- my new training agenda -

**Ronin** · Posted On: 8/10/2004 12:42pm

Again, any activity that keeps your heart rate going at a moderate pace for the desried time frame, is a good one.

9chambers · Posted On: 8/10/2004 12:43pm

*finally sinking in*

**Ronin** · Posted On: 8/10/2004 12:47pm

Personally I like more high intensity workouts that last at the most 1 hour, and I keep my weight in check with diet.
I really don't like doing cardio for an hour...
But, studies say, that is the best way ( in conjunction with a good eating program) to lose fat.

9chambers · Posted On: 8/10/2004 12:55pm

I've never had to lose a lot of weight before. This is strange.

So .. once I cut the weight down, I can go back to calesthinics .. and maybe even replace one cardio day with weight training or martial arts training or something? ... Do you have to keep the cardio going to keep the fat off or just to burn it? I am saying, once I get the weight off then I can return to harder stuff and just watch what I eat, right?

I could take a few weeks and concentrate on just cardio with the one day a week of weight training. No sprinting. Nothing but riding my bike for 1-2 hours every day. Then, once those two weeks are over (or however long it takes to lose 20 pounds) I could switch back to a more balanced workout and just eat right to maintain my desired weight?

**Ronin** · Posted On: 8/10/2004 12:59pm

You know, you can always combine your weight training with cardio into circuit training.
Super-sets wrok wonders for this.
That numb nuts, Antonio Sabato Jr, had a book on that kind of workout, it is something though, very intense, maybe too intense, but because it combines cardio AND Strength training, in theory, as you shed fat, you can gain muscle.

9chambers · Posted On: 8/12/2004 10:47am

Interesting. I'll do some searches on circuit training. Actually, I have this book on Bruce Lee ..uh, The Art of Expressing The Human Body by John Little. It talks about circuit training quite a bit towards the end. I had planned on just doing cardio four or five days a week and weight training arms/core once a week. I'll still lose muscle? .. It would be worth it to get rid of the weight, either way. If I can lose the weight and keep the muscle then that's great. I'll look for Antonio Sabato Jr.'s book. Cool.

9chambers · Posted On: 9/14/2004 4:21am

Just an update.

I switched to a less intense workout that keeps a steady pace for a longer time period after talking to you guys. I started riding my bike 10-20 miles on Monday-Friday and doing weights (arms/torso) on Saturday. I got an odometer for my bike and made sure I kept a pace of 10-15 mph and kept going for one or two hours. .. I got to see a lot of the town.

Anyway, I started training again in May, and I had only lost one inch around my waist by the end of June. I still weighed around 200# too. Since I switched to the longer bike rides I have lost two inches around my waist and I'm down to 188#. It seems to be working.

I've made pretty decent gains on my arms with the weight training. I've been seeing a lot of improvement on my abs. Some stuff I added to my weight training: hammer curls (which I like much more than normal curls), hack squat (which you can do without a spotter) and sometimes I sub the bench press for the overhead press. I always do dips, rows and pull-ups no matter what. I just pick 5 or 6 arm/torso exercises per routine and do some ab work. I really like the stick crunches that I saw some gymnasts doing on a show about the Olympics. I do those and some hanging V-ups on Saturdays. On the days I ride my bike I do regular crunches, V-ups and beetle kicks.

No sprints right now. I hope to work those back in when I cut my weight down. I'll still ride the bike then but only on two days a week. That's my plan. I've been training in MA twice a week. I'm writing out my curriculum and treating it like a class. I haven't joined that BJJ/JKD school. Maybe next spring.

Just thought I'd check in. Later.