kind of hate the bike � I don't feel like I'm getting enough caloric bang for my time, and I always feel like my butt is sliding out. The elliptical I'm starting to love. But the stairmaster today...I'm pretty sure it was trying to kill me, and I just barely made it through the 10-minute set of intervals, but I felt like I'd gotten a great workout afterward. I was sweating like a madwoman and out of breath for a good 5 minutes afterward.

So....my question is should I keep at the elliptical/Stairmaster duo and build up my endurance on them, or should I go with the bike since I can do it for longer? Or does it even matter which?

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#2

PBmama , 06-30-2011 01:52 AM

I personally <3 the Elliptical! I can really push myself on it and can RUN! Which is something I have longed to do ever since I was younger (before bad knees) LOL Your work out seems very similar to mine at the gym. I do the Elliptical for about 15-20 minutes. I try to hit 1 mile at first keeping up a good pace that made me really sweat. Then I worked myself up to the 2 mile mark. I will stay there for a while until I feel that I can push it to 3 miles and so on. My goal is to be able to run 5k on the Elliptical....since IRL that is NOT going to happen because of my knee problems. Anyway once I am done with the Elliptical I get on the bike machine because it is more gentle on my legs so after the run it feels good. I started with 5 miles on the bike and have worked up to 10 miles. This takes close to half an hour for me at a nice steady pace. I do the fat burn setting and it will adjust according to my heart rate. On the one at my gym the bike has a chart according to age groups and I do the fat burn at 65% heart rate thingy. LOL Technical I know. So with the bike I feel like I am getting my fat burning work out on while the Elliptical I am challenging my stamina and working my heart to make it stronger.

Hope this helps! Keep up the great work! What do you do on your non cardio days at the gym? I have a series of weight machines there but with my shoulder injury I havent been doing any of them. Except the core machine....Its awesome! Just like doing sit ups with weight!

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#3

indiblue , 06-30-2011 01:58 AM

Including both short and intense cardio AND long/endurance cardio in your weekly routine is ideal.

I generally work out 5-6 times a week, which includes 1-2 long workouts (1 hour-long run, 1 hour-long elliptical or yoga) and 1 30 minute, high-intensity run.

Studies seem to indicate your own self-assessment of fatigue/exhaustion levels are a surprisingly accurate measure of how hard you're working. This above whatever a heart rate monitor or calorie counter on the machine or online claims to tell you (these are ALL notoriously inaccurate).

So if I were you, I'd do a variety of cardio throughout the week (elliptical, treadmill, walk outside, bike) and do it until you personally feel exhausted. I also don't feel like I get a good workout on an indoor bike, so I don't do it. Do what feels best for you. good luck!

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#4

indiblue , 06-30-2011 02:06 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by PBmama
I do the fat burn setting and it will adjust according to my heart rate. On the one at my gym the bike has a chart according to age groups and I do the fat burn at 65% heart rate thingy. LOL Technical I know. So with the bike I feel like I am getting my fat burning work out on while the Elliptical I am challenging my stamina and working my heart to make it stronger.
The idea that there is a "fat burning" stage and a non-fat-burning stage is a complete myth. CNN did a pretty good explanation of why this is not a scientifically accurate way of thinking about cardio: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/0...ers/index.html

It's awesome you're doing the elliptical and you're doing your body a world of good with this exercise, but it's important to not subscribe to the myth that working out at lower intensities burns more fat. Doing so incentivizes only working at that target heart rate and that target intensity. It's better to do both moderate-intensity exercise for a long period of time, as well as higher-intensity exercise for a shorter period of time.

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#5

PBmama , 06-30-2011 02:25 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by indiblue
The idea that there is a "fat burning" stage and a non-fat-burning stage is a complete myth. CNN did a pretty good explanation of why this is not a scientifically accurate way of thinking about cardio: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/0...ers/index.html

It's awesome you're doing the elliptical and you're doing your body a world of good with this exercise, but it's important to not subscribe to the myth that working out at lower intensities burns more fat. Doing so incentivizes only working at that target heart rate and that target intensity. It's better to do both moderate-intensity exercise for a long period of time, as well as higher-intensity exercise for a shorter period of time.

Wow thanks for the tip & link! I didn't know that! lol I usually do my heavy hitting cardio first...then use the bike to cool down but still get some activity. Plus I would like to see how far I can get on that bike!

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#6

ParadiseFalls , 06-30-2011 04:42 PM

Thanks for the advice! I guess for now I'll stik with keeping it varied and working until I'm a sweaty mess.

PBmama, on my non-cardio (except a 10-minute warmup) days, I do an ActivTrax circuit on the machines. Usually 3 sets of 15 reps each on 8 machines. I do it with my roommate, and between the two of us it takes about an hour and a half.

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