P90X Status – Today is day # 63…only 27 days left….4 weeks to go.
New Low? I know I’ve heard some of you say…”Steve can’t go any lower…” but I did, I am now at 168.5 lbs. I was concerned about losing too much weight …but with only 4 weeks to go, I am not concerned about that any longer.
What did you say…oh, apparently when you said, “Steve, you can’t possibly go any lower"……you weren’t talking about my weight…well, moving right along then. :)
Interval Training 101
I want to talk about Fitness Training; I think it is important for everyone to know some basics about Interval Training.…why? To live longer more fulfilling lives, I think you should begin to incorporate some forms of it into your weekly routine, starting out slowly.
Interval training is a “big tent” that many training methods fall under. It is simply a type of physical training that involves increased intensity events followed by lower intensity periods. When I eat…this would definitely fall under interval training…even though I eat “cleaner” …the initial feeding frenzy is definitely more intense than at the finish. :)
Interval Training is generally accepted to be the best way to increase your cardiovascular fitness. Two of my favorite forms are below.
Tabata Protocol– I have talked enough about this, here are my posts if you missed them. Before we move on I want to stress, Tabata can be used with any exercise, the more muscles used the better. It does not have to be sprinting.
Mini Goal Update and Tabata Protocol http://ow.ly/idYE
Tabata Pool Party - Come on In Boys the Water is Fine http://ow.ly/idYP
Fartlek Training
Next I want to discuss Fartlek Training. It typically is less intense but doesn’t necessarily have to be and it is a legitimate training method used by professional athletes.
Instead of a bland recounting of what I’ve read let me tell you about a recent conversation I had with a sales person.
Steve: “Hi, I am looking for some info on a training method …wondering what you could tell me about Fartlek training.”
Sales Person: “you want me to tell you about fart lick training…what the hell?”
Steve: “no, no I said I want some Fartlek Training info.”
Sales Person: “brother you are in THE
Steve: “no, just listen to me…I said I want some Fartlek, F-a-r-t-l-e-k Training info. It’s a type of interval training that is less structured than other methods. ”
Fartlek, a Swedish term that means "speed play," and it is a subset or form of interval training. Just like Tabata Protocol it can be effective in improving your speed and endurance. It involves varying your pace throughout your run, alternating between fast segments and slow jogs. These can be planned or can be spontaneous.
Work-rest intervals can be based on how the body feels. You can experiment with pace and endurance. Many runners, especially beginners, enjoy fartlek training because it involves speed work. But it is more flexible and not as demanding as traditional interval training.
Summary: This is how Fartlek Training “How to” was explained to me. Instead of jogging endlessly for hours (as I used to do), while you are jogging, pick out a tree, mail box etc and run at a significantly faster pace to it (sprint if possible). Once you have recovered from your “sprint” try it again. You can vary the length of the sprints but the goal is to increase the distance that you can sprint so as to increase your aerobic and anaerobic capacity.
That’s enough for now…..oh and as you probably already know, the "conversation" above really only exists in my mind. I couldn't help it...I watched some Richard Pryor vids on Youtube.
L8r,
T8r H8R
(actually I hate starch)
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