Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackMagicPanther
(I guess the best term is re-oxygenation)
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No-reoxygenation, but to do work at an oxygenating deficit. That is, it means working on a state of
incomplete recovery. Chris Thibeaudau at t-nation just published a 4-article series on training, the 3rd one dealing with training frequency and rest periods. See section 6 of his article:
The Thib System: Training Frequency and Rest Periods
Christ Thib-
3) Rest periods for fat loss: When training for fat loss, you should always shoot for incomplete recovery, meaning that you must accumulate an oxygen debt from set to set. Your breathing should stay hard and heavy for the whole workout. If you can talk normally during a fat-loss workout, you aren't training properly! So the rest intervals should be shorter, even with compound movements.
How short? Well, again, this depends on your level of conditioning and work capacity. Since the goal is incomplete recovery, get back to work before your breathing normalizes!
During a fat-loss program, you should feel out of breath and almost nauseous during the whole workout (the nausea is mainly due to the increase in lactate/lactic acid production).
You should rest anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds between your sets with a tendency toward gradually reducing the amount of rest you take.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stephenlavin
just a note on the cardio there guys. I know it depends on your physical state but an even more effective way to lose fat than long tedious cardio sessions is high intensity interval training. Even after you finish you will still burn calories. Takes less time, is more painful but is nowhere near as boring as long cardio sessions. Just my 2 cents
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Exactly. Two to three 2-3 minute rounds of HIIT or tabatas do the job just fine, specially after a weightlifting session. Care should be made, however, for the novice not to overexert himself to the point it impairs his recovery.
One good way to initiate individuals into HIIT and get them into shape for tabatas or long rounds of HIIT are taku intervals. Taku intervals provide a progression into the 20/10sec rest periods. I suggest you read the following page - and pay VERY, VERY close attention on the three metabolic pathways (phosphagen, lactic acide and oxidative). Learn that stuff and you'll know how to better arrange your workouts for fat loss.
BODY BY FISH
For a more complex program based on Taku and Tabata intervals, see here:
Peaking for Competition (Taku’s Intervals: PHASE 4) « Hybrid Fitness Blog
For BlackMagicPanther:
The bulk of taku intervals (quoted verbatin from the link above) is aimed at high metabolic conditioning, specially for combat sports athletes. The details and execution can get in the way if your aims are much simpler,
so I'd suggest you use a mini-modified version of taku intervals as follows:
2 sessions of 90 second high intensity work x 90 seconds of active rest.
High intensity work would be almost anything involving your full body (or as much as possible) - no isolation work : bodyweight squatting, weighted squatting (which light weights of course), leg pressing, push ups (normal, plyo or agility), pull ups, jumping jacks, cherry pickers, burpees, dumbbell swings into overhead presses, or some sort of circuit involving squatting/deadlifting, rowing/pulling and benching/pressing, or running on a threadmill/track, rope skipping, etc. Avoid limb isolation exercises as you'll blast them to failure w/o taxing your body's energy reserves.
Active rest means that you don't rest sitting on your butt, but you are actively moving : .ie. shadow boxing, walking back and forth windmilling your arms, doing some side squatting/side lunges or jumping jacks/cherry pickers here and there. It is not light movement, but active movement (which just happened to be much less intense than the work part, but intense enough to force you to breath.
This in opposite to
passive rest, where you basically do not do anything and (try to) catch your breath.
When the work part is being executed, you start as fast as you can. Say for example, running. You start running as fast as you can. Obviously you cannot sprint at maximum speed for 90 seconds. You will obviously slow down, and even stop. But you keep running. However slower you get, however many stops you do, you just keep running. What counts is your effort, the maximal effort you feel yourself capable of safely doing. On those 90 seconds, you do your best effort... in every set.
It is not 90 seconds of work, then 90 seconds of active rest, then sit on your ass for some time and repeat. The work and rest parts are done back to back, with a clock, religously.
As you progress, then you increase to three sessions, then four sessions. Then, while staying with 3-4 sessions you can then decrease the length of the rest part, then decrease the length of the work part, and so on until you get to 20 second work, 10 second rest (tabata sets)... if you wish you push it there.
As you decrease the length of rest, say, 30 seconds, then you will have to use a full standing (not sitting) passive rest
At any point, you do not want a session of HIIT (be it tabatas, takus or whatever) for more than 12 minutes (unless you have a sport-specific goal that requires you to go beyond that.) For simple fat loss, 6-9 minutes should do.
The beauty of this is that you can stay at the 90sec work/90sec active rest if you so wish. You can taylor it to your needs.
I'd also suggest you check Mike Davie's "Cardio Survivor" CD #1. It's packed with bodyweight/dumbell exercises that are are excellent for HIIT training (which works best for fast loss IMO.)
Mike Davie's Fitness Factory - Store
You have to find how to blend this to your training. Most people try to add weight while losing body fat. While it's possible, it can be a f* nightmare (unless you are one of those lucky bastards with the genetic disposition to do so.)
My suggestion is to stop "working out" and start training for a given goal. Either reduce your body fat % or pack on the muscle, changing the goal at 12-16 week intervals for mass gain (and 6-8 for fat loss). Less than that amount of time could be too short to gauge any improvements for most people.
Trying to do both fat loss and muscle gain is a logistical nightmare, specially if you are just starting. I'd suggest you stick to gaining weight first (since the amount of muscle mass you get will determine how efficient you will be at burning body fat.)
One good way to measure your progress is this. Measure your waist, around navel level and your hips at crotch level every week first thing in the morning (ideally after pooping... gross I know.)
Simultaneously, get a scale at home. Doesn't matter if it's acurate. Just get one, and measure your weight every day around the same time (again, ideally after pooping and peeing and before eating.) Calculate your weekly average every sunday.
Now, if
1 - your weight remains the same or increases, and
2 - your hip circumference at crotch level stays the same or increases (gluteus maximus development), and
3 - your waist circumference at navel level stays the same OR DECREASES
Then it means you are packing on the muscles while reducing or retaining (not increasing) your body fat %. That means, you are doing progress.
Hope this is helpful.