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[DCharlie]

back to the gym today ! wooot /

I'm starting to do rolling '1mill Km' timings - see how many months i can do it in.

I was up to about 18km a day last year, but i've done very little since and have had a horrid case of 30+ yearold spread over xmas! ha ha.

Time to get back to it.

[charlesr]

Stop ALL behind the neck bollocks.

Got to agree there. Dangerous and ineffective.

[gunrock]

I might dig around a bit more around MdS. That's the only thing putting me off - the sand. I reckon I'm well equipped to do the distance. Long and slow I've done enough long distance hillwalking on my own to be confident.

I know someone who has successfully completed the MdS (on hist first attempt too). He's supremely fit and now runs a outdoor pursuits / mountain running kind of setup. He told me that he'd never do it again, but in the same breath said a blind friend of his said he'd like to do it and would want him to be his guide, so he was thinking about it.

Anyway, he told some of the stories where the sand had sheared off the skin on people's feet completely and some people were completely distraught (i.e completely mentally, emotionally broken - on top of any injuries they had) because it was their third or fourth attempt ot complete it, and they had changed their equipment and preparation.

[Paradigm]

I hate the gym. Actually, that's a lie, I love it. I can feel myself improving after weights and I look/feel healthier. Cardio makes me feel great too. However, I'm **** at running. No, really, I am. I just can't seem to get better at it. I can do about 2 miles and then feel like I'm going to die. I can progressively get better at weights and see myself getting bigger but cardio doesn't seem to do anything and all my extra calf and thigh muscle amounts for bugger all. It's a bit depressing really. Doesn't help that running's really boring, even compared to cycling and rowing which I much prefer

[recipher]

Run outside. Running in the gym is artificial and boring and provides no real benefits over running in the big, free gym outside.

I bet you can build up your distance much more easily if you get off the treadmill.

[recipher]

Anyway, he told some of the stories where the sand had sheared off the skin on people's feet completely

This is what puts me off. I know that it doesn't matter how fit you are and how mentally strong you can be, if you lose the skin on your feet then you're screwed.

[oracle]

Run outside. Running in the gym is artificial and boring and provides no real benefits over running in the big, free gym outside.

I bet you can build up your distance much more easily if you get off the treadmill.

i'm in agreement here, running outside at night after work is much better than being in some gym

i don't get worried looks as I turn puce either \o/

[Paradigm]

I'll give it a go, then. Only reason I don't like running outside is the fact that the pavements where I live are so poor that I think running in the dark may be slightly dangerous - I'm also a bit worried about my knees, to be honest, I had hoped that by taking it easier on the treadmill I'd be able to build some strength rather than just destroy them on the pavement.

[112]

I tend to find running outside works me harder, as the varying terrain is less forgiving, plus you really have to do all the work. On a negative point of view, accidents happen more, and general traffic tends to be a nuisance, as well as dodgy peeps who lurk at night. ( best doing it in the day me thinks, and prefferably when its not raining) Had a few falls in the rain, so dont reccomend it! lol

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[recipher]

The only conditions that I avoid, generally, are when it is icy. I don't know how you are falling down when it rains I don't run in the dark either, but only because I am lucky enough to live in the country, and the road are both unlit, and pavement-less.

If you have decent running shoes, running on pavement shouldn't be much less forgiving than the treadmill. 2 miles on the treadmill would seem an age to me, but outside, it flys by. If you get sore knees (or anything else for that matter) then you may have a biomechanical problem (over-pronating) and/or are wearing inappropriate shoes.

I did my track session this morning - it went well. The weather up here is cold and sunny, which was perfect. I did a 2 mile warm-up, then I did cutdowns, where each successive interval gets shorter and faster, starting at 1200m at 6:35 pace, going through 1000m, 800m, 600m, 400m, and finally 200m at 6:25 pace, each on 400m rest intervals. I did pretty well, and managed to run each set a few seconds quicker than was written. I even "sprinted" the last 200m in 36 seconds (nothing to follow it, so I went all out). Amazingly, that's the pace that top marathon runners average - I managed 200m!

Anyway, happy days. And talking of happy days - Happy Birthday, Chain!

[Pij]

After being a bit half arsed about my workouts at the gym for the last few months , im after some advice from peeps in the know please.

I mostly concentrated on cardio, and wasnt putting much effort into weights after being told to near enough just do cardio for weightloss , since upping my weightlifting ive noticed better increases in both muscle and fat loss)

I still need to lose weight more than anything, but dont want to end up like some of those peeps i see where they have turned into some undefined bony bloke (atm im about 245lbs 21% bodyfat according to an omron tester, dunno how reliable these are?)

Any recommendations on weights work outs per week? All the personal trainers at my gym are bony gits, so i dont want to pay someone for a decent workout plan who doesnt even seem to do what they recommend.

atm i do : 10 reps warm up per machine, 10 slightly harder ones, then wack up the weight a bit to do 2 sets of as hard ones that i can possible do. Which sometimes can be like 2 sets of 6 or so (sometimes maybe even only 1 set)

atm i do rotations of the following (Beware of noob terms)

day 1 - chest, abdomen, upper back
day 2 - delts, triceps, arm curls
day 3 - lowerbody (legs etc)

then repeat, not sure if im leaving enough of a break between each repeated day, after the workout ill do 30 mins or so of cardio. Then a protein drink about 30 mins after that.

[Paradigm]

Happy birthday, Chain!

[112]

Well recipher, you may have a point about me running shoes, as i use basket ball training shoes to run, i guess thats why my knees hurt after it lol. As for falling, i run through a park and it kinda muddy, and when it rains it gets slippery, i once ran over a field and my foot fell into a goal post hole, needless to say i fell flat on me face! I also got drenched on that very same day with the river water spilling over the banks and all over me, yes it was storm like weather and i was stupid enough to get my ass out there (hey i had a lot on me mind)

on a seperate not e though, when you run and you start to get out of breath, your throat goes sore and dry, does this get less common the more you train or is it a common fact i must accept? Cos i feel that it mainly happens when i really go for it or when ive been away from teh gym a while.

Any suggestions?

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[recipher]

If it was me, Pij, and bear in mind I'm not a lifter, I'd change your plan, initially, in one major way.

Work your whole body each time you go to the gym. Because you're not at the point where you are seriously working on your strength, your main aim is to lose weight, treat the weight training as a CV exercise as well as strength training.

I'd do that 2-3 times a week with at least a day between (that's enough). On the other days, just do CV - so treadmill, cycling, rowing, etc. Do at least 20 minutes on a CV machine, any less is a waste of time.

In terms of reps, and again, I'm no expert here, but I'd recommend changing things regularly. So 4-8 weeks of 2-3x12 at a doable weight, to get your body used to lifting. Then move to 4-8 weeks of 3x6 at a much heavier weight to build strength. Then move back to the previous, but at a higher weight than last time. Change the exercises that you do on a regular basis, perhaps every month.

On top of that, I'd be looking at doing at least 4 core exercises every time I weight train. A strong core is the more important, I believe, since it's the anchor around everything that you do - weights, cycling, swimming, running. Work your abs, obliques (side) and lower back.

The best way you can lose weight is to exercise consistenly over a long period of time - it might take a wee while to get moving but once you do, you'll find it easier to stay trim if you don't stop. Too many people train for a period, get some results and then quit.

Oh, and be prepared to work really hard when you are training. No lollygagging

Good luck with it.

[recipher]

If you are falling when you are running through a park, with basketball shoes on, then that's ok I was thinking you were falling over on the pavement! Hard to do.

Get some running shoes - anything else is asking for trouble.

I'm not sure about the throat thing, I don't get that. I think it's likely to lessen as you get better trained. Try carrying some water with you. If you are getting out of breath, then slow down a bit. I rarely get breathless (only when I'm swimming - that's another story), but I do breathe hard when I'm working hard, there's a distinction. You shouldn't really be feeling breathless. Try taking short walk breaks until your body is used to it.

I do remember having a tight chest when I first started running, but it soon goes, after a week or two.