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I do Taekwon-do, so I know anaerobic is the way to go for that. But I also do Cross-country running, so I think aerobically is the best for that. How can I train for both? I was thinking maybe one of these would do: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/06/29/tabata-the-most-efficient-4-minutes-of-your-life/or http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/09/15/how-to-not-suck-at-running/ but I'm not sure. What do you people think?

Does anyone here train CrossFit with a heart rate monitor? I believe that I have been training too hard at CrossFit (lingering fatigue, heightened soreness, moodiness.) In my spare time, I've been reading a lot about lactic acid production (in regards to ATP production by cells during aerobic versus anaerobic exercise) and am really starting to grasp why aerobic is better (in general) than anaerobic work. This morning, I wore a HR monitor to see how things went and I think it gave me a clear indication that I'm spending far too much time on the anaerobic side of things in the longer WODS. For example, this morning's WOD was a 30 minute EMOM. Minute 1: 4 back squats @ 75% 1RM Minute 2: 8 Burpees Minute 3: 12 Ab Mat Situps. My aerobic threshold (after VO2 max testing) is about 157. I was at 170 by the end of the first set of back squats. I only recovered back below 157 four times in 30 minutes (for less than 30 seconds each occurrence) My max HR was 182. Obviously, I have no control over programming at my box. I basically have two choices on the days I show up for a WOD - the regular WOD and either the Endurance WOD. I also have no control over the coaches "pushing" me to go harder/faster. But, am I doing more harm than good by spending extended periods of time at these higher heart rates? Ultimately, I'm responsible for myself and my overall fitness. So, those of you that wear a HR monitor... Do you stop/break if you're above your aerobic threshold during a longer WOD? (I am primarily talking about longer WODs here, since I do understand the benefit of some anaerobic work -- but that those should be quicker WODS, like Fran, Grace, etc.)

I just bought a new heart rate monitor off Craigslist. It was still sealed in the box, and I paid $25! It is a very basic one--watch, stopwatch, heart rate, will warn me if I am above or below the range I set. Anyhow, as much as I would like to have one that tells me my calorie burn, I'm happy with this one. Anyhow, I got it Tuesday evening, and yesterday I did yoga, today body weight routine. Now, I know that you can't gauge your calorie burn with strength training based on heart rate (there are calculators online that you can use to put your average in to figure heart rate for aerobics plus your VOXmax if you know it). Anyhow, I decided to wear the HRM just for fun, to see what it put my heart rate as, and pretty much I was up in the anaerobic range the whole workout (as indicated by the watch's "beep beep"). Since I was doing a circuit routine, I never really stopped (other than maybe resting 10 seconds before push ups so that I would be able to get one or two extra reps in). I guess I'm supposed to be in the anaerobic threshold for strength training, right? Is it okay to sustain that heart rate level for half an hour (my workout takes about that long, not counting warm up and cool down). I understand that when doing HIIT, one would get the heart rate up there during the intense part, but it would come down during the rest movement, but this isn't HIIT--this is strength circuit training, basically. Now, here's another, somewhat related question. On days I don't do strength training, is it okay to do HIIT, or should I really just do cardio (ie, not get over 80% of my max heart rate) or something else less intense? I'm thinking of doing a HIIT-style walk/jog on Sunday for half an hour (preceded by a half-hour walk at probably 3 mph, so that I get a total of an hour workout--since Sunday's the only day I have my husband home to watch the kids while I work out). Do I really need to stay in my cardio zone for a "cardio" workout, whatever that may be? Someone, educate me!