OT | Official Fitness & Health Thread

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

It's funny that you are thinking of getting into running after biking a lot. I've been keeping an eye on craigslist for cheap road bikes because I want to add biking as an alternative to running, or at least something I can do when I take a day off from running.

[KidA24]

I moved my bike in doors and I'm starting to run instead. How slowly should I increase my distances/duration?

Good shoes are a must. I'd recommend going and getting your stride tested and shoes to match your gait. Fleet Feet in Brookfield has treated me very well in the past.

As for how to increase your runs, depends on your initial fitness level and how far you want to run (Are we talking couch to 5k? Half marathon goal?)

Really, start slow, and don't push yourself. See how you feel the next day, and on your next run... then go a bit farther. Increasing your runs by .5 to 1 mile a week is doable, again, depending on your fitness level (time running matters more than distance, really)

[Nebula1]

If you want to get serious about running, I highly suggest you purchase a NIKE+ GPS Watch. It's like $150, but it's significantly cheaper than other GPS watches and it does an awesome job tracking your runs. And make sure you have a good pair of running shoes.

I recently purchased a new Ipod Nano and the Nike Fitness app is awesome. Some complain about accuracy but I wear it on my arm and haven't had any issue.

When I run, it's usually a quick 3-5 miles and only if basketball is not an option. I know some will do 8-10 miles and while the distance isn't a big deal, it burns my legs out faster over a given week. 3-5 mixed with ball is perfect, but I agree good shoes are a must. I run in Nike Air Max and love them:

http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/air-m ... gid-656535

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

If you want to get serious about running, I highly suggest you purchase a NIKE+ GPS Watch. It's like $150, but it's significantly cheaper than other GPS watches and it does an awesome job tracking your runs. And make sure you have a good pair of running shoes.

I recently purchased a new Ipod Nano and the Nike Fitness app is awesome. Some complain about accuracy but I wear it on my arm and haven't had any issue.

When I run, it's usually a quick 3-5 miles and only if basketball is not an option. I know some will do 8-10 miles and while the distance isn't a big deal, it burns my legs out faster over a given week. 3-5 mixed with ball is perfect, but I agree good shoes are a must. I run in Nike Air Max and love them:

http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/air-m ... gid-656535

I've used my Nike+ GPS watch for all of my races over the last 2-3 years and it is remarkably accurate. For my marathon in June it recorded the distance as 26.22 miles. So it's pretty damn accurate, especially when you factor in human error like not starting/stopping it precisely at the start/finish.

[emunney]

If you get those five toed shoes, I get to cut you. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

[ReasonablySober]

With good shoes, what's the risk of injury early on? I could probably go between 7-10 miles with my wind being where it's at, but I don't want to go too nuts if it's gonna lead to injury. Is it just a matter of feeling the onset of some pain in your feet and ankles as an indicator to stop?

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

With good shoes, what's the risk of injury early on? I could probably go between 7-10 miles with my wind being where it's at, but I don't want to go too nuts if it's gonna lead to injury. Is it just a matter of feeling the onset of some pain in your feet and ankles as an indicator to stop?

Yeah, with stress fractures (as I'm sure you are aware) you don't really feel a lot of pain until after you are finished running. I'd pay close attention to how your body feels after the run, both immediately as well as the next day. As long as you are feeling nothing but muscle soreness you should be fine. If something else is sore give it a break for a little a while and/or reduce your mileage the next time you run.

[KidA24]

Biggest risks are shin splints (which sound like a minor thing, but I got them so bad in college, I could hardly walk some days), stress fractures, and of course, the dreaded Plantar Fasciitis.

Build up gradually, and find what works for you. Some people can run 10 miles at a 10 minute pace. I'd rather try to run 2 at a 6.5 minute pace (what can I say, I get bored)

[DanoMac]

Does this look like a good workout regime to you guys?

Monday – Triceps/Chest
Tuesday – Biceps/Back
Wednesday – Off
Thursday – Legs/Abs
Friday - Traps/Shoulders
Saturday – Off
Sunday - Off

Anything to change or anything you guys recommend? I've been working out like mad these past 5 months or so, just building up my core so I don't look like a fool lifting weights at the gym. Well...my core is pretty big now and I'm looking to just focus on those individual muscles.

[emunney]

Yeah, I ran track and CC in high school, but I'm one of those weirdos who preferred the track workouts. My favorite is breaking 2 miles into 2x800, 2x400, 2x200, 4x100. In my experience, this is way better for athletic performance than running 3-5 miles. I used to hate to see my vert just steadily decline through CC season.

[BUCKnation]

Does this look like a good workout regime to you guys?

Monday – Triceps/Chest
Tuesday – Biceps/Back
Wednesday – Off
Thursday – Legs/Abs
Friday - Traps/Shoulders
Saturday – Off
Sunday - Off

Anything to change or anything you guys recommend? I've been working out like mad these past 5 months or so, just building up my core so I don't look like a fool lifting weights at the gym. Well...my core is pretty big now and I'm looking to just focus on those individual muscles.

Seems good.

My routine is something like this:

Monday: Biceps/Triceps (all armwork done)
Tuesday: Legs
Wednesday: Traps/Shoulders/Back/Chest, there aren't many back exercises so I just throw them into this day. I don't spend all day doing the bench press.

Thursday: Usually off
Friday: Cardio with basketball
Sat/Sun: Off

I'll usually throw in a decent amount of ab work and do calf raises whenever I go to the gym, as well as a little cardio with the rowing machine or stationary bike. (I hate running)

[BUCKnation]

Really interested in getting a nike+ "puck." I got some nike flyknits over the summer and I'm curious about using it with them.

[jimmybones]

Unless you're a bodybuilder you don't need an "arms" day and you certainly shouldn't have it coming off of two days rest. You're putting all of your back, shoulder and chest training on one day and then training the smallest muscles in your body when your body is most fresh? Nothing personal, but that's backwards.

Besides, there are many variables that are more important to your program than just what muscles go on what days. Sets and reps(volume), intensity(amount of weight), rest, frequency(muscle groups once a week vs 2 or 3), and progression.

As far as frequency goes, I'm a believer in hitting muscle groups more than once per 7 days. I'd prefer something like upper/lower/off/upper/lower/off/off. Then you can focus one upper day on pushing muscles heavy and pulling light and the other do the opposite. People need to understand that doing all this volume once a week is not beneficial unless you're on some serious "supplements." What I mean by that is this: unless you're on the juice, you reach a point in your workout where a growth/strength adaptation has been met, and going past that point is actually slowing your recovery more than it's igniting new growth. You're better off reducing the volume and hitting the muscle again in 48-72 hours(after protein synthesis has peaked).

I personally do a set up like this:
Monday- Push Heavy- Bench, Dips, BB OHP all 5x5 or 4x6
Tues- Pull Heavy- Deadlift 1x5, BB Row 5x5, Back Ext & BB Curl 3x8
Wed- Off
Thurs- Push light 3 chest, 2 shoulder and 2 tricep movements all done in the 10-15 rep range.
Friday- Legs/Quad Dominant- Front Squats 5x5, Leg Press, Ext & Curl in the 10-15 range.
Saturday- Pull light; same as the push day but with back and biceps.

I've tinkered A LOT with training programs. I love this one because it hits each muscle group twice a week. For upper body you get to work in lower and higher rep ranges, and each muscle grouping gets at least 48 hours before hitting it again. It's a spin off of Layne Norton's PHAT training, with slight changes for what works better for me personally.

For anyone else I'd add more hamstring work on Tues and Friday. GHR instead of back ext and Romanian Deadlift instead of Leg Press. But, opposite of most people, my hamstrings dominate my quads so I'm playing catch up.

Hopefully some of that rambling helped someone. I'd be glad to elaborate on any of that though, just ask.

[Ill-yasova]

Here's a good role model for getting in shape.

[emunney]

I'm a big believer in three full body lift days. Like MWF, heavy weights, low reps, fewer sets in the middle day. Start with a complex lower body movement like squats or deadlifts to get the testosterone pumping for the rest of your workout. I don't believe in targeting arms at all. I feel like my arms get plenty with presses, rows and pullups.

[ReasonablySober]

I'm a big believer in three full body lift days. Like MWF, heavy weights, low reps, fewer sets in the middle day. Start with a complex lower body movement like squats or deadlifts to get the testosterone pumping for the rest of your workout. I don't believe in targeting arms at all. I feel like my arms get plenty with presses, rows and pullups.

That was the lifting regimen they preached when I was in HS. Get in and do your bench, squats and deadlifts MWF and get out. It produced the best football program in the state for a while and lot of dudes built like brick s***-houses.

[jimmybones]

Most if not all football teams are going to do full body splits as they are geared towards strength. In short, the lower the reps, the more you're training for a strength adaptation. Moderate reps(8-15 primarily) is geared towards muscle building and anything higher than that is mostly an endurance adaptation. The program I presented is a combination of some strength but primarily geared towards vanity purposes. To each their own though, if you enjoy a program and stick to it that's a good chunk of the battle right there.

[emunney]

I'm not saying I'm not vain at all, but it's a lot less important to me than performance. And eating. I would love to be cut, but I love pastries more. Everybody's got a balance.

[Ill-yasova]

I pretty much just circuit train every day I'm at the gym. I do arms, chest, legs, shoulders, back, and abs everyday I'm at the gym (5 days a week) and I've lost over 30 lbs since March. I call it "See it. Do it." I never take more than 30 seconds between lifts because it keeps my heart rate up and acts as a cardio exercise in addition to building muscle.

That said, this is what works for me. There is no right or wrong way to lift. Arnold himself put it best in a Reddit discussion of all places (this is legit).
http://www.avclub.com/articles/arnold-schwarzenegger-just-wants-reddit-to-get-alo,100063/

If something works for you, do it.

[emunney]

I totally agree. Just sharing what's worked best for me.