Treadmill Workout

[rdk409]

HI. I just wanted to run my workout by everyone to see if I need to change anything.

I start out at 2mph to warm up for about one minute, then I jump up to 6.5mph for 10 minutes or so. If I feel that I can go longer I will go to about 12 minutes, then I go back down to 4.5mph to finish off my 30 minute workout. I have tried just doing the 4.5 throughout the 30 minutes, but I don't feel like I get a GOOD workout. This probably sounds strange, but after the 10-12 minute run, I "feel" like I am burning calories throughout the rest of my workout. If I do the 4.5 throughout workout, I only "feel" that feeling for the last 8-10 minutes of my workout. Does that make since?

When I do the 6.5mph workout, if I feel good, once I hit 20-22 minutes I sometimes bump it back up to 6.5mph (from 4.5) for about 5 minutes.

All of my runs are at zero incline too.

So I need to change anything?

Thanks,
Shawn

[Klinger]

Interval training is a proven fat burner. Try alternating 4.5 and 6 for 20 minutes to start, working up to greater distances and more demanding intervals as you gain endurance.

Intervals help your body burn fat long after your actual cardio workout is over. Do a search for more information.

[rdk409]

Cool thanks. I did this tonight. I ran for 15 minutes at 6.5 and then bumped it down to 4.5 for 5 minutes, then kicked it up and down from there. It felt good. I will continue this routine for awhile to see the effects. Thanks....

-Shawn

[Lady C]

Interval training involves quicker changes. 1 min high intensity, 30 sec low intensity. The idea is to NOT let the muscles recover fully. This is what will kick in the extra metabolism. read more here

[rdk409]

Cool, thanks Lady C! I am very new to this so please bare with me. I read the site, but I am confused abit. Do I need to do anytime of "warm up" (other than pre-strectching)? I see that they did a ten minute run, then broke into the HIIT. Did I read that right?

Also, would the high intensity equal a flat out sprint on the treadmill, then a 30 sec good pace walk, then another flat out sprint? Or instead of the flat out sprint, a good running pace, like 6.5?

Thanks, and please ignore my "lack of knowledge".

Shawn

[Lady C]

Everyone is different and as you get healthier it will change for you too. High intensity is what some define as not able to carry on a conversation while running. Play with it and you will soon figure out what is right for you.

[sooner_ed]

If you can go outside to run, I would recommend sprinting once a week. Make sure you warm up first. Your treadmill would provide a good warmup. Then go outside and run about 15 minutes worth of sprints, making sure to walk to recovery after each sprint before running your next sprint. This really gets the fat burners kicked in and you will burn fat for quite some time after sprinting. Not to mention, sprinting will help you with your speed and endurance if those happen to be goals.

[rdk409]

This morning I worked out here in Singapore and did a two minute warm up, then did:

2 Minutes at 9KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 10KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 11KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 12KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 12KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 12KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 12KPH
Then did about 4 minutes at 6KPH for cool down.

Man I about DIED! But I did feel my body heat burn away upto 30 minutes after working out. Seems to work well. I will try this for a timeframe and see if it works for me.

Does the above sound good?

I don't fell comfortable enough to run outdoors yet. I am still self confident on my weight..

Shawn

[Lady C]

Sounds to me like you've got it! :

[Klinger]

Originally Posted by rdk409

Man I about DIED! But I did feel my body heat burn away upto 30 minutes after working out. Seems to work well. I will try this for a timeframe and see if it works for me.

Does the above sound good?

Looks like a nice start. If you feel like it was a little TOO much, try shortening the intervals. Here is a typical interval workout for me:

-- warmup--
minute at 7.5 mph
minute at 9.5 mph
repeat 5-8 times
-- cooldown--

You can shorten the sprints and lengthen the rest periods, too.

[rdk409]

Today I did the following:

2 minute warmup
2 Minutes at 10KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 11KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 12KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 12KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 13KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 13KPH
1 Minute at 6KPH
2 Minutes at 13KPH
3 Minute cooldown

But when I got done, I was tired, but I didn't feel that I got a good workout. Today for lunch, I had my first large dose of carbs in a week (baked potato) and I was wondering if that would be the reason. Maybe yesterday I was buring all fat, and today I was burning the carbs?

-Shawn

[sooner_ed]

If you're doing speed work, you need to make sure you eat an hour before to properly fuel your workout. Make sure to have some carbs with a little protein and a little fat when you eat. I run six days a week and after experimenting in several different ways as far as pre-workout nutrition, I have found that if I am going to have an intense run, it is a must to eat an hour before because if you go anaerobic with your run, you begin to burn muscle. If I am going to have an easy run, then it is not important to eat beforehand. Just don't go anaerobic with your run. As long as it is a nice easy run, you body will turn to fat for its energy. Your body will turn to muscle for energy when you go anaerobic during a run. While your body is burning fat during your run, it will burn some muscle. That can not be avoided. That is the tradeoff when you include both lifting and cardio during your weekly workouts. When everyone tells you not to burn muscle, that is impossible when doing cardio, especially if you go anaerobic during your cardio. The key is to minimize how much muscle gets burned. On the flip side, if you no longer do cardio, you will not burn muscle just lifting when you have proper nutrition to go along with the lifting, but then you miss out on the benefits of cardio. And may I ask why you haven't been having many carbs during the last week? Are you trying to lose weight?
The bottom line is this: when you want to have an intense workout, whether it is lifting or running, it is imperative to fuel your workout. If you just want to go for a nice short slow run, then don't worry about it. Trust me, I have learned this through personal experience. But then I guess everyone's experiences will be different. I believe that carbs are very important in our diet on a daily basis. We just need to be selective to the carbs we eat. On non-workout days, it's ok to cut back on the carbs, but on workout days, we need to fuel our activities appropriately. One analogy people make on here is you wouldn't go racing your car on an empty tank, which is true. However, that does not mean we need a full tank for our workout either. Eat just enough to fuel the workout and no more. I feel it is perfect to be between empty and 1/8th of a tank at the end of your workout, if that makes sense. If you run out of energy before you finish your workout, then you know you need to eat (or drink, whichever is more appropriate) a little more before your workout or perhaps during your workout.

[rdk409]

Sooner,

Yea I am trying to drop weight. I started out at 235-240 and I am down to 225-230. I cut all carbs like potato's and breads. How do I know when I go anaerobic? I probably am because I am working out hard and sweet like a pig while on the treadmill. When I work out where I can still talk, I don't feel like I get a good workout.. Am I pushing too hard?

Thx for the info!

-Shawn

[Cort]

I wouldn't be focusing entirely on cutting carbs as much as making sure you keep a calorie deficit. Carbs and fats aren't evil and should generally make up at least a reasonable % of the food you eat, its more a matter of the quality of the food you are eating and taking in less than you burn. The primary purpose of the cardio is actually just to burn some calories and increase your metabolism so that your body will be burning more calories over an extended period of time.

Whether you choose low-intensity or high-intensity as your form of cardio is more toward personal preferance than anything. Keep in mind that there is a big difference between low-intensity cardio and the crap that the people in there on the exercise bikes who never change are doing. Whether it be low intensity or high intensity you should actually feel like you are doing work rather than lazily jogging along.

Personally my advice is to keep your meals small, balanced, frequent, and preferably tailored for what you are about to do.

[sooner_ed]

Ditto on what Cort said about the carbs. Fact is, potatoes are healthy for you prepared properly. A baked potatoe every day is a good thing. Potatoes help regulate our blood sugar and are a complex carb, which means it will provide you with a constant supply of energy as it takes longer to digest. Even better is a baked sweet potatoe because it is lower GI. But either one is very healthy. I lost 60 pounds earlier this year eating a baked potatoe once a day 5 days a week.
Going anaerobic means you are huffing and puffing to the point where you could not carry on a conversation while running. At that point, you begin to burn muscle and not fat.
You feel you are not getting a good workout if you can talk while you're working out and that is not true. You still get a good workout, even better, when you can still talk. If you can't talk, then you are pushing yourself too hard. I started out at 221 and lost 60 pounds by lifting for an hour a day and running (beginning at 20 minutes a day and working my way up to an hour a day). The key is to run a caloric deficit, lift for an hour a day, and run.