Cardio Question

[Toph821]

for the past few weeks, I have been using the Beginner Body Weight Workout and making small adjustments to it as I improve. However, although I'm eating mostly paleo and following the routine, I'm not seeing all the results I'd love. I'm looking to add more cardio into my workouts (or as a workout on my 'off' days) and was wondering what would be best/most productive for me.

I love running, as much as anyone can actually love running... but my stamina isn't what it should be due to me so-called "former fat-kid lungs." Is running the best cardio or there something I should devote more of my time to? Just wondering what your insights into this were and if you had any suggestions for working out in general.

[sunshower]

I love running, as much as anyone can actually love running... but my stamina isn't what it should be due to me so-called "former fat-kid lungs."

have you tried c25k (couch to 5k)?

it's designed to ease you into running; you start off running for only a minute at a time & gradually build up to being able to run thirty minutes straight by the end of the nine weeks.

[Caitriona]

I always thought running was just something I was bad at (couldn't keep a slow jog for a minute). Earlier this year I started walking a lot, and fast, just to build stamina. I bought myself some minimalist shoes (mine are Merrells, but there seem to be several good ones out there) and read up on proper minimalist running form. Turns out I was way less out of breath when I was going for an easy mid/front-foot strike. I second the Couch25k recommendation, but if even the first week seems really tough, you might want to start going for fast walks to build up some Awesome Lung Power. =)

[Toph821]

I haven't looked at the C25K stuff, but part of me thinks I would be beyond that... I have former fat-kid lungs, but I can still run a 9-10 minute mile. However, after that, I'm completely smoked. I had a friend who ran six miles the other night and I had no idea how he managed to do it.

[sunshower]

I haven't looked at the C25K stuff, but part of me thinks I would be beyond that... I have former fat-kid lungs, but I can still run a 9-10 minute mile. However, after that, I'm completely smoked. I had a friend who ran six miles the other night and I had no idea how he managed to do it.

c25k is totally about stamina, not speed. i think the name is kind of misleading, since some people hit 5k well before the end of the program & some still haven't hit 5k by the end -- because their speeds are really different. if you are struggling with stamina, i still recommend c25k.

otherwise, i'd just suggest running slower. i can run 8-minute miles for short distances, but if i want to go for a longer run (without dying) i slow it down to 10-minute miles.

[Caitriona]

Ha, I'm starting to have the stamina but not the speed. I can do a slow mile pretty much consistently, but I ran 2.5 miles on a whim (because I could, stamina-wise), and ended up not being able to run for 2 weeks after. So learn from my mistakes and make sure you listen to your legs rather than going as far as your lungs will take you. =)

[thatgirljj]

What do you mean when you say you have "former fat-kid lungs"? What does it feel like when you run? Do you cough? If you're out of breath can other people hear you wheeze?

I was a chubby kid and it hurt when I ran, even as a kid. Then when I was 16, I was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma. Getting an inhaler to use before exercise made a HUGE difference, and my allergist gave me lots of specific advice on how to exercise to increase my lung capacity, which helped as well. I was just now reading a helpful blog post here about the issue. I'd suggest having a talk with your doctor about it, an inhaler is relatively inexpensive and can revolutionize your experience of cardio. It did for me!

-jj

[Waldo]

I haven't looked at the C25K stuff, but part of me thinks I would be beyond that... I have former fat-kid lungs, but I can still run a 9-10 minute mile. However, after that, I'm completely smoked. I had a friend who ran six miles the other night and I had no idea how he managed to do it.

How fast you can go before getting out of breath and how long you can go without getting out of breath both improve greatly with training.

That is mostly what the C to 5K program is for, to get your wind. You can accomplish the same thing by running wind sprints. A lot more brutal, but it gets the job done faster.

[Hammlin]

c25k is totally about stamina, not speed. i think the name is kind of misleading, since some people hit 5k well before the end of the program & some still haven't hit 5k by the end -- because their speeds are really different. if you are struggling with stamina, i still recommend c25k.

otherwise, i'd just suggest running slower. i can run 8-minute miles for short distances, but if i want to go for a longer run (without dying) i slow it down to 10-minute miles.

I'll echo this... when I run 2 or so miles, I do it at like 9:45, but when i run 10k/HM I slow down to about 11. I love endurance sports

ALSO- I just got "Paleo for Athletes" and there's a lot of FANTASTIC info in there about fueling our bodies properly for endurance sports. You may check that out to see if your nutrition for the endurance needs tweaking.

[Bean]

Just to change it up a little, there are plenty of other cardio options to try.

Rowing is a pretty good whole body cardio exercise as is swimming. Both of these also lend themselves to a more HIIT style of cardio and swimming in particular will do wonders for your lungs due to the regular breathing required.

[Achilles]

I'll second rowing (either on the water or indoors). It's low impact and a great way to build up aerobic and anaerobic performance. You can start pretty easy on it and build your way up. Let me know if you need some ergo (indoor rowing machine) tips!

[Toph821]

It basically means that I run out of breath faster than I feel I should.

[Relic]

If you love running then running will be a great form of cardio for you. The couch to 5k would work because you set the pace. 60 seconds of hard effort is still hard whether you go 50meters or 400.

If you don't want to do that then find a running program you do want to do, or do what I used to do. Just run. Either way, stick with it, be patient, and it WILL come to you.

I also recommend keeping a log or at least tracking one run a month (the same distance every time) so that you can verify your progress. The mind has a funny way of being blind to slow, consistent, progress.

[aj_rock]

Your motivation seems conflicted. You say you love running, but you also make it sound like you mainly want to accelerate fat loss.

Which is it? If it's for fat loss, then yeah just easy stuff on rest days. Whatever you can handle really.

If it's because you LOVE running, and you want to RUN, well... maybe running should be your main program. Neither sprinters nor marathon runners do a terribly large amount of resistance training.

[alice-on]

I try to run from time to time, do good for a couple of months, then start to fall off. I have a plastic jump rope that you can adjust to your size from wal-mart, and skipping intervals for 5-10 minutes is a pretty great cardio workout for me.

[Pat G]

Your motivation seems conflicted. You say you love running, but you also make it sound like you mainly want to accelerate fat loss.

Which is it? If it's for fat loss, then yeah just easy stuff on rest days. Whatever you can handle really.

If it's because you LOVE running, and you want to RUN, well... maybe running should be your main program. Neither sprinters nor marathon runners do a terribly large amount of resistance training.

But they should, and you know it.

To the OP, if you don't want to kick the running perhaps try some sort of moderate interval work after every 2nd session. Run 200-400m. Rest for 2 min. Repeat. or something similar.

[Waldo]

But they should, and you know it.

I don't see why a marathoner would want to. Extra bulk and a smaller mass to surface area ratio does not make a better marathoner.

Sprinting is strength training. And there is a point for explosion athletes where extra peak strength is counterproductive. There isn't much of a point in explosive weight training when sprinting itself (incl weighted, uphill, and/or with a parachute) and sprinting exercises like bounding are explosive strength training. Just like for a marathoner, extra weight is couterproductive for a sprinter. Squatting will make you faster to a point though, I've seen it said that you can squat your way to a 12 second 100m.

[Relic]

Elite marathon runners don't do much, if any, resistance training, but the further away you get from the elite level, the less strength will hinder your endurance.

[aj_rock]

Pat, I think we have different definitions of what 'terribly large amount' means

On the sliding scale of training, with left side being pure resistance training, and right being pure cardio type exercise, most mixed sports fall in the middle, and optimal performance for sprinting and marathoning falls to the right of mixed sports. Thus I do justify saying 'not a terribly large amount'.

What resistance training they do will revolve around either muscle imbalances or improving power output. As Waldo said, my acceleration improved a great deal once I got my squat up to par.

[Pat G]

What you say makes sense. I know nothing about endurance training. My theory was: more power would equal a lower step cadence during acceleration and the ability to maintain a higher speed, meaning less energy burnt over the distance.

[blindasutsutsu]

I'll third the interval training for quicker results. I think you and I are about the same as far as mile time goes I range any where between 8:45 and 9:30 on a 1 mile run. I am currently doing interval training to not only increase my speed in my mile but sprinting does a great deal for your lung capacity. While my mile time hasn't decreased too much since i started interval training about 4 weeks ago my 5k time has gone down by about 2 minutes. Take it for what's its worth but it has helped me.

[aj_rock]

What you say makes sense. I know nothing about endurance training. My theory was: more power would equal a lower step cadence during acceleration and the ability to maintain a higher speed, meaning less energy burnt over the distance.

Off the top of my head, I remember the big L McD writing an article about cardio efficiency. I know it's not running, but Lance Armstrong's biking efficiency was about 2% higher than that of a slightly trained individual. I'd imagine that numbers for mid-distance runners can't be far off that.

But anyways, you're correct that more power = faster acceleration. Mid or long distance running though, acceleration represents a very small fraction of the time spent running, and to only about half your max pace as well.

Then we get to pace. Energy required for pace maintainence is non-linear; the faster you go, the more energy expended per unit distance. Step cadence has more to do with biometric measurements than power production when talking about sub-maximal pace; taller guys have longer cadences. Even so, they don't neccessarily maintain pace better than shorter individuals.

This is before even getting into muscle fiber types and the like, but long story short, producing power over a medium distance run should NOT be the limiting factor in reducing run times.

[Rilo]

Personally I couldn't do running. I would find it really boring. So my cardio is an hour of cycling every day except for my rest day, and I do a cardio routine for 20 minutes that is basically sets of high knees, high kicks, jumping jacks, skipping, get ups (without the dumbbells) - just anything to keep the heart rate up and it's been showing some good results for me. The internet will have plenty of cardio routine videos that you should check out and try what appeals to you if you never feel up for running.

[Waldo]

I'll third the interval training for quicker results. I think you and I are about the same as far as mile time goes I range any where between 8:45 and 9:30 on a 1 mile run. I am currently doing interval training to not only increase my speed in my mile but sprinting does a great deal for your lung capacity. While my mile time hasn't decreased too much since i started interval training about 4 weeks ago my 5k time has gone down by about 2 minutes. Take it for what's its worth but it has helped me.

Practically every organized sport that requires running gets athletes into shape with wind sprint intervals, they don't bother with the long grinding approach of C to 5K, since they don't have the time.

C to 5K gets you in shape for the distance as well, but most people aren't limited by that. If you can walk for an hour or two, you've got the stamina to run 5K. Having an affective enough aerobic engine (your wind) will be what holds you back. A couple brutal weeks of football gassers will fix that up real quick.

[aj_rock]

Practically every organized sport that requires running gets athletes into shape with wind sprint intervals, they don't bother with the long grinding approach of C to 5K, since they don't have the time.

C to 5K gets you in shape for the distance as well, but most people aren't limited by that. If you can walk for an hour or two, you've got the stamina to run 5K. Having an affective enough aerobic engine (your wind) will be what holds you back. A couple brutal weeks of football gassers will fix that up real quick.

*Grammar Nazi twitch*