Did you overindulge on figgy pudding, sweet potato pie, and stuffing? I did, and then some. So up at 6:30am I was – to work it all off. Ugh. If you are finding yourself in the same boat, but also short on time (as I was), try this circuit training “emergency workout.”

1. Warm up at 50% of your max heart rate for 5 mins.

2. Cycle, run, jog, do jumping jacks, or jump rope for 3-5 minutes at 85% of your max heart rate (you will be winded).

3. Using elastic tubing or hand weights, do one set, 8-10 reps each, of squats, bicep curls, lunges, overhead presses, bent over rows, tricep extensions, push-ups, and bicycle crunches. Be sure to use resistance that adequately fatigues the muscle being exercised in the requisite number of repetitions.

4. Do another 3-5 minutes of high-intensity cardio (remember, this should be challenging!), followed by another set of the exercises in #3.

5. Repeat this cycle at least 3 times, preferably 4.

6. Be sure to include a 5 min (or longer) cool down when you’re done.

7. Stretch well!

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.

If you’re like many of the busy people I know, you get to the gym, make a beeline for the cardio room, hop on the first open machine you see, throw down your requisite number of minutes on the machine, then high-tail it back to your car with nary a post-workout stretch, or even a passing glance at the weights on your way out. When you’re short on time, it is tempting to skip what you think are the “non-essential” parts of your program and go for the calorie burn instead, but you’re actually missing out on valuable and necessary components of a well-rounded and effective fitness program. It is possible to fit both strength and cardio into your schedule, even if you only have an hour to work with.

Performing strength and cardio in the same workout session is known as concurrent training. You may have heard that you shouldn’t perform strength and cardio in the same session, but this can actually be a very efficient way to train. But which one should you do first? It is a common dilemma every exerciser faces. The simple truth is, just as there are many ways to skin a cat, there are many answers to this elusive question. The long and short of it is this: it depends on your overall goal. So, let’s begin with that.

What is your goal?

- If your goal is to increase strength and muscle hypertrophy, do your strength training first.

- If your goal is to improve cardiovascular fitness, do cardio first.

Is it really that simple? Yes, for the most part. Ultimately, it comes down to the type of exercise you do. A study published in the IDEA Fitness Journal (April 2007) examined the use of the cycle ergometer
(a lower body exercise), followed by strength training of the lower and upper extremities. Results indicated that lower body cardiovascular activity (cycling, running. stair stepping) had no effect on upper body performance during strength training, but it did impair performance during lower-body training. Conclusion: to maximize strength training sessions performed after bouts of cardio, make sure strength training is Iimited to alternate extremities.

Example
After running, power walking, cycling, dance or step aerobics, or stair master/stair climbing: perform upper body and/or core exercises.

After swimming, rowing, boxing, elliptical training with lots of upper-body resistance (i.e, you’re using the attached poles the way you should), or cross-country skiing: perform lower body and/or core exercises

And remember, you don’t have to do three sets of each strength training exercise to reap the benefits. One set of 10-12 exercises performed at an intensity that equates to about 75% of your 1RM (i.e, the 8th or so rep is the last one you can complete with good form), will result in respectable strength gains.

Still worried that strength training won’t leave enough time for the amount of cardio you need? Try interval training. Alternating bouts of high-intensity training with active recovery burns more calories in less time than steady-state cardio. Try bumping up the intensity of your workout to 85-90% of your max heart rate for a short time (30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on your level of training), then actively recover by lowering the intensity until your heart rate returns to within 60-80% of your max heart rate.

Resources:

Kravitz, Len, PhD; IDEA Fitness Journal, April 2007; vol 4; no.4; p20-21

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.

If you really want to make the most of every workout, exercising within your target heart rate zone is a good place to start. In the simplest of terms, your “target zone” is the range that challenges your cardiovascular system, resulting in continual improvements. After consistently training in your zone (six to eight weeks up to several months), you will notice a decrease in resting heart rate. VO2Max, which is the maximum capacity to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP) aerobically, also improves if you train consistently at 70% of max heart rate or higher.

Target Heart Rate Formulas

Standard Formula:

[220-age] x .60 up to .85 = Target Heart Rate

Here is a real-world example of how target heart rate training can be applied using the basic formula, which is appropriate for most new exercises or those who haven’t exercised for an extended period of time.

Gender and Age: Female, age 35

Current regimen includes running 3-4 times per week (3-4 miles per session) and 2 days of weight training. She has been following a running program, steadily progressing from 1.5 miles to 3.5 miles over the course of several months. She would like to know what her target heart rate range is. Let’s do the math.

Using the 220-age formula indicates that 185 is her max heart rate. Training within a range of 60-80% of max heart rate is most suitable for someone at this stage of training, so multiplying 185 by 80% to get the upper end of the target heart rate, and by 60% to get the lower end, will yield an appropriate range. When I do the math, I get: 111 and 148. This zone may not be challenging enough for her if she has been training for many months. In this case, working in the range of 75-85% of max heart rate, (138-157 bpm) would be appropriate.

Karvonen Formula:

[(Max HR - Resting HR] x .60 and .80) + Resting HR = Target Heart Rate

Example: [185 - 60] x .60 and .80) + 60 = 135 and 155

Use either formula to estimate your own range.

Rating of Perceived Exertion

Another popular method for measuring exercise intensity is the RPE, or rating of perceived exertion. This is your perception of how hard you are working, based on a scale of 1-10, typically, with 1 being very, very easy and 10 being very, very hard. For most individuals, a rating of 6-7 on a 10-pt scale will equate to about 60-70% of max heart rate.

The Talk Test

The “talk test” is another common rating of exercise intensity, and often used in tandem with RPE. Just as the name implies, you should be able to talk, or carry a conversation, while you exercise. Note: you will still be a bit breathless if you are indeed within your target zone. “Comfortably uncomfortable” is the term I like to use. If you can’t string together a few words, you are probably working too hard. If you can relate every detail of last night’s episode of LOST without taking a breath, you aren’t working hard enough.

You can use one of the methods described above to gauge your intensity, or a combination of any/all of them. It is good practice to take note of how you feel at each level of intensity, beginning with your warm-up on up to your target range. Ideally, you will become accustomed to how you feel when you are in your target range and you will know when you are pushing too hard, or not hard enough.

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.