September 2008 Archives

I've been following a new running and lifting program over the past couple weeks, and it's been a bit daunting. I was feeling better and better about my fitness, but the sheer volume of some of the anaerobic sprint workouts is ... well, I can't talk about it yet, I'm still too traumatized. I'll just say that one of the sprint workouts lasts four and a half hours. (As one of my rugby teammates put it, "I've never been so sore for so many consecutive days before." Agreed.)

The workout below, which I did the other night, does not last four hours -- or anywhere close -- and is positively delightful in comparison.

On a track, do the following:
8x100m, 100m walk recovery after each

7x150m, 100m walk recovery after each

6x200m, 100m walk recovery after each

IT HELPED THAT my significant other, a cheery sort who says things like "Raisins are nature's candy," taught me to count to 10 in Italian during the recovery periods. It also helped that it was pitch black outside.

Once I determined there were no hurdles in my path, I started tuning into my body more than I tend to during daylight hours. I experienced the biomechanics of my gait in a way I haven't before; probably in part because I'm usually quite literally looking ahead to the next steps.

A number of coaches have told me I don't get enough hip extension when pushing off my back leg (for more on running gait, click here) -- in other words, I put in a lot of work up front and don't follow through before I'm moving on to the next thing -- but on this night, my hips loosened their chokehold on my legs and each stride felt complete. I felt like I was gliding.

Turns out I'm not the only one saying lights out on my workout. The 2006 Runner's World article "Run to the Dark Side" explores a subculture of runners who prefer to do it in the dark. And there may even be some science to back them up.

"... [S]ome athletes may benefit from evening workouts, [according to] recent research among a group of swimmers whose performance peaked between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Although the responsible mechanism isn't yet understood ... there are several potential contributing factors.

One is body temperature, which tends to be higher later in the day and has been linked to increased strength and reaction time. Another is the release of two hormones important for energy metabolism, cortisol and thyroptopin, which are at their highest levels in the evening."

Which means it's possible I didn't just feel faster -- I might have actually been faster. Too bad we don't play many night games.

When is your favorite time of day to work out and why? Have you ever worked out in the dark?

[photo by Eric Setiawan]

This post is all about the photo above, but a little background: I often miss connecting flights. Most often because my first flight is late, but occasionally because of my own stupidity. I once missed a flight while I was sitting right in front of the gate because I was crying, eating a cheeseburger and talking on the phone (long story) -- turns out I can do three things at once, but not four.

The point is, I'm used to getting stranded somewhere other than my final destination. Sometimes it's even a little bit nice to have that time to myself -- especially since I started a tradition a while back that involves treating myself to a nice sit-down meal and seeking out the nearest Xpress Spa. I figure it's a good chance to get some oft-neglected soft-tissue work.

So when I found myself stranded in Cincinnati for an extra seven hours a few weekends back (thanks, Delta), I hit the steakhouse and then went in search of a massage. Since the bank account wasn't particularly flush, I opted instead for one of the cushy black massage chairs pictured above. Almost like the real thing, if you squinch your eyes shut hard enough and pretend the passersby are not, in fact, staring at your gyrating torso.

Afterward, as I went to grab my bags, the warning sign attached to the contraption caught my eye. If you can't read the blurry shot above (sorry, I only had a camera phone), it says: "This product should not be used by pregnant or menstruating women ..."

Umm??! Pregnant I can totally see. But I had no idea about the dangers of menstruation and massage.

Actually, I'm still not sure I know what those dangers are. (Snort.)

Do you think the makers of this sign were worried about the risks menstruating women posed to others (as in, Moon blood is dirty, icky ladies shouldn't sit here!) or do you think the concern was centered around the fragile state of menstruating women?

Do tell.

[A big thank-you to my graphic designer friend Lesha, who combined the two original photos I took. And created a zoomed-in effect! And circled the relevant copy! She's great.]

Today's post was written by Charlotte Hilton Andersen, brilliant and charming host of The Great Fitness Experiment. If you're not familiar with her blog, check it out immediately for a no-holds-barred account of her approach to fitness, which consists of doing something spanking-new every 30 days. (This month's fitness experiment? Kettlebells. I love me some kettlebells.) Here, she explains the method to her madness.
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HEALTH AND FITNESS ARE really very simple. Lift heavy weights. Except that cardio is the secret to burning fat. Lots of protein fills you up. But vegetarians live longer. Don't take supplements because nature is best. Except for Vitamin D, B6, calcium, magnesium, iron and Omega-3's. Eat whole foods. But buy these specially formulated, packaged (and expensive) health foods. Listen to your body to know when you are hungry. So here are ten tips to conquer cravings.

Catch all that? No? What's wrong with you? Don't you have 28 hours a day to read all the latest health and fitness research? So how do you know what works? And just because it works for someone else, does that mean it will work for you? You can't know. Unless you try it yourself.

It was from this mental schizophrenic rambling that The Great Fitness Experiment was born. I decided to go from gym rat to lab rat, taking on a new Fitness Experiment every month to try and separate the hypertrophy from the just plain hype.

Over the course of a year I have learned one important lesson: Every reasonable workout works. Until it doesn't. It turns out that the key to fitness bliss is ... change. Not only is change good for all your fitness markers -- I can hear your muscles screaming from here -- but it also keeps the boredom away. Not to mention all the potential for public humiliation! So it is with great excitement, I bring to you:

Charlotte's Guide To Making Your Own Fitness Experiment

1. Pick a fitness routine. Tear one out of a magazine, search one out on the Internet, ask friends and family or shell out bucks for the sweetest late-night infomercial star -- just pick something. You only have to do it for 30 days (28 if it's February!) so even those of you with commitment issues can handle this without calling in Sarah Jessica Parker and crew.

2. Make it fun. It will help if you pick something you like. After doing this for a year, I am pretty much open to trying anything I don't have to pay for but if you are just starting out, go with a program that appeals to you. Everything will be boring to you by day 30 so don't stress too much. And if it's not boring? You've found your fitness Shangri-La and can officially become that smug person at parties who drops split times and weight sets like Disney Princesses lose parents.

3. Line up some good Gym Buddies. Not only will they motivate you to stick with it and pick you up when you're down -- both literally and figuratively -- but they are invaluable for tasks like deciphering weird exercise pictures, loading the weight bar evenly, and even shielding you so can pick a quick wedgie. Yep, they're great. And no, you can't have mine; they're taken. Although I do have a pretty sweet crew, if I do say so myself. My right-hand girl is Gym Buddy Allison (a.k.a. Good Sport Allison). She is the ideal Gym Buddy: She will try anything I throw at her, keeps the complaining to a minimum and is always good for a laugh when I drop a weight plate on my foot. Not to mention she's freakishly strong. Then there is Gym Buddy Mike, a former competitive hammer thrower (10 points for anyone who watched that event on the Olympics!) who coaches us in proper technique for all the Olympic lifts. Plus he always carries jelly beans. Who doesn't love that? Gym Buddy Megan is our pace dog and runs our butts into the ground. She's also good at keeping your treadmill running while you sprint to the bathroom to take care of your runner's tummy. Everyone needs a friend like that. Gym Buddy Jerry is in charge of witty one-liners, Gym Buddy Shalome bends us into burritos and no one can forget Turbo Jennie -- official cardio butt kicker and the only girl who can make me bounce like Beyonce.

4. Get a sense of humor. When you change your routine this much, you're not going to be great at everything. You want to be the best? Great, stick to your sport and call me when your knees blow out. The rest of us just have to accept that failure comes with the territory. There will be Experiments that you hate. And there will be Experiments that hate you. It's all about the learning, and if you can laugh at yourself then you won't cry. Not that I've ever cried over an Experiment. Ahem.

5. Track your stats. Here's where the science part comes in. If you don't write it down -- and by "it" I mean everything -- then you will never know what works. Memories lie, number don't. Decide what is important to you (and it had better be more than just weight) and then keep a workout journal. It isn't about "progress" or even "accountability" -- it's about seeing which types of exercises your body responds to and how. The Gym Buddies and I track weight, inches (chest, waist, hips, thigh, calf and arm), body fat percentage, weight loads and reps, one-rep maxes, pull-ups, and fast mile and sprint times. It's all in the details.

Everyone is a researcher of their own body. The trick is to be conscious of it. Make a plan and then chart your data. It'll either make you the world's biggest fitness geek or a really fit human being. Or both. Either way, you can sit at my table in the cafeteria.

Intrigued? Motivated? Just want to watch someone else get snapped in the face with a resistance band so you can have a good giggle? Come join the Gym Buddies and I over at The Great Fitness Experiment as we squat like Sumo wrestlers, hoo-ah like Navy Seals, bend it like ballerinas and get hemorrhoids like Olympic weight lifters. We can always use a new test subject!

From a press release I recently received:

If only there was a way to work out without actually having to leave your computer, right? Well good news, there now is!

SurfShelf, a portable, polycarbonate tray that attaches to any exercise machine, allows anyone to use their laptop while exercising. Lightweight and completely portable, it maintains a solid foundation for laptops of virtually any size allowing you to stay connected while burning calories!

No. Just ... no.

"Music Video Monday" would have sounded more pleasing to the ear, I realize, but I was on my way home from vacation yesterday. My apologies if you checked in here last week -- I meant to mention that things would be pretty quiet (OK, completely silent), but the usual pre-vaca deadline crush eradicated all fun from my life. Did I mention I've got a flair for the dramatic?

Anyhoodle, my friend Daniela made me a pre-game mix CD last weekend, and she included the song "Untouched" by The Veronicas, a coupla Australian sisters who have somehow miraculously combined the magic of the "She's a Maniac" legwarmers-n-leotard workout from Flashdance with the totally inspirational and synthesizastic sound from the 80s gymnastics movie American Anthem.

(You know, the one where the reclusive, eccentric musical genius composes tunes for his beautiful, very slightly rebellious cousin Julie, who is trying to make the U.S. gymnastics squad while staying true to what she believes in? Which is apparently good music. And she performs her routine to this brand new sound and blows everyone's minds? Oh, and it's a touching love story, as well. But not between the cousins. If I could get my hands on American Anthem and The Last Unicorn, my DVD collection would be complete.)

Cue the electric violin.
"Untouched" by The Veronicas; "La la la la?" is the only real question.
 


Jennifer Beal is a maniac.



Someone has actually posted all of American Anthem on YouTube, 10 minutes at a time.

Here's a taste of the mad synthesizer.
 


So, will you be adding "Untouched" to your workout playlist? Or is it not your style?

Lastly, a bit of a lovefest. I just wanted to say thanks for all the nice comments on my last post, and on every post, really. You guys are so very thoughtful, open and articulate, and I feel lucky that you read this blog. Electronic hugs.