GMAT Club's Health & Fitness Thread

I'm really addicted to my new routine as well. I've had good gains so far, but the 4 weeks following April 11th are going to be my best.

If you're looking to improve your speed and stamina for 3 mile runs, you might benefit from interval training. There's a lot of literature out there on the subject, so I'll let Google give you some suggestions. Here's a news article on the subject to give you some background: https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/ ... 5228.shtml

Great advice. Funny though, I actually STARTED (from the couch) at interval and I nearly killed myself (Heart BPM was at like 180+). I was planning to pick it up after I had some sense of fitness regained. Thanks for the reminder!

I started my new 12 week bulking routine today, along with my entire stack of supplements. The routine feels great, but I picked up a cold and a 100 degree fever over the weekend, so hopefully that doesn't sit me out for the next few days. I need to get smarter about spacing out my supplements post-workout too. I may have swallowed a gallon of liquid in the past two hours

Anyone else making good progress on their goals?

I know how you feel sort of. Been doin the 3 mi/4days/week thing as above and this Sunday I step out of my car and JACK my ankle/foot up. Hurts to walk, now reduced to limping. More time in the chair in study position but yea, had some good momentum and now chair-ridden. Such is life.

Also, to Av and all who use whey protein, I just read there are silly amounts of heavy metals in almost all brands of whey protein powders. Just a word of warning. I was pretty shocked myself. Some resources below.

https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/ ... thy-metals

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media ... F8&index=0

Went out on my first ride of the year today.

https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/kfI5NXSiBKg

Went nice and slow and still felt brutalized. As long as i can get a couple or a few rides in per week, should get my biking endurance back soon enough.

I've been following Scooby's workout for few weeks. Hopefully by summer end, I'll be back in shape! www.scoobysworkshop.com/schedbeginning.htm

I really like interval cardio training. It really helps me cut fat quickly. It's really intense, but the results are worth it.

Hey bdunndchi, I tried doing that, but I'm not sure what the optimal intervals levels should be. At what speeds do you set your hi/low and for how long each? I've been averaging 6.5mph at 4 mins and then 4.5 mphs at 1 min for a total duration of 30 minutes.

For interval training, I'm not sure that there is a 'right' answer in terms of length/intensity of intervals.

The basic idea is that you you have intense cycles and recovery cycles. Your intense cycles should last x minutes, and be intense enough that you cant maintain that intensity for significantly longer than x minutes. Your recovery cycles should be less intense, and long enough that you have time to recover a bit.

Now, the shorter your cycles are, the more intense your intense cycle will have to be in order to match the criteria of 'not being able to maintain that intensity for more than the length of the cycle'.

Similarly, the more intense your intense cycles are, the easier your recovery cycles will have to be.

A good approach might be to get a heart rate monitor, and base your cycles off your heart rate.

For example, I've often done interval training where I set an alarm for 175bpm and an alarm for 115bpm. Start off, run at a high speed until you hit 175, then slow down til you hit 115, etc. (Obviously the specific heart rate caps you set will be tailored to your specific goals)

speaking of heart rate monitors, any decent ones anyone recommends? I was just thinking of grabbing one off of Amazon, but there are like 10 within $30-50 price range.

I've been looking at this one since yesterday: https://www.amazon.com/Isokinetics-Inc-H ... h_di_t_dup

It has positive reviews and is in the $30 range. I'm also interested in suggestions for better HRM devices too!

I bought a Bowflex heart rate monitor last year for about $20. I think this is the model: https://www.amazon.com/Bowflex-SE-119-Pr ... 481&sr=1-1

It works reasonably well once you get your heart rate up, and the chest strap automatically syncs up with the workout machines at my gym, so that's a nice bonus feature. I didn't wear the HRM very frequently, but I found it useful for identifying what 170bpm felt like. If you're planning to use the HRM for interval training, it's probably worthwhile to buy something a little more accurate. The Bowflex is pretty basic, so I wouldn't give it a strong recommendation.

Lost 10 minutes to a flat tire, but felt a lot better than last ride. Still a long way to go before I'm back to last year though.

https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/q0zkb1MK8vo

Nice work! I'm still recovering from bronchitis, but I'll be back in the gym no later than Monday (can't wait!).

P90X is good. I have it. I try to do it and then play basketball in the afternoon

Haha man... When I do. P90x session, I struggle to scrape myself off the floor and get into the shower.... Much less basketball!

Ended up going with a timex model for $40. I'll report back after I get and play with it a bit

Posted from my mobile device

No GPS for this workout, just the heart rate monitor.

Was climbing stairs, my apt complex has 13 floors, so ran up and down 5 times, then hopped on the treadmill for a mile.
https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/vStX2Z4VRlI