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Hi thereJust looking for some opinions on what would be the best use of the second half of my time at the gym. I spend 2 hours each morning at the gym before work. 4 days I do Body Pump which takes up one hour, and the other 3 days I spend the first hour doing a short HIIT session on the bike followed by glute work from Bret's Strong Curves book. The second hour I've just been walking on the treadmill at a mid pace and incline. I've been reading up on weight training vs cardio for fat loss, and the effects of LISS cardio on cortisol and abdominal fat. So just thinking with my second hour I could probably be doing something more effective than my walk, albeit I've already been either lifting or toning for the previous hour. For a basic example, if doing as many pushups as I can in 60 mins is going to have better long-term results than the same amount of time walking then I'd rather do that. Or perhaps another burst of HIIT, maybe on the treadmill instead?I'm mostly concerned that the walking is either doing nothing at all, or more harm than good (i.e. affecting my tummy area?) and I'm just wasting time every single day. My goal is simple, I want to lose a bit of tummy fat and tone that area up and then pretty much just maintain everywhere else. That's it.Any thoughts much appreciated - except if trying to get me to stop Body Pump. Not happening, I love it and it has definitely made me stronger.Thanks! 😀
IMO: 2 hrs/day 7 days/wk, especially on CNS, is way too much. Any cortisol/hormonal issues you're getting from your activities are because of the excess, least of which the walking would cause. Lifting weights and walking is the single most effective fat loss strategy anyone can employ. Again, my opinion. (Which I've derived from listening to people like Jason Seib, Jim Laird, etc)
So maybe keep the walking but make it much lighter? No incline? I like to read my on my iPad while I'm walking and I don't need to be in at work any earlier so I have an hour to kill. I get heaps of sleep and don't care to sleep in any longer. So I figure I'll spend the time at the gym. Although on weekends it's just extra since I could obviously be doing other things then.
^+1 3-4x a week with weights and just about a daily walk commute is truly all you need. Use Shockwave if you want. Or a very simplified push/pull/leg routine.
Yeah the more I read on steady state and cortisol etc the more I think I may be overdoing it. I like to be at the gym though so looking like I'll stick with body pump and really put in max effort with that, and then tone down the walk so it's just leisurely.
When I was in good shape last year at this time I was doing 25-45 minutes of high paced walking 4.5-5mph@12% incline AM and PM. I now prefer HIIT to that but I also plan to start doing some I paced walking in the AM come 2014, not just for fatloss but more just because it'll be something easy and light to do in the morning a few times a week.
Yeah the more I read on steady state and cortisol etc the more I think I may be overdoing it. I like to be at the gym though so looking like I'll stick with body pump and really put in max effort with that, and then tone down the walk so it's just leisurely.
Walking isn't the type of steady state cardio that will have negative impacts on your hormones(cortisol). Walking is one of the best things to do for that.The prolonged high intensity stuff(ie poorly programmed CrossFit, and {sorry} Body Pump) is what will cause the largest amount of issues.Check out http://www.themissfits.com .. This is an awesome group of strong ladies that Jim Laird trains. Could also search out some of Jim's old podcasts (J&M Strength and Conditioning, http://j-mstrength.com/), or search out some of Jason Seib's posts on http://www.everydaypaleo.com . Jason also has a great book out. Both Jim and Jason are pretty well known for, specifically, their work and great results with women. Hope that helps 🙂
It's not so much the walking itself, it's more the quantity and intensity of the physical activity I do during the whole week. My concern is I'm not allowing myself to recover, like, at all. Sorry to be a pain but I would really appreciate more input on just why Body Pump is so bad - I only do it 4x a week, after warmup and cool down and breaks etc it would only be about 40 mins or so of actual lifting. I lift much heavier weights than the other women but do less reps - I stay in the corner at the back so nobody can see I'm not being a total team player. Would that really stress my body out so much that I'd be gaining abdominal fat, rather than toning up and getting stronger?On another point, since researching cortisol now I'm paranoid I'm drinking too much coffee and that may also be contributing to my little tummy pooch. Aargh there's always something! I drink it in the morning with my PWO shake, then another cup with coconut milk with lunch, and a decaf iced coffee after dinner. Because of the taste, not for the effects. Too much? Can't seem to get a solid answer on whether decaf coffee is okay in place of regular in regards to raising cortisol levels.
Sorry to be a pain but I would really appreciate more input on just why Body Pump is so bad - I only do it 4x a week, after warmup and cool down and breaks etc it would only be about 40 mins or so of actual lifting. I lift much heavier weights than the other women but do less reps - I stay in the corner at the back so nobody can see I'm not being a total team player. Would that really stress my body out so much that I'd be gaining abdominal fat, rather than toning up and getting stronger?On another point, since researching cortisol now I'm paranoid I'm drinking too much coffee and that may also be contributing to my little tummy pooch. Aargh there's always something! I drink it in the morning with my PWO shake, then another cup with coconut milk with lunch, and a decaf iced coffee after dinner. Because of the taste, not for the effects. Too much? Can't seem to get a solid answer on whether decaf coffee is okay in place of regular in regards to raising cortisol levels.
I'll take a shot at this. Body Pump is Not resistance training wherein you lift heavy enough to cause your muscles to have to rebuild themselves. It's more akin to endurance training and you do not benefit from the calorie burn when your muscles rebuild themselves. To get real benefits from lifting you should be doing progressively heavier weights over time and/or changing lifting techniques on a regular basis. I would recommend a real lifting program designed by a professional (bunch of them out there, 3/2/1, New Rules of Lifting, Huge in a Hurry, and many, many more and many are free at the websites).I personally think that coffee has so many benefits that it outweighs any perceived issues with cortisol levels.2 hours a day in the gym is too much and I have to ask "How is that working for you?". Seems like it isn't.Give heavy lifting a try, it couldn't hurt. Say 4 - 6 weeks at maybe 3 times per week? I recommend full body training but I'm also not knowledgeable about split routines. See if you like the benefits. Keep the coffee, walk on days you don't weight train.Just my $0.0185* worth. (*adjusted for inflation)
I'll take a shot at this. Body Pump is Not resistance training wherein you lift heavy enough to cause your muscles to have to rebuild themselves. It's more akin to endurance training and you do not benefit from the calorie burn when your muscles rebuild themselves. To get real benefits from lifting you should be doing progressively heavier weights over time and/or changing lifting techniques on a regular basis. I would recommend a real lifting program designed by a professional (bunch of them out there, 3/2/1, New Rules of Lifting, Huge in a Hurry, and many, many more and many are free at the websites).I'm mostly in agreement, at least with the sentiment of this. Body Pump, from what I've seen, is all metabolic. It's all about huffing and puffing and doing as much work in as little time as possible. This is the same mentality as my previously mentioned "poorly programmed CrossFit." There is definitely an endorphin high from pushing yourself metabolically and then feeling wiped. But day in, day out, it's not what your body wants or needs. I know you are getting stronger from it, but I would bet the farm you would see MUCH larger strength gains by doing more of a heavy lifting routine (keep in mind, heavy is COMPLETELY relative. To someone who doesn't move well, heavy is bodyweight movements. Then when they get better, deadlifting an empty bar is heavy), than by doing Body Pump. It's also 100% dependent upon your goals. Fat loss vs recomp vs gaining vs athletic performance, etc. I personally think that coffee has so many benefits that it outweighs any perceived issues with cortisol levels.This, I disagree with. Caffeine(coffee) is a stressor. Like any stressor, our bodies will try their damnest to adapt to the stress. So over time, the effects of caffeine and coffee will become less and less because our bodies are searching for a point of homeostasis at all times. This is what makes training work; we stress a muscle several times, the body adapts that muscle to more easily handle that stress the next time it happens. Read: that muscle gets stronger. So, because of this, that's why I cycle caffeine usage. Not necessarily on any schedule, but when I feel like I've adapted to it somewhat, I just nix it for a week or two, and then bring it back.That all being said, daily coffee probably isn't going to kill you or anything like that, but you may find yourself feeling a little bit better if you've over done it and you cut it out. (After the withdrawals, of course 😉 )
It's not so much the walking itself, it's more the quantity and intensity of the physical activity I do during the whole week. My concern is I'm not allowing myself to recover, like, at all. Walking is the exact intensity of physical activity that our bodies are built to handle for long periods of time. It can actually be recovery in itself, provided there isn't too much other stuff going on. People never think of walking as beneficial exercise because "it doesn't burn as many calories" or "it isn't intense enough." But really, walking is one of the single most beneficial things a human can do. If you're concerned about recovery, walking is the LAST thing you should cut out. Many well known trainers will actually use walking, as the only form of physical activity, to help someone recover and come back from adrenal fatigue. That's obviously anecdotal, but still powerful to think about.Would that really stress my body out so much that I'd be gaining abdominal fat, rather than toning up and getting stronger?Excessive high intensity stuff (especially on CN, where we're generally low on the fuel for high-intensity stuff-glycogen) is precisely what will provide excess stress which COULD result in holding abdominal fat.
Hopefully I made some semblance of sense, Chikadee 🙂I should also note, that all that being said.. Women DO tend to do better in the high-intensity stuff with less hormonal damage due to their different wiring in regards to glycogen/fat usage.. But if you feel like you're gaining abdominal fat, clearly you're either A) overdoing it, B) undereating, or C) Both..
Here are my opinions:Walking - Walking is Low intensity cardio. Low intensity cardio is not bad for fat loss or muscle building. You can pretty much do as much as you want of this. It's medium intensity cardio (distance running) done for more than 20 minutes or so several times per week that is bad.Body Pump - I'm actually not familiar with this. I am assuming it's like P-90x and Insanity? If so 30 min max the day after your Carb Nite is probably all you would want to do, as this type of exercise is essentially HIIT. Another session a day or two later might be ok if you are female (not for males though).Resistance Training - The best exercise if you want to improve your physique. 2-5 sessions per week is good for Carb Nite (2 session if you do a good amount of other types of exercise, up to 5 if you do nothing else). I wouldn't stay in the gym any longer than 45 minutes. Rest 1 minute between sets for small exercises, rest 2 minutes for large exercises, and rest 3-5 minutes for heavy efforts in large exercises.
Here are my opinions:Walking - Walking is Low intensity cardio. Low intensity cardio is not bad for fat loss or muscle building. You can pretty much do as much as you want of this. It's medium intensity cardio (distance running) done for more than 20 minutes or so several times per week that is bad.Body Pump - I'm actually not familiar with this. I am assuming it's like P-90x and Insanity? If so 30 min max the day after your Carb Nite is probably all you would want to do, as this type of exercise is essentially HIIT. Another session a day or two later might be ok if you are female (not for males though).Resistance Training - The best exercise if you want to improve your physique. 2-5 sessions per week is good for Carb Nite (2 session if you do a good amount of other types of exercise, up to 5 if you do nothing else). I wouldn't stay in the gym any longer than 45 minutes. Rest 1 minute between sets for small exercises, rest 2 minutes for large exercises, and rest 3-5 minutes for heavy efforts in large exercises.
Yes.
Thanks so much ibob and TCB – you've been very helpful.Since if my goals are only:1. to reduce abdominal fat, not looking for a six or a three pack even, and we're talking only a little donut around the centre of my belly, not a whopping big muffin top;2. wouldn't mind also stripping just a bit more fat from my upper arms;3. happy with strength and muscle size as is so no gaining necessary, just maintaining.Then would you think this sort of program would be okay? I'd like to keep BP classes but can cut them down to only, say 2 p/w as that would be my form of HIIT? Note Monday is my CN and the BP classes I've put down are the only ones I can get to.M - BPT/W/T/F - Shockwave or 5/3/1 type workoutS - BPS - Active recovery/Rest Each day I'd also fit in at least an hour of low-intensity walking. Also note with my diet I'm very strict simple ULC but my CNs are epic, although very low-fat and mostly GF.And also - I hope I'm not getting annoying here, sorry I keep going on and on - but any thoughts on whether decaf coffee makes a difference re cortisol? Like I said I have it for the taste not the effects, and I hate tea, blechh.Thanks! 😀
Thanks so much ibob and TCB - you've been very helpful.Since if my goals are only:1. to reduce abdominal fat, not looking for a six or a three pack even, and we're talking only a little donut around the centre of my belly, not a whopping big muffin top;2. wouldn't mind also stripping just a bit more fat from my upper arms;3. happy with strength and muscle size as is so no gaining necessary, just maintaining.Then would you think this sort of program would be okay? I'd like to keep BP classes but can cut them down to only, say 2 p/w as that would be my form of HIIT? Note Monday is my CN and the BP classes I've put down are the only ones I can get to.M - BPT/W/T/F - Shockwave or 5/3/1 type workoutS - BPS - Active recovery/Rest Each day I'd also fit in at least an hour of low-intensity walking. Also note with my diet I'm very strict simple ULC but my CNs are epic, although very low-fat and mostly GF.And also - I hope I'm not getting annoying here, sorry I keep going on and on - but any thoughts on whether decaf coffee makes a difference re cortisol? Like I said I have it for the taste not the effects, and I hate tea, blechh.Thanks! 😀
Are you having CN's on Mondays for a specific reason? If not, you could move CN to Friday, do BodyPump Sat and Mon, And do a shockwave or 5/3/1 split on like Sun, Tues, Fri.And walking, at a pace where you could hold a conversation with someone (so you're not getting out of breath) is awesome any day of the week. I'd seriously say add as much of it as you want. Especially on your off days (Wed/Thurs in my example split above)!With your very strict ULC days, you're eating enough, right?As far as the coffee... decaf isn't 100% decaf. It still has caffeine, so there could be some sort of effect. Also, if you follow Dave Asprey, I'm sure he'd say the quality of the coffee will matter because the toxins in the decaf could potentially be a stressor also (Oversimplified stress = cortisol release)..The thing to remember with stress is that there isn't one thing that will break the camel's back.Picture a shot glass completely filled with water. You add one more drop, and suddenly the water overflows onto the table. Is that mess the fault of that one last drop, or is each drop of water already in that shot glass just as much to blame? Hopefully that made sense...
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