Tags
bio-mechanics, Cardio, Heart Rate, Personal tolerance to supplement intake, Supplementation, Supplements
Well, today is a rest day. That means only two 20-minute sessions of cardio. I enjoy this new routine because I am a creature of habit. When I’m pursuing a goal in the gym, I like to pursue it daily. Rest days for most are just that–taking a day off from the gym. If this works–do it. For me, taking a day off like this feels like I’m cheating.
I also do my first workout first thing. I know myself and if I do not get to the gym the first thing in the morning, I won’t go. This is another aspect of pursuing your goals. You know yourself better than anyone else. Once you’ve learned about how you are, don’t deviate from the plan you’ve put in place for yourself. Again, my first action every day is exercise.
Speaking of individual preferences. Yesterday, we talked about biomechanics. Biomechanics is very individual and will vary from one person to the next. So is your reaction to supplements. Personally, I use a pre-workout, post workout, protein, creatine, and a few others. If you experiment with these, you will find that one brand or another may work really well–or not. The key is to monitor what a supplement does or does not do. It is no problem to drop a supplement for another or never purchase that supplement again.
In some cases, I have had reactions to certain supplements. If you go to GNC or another supplement store, most will allow you to return the item and either credit it to you or allow you to exchange it for another item. If your store does not honor this type of transaction, I would recommend patronizing another establishment. GNC, Bodybuilding.com’s store, and Amazon Prime are the resources I use to find and purchase supplements. I cannot recommend Bodybuilding.com enough. You’ll find candid advice and have access to a lot of articles that are well-referenced by industry and academic experts. However, you will always be the judge as to what works for you and what does not work.
Supplementation is really important because of the taxing nature of exercising. When lifting weights you are taxing your nervous system, your muscles, tendons, and bones, and your circulatory system. Believe it or not, the system that tends to give out more quickly than the rest is the nervous system. Why? Each time a muscle contraction occurs there is a set of nerve fibers that will fire to make that contraction happen. Remember this when you begin a new routine or change something. When you are recovering, each of these systems must also recover and adapt to the exercises you subjected them to. Supplementation will help this recovery process, even if you are just supplementing your diet with a multi-vitamin. Visit Bodybuilding.com and use the keyword search: supplements to read more about these important additions to any workout routine.
Today’s workout will be two cardio sessions of 20 minutes. This morning’s workout is completed and was the ever-challenging Fat burning option on the treadmill I use (Lifecycle). I like the fat burning option, particularly on rest days, because the better shape your circulatory system is in, the harder the fat burning option will work you. Here’s why. The fat burning option on your treadmill will set you at a heart rate that is in alignment with your current age. Since I’m about to be 54, my training heart rate is 111. Now, I start on the treadmill at around 86-87. That means the treadmill will increase speed and the incline angle until I’ve reached the 111 threshold. Once I’m there, it will continue to adjust to maintain that 111 heart rate until the 20 minutes is up. When I first started my starting heart rate was around 92-93. As you can see, the better shape I’m in, the lower my starting heart rate will be and the harder I have to work to attain the 111. Get it?
Well, that’s it for today. I have one more cardio session at 5 PM today.
See you tomorrow!
Dave
