Hill workouts
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Come on everybody, let's make this section busier-it's interesting to see lots of people updating their fitness journals. Go Bart!<br />
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Here's what I'll be doing over the next 6 weeks-I'm aiming for an 8km trail race so want to be fitter, retain muscle, reduce 2-3kg fat to be +85kg:<br />
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Week 6- 220 steps routine 3 times plus other upper body exercises. I climb 220 (I lengthened the normal workout a bit) steps 2by2, at the top I do some simple and quick deep squats till failure, jog down, repeat for 75 minutes or more-about 15-20 times. Afterwards, I do bench press, stretches, power clean lifts, finish with 5 sets of 10 pull up knee lifts (1 pull up, hold, 10 knee lifts, down)<br />
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Week 5- same 2 times, and a longer run/hike workout (3-4 hours). 1 more short workout of hill sprints<br />
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Week 4- same 2 times, and a longer run/hike workout (3-4 hours). 1 more short workout of hill sprints. Will also begin a month of gym many evenings, mainly to help a friend lose weight, and I can also focus on retaining upper body muscle.<br />
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Week 3- 1* 220 steps75 minutes, 1 60 minutes hill sprints, 1a longer run/hike workout (4-6 hours), 1 day of 10 minutes tabatha sprints (following DavidAV's advice above), then stretch-then 5km full speed run-this will be the day after the hill sprints...<br />
Week 2- 1 220 steps75 minutes, 1 60 minutes hill sprints, 1*a longer run/hike workout (4-6 hours), 1 day of 10 minutes tabatha sprints (following DavidAV's advice above), -then 5km full speed run-then stretch-this will be the day after the hill sprints...<br />
Week 1- Tuesday, hill sprints for 90 minutes. Wednesday -then 5km full speed run-Stretch every day, small jog on Friday.<br />
Race<br />
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After that I want to begin burpees, maybe design a better workout schedule for more power/strength.<br />
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I'll update it every few days, hope I stick to it. Want to see how fit I can get. Any suggestions would be appreciated, if they can fit in/improve the above. Cheers. -
Walking lunges - ten minutes - that will pack some stamina into your thighs! I have been pounding a set of concrete stairs over the last couple of days trying to get rid of some fluid on thighs. I forgot how much I love stair climbing! 108 to the top, takes about 54 seconds, with each step the heal touching the ground again. I used to sprint them around 30 times in my rugby days, and walk (stumble down).<br />
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I think I would not mind this hill / trail running thing, sounds intense, good luck. -
Bart, I've learnt a fair bit from all your posts on these different threads, cheers. Hope others are getting motivation from them. I've cut my carbs this weekend to almost zero (trying to cut a few kgs of fat off) and had more lean chicken (as well as vege juices and fruit and protein drinks and eggs). I used to go for beef as main protein source but it's too fatty I think.<br />
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Anyway, point is my hiking today-I kinda hit the wall after an hour, so didn't do 75 minutes, and then did the regular strength stuff after a rest. Guess that's the muscles having insufficient glycogen. <br />
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How do you work out intensley with so few carbs?<br />
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Extra note: I'll do those walking lunges in June, thanks. Hopefully by June I'll be able to handle the overhead squats too. Aim then is to reduce the cardio stuff, and increase the strength/muscle building stuff. I will try to retain a good mountain run every two weeks though, nothing better. At the moment the 240 step intervals build stamina especially in the heart/lungs-I recover very quickly after exertion. Soon I'll add hill sprints to lift the leg fitness to a higher level.<br />
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Good luck on your next month of training and competing. -
don't cut the carbs! We only do that for a few weeks out of competition - otherwise we are getting ample to meet our workout needs! Not good!!<br />
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My mate Deano was doing all sorts of weird stuff like that before he got onto our trainer too - and he was looking dead. one of the things he was doing was exactly that too - cutting carbs out onve rthe weekends.<br />
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He came and saw us, and looked gray, we booked him in with Teresa , and he is now alive again, looking good, and lining up Waikato NABBA this July!<br />
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We eat LOTS of steak - lean, fat cut off etc normally, me up to 4 times a week, Mrs x2.<br />
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Track down a traditionalist if you can I reckon. Take in your training programme, and they can work from there what you should be eating! -
Thanks for the advice. I've got about 2-3kg to lose before I will include carbs. Just trying to drop off a little surplus weight. I eat beef about 5 days a week normally, lean-usually slices of it boiled. Tonights dinner is a slab of tuna, sliced, fried on olive oil and salt, served on top of lightly bolied (water and soy sauce) veges and onion and raw tomato, with a little butter for taste. Yum<br />
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I'll try to get a real programme sorted out eventually. -
I'm still regularly doing these workouts, and the occasional longer (4-5 hour) run.hike. But I got tired of doing repetitive stairs, and I got several minor injuries over the summer months (June-August) -cuts on feet, blisters, sunburn at the beach, tight hamstrings, sore lower back which limited the frequency of my workouts. I now do no dead lifts or cleans, and back feels much better. Here's my latest workout, done with no real rest, only moving between exercises:<br />
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[B]2 sets bench press as heavy as I can do 6 or more reps, rest is 1 minute stretching<br />
5 times up 240 stairs walking 2by2, and jog down<br />
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3 sets of: <br />
--6 reps heavy bench, <br />
--15 lunges (for each leg) using a 25kg barbell, <br />
--2 hill sprints up 150 steps<br />
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2 sets of:<br />
-- 1 dip down, then hold up position and run in place, then a few knee lifts, repeat as many as possible<br />
--maximum number of lower weight bench press<br />
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3 sets of pullups with running (for abs), as many as possible-I posted that exercise as a new thread.[/B]<br />
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I'll join the gym in November for 3 months, and will post more then. I might increase the workout intensity/level for October as well. I feel great, feel like running everywhere and feel like running into things and abs are tight. -
Bumping this thread since it's coming onto Summer in NZ (Winter where I am though) and maybe this can motivate some people to try these workouts.<br />
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Here's what I did in the drizzle today:<br />
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1 hour of hiking: <br />
-240 steps 2by2, jog down, sprint up 150 steps, jog down....repeat the cycle for an hour<br />
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-other stuff:<br />
-6 sets of bench (75kg*6-8 reps)<br />
-6 sets of about 20 lunges for each leg, holding a 20kg barbell in bicep curl position. I try to mix these up to improve balance, not just in front of me but changing lunge direction.<br />
-extra stretching<br />
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then to another workout area for <br />
-3 sets of dips *10, and then <br />
-3 sets of pull ups and an ab workout.<br />
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So....get into it and enjoy the fantastic NZ environment and early summer weather! -
Burpees are the most evil thing created by man. You kind of need to develop a perverse love for them; otherwise you will stop doing them after a few workouts. I think there are few, if any, other exercises that compare in terms of providing a full body workout in one exercise.<br />
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If you are traveling or really short on time and you want to exercise and get a decent workout in the least amount of time possible, then burpees are where it's at. -
[quote name='davidav']Burpees are the most evil thing created by man. You kind of need to develop a perverse love for them; otherwise you will stop doing them after a few workouts. I think there are few, if any, other exercises that compare in terms of providing a full body workout in one exercise.<br />
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If you are traveling or really short on time and you want to exercise and get a decent workout in the least amount of time possible, then burpees are where it's at.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Completely agree. They're one thing on my fitness program I hate. Especially as they're right at the end of my workout. Three sets of eight is my max right now. Working my way up though -
burpees, I had a workout once that was solely burpees. Can't remember it rightly, but something like doing 20, then 19, then 18, then 17 etc down to maybe 10, with a minutes rest in between.<br />
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Might try that on me next cardio day.<br />
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Now burpee as I remember it is same as a squat- thrust sort of thing. Stand, down onto hands both feet back, then both feet back under you, and jump into the eat is one...?? -
Bart:<br />
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There are different variations of Burpees, but I like to do them with a push-up at the bottom. So squat, kick out, push-up, return to squat position, then jump. That's one.<br />
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I've been doing sets of 10. Most recently I did 5 sets of 10. My goal is to work up to 5 sets of 20. I mix these in with sprint training, which makes for a very nice interval-type workout. -
[quote name='davidav']Bart:<br />
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There are different variations of Burpees, but I like to do them with a push-up at the bottom. So squat, kick out, push-up, return to squat position, then jump. That's one.<br />
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I've been doing sets of 10. Most recently I did 5 sets of 10. My goal is to work up to 5 sets of 20. I mix these in with sprint training, which makes for a very nice interval-type workout.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Dav - if you want a slight variation, instead of just doing a straightforward pushup, let your chest touch the ground and then pushup from the ground. Just adds that little bit extra resistance to your triceps.<br />
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Burpees are evil, but I love them in my circuit training. A workout that absolutely knocks me out that takes only about 12-15mins all up is<br />
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Kettlebell swings (24kg) - 30 secs<br />
Burpees - 30 secs<br />
Treadmill sprint (lvl 18) - 1 min<br />
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Repeat 5 times with as little rest as possible in between -
If someone could find a study that said burpees were actually really bad for you i would be eternally grateful. They have been a staple for rugby coaches and fitness trainers for ever, and i for one have had enough.
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[quote name='mariner4life']If someone could find a study that said burpees were actually really bad for you i would be eternally grateful. They have been a staple for rugby coaches and fitness trainers for ever, and i for one have had enough.[/QUOTE]<br />
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And the church said AMEN.<br />
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Unfortunately, in my experience, nothing but good can come from doing burpees regularly. In fact, if you stopped doing everything else but kept doing burpees 3 or more times a week you would remain pretty fit. -
Another one along the same lines as burpees (ie a bit cardio, a bit strength, hard as fark) is The Bear from the crossfit website. <br />
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[video=youtube;0WOP9J7QPwI]
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The last time i did it i went from starting at 20kg, up to 40kg for the final set (5kg increase per set). I thought i might die. Only takes about 15mins. Burpees are for pussies. -
[quote name='Voltron']Another one along the same lines as burpees (ie a bit cardio, a bit strength, hard as fark) is The Bear from the crossfit website. <br />
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The last time i did it i went from starting at 20kg, up to 40kg for the final set (5kg increase per set). I thought i might die. Only takes about 15mins. Burpees are for pussies.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Thanks Voltron, I will try that-looks tough. There's a 40kg (?) barbell up at the hill workout area where I go. I'll do my typical 30-60 minute leg session, then BP sets, then this, then some final pull up-ab sets. Also thanks to Davidav for the comments about the burpees, I should do some.<br />
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Bartman-I've been doing more hill sprints lately, and find my running is faster and stronger than when I was just doing the atair climbing. I still do mostly 2by2 steps when running, as long as I can manage it, but do 200 steps each time-did 10 times in a row yesteray. My last 1 hour run/hike was very easy, and fast. I will try to do a 2.5-4 hour hike every 3-4 weeks. I did one 2 weeks ago on a sunny Autumn day. Nice.<br />
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Ideally would be:<br />
1250 steps striding 2 by 2 max speed<br />
1250 steps sprint as quick as possible<br />
Repeat for total 8 times. Then bench press, the above barbells, and finish with pull-ups and pull up abs.<br />
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My knee-the front anyway-gets some tightness sometimes at the moment after I did some walking lunges, so I'm hoping it goes away with time. And my shoulder tendon is sore if I do too many dips. -
[quote name='BartMan']I think that might be a little extreme!! Takes more than a run after a bus!!<br />
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it is a mad science though, and my mad scientists seem to know what they are doing![/QUOTE]<br />
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So if I want to gain overall muscle with the following schedule -which I'm trying to set up for March-June-should I be really careful to eat a lot, and a lot of protein before and after long workouts? Any comments you have would be great, cheers!<br />
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Sun 3-4 hour hike/run AM (maybe every 2nd week?), then gym PM upperbody-general<br />
Monday gym PM upperbody-specific<br />
Tuesday gym PM upperbody-specific<br />
Wednesday rest<br />
Thursday 75minutes hill climbing repeats AM, gym PM upperbody-specific<br />
Friday gym PM upperbody-specific<br />
Saturday rest<br />
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on another note, I recently did 100 pull ups-split over 8 sets, however. And yesterday 50 pull ups in 3 sets. Not bad, considering I was struggling to do 5 in mid-last year.
