Marathon Relay

I had my first experience with a marathon on Saturday, running the 4th leg in the marathon relay (7.6 miles) with a split of 47:00.

Density Training

Total time of workout- 20:04
Time in the zone- 4:51
Time above the zone- 0:00
Time below the zone- 15:13
Max heart rate- 167 bpm
Avg heart rate- 146 bpm
Kilocalories- 116

I love a good workout, and these exercises really made me work. The goal was to do choose 5 exercises working different areas of the body, do 8 repetitions of each and then try to get 4 sets done in 20 minutes. The exercises that I chose included:
1) DB Swings
2) Push Press
3) SL Romanian Deadlifts
4) Inverted Row
5) Windmill/ American Get-ups
I was surprised at how much of a cardiovascular workout this was for being resistance training. One thing that I would have done differently would be to choose slightly heavier weights and try to bump it up to the next level; I found myself taking it a bit easier today just so I wouldn't be as sore Saturday. That is a plus about this workout; you can go at your own pace and intensity whether you're a beginner or an expert. One thing in particular I found interesting was when Nick pointed out that when compared to steady cardiovascular training such as going for a run which ultimately burned 0% of fat, this same workout burned 900% of that. I think I could see myself adding this into my workout maybe a couple of times a week.

DDR/Wii

Approximate total time of workout- 18:01
Total time below the zone- 18:01
Max heart rate- 157 bpm
Avg heart rate- 125 bpm
Kilocalories- 73

Today we played video games such as DDR, Wii, and Wii olympic games. I think that these activities are definitely made for fun more than the workout itself. I do think that these games are better than the traditional games to get kids up and moving and they also help with coordination and cognitive thinking, however, I don't think that we can honestly call them a workout. I did not get my heart rate into my "zone" at all, and I barely broke a sweat so I don't technically think you could call this type of activity a exercise. I think that of the three, DDR got my heart rate moving the fastest and made me think the most. The other two games don't get you moving long enough before you have to stop and read more directions.

Heart Rate Pace

Total time of workout- 29:11
Time in the zone- 15:08
Time above the zone- 10:51
Time below the zone- 3:12
Maximum heartrate- 202 bpm
Average heartrate- 175 bpm
Kilocalories- 235

Being a runner since the 7th grade, I have found out that this is my favorite type of conditioning. I am an endurance athlete working at a more aerobic energy system. As much fun that I have had trying other things such as the line drills last week, I still find that I would rather just go for a run. It was almost painfully slow to run the first 5 minutes but by the last 5 minutes when we were running at about tempo pace, the run was feeling pretty good. I don't think I have done much for intervals such as 400s since high school track, and it quickly reminded me how tiring it could be. Intervals may very hard to run but I think that if you did it even one to two times a week you could lower your VO2 max. That being said, I have learned throughout the last week that an athlete definitely has to train for specificity. A baseball player would probably not get much out of doing running intervals but in the same sense a runner needs to do more than line drills to get ready for the race.

Conditioning and Drills

Total time of workout- 32:53
Time in the zone- 12:21
Time above the zone- 3:27
Time below the zone 17:05
Max heartrate- 192 bpm
Avg heartrate- 156 bpm
Kilocalories- 215

I actually kinda enjoy doing some conditioning drills for a workout because as hard as it is, you know it will be over soon. A lot of the drills we did today were rather fun such as the 5, 10, 5's and the box drills. These got us moving for only a few seconds and then we rested again. It was interesting to see how a fairly quick interval could keep our heartrate up even during our rest period. Such as when we did the 4 tempo runs; we would build our heartrate up from somewhere between 180-195 in a time of about 20 seconds and then we would have about 40 seconds off, still keeping our heartrate elevated. I think that these types of drills are critical to many sports in which you would do much of the start, stop; forward, side, reverse elements; and also using acceleration and deceleration movements.

Fat Loss Secrets...

The biggest secret is that there is no secret at all... those are the words Mike Boyle used to start off his speech on losing weight. However, that being said, there was a lot I learned about weight loss in general. Besides dieting being the best way to lose weight, weight training and intervals are the most effective way to shed the pounds. That being said, people must do resistance training. I also learned that in order to lose fat you must have muscle, because that is the key thing that burns fat. Mike talked a lot about how to personal train an overweight client and I think that I will be able to apply a lot of what he talked about in my own career. Something that I found interested that he said was that too many people don't want to lift weights because they are afraid they will get too big; however, that takes much more work then they actually realize, and why don't they think that then when they eat so much. People must realize that they must lift to get their metabolism going. The thing that I didn't understand about his talk was the part he added about corn being a grain, and the number one calorie source in America. That surprised me; however, I realize to lose the weight, grains are something that might need to be reduced in the diet.

Get Metabolic!

Total time of workout- 25:53
Time in the zone- 14:35
Time above the zone- 5:18
Time below the zone- 6:00
Maximum heartrate- 195 bpm
Average heartrate- 165 bpm
Kilocalories- 189

At first I was a little apprehensive doing an interval workout being mainly an endurance athlete throughout my life. However, I really enjoyed doing this workout because like Chuck said, "It feels good to get your butt kicked". My favorite was doing the Burpee intervals for 4 minutes. It seemed crazy to have done such a short time span and yet be so out of breath; that was when my heartrate got up to 195! I also enjoyed doing the body weight complexes. The countdown from ten to one doing squats and push-ups was a great way to get my heartrate up. I would consider doing both of those two workouts again or even switching it up to do different lifts in the complex or hybrid form because I think that it would help to speed up a workout. I also find it interesting that a high intensity workout will surpress your hungry versus a low intensity workout actually making you want to eat. I do believe it though, and have actually experienced it. It's about 5:30 right now and I still am not hungry besides drinking a lot of water after the workout. I feel like the intervals really were a great workout for me and would add them to my current exercises.

Sports Conditioning

Total time of workout- 47:56
Time in the zone- 24:27
Time above the zone-11:27
Time below the zone- 12:02
Maximum heartrate- 197 bpm
Average heartrate- 167 bpm
Kilocalories- 358

What worked?
I really enjoyed this workout, it is a great way for someone to get into shape in speed and agility. I thought the boys did a great job at keeping everyone moving. They really projected their voices in the gym and it kept everyone on their toes. I liked that the workout had a good mix of activities so that we don't get bored doing just the same thing.

What didn't work?
For me the workout was very difficult because I am not much for speed, agility, and sprinting. However, I think that for that reason the workout was good for me. There really wasn't much that didn't work for me other than the workout really wasn't for beginners. It was definately directed toward a more athletic crowd, but I think most people would know that by the title. I thought that the mac gym was a nice place to hold it so that we had a lot of room to move around and the equipment we got to use was great.

What I would do differently...
There isn't really anything that I can think of that I would change in the workout. I didn't notice the music much but I'm sure thats because I was working really hard. I liked how the guys did a great job at letting us know what we need to do before we started and still made sure we went back through and then did it quick. The tempo and pace of the class was very good and overall I got a great sweat from the workout and would do it again.

Kickboxing

Total time of workout-34:42
Time in the zone-3:02
Time above the zone- 0:00
Time below the zone- 31:40
Max heartrate-167 bpm
Avg heartrate- 133 bpm
Kilocalories- 164

What worked?
I thought that the workout had good exercises that kept us moving the whole time. The girls did a good job at explaining all the moves and the names of them at the beginning of the workout. This helped to know what to do when they started putting combinations together. I also thought that the energy was good and that they did a good job at picking out music that was upbeat and motivating.

What didn't work?
I didn't get my heartrate up very high throughout this workout. I thought that we could have gone a bit longer to push ourselves for endurance. I think that if we could turn up the music a bit louder also it would really get people fired up and ready as if they were actually punching/kicking someone.

What I would do differently...
I think that if we could do more combinations like the series of front, side, back, and jumpkick move it would help to pump up our heartrate a bit more. Also with the combinations maybe we could do more series that bring kicks and punching together. I liked the jumprope move and the mountain climbers and thought we could have added a bit more of cardio into the workout in that way. Overall, I think that the girls did a great job at putting moves together that would be good for our beginner level class and that continually kept us moving.

Zumba

Total time of workout- 25:47
Time in the zone- 1:18
Time above the zone- 0:00
Time below the zone- 24:29
Max heartrate 160 bpm
Avg heartrate 133 bpm
Kilocalories- 117

What worked?
I love to dance and I think that zumba is a great way to get someone moving who doesn't like the traditional running. I really like how the girls did a nice job of encouraging everyone to do the moves even though some of them were different from what people would normally do. Not only that but they did a great job of using hand/nonverbal cues to tell us what and when to do a move. Zumba showed to be a great way to relieve stress and be yourself while getting a good workout.

What didn't work?
This workout did not get my heartrate up as much as some of the other workouts did. Even though I had fun with the choreography that the girls had ready, I think that it could have had a little more spunk and they could have added faster moves mixed in with the more basic dance steps. I think that picking songs with a bit more of an upbeat and faster tempo would also help to get us moving more.

What I would do differently...
Being put in there shoes there are just a few things I would change. I would try to take out the standing time between moves and between songs where you could even just add a mamba or a boxer shuffle. Also making more combinations instead of short segments and then also repeating those sequences could help to make the entire workout a bit longer. Overall the girls did a great job of keeping the class moving and on their toes.

Cardio Mix

Total time of workout- 36:34
Time in the zone- 12:02
Time above the zone- 1:56
Time below the zone- 22:34
Max heartrate- 187 bpm
Average heartrate- 150 bpm
Kilocalories- 223

What worked?
I really enjoyed the variety of the workout. It was nice to have step aerobics along with the jumping cardio exercises mixed in with strength training. I thought the workout was best in the strength training portion because it was great for those who are not so much of power trainers. They also did a great job at picking out music that was up beat and motivating.

What didn't work?
I thought that the cardio and strength training portions could have been a bit longer. I would have liked to have my heartrate in and above the zone for a longer period of time. I also thought that if they would have meshed the steps in the step workout together more it would have been better to pump us up instead of continually walking it out. That was, however, good in the sense that we had a beginner class in step and each step took some explaining.

What I would do differently...
I think that if I would do anything different I would have added in more cardio to the workout. It would have been cool to actually have jump ropes to do different jumps and we could have integrated more cardio with the step such as more step ups or side lunges. I also think that since we had such light weights we could have put together some of the moves we did to make it a more up beat strength training session; such as, squat/press or lunge curls.

Step aerobics- Instructor's viewpoint

What worked?
Step was more challenging of a class to coordinate than I had originally thought. Even if the moves were simple, it's hard to cue them before we started that particular movement, all the while, still staying on beat. I thought the three of us did a pretty good job with that for the little time of preparation that we had. I really enjoyed the songs that we had and thought the beat went well with the moves we did in class. I'm also glad that we added in the extra upbeat cardio because it mixed things up so people would not get bored and also got their heartrate up quite a bit.

What didn't work?
I could tell that a lot of people were not following for some of the more challenging portions of the choreography, which didn't really surprise me for beginning steppers, as I was the same at my first step class. It would have also helped to be in a more ideal studio; perhaps with more area for the students, mirrors to watch in, and maybe even microphones. I feel like the class could have also used a bit more of a relaxing cool down with a slower song at the end, especially since we ended on high intensity cardio.

What I would do differently...
I was quite nervous to lead this workout. Even with a dance background, I would have liked to have had more sessions on cueing and teaching before being put in front of a class to teach step, however, I think much of that comes with practice. I think that if we had been doing this for a while it would have helped to make changes such as starting everything on our left foot while saying "right lead" when facing the students so they could catch on better. The other thing I would change would be to either turn down the music in our instance or see if we could have headset microphones so that even the people in the back could hear us better and follow along.

Yoga

Total time of workout- 35:02
Time in zone- 0:00
Time above zone- 0:00
Time below zone- 35:02
Max heartrate- 150 bpm
Avg heartrate- 110 bpm
Kilocalories- 101

What worked?
I thought the exercises we did were great for a good stretch. Some of the breathing and concentrating on the surrounding techniquies really helped me to relax. I thought the girls did a good job of reminding everyone to stay relaxed and that if they kept breathing loudly and concentrating they could slip deeper into the pose and stretch.

What didn't work?
Since I am not very flexible, some of the poses were a bit extreme for me and were hard for me to perform. I think that if I continued to work at yoga, the moves would be easier for me.

What I would do differently...
There is not a lot I would do differently about this workout. It was not one that got our heartrate up too much however it was good in the sense of relaxation. I thought that the girls did a great job explaining each and every pose and how to get in and out of each of them.

Boot Camp

Total time of workout- 42:26
Time in zone- 27:22
Time above zone-7:27
Time below zone- 7:37
Max heartrate- 202 bpm
Avg heartrate-168 bpm
Kilocalories- 319

What worked?
I really enjoyed the workout especially the circuits we did. They really got my heartrate up and made my legs burn. I felt like the squats and lunges helped to work on strength training and cardio at the same time.

What didn't work?
I thought that being dragged across the floor, and dragging others across the floor was a bit awkward. I really didn't get much out of that. Splitting the workout up into different sections was a great idea though but I would suggest more sprints instead of the partnering.

What I would do differently...
The guys did a great job getting everyone to work hard while motivating everyone to keep going during the workout. I don't think I would have done anything differently except maybe you could mix up the circuits and not do all so many repeats as my legs started to get worn out.

Spinning

Total Time of Workout-46:37
Time in zone- 26:56
Time above zone- 7:58
Time below zone- 11:43
Max heartrate- 192 bpm
Avg heartrate-165 bpm
Kilocalories- 339

What worked?
I really enjoyed the spinning workout. Being a runner, it was a nice change of pace for a great leg workout. I really enjoyed the intervals of speed/recovery and resistance/recovery. The girls did a great job of keeping the workout upbeat but doable for even the beginners.

What didn't work?
I was a little confused on the levels at first but as they explained them it all made sense. I thought it was good that they continually reminded us of the level you should be on and where you should keep your rpms.

What I would do differently...
I think that the girls put on a great spin workout. They alternated high intensity with some recovery, but not too much. My only problem was that I couldn't hear very well, however I like the music loud so maybe microphones could be an option. Also we could do more things like the pushups/squats positions because they got my arms and legs really burning.

Water Aerobics

What worked?
I have been on the swim team since I was 8 and I love to be in the water. The water aerobics are something that I really like to do. It is an especially great workout for resistance training if you are returning from an injury. I enjoyed the across the pool kicking to really get my heartrate up.

What didn't work?
Treading water was not very hard for me being very acclimated for the water but I had a lot of fun playing. The workout was not very hard for me and did not get my heartrate going too much, however I think swimming laps would be more on the difficultly level I would have needed.

What I would do differently...
The across the floor lunges, high knees, and etc. I thought were great exercises and I would have added more of them along with flutter kicking. I think the water polo was a very fun activity however instead of playing twice we could have done vertical kicking with different kicks alternating with treading water in the deep end.

Pilates

Total Time- 28:23
Time in zone- 0:15
Time above zone- 0:00
Time below zone-28:08
Max heartrate- 166 bpm
avg heartrate- 119 bpm
kilocalories- 102

What worked?
I thought the class was a great relaxer for your muscles especially after a tough cardio workout. Pilates is a great stretch for you muscles and it seems to help with toning of the abs and core. I enjoyed how the class was run, very professional, and the girls very good at explaining each movement.

What didn't work?
The pilates were not something I would do on a regular basis. Besides being a well taught class I did not feel to get much of an actual workout. I feel that doing a more upbeat cardio class would work better for me.

What I would do differently...
This is the first time I have ever done pilates and as far as running the class I thought the girls did a very good job. I think the only thing I would do differently would be to take less time explaining the exercises so that we have more time actually performing them. I also thought the class could have been a little longer in the actual workout section.

Tae Bo

Time of workout- 24:14
Time in zone- 9:49
Time above zone- 0:00
Time below zone- 14:24
Max heartrate- 168 bpm
Avg heartrate- 143 bpm
Kcal- 134

What worked?
I enjoyed the routine that we did. The punches and kicks were a great way to get me moving and motivated without getting bored during the workout. Also, his pep talks keep you on your toes and they are great to lift you up when you are getting a bit tired.

What didn't work?
The specific routine we did didn't get me to my target heartrate for very long. I thought that the different exercises in the middle could have been a bit more upbeat. This may just not be the workout for me or I could find another routine that is a bit more advanced.

What I would do differently next time...
If I had to redo the workout I would add more of the high kicks and put together different combinations for different difficulty levels. We only performed one kick/punch combination, however, I think those were the most stimulating. Also when doing double time in the various punches it seemed to get my heartrate up a bit more so more of those could be added.

Maximum Heart Rate

Bruce Treadmill Protocol
Max Heartrate 210 bpm
RPE 17
Time 13:31

YMCA Step Test
One Minute Heartrate 126bpm
Age 19
Classification "poor"

PACER Test
Total Laps 63
Level 7
Shuttles 2
Max Heartrate 205 bpm
VO2 Max 40.5 ml/kg/min

Between the two tests I think that the Bruce Treadmill Protocol was more of a challenge for me because it was non-stop while going uphill, something that I am not used to, while the Beep Test had short breaks early on in the running. However very slight, I am not sure why there was a difference in my heartrate between the two tests. It would probably be the environment I was in and the way I was feeling for the day. The Step Test did not prove anything for me as it said I was in the "poor" classification for reaching a heartrate of only 126 bpm however that is lower than what I started with, a heartreate of 130 bpm.

ACSM/AHA 2007 Recommendations

In this report, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association updated their recommendations regarding physical activity for adults more than ten years after the 1995 guidelines. The new course of action is determined to bring up to date and refine the old recommendations on the “doses” of exercise needed to promote and maintain health, while reducing the risk of disease and premature mortality. The new guidelines have also included recommendations for older adults and those with disabilities. The updated principles suggested a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity at least 5 days a week, 20 minutes of vigorous intensity activity at least 3 days a week, or a combination of both. The new recommendation explains the level of intensity of the activities using the MET method. This article also states that a muscular strength training routine should be done in about 8 to 10 exercises, 2 days a week, in about 8 to 12 reps completing in technical failure. The minimum guidelines is said to maintain health benefits but in order to lose weight one must expend more energy than consumed and increase this recommended dosage of physical activity.