High-Intensity-Intervals and Muscle Pulls

DFW_M5 said:
Certainly elliptical will provide much less stress on joints/muscles, but what makes you think you don't use arms when sprinting? IMO, sprinting is one of the best HIIT exercises you can do, its a full body workout, and a good one to use as part of your workout regime assuming your body can handle the intensity.
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Sprinting is a fine exercise. If you believe that the arm motion of sprinting provides as much resistance and recruiting of muscle fibers of the arms, chest, and back (relative to the legs) as an elliptical workout does, then you should stick with that.
 
samclem said:
Sprinting is a fine exercise. If you believe that the arm motion of sprinting provides as much resistance and recruiting of muscle fibers of the arms, chest, and back (relative to the legs) as an elliptical workout does, then you should stick with that.
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Talk to a track and field coach if you think elliptical would provide a better full body workout.
 
Static stretching before running isn't needed, in fact it can hamper performance. Dynamic stretching such as leg swings and active muscle engagement in the full range of motion is advisable, but the days of coaches, trainers, and therapists recommending stretching before exercise are over. In fact, many don't recommend static stretching at all any longer. Dynamic/active stretching, foam rolling, and dynamic stability work are the name of the game these days.
 
nash031 said:
Static stretching before running isn't needed, in fact it can hamper performance. Dynamic stretching such as leg swings and active muscle engagement in the full range of motion is advisable, but the days of coaches, trainers, and therapists recommending stretching before exercise are over. In fact, many don't recommend static stretching at all any longer. Dynamic/active stretching, foam rolling, and dynamic stability work are the name of the game these days.
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+1, Every exercise book that I have read recently states the same thing. The type of stretching that I do before golfing as changed a lot over the years based on new research, it's now all dynamic stretches.
 
HIT? .....naw, never touch the stuff. Burns my lungs.
LSD?..... now you're talkin! Life is but a dream.
 
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Options said:
Another viewpoint:

So, You Got Injured While Endurance Running: Where did You Go Wrong? | Big Think
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Sprinting is a bit different than distance running, but technique/form is really important. I try to focus on keeping my arms and legs working together in sync, elbows locked at 90 degrees, hands flat, knees high, use balls of feet, lean forward with head erect but not too far back or forward (don't want to cut off your air supply). That strong arm pump is a big contributor to speed.

As Nash advised, I never do static stretches, only dynamic warmup whether I am preparing for a gym workout or softball game.
 
I feel for the OP. I put on 25 pounds this winter in about two months and feel just awful. So I started trying to walk/jog with my daughter in the neighborhood and got terrible shin splints. No amount stretching, warm up or eating of bananas, tomato based foods, taking supplements seems to help.
My wife even bought a nice treadmill thinking that would be easier on me. Actually, the pain came much faster and worse on it.
Obviously, I haven't found the right stretches to do this type of exercise right now. Disgusted at what I've let happen in such a short time.
Any ideas?


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beanctr88 said:
Any ideas?


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Do you have large calf muscles? Get a good pair of sneakers, and stop the jogging for a while, stick to walking at a leisurely pace. Never underestimate what that can accomplish with just walking. Swimming might be another option.
 
DFW_M5 said:
Do you have large calf muscles? Get a good pair of sneakers, and stop the jogging for a while, stick to walking at a leisurely pace. Never underestimate what that can accomplish with just walking. Swimming might be another option.
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Yes, I have pretty large calves and have always been pretty inflexible both upper and lower body. Will get back on the treadmill, but try a much slower pace for a few weeks to see if it helps.


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Dr Gabila is one of the researchers on HIIT exercise. Here is an article on some different intervals.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life...ning-consider-these-4-things/article14926092/

In one talk I heard he said that 30 second max works but many people have trouble doing true max efforts. I stepped down a level to the 1 minute on, one minute off ten times. He says it is as effective in terms of overall fitness and adaptation.


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Over the last 6 months I went from 22% body fat to 13% body fat by doing nothing but lifting heavy weights for about an hour 3 days a week. The best part is my weight is about the same so instead getting skinny and weak I am normal size and strong.

I'm thinking if you are doing a lot of cardio work like running make sure you eat a lot of calories to avoid muscle loss and injury.
 
beanctr88 said:
I feel for the OP. I put on 25 pounds this winter in about two months and feel just awful. So I started trying to walk/jog with my daughter in the neighborhood and got terrible shin splints. No amount stretching, warm up or eating of bananas, tomato based foods, taking supplements seems to help.
My wife even bought a nice treadmill thinking that would be easier on me. Actually, the pain came much faster and worse on it.
Obviously, I haven't found the right stretches to do this type of exercise right now. Disgusted at what I've let happen in such a short time.
Any ideas?


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
Click to expand...
That drastic of a weight gain implies something suddenly changed in your metabolism and a doctors visit to detect the cause is in order.
 
I have been several times now since the weight gain and nothing readily apparent in the blood work. At least the rise has stopped and I'm down about eight pounds from the highest point.


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beanctr88 said:
Yes, I have pretty large calves and have always been pretty inflexible both upper and lower body. Will get back on the treadmill, but try a much slower pace for a few weeks to see if it helps.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
Click to expand...

I feel that folks with large calves can be more susceptible to shin splints. I have big calves myself and in the past have suffered from shin splints. Good running shoes with arch supports may help, as well as keeping a slower pace for a while until you get more conditioned.
 
High-Intensity-Intervals and Muscle Pulls...

Ugh, sounds painful. I am going to stick with my low-intensity activities. I have read that the centenarians of Okinawa and Provence don't do any high-intensity stuff. They stay active and trim via more steady physical work. So, that's my plan.
 
RetireAge50 said:
Over the last 6 months I went from 22% body fat to 13% body fat by doing nothing but lifting heavy weights for about an hour 3 days a week.
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I guess you are blessed with great metabolism/genes. Doing that in 6 months time, without also including a dietary change, is quite miraculous. Usually it takes more than several months to start lifting what I would call heavy, let alone shedding that much body fat so quickly. Were you totally sedate before starting the heavy lifting routine?
 
DFW_M5 said:
I guess you are blessed with great metabolism/genes. Doing that in 6 months time, without also including a dietary change, is quite miraculous. Usually it takes more than several months to start lifting what I would call heavy, let alone shedding that much body fat so quickly. Were you totally sedate before starting the heavy lifting routine?
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By doing nothing I meant any other exercises. I did change my diet. Replaced chips, cookies, coke, etc. with things like spinach, broccoli, and milk. I also seek out high protein foods like chicken breast, turkey, and salmon.

I have always been active (bike riding, tennis, etc) but has never focused on strength. I realized a lot of my support muscles were weak so I would get injured easily (back strains, etc).

My theory is cardio exercises mostly burn calories and do not really improve overall strength. When dieting there are not enough calories so the body burns both fat and muscle. So over time your muscles get weaker which leads to injury.

I could have lowered my body fat by getting to a real low overall weight but then I would have very weak muscles.

Instead I focused on strength training for the first time in my life. What happened was all of my core support and other muscles are getting bigger and stronger. At the same time fat is being burned. The net weight change was only about 5 pounds less but the body fat went from 22 to 13 percent.

I am currently 5' 10" 171 pounds. This is in the high BMI range but I feel like I am in the best shape ever and less susceptible to injury.
 
RetireAge50 said:
By doing nothing I meant any other exercises. I did change my diet. Replaced chips, cookies, coke, etc. with things like spinach, broccoli, and milk. I also seek out high protein foods like chicken breast, turkey, and salmon.

I have always been active (bike riding, tennis, etc) but has never focused on strength. I realized a lot of my support muscles were weak so I would get injured easily (back strains, etc).

My theory is cardio exercises mostly burn calories and do not really improve overall strength. When dieting there are not enough calories so the body burns both fat and muscle. So over time your muscles get weaker which leads to injury.

I could have lowered my body fat by getting to a real low overall weight but then I would have very weak muscles.

Instead I focused on strength training for the first time in my life. What happened was all of my core support and other muscles are getting bigger and stronger. At the same time fat is being burned. The net weight change was only about 5 pounds less but the body fat went from 22 to 13 percent.

I am currently 5' 10" 171 pounds. This is in the high BMI range but I feel like I am in the best shape ever and less susceptible to injury.
Click to expand...

You've done great and I agree totally with the benefits of resistance training. I used to weigh 215, and when I was declared diabetic, I changed my diet and walked off 45 lbs over 3-4 month period and got down to 175 lbs. After that, I started in the gym for the first time in my life, as I had been a desk jockey and lived a very sedate lifestyle. The gym enabled me to build muscle and cut fat, but I actually saw my weight gradually increase to ~ 200 lbs as I was progressively lifting heavier. As I've gotten older, I had to cut back on those heavy compound lifts, but its still one of my favorite things to do.
 
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