Reassure me that 45 minutes/5 times a week at the gym is enough

[Thefitfatty]

I usually go for about 90 minutes, but my work schedule is changing and I won't be able to fit that, work and family in anymore. Please reassure me that a 20 minute intense run and 25 minutes of weights/kettle bells will be enough to keep me fit!

I'm used to a nice moderate 40 minute run followed by about 35/40 minutes of weight lifting and 15ish minutes of core.

When someone is just talking out of their arse I feel it is my duty to shoot them down so as to save othe people from believing the bullshit

I could take the time to write an essay explaining things but ffs why should I
the internet it full of info and if anyone is motivated enough to exercise surely they will also want to read up and make sure they are doing things effectively?

Ultimately its no skin off my nose if other people waste their time, being rude is just a quick and dirty way of helping

Do 10 runs as fast as you can go with 10 intervals of jogging In between. It's a really good HIIT to keep you fit and will mean you burn fat for hours after you've finished.

Then do a weight set working on a different area each day. Legs, shoulders, chest, biceps and triceps then last day abs.

All running is 'intense'
Running has a high minimum intensity
Its also easy to measure energy useage compared to strength training

Makes you look like an arsehole though.

Running for a long period of time is not as good as HIIT training as you don't continue to burn fat afterwards.

Alongside doing weight training that will increase muscle mass which as well as making you look more defined will mean you burn more calories when doing cardio.

mmm.... I am not exercise expert. But most the running interval advice talks about REALLY slowing down in the recovery phase. Or else no benefits achieved. Walking pace if required. Else a 3 minute recovery phase or getting heart to the very floor of its aerobic range. Whatever that range is (I can't figure mine out so just fudge it).

Sorry if that's no help to OP. Probably are some intense routines online you could experiment with to see what suits you in the 20 minute window.

I'd probably love living in middle east climate if only I could cycle & hike everywhere at dawn. Somehow I sense that's not the done thing.

Do you seriously imagine I care what you think about me?

You're supposed to slow down to about 25% of your Max effort level which if you are sprinting as hard as you can should be a slow jog.

Abs Are made in the kitchen not the gym though and you can't out train a bad diet, you just need to be smart utilising your time to increase your fat burn when you're not exercising.

Wow. I really didn't mean to start an argument. I was just looking for some reassurance that I'm not going to turn into a puddle of mush if I lighten up my exercise routine a bit!

lljkk we go camping and hiking in the cooler months, the problem is from about mid-April till November the temperature round the clock is 30+ with anywhere from 40 to 80% humidity. It's possible, but for me I melt into a puddle and I'm horrible at getting up at dawn. Afternoon/Evening workouts are much better for me.

My abs have a 2 inch gap in them that aren't going to be stitched together anywhere outside a hospital, regardless of diet or exercise. So abs and a flat stomach aren't really my goal. Being healthy, feeling strong and having good endurance are.

How would a runner estimate 'max effort', or 25% of max effort, Twinkie1?

Maybe by tracking heart rate at max speed and heart rate at slowest jog?

The weight you gain/loose is the balance of calorie intake vs expenditure so its all about reducing your intake to match your new routine. The only problem with "20 minute intense run" is that without proper warmup you risk injury so maybe start with 10 min moderate pace first. Are you able to devote more time in the weekend for stamina/endurance ie longer workouts?

Possibly Mondrian But it will be highly dependent on DC's activities.

On the max effort thing... I was thinking maybe like if a person can run 8 minute/mile pace sustained in intervals, then return to 10 minute/mile pace for the recovery phase (25% slower). Which is something OP could programme into a treadmill, I think, allowing for a 4-6 minute warmup first. Or if maxHR = 160 then return to 120 bpm in recovery phase of run (25% less). Not sure how else those ideas work.

I am worried that you are exercising far too much and not eating at all? Sounds dangerous to me. I hope you are looking after yourself.

I am eating! I'm making sure that I get everything I need, i.e. protein, complex carbs, loads of fruit and veg. What I'm not doing is snacking anymore, or bingeing on the weekends.

Sounds like you're doing loads right then.

You may well find that replacing 40min sessions with a reduced number of shorter high intensity runs will actually increase your fitness (waits nervously to get sworn at).

If you know your body it's quite easy to judge 25% effort.

I can run 10 intervals at 18k flat and jog at 8 in between. I know it's only 25% as I can recover pretty quickly and my breathing is back to normal by the time my sprint starts again.

Calorie in and expenditure works if you know how quick your metabolism is and how much you burn every second of the day. Doing HIIT means you increase your calorie burn for hours after exercising so it's really hard to work it out.

Of course you'll need to warm up or risk shin splints and other injury. A 4 minute stint on a rower or cross trainer is enough as long as you've stretched. You don't have to go stupidly fast just enough to get the blood pumping.

If you do [http://www.tabatatraining.com tabata training, you can do a workout in only 4 minutes! ]] So you could easily fit this in at lunchtime.

Mind you, you'll be a hot and sweaty mess, so won't be much good if you don't have a shower at work!

A 20 min HIIT session should be fine to keep you as you are now.

My expertise on HIIT is confined to what I just read in last 20 minutes never heard of it before that.

There seems to be a lot of sniping but one thing all the sources agree on is that it's meant for ELITE athletes. You need to know you're already in the top 5% to even try it, and even then maximum once a week to start, with maximum 4x/week, and then only if you think of yourself as exercise freak.

(People are so fat & unfit now that not hard to be in top 5%, mind)

I'm a runner not a gym bunny. The advice I like best said to mix things up: so one day I do intervals, another day hills, day 3 fast, & 4th day long & slow. A mixed regime like that works for all round fitness objectives, iyswim.

Sorry proper link to tabata training is here There's an app you can download for your phone which times you.

I only do HIIT and weights and am by no means an elite athlete!!

Shred is really HIIT if you put enough effort in and don't stop and it's not meant for elite athletes.