Interval Training

Well I decided to post my favorite cardio work out. This information and program comes from Men's Health. This work out for me is great because it really pushes me and gets my heart pumping. Here is the work out:

Interval Variation III: Sports Conditioning

Sports are unpredictable. This interval simulates some of that unpredictability by having you doing different times and different intensities. You can mix and match the orders and repetitions as much as you want. Rest longer after the periods in which you use the most energy.

1. 3 - 5 minutes warmup
2. 2 minutes moderate or high intensity followed by 2 minutes low intensity (repeat once
3. 30 seconds high intensity followed by 30 seconds low intensity (repeat four times)
4. 60-yard sprints (or 10 seconds if not running) followed by 90 seconds rest (repeat 6 - 10 times)
5. 3 - 5 minutes cooldown

For other interval work outs please click this link.

Get Off My Bike

I've stayed away from spinning classes at the gym. I'd like to say I fear them because my sister's defibrilator went off accidentally while she was on the bike at a New York Sports Club spinning class. A hospital visit and a few "wow, did it really feel like a horse kicking you?" jokes later, she's fine. I told Annie I didn't want to try a spinning class because of what happened to Kristie and she politely asked if that same fear also kept me away from the gym for the last 3 years. A few seconds later and I was on my way to my first spinning class. Continued

What were you doing at 10 PM tonight??

Well the last 2 nights I have been really working hard. I have hit the elliptical and found an excellent interval program that I have been doing for 30 minutes which burns 600 calories. Nothing is better than jumping on your exercise machine and watching TIVO. So boys I hope you are really working because I am!!

Not the elliptical again!!

Well since I have undertaken this challenge, I have religiously been using the elliptical machine. I bought one during Christmas and I love it. But sometimes it just can get really boring to do the same thing over and over again.

So today, I decided to accept an invitation at work to play some basketball during lunch. I work at a pretty amazing company which has its own gym, softball field, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts and basketball courts. I usually don't play basketball because I hate to get injured. I am the type of person that plays hard no matter what I do.

Well I played for about an hour and I had a great time and I really had a great sweat. I really missed playing full court basketball. At least so I thought....

...That night after work, I usually do my plyometric exercises to work on my jumping for volleyball. Wow did I feel it. My legs were so tired and my knees felt like mush. Every jump I felt vibrate through my 31 year old body. Now I remember why I love the elliptical machine. It's smooth movements during the workout really don't put any unwanted pressure on your joints. I will never stray again.

Today's Guest Blogger: Everyone can do a chaturanga dandasana

So last night, 3 friends and I took a moderately difficult yoga class. I say difficult because the instructor asked us to shoot directly from a plank pose to a crow pose (pictured on the left). For folks who don't know what I'm talking about... imagine being in a push up with arms slightly bent and shooting your knees bent on top of your forearms and balancing on your hands. This takes years of practice people... The levels across our foursome varied from novice to intermediate. I don't think any one of us did the whole plank pose to crow pose, although some of us did make a great effort landing in a forward roll. But overall, the class was a great success especially with a crisp bottle of chardonnay and sushi to top off the night. So below are some key points from last night's dinner conversation about our great yoga adventure...

• Yoga is a great equalizer... In the room of 50 or so yogi-wannabees, folks from different walks of life included sailors, hippies, armymen, triathletes, and media buyers. We all did our downward dogs with all four paws planted on the mat.

• Not everyone in the room knows what a chaturanga dandasana, so it should be explained if you expect it to be done.

• Happy baby is a pretty great pose, happy baby pose with legs straight is even greater.

• Yoga instructors really need to make sure they remind us how to breathe properly throughout yoga asanas because some of us who are busy trying to do the poses forget to breathe.

• Yoga can be done while chewing gum, although it is not recommended. Out of our yoga foursome, two out of the four were chewing gum and blowing bubbles throughout their practice.

• If your "slightly free" neighbor farts during a yoga class, as there are lots of positions that conduce this expulsion, a laughing fit will ensue. And it is just SOO MUCH worse if the farter says 'excuse me'... Laughing fit will worsen and you will be forced to leave the room.

In all seriousness though, we all really enjoyed our practice and are making a commitment to continue our path to enlightenment. For all you ladies especially, yoga is an excellent way of building strength and muscle tone as opposed to lifting weights. In yoga, you're using your own body weight as weights.

My 3 yogi friends and I hope all the 'fat is wack' participants engage in a bit of yogic acitivity and incorporate it into their competition as it will provide endless hours of downward dog joy.

Namaste...

Noah Sends a Message

Our newly formed basketball team held its first practice last Sunday. Two days have passed and my legs still feel like concrete. I'm hopeful that our 8 game schedule combined with our Sunday practices will help shed some collective weight. Noah sent a very deliberate message to the team when he arrived at the court eating a salad.

Lacey Stone - Fitness Goddess

A few days ago I attended "The Big Game" class at the gym . I got up at 6am because The Big Game bills itself as an "athletic-inspired full-body conditioning class to get your heart pumping. Alternate between high and low intensity athletic drills while you train your brain to have the mentality of an athlete." Sounded like something I needed.

I walked into the studio, always intimidated because I'm paranoid that someone is thinking, Oh great another hairy sweaty guy to smell up the room. Everyone seemed nice enough, though, and together we positioned our steps and weighted balls. After we were all in place, Stone, the instructor and a former Division 1 b-ball player started yelling into one of those head mikes. I felt like I was in high school Phys Ed all over again, but this time Mr. Economo (that really was his name) was Lacey Stone. We did some jumping jacks, some modified suicides, a little running in place, and fake jump roping. 45 minutes later, sweatier than I've ever been, I huddled around Stacey with the other class members. She yelled "Hands in!" and we all yelled "Together." It was great preparation for our first basketball team practice.

Oh, and for the record Mr. Economo had this real aversion to cursing. Each time you cursed you had to give him 25 pushups per letter. I never knew eff bombs could get you into shape.

What is the second hardest sport in the world?

Today at the gym the dread locked Handball player told us that Handball is "the second hardest sport in the world after boxing." I did a little digging and found no proof supporting his claim, but I did find a website comparing Racquetball to Handball that reports "A University of Utah study showed Handball to be superior to Racquetball in all four of the the fitness indicators that were measured."

Handball vs. Racquetball
1. Calories burned per hour (751 VS. 644)
2. Average Heart Rate (164 VS. 137)
3. Average Oxygen Uptake (30.1 VS. 25.8)
4. Average Ventilation Rate(85.9 VS. 70.9)

I have no idea what Average Oxygen Uptake and Average Ventilation Rate are but I trust people from Utah. Please shoot me a note if you have any idea what those fitness indicators measure.

I would like to try Handball next week even thought it might result in a few twisted fingers. It appears to be sport at its purest. You just hit a small rubber ball against a wall with your hand. It doesn't get any more simple. Also, seems like a great city sport because you can pick up games at most parks in the city. It might be good to try because the site claims you develop "coordination and power in your non dominant hand because you hit the ball with both hands" Most sports are pretty unilateral and only require the use of your dominant hand. I'm all for any sport that helps me develop some left hand / eye coordination.

Source: HandballCity.com

Shuttle Run = Death to Albert

Shuttle Run = Death. This morning after our racquetball game Tom and I decided to head to the Y's basketball court and complete a few suicide drills. We thought they would be good preparation for the basketball league we are joining. These drills are more commonly referred to as shuttle runs and you might remember doing them in the 6th grade as part of the President's Physical Fitness challenge - Arnold was a big fan of these when he was Reagan's P.E. Czar.

After the third shuttle run my heart nearly pounded itself out of my chest. I can't really remember the last time I sprinted without having the police chasing after me but it puts a good burn on the legs. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow morning and run sprints up and down 23rd street....or one sprint across 22nd street and walk home for an egg and cheese.

Clowns on the Racquetball Court ?

After I accepted Yoga and Weight Watchers into my life I started to think that I needed a sport. I had reduced my weight in those first months by 10 pounds to 248. However, I found myself stuck at the 248 pound mark and knew that I needed something more than 20 non inspiring minutes on the elliptical machine to kick my metabolism into gear and get motivated.

I needed a competitive sport. I wanted to get involved with something that would cause me to work up a sweat. My try out for Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest failed at hot dog 18. However, if you are interested on June 3rd they are holding a qualifier for the big event at Shea Stadium.

Fortunately, just a few days after my competitive eating career stalled I received an invitation from a friend to play racquetball at the YMCA. The idea of chasing a bouncing rubber ball with a metal racket in a small enclosed chamber sounded appealing. I took my buddy up on the offer and found myself running around the court on a fairly regular basis each morning at 7am.

First, I was shocked to learn that a large community of devote Racquetballers meets every morning at the Y. Secondly, I was surprised to learn they would embrace an out of shape man who had last played racquetball in the 6Th grade. The morning community is comprised of squash, handball and racquetballers who are doctors, lawyers, wine importers, actors, one Rastafarian, and one juggler who occupies court number 1 with bowling pins and a jump rope.

They almost immediately extended invitations to play doubles and singles matches. While I have yet to notch a victory, I've learned that there is honor in hitting yourself with the ball on game point and that racquetball is great exercise. I'll burn a little under a pound of fat for every 4.4 times I show up. At my height and weight one hour of racquetball burns about 793 calories. So I guess if I show up 220 times this year I'll get to my ideal weight.

How does Racquetball's caloric burn compare to other activities you might enjoy?

Calories Burned in 1 Hour of Exercise - Mayo Clinic
Racquetball: 539
Jump Rope: 770
Running: 1,040 at 8 mph
Volleyball: 231
Stationary Bike: 539
Juggling: 272
For more exercises click here

Can a 256-pound, inelastic hairy man do Yoga?

At the end of 2006 Annie was still using an old VHS cassette for her at-home yoga workouts. For her 29th birthday I purchased a Rodney Yee yoga DVD called Power Yoga. The back cover told me the DVD would help sculpt a "leaner, stronger physique. Burning calories and boosting stamina." The guy in the picture had a long ponytail and was doing an inverted pose that I'm sure is computer generated. I purchased the DVD despite the fact that my grandmother had warned me to stay away from the new-age practice of yoga because it was diluting Catholicism.

Annie used the DVD once in a while, but more often it sat gathering dust. Intrigued by that inverted pose image, I thought I would give a beginner's tape a try. One day in January, as part of a private New Year's resolution I reluctantly took Armageddon out of the DVD player and popped in the "Power Up" yoga DVD. I nearly snapped my neck after my first sun salutation and was soaked in sweat after the 25-minute session was over. Truth be told I barelyl finished the first tape and only made it because the last 10 minutes are all done while laying on your back.

After the first session, I felt a bit more flexible, less intimidated and eager to try it again. While it was a small accomplishment, I decided that yoga would have to be the first defense against the general decay my body had accepted over the last 8 years.