Danny's Getting Fit: Journal Entry #2

Interval Training Day!

(Authors disclaimer: look, I'm a terrible proof reader.  I do my best, but as you'll soon read, it's not always good enough.  So while pursing this post, please forgive (or at least let me know) any typos, missing words, dangling participles or other failings on my part and you'll be none the worse for it.)

Day 2.  Interval Day.
Progress on achieving my Daniel Craig physique is proceeding as expected; with expected being at an imperceptible pace.  Today was an interval running day.  Unfortunately for me, I think I'm at the beginning stages of a cold, or if my hyperactive imagination has anything to say about it, the start of an H1N1 (formally known as swine flu, but thanks to the ongoing PR efforts of the people who farm pigs/swine for a living, no longer called that) illness.   Chances are, it's just a cold.

I don't know about you, but working out when I'm under the weather turns something that is already tedious into something that is all the more so.  But it's that feeling of accomplishment afterwards, when all is said and done, and I can pat myself proudly on the back for the effort, knowing that I have at least fourteen hours to go before I'm slated to do it again. That's what inspires me to push through the misery.  So push I did.

Because I'm not feeling 100% healthy, I throttled the run back a bit.  I kept it at a 20 minute run.  Normally, I do the following:

Warmup 1 minute @ 10:30 minute miles

1st Interval Set
1 min. 10 min. mile pace
1 min. 8:30 min. mile pace
1 min. 8:00 min. mile pace
1 min. 7:30 min. mile pace

Then I start another set.  For the last set (I do 4 sets) I finish with a 1 min. sprint at a 7:00 mile pace (I've been running 18 minutes after that heinousness is blessedly over), then I do 1 min. at the 10 min. mile pace and 1 min. at the warmup pace.  20 minutes and its done. It's the equivalent in cardiovascular benefit to a 50 minute run (I've been told).  At this point, I want to keel over and die.  Some benie but yeah for me anyway!

Now, you don't have to run at this pace to get the same workout.  It's all about your heart rate.  Optimal for this sort of training is an interval that takes your heart rate from 60% max to 90% max, then back to 60%.  Here's a link to a calculator that can help compute your target heart rate.

Here's another link to learn more about interval running on a treadmill.

I'm told that running after weightlifting is better for weight loss and that running intervals is best for cardiovascular health.  If you ask me, both hurt the same.  Apparently, what the intervals also do is jump start your metabolism so that you burn through calories faster.

Quiz time!  Should you run first, then lift weights?

Thinking . . . thinking . . .

The answer is, no.  I guess it's counter productive because cardio will burn through the glycogen stores first, then attack the fat, while weightlifting will burn through glycogen stores first, then cannibalize muscle.  Creepy, I know.  So running before lifting is actually counter productive to your goal, because you'll end up burning muscle lifting if you've used up all the glycogen doing cardio beforehand.  If the science is off here, I've at least got the concept right.

Now, don't get me wrong.  You want to STRETCH your muscles before you lift weights.  What your muscles want is oxygenated blood.  So instead of cardio before you lift, you could do a warmup set with weights, stretch that muscle while breathing in deeply (6-10 times, each side) to get blood with loads of oxygen flowing to the muscle.  Then do you heavier weight sets.

Last night's failing (a photo essay):
It is hard to live by the rules of Daniel Craigness, as evidenced by this picture.  In it you'll see a beer and my son's pretzel goldfish, which I consumed last night (after dinner).  So I did my run today.  The benefit of running (while sick) was that I didn't lose ground.  But because of last night's "fiesta con salty fish" I suspect I didn't gain much either.  Who cares?  I'd rather eat goldfish then look like Daniel Craig anyway.

In summary:  
Weight Loss-0.  Strength Gain-0  Physique Goal Reach Gain-0  Goldfish Consumed-Plenty

Next post I promise to talk about why potassium rocks and salt doesn't, but that's enough for now.