5:2 / IF Exercise & Fitness Thread Number 3: Advice and information for those following Intermittent Fasting .... and anyone else too

[BigChocFrenzy]

Why Exercise ?

Maintaining a normal bodyweight and taking regular exercise are 2 major areas of life which we can address to improve our health.

Regular exercise helps reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, some cancers, osteoporosis, dementia, depression.

Increasing your % muscle and / or reducing your % body fat lowers the risk of death from all causes LowerRiskMuscle

Regular exercisers gain the greatest benefits over their lifetime and they can minimise biological aging, i.e. "Bend the Aging Curve BendAge

Recent Research showed that lack of exercise is twice as likely to lead to premature death as being obese (BMI 30 -35)

Body Fat, Exercise & Diet
People who maintain their weight through diet alone without exercise are likely to have major deposits of visceral fat (the more dangerous kind around organs), even if BMI is ok.

They are TOFIs (Thin Outside, Fat Inside)

A MRI study found that:
45 % of women and nearly 60% of men with “healthy” BMI, had excessive levels of visceral fat i.e. clinically overweight

A Can J Card study showed visceral fat can be burned off via exercise, even if weight is unchanged (increased lean mass)

Hormesis

Hormesis, see Mattson , BlackSwan and Stronger is cutting edge science for nutrition & fitness.

Its principles are that alternating between “extremes” - e.g. feast & fast (5:2 / IF) , intense training & rest (HIIT) - makes the body more resilient.

The intermittent stress of lifting an extreme weight or performing at high speed for a short period pushes the body to overcompensate and prepare for an even greater future challenge HormesisTrain , Hormesis-Edge , and AntiFragile
The following recovery period avoids damage from over-stressing.

Fasted training

i.e. training on FDs (Fast Days), seems to increase the benefits of both training and IF.
Most experienced exercisers soon manage fasted training without loss of performance for sessions of up to 90 mins.

TYPES of Exercise

Main types: Aerobic, anaerobic, flexibility.

All exercise will burn fat, the more intense the faster the fat burn

Anaerobic
e.g. HIIT (see below), sprints, strength training
. Shorter training period
. Increases the RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) for up to 48 hrs
. Soon increases fitness
. May help correct insulin metabolism issues & target abs fat.

Aerobic
e.g. walking, running, cycling, swimming
. Longer training period
. May burn more calories during exercise, if it is lasts much longer than HIIT, but burns fewer afterwards
. It is easier to do for the less fit

Flexibility, Stability, Relaxation
e.g. yoga, stretching

The best exercise routine is one you enjoy and is sustainable.

HIIT cardio and resistance training / weight lifting are especially recommended to boost the effect of 5:2/IF, to increase weight loss, reduce body fat, retain muscle and maintain TDEE / BMR.

HOW to Exercise

If you are a very overweight unfit beginner:
. Check with your GP before starting exercise
. Start by walking 5-10 mins twice per day, gradually increase
. Try walk intervals: alternating 1 min faster pace, 1 min normal
. Build up to a brisk 30 mins daily walk and you will significantly improve your health & fitness
. Swimming is also good, preferably crawl or back stroke for less strain on back & joints.

Everyone Else:
Whether you join a gym or train at home or in the park:

• Train as intensively as your time, health and fitness level allow.
• Do not remain in your comfort zone, or you will not improve. But stop immediately if you feel any sharp pain.
• You are supposed to drip sweat and pant heavily !

Efficiency / Intensity: This Study proved that at speeds of 5mph or faster, running will burn more calories per mile than walking

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

HIIT is an exercise strategy which alternates brief intervals of high intensity exercise with less intense recovery periods

. Very time-efficient, producing the greatest fitness benefit in the least time (the advantage of hormesis)

. Increases both aerobic and anaerobic endurance

. May improve insulin metabolism, very important for health and abs fat.

. Reduces risk of heart problems more than doing lower intensity SteadyState , pp. 31-34.

HIIT can be applied to cardio or to bodyweight exercises, at home or gym.
Most gyms offer HIIT classes, e.g. spinning, circuit training, CrossFit, Tabata, Fartlek (=HIIT with irregular intervals)

FAST Exercise

"No time" to exercise ?
Or want to boost fitness & fat-burning metabolism

Dr Mosely developed a FastExerciseProgram to complement his 5:2 WOE
His Fast HIIT and strength routines can significantly improve metabolism & fat-burning capability

Other scientists like Tabata have developed routines now wisely incorporated in training.

HIIT Fitness Blasts

A few mins per day, 3-5 days per week

START with 2 mins warmup then EITHER

Sprint or Rope-skipping intervals
. 1 minute sprinting / skipping @ max effort +90 secs jogging to recover
. Do 5 intervals

OR

Fast Blasts
Choose from:
Running, stationary bike @ low resistance, rope-skipping, burpees, jumping jacks, spotty dog, punching air or bag, step-ups, swimming, squats, lunges, pressups, tricep dips, situps ... or any combination you like.

Choose type of Blast:

4-minute Blast
. 4 mins @ 90% effort

OR "Tabata" = 8 x intervals of 20 secs @ 100% effort + 10 secs recovery @ rest or slow speed
( FreeTimerApp )

OR 2 x20-sec intervals=
. 20-sec @ 100% effort
. 2 mins walk to recover
. 20-sec @ 100% effort

END any HIIT or Fat Blast with a few mins cooldown walk / jog

RESISTANCE Training / LIFTING

Helps retain muscle mass during weight loss and hence to maintain TDEE.
Lift at home / in the gym weights area / in a pump class.

It is best not to train the same muscle groups 2 days in succession, so have rest days, or cardio, or train different muscle groups on different days.
Try to build up to weight training for 30-60 mins twice per week.

Reps = the number of repetitions in a set of lifts
Sets are separated by brief rests
E.g. 3 sets of 12 reps = 36 lifts
Breathing: Inhale before lifting, exhale while lifting. Don't hold your breath.

WARNING
Do not lift massively heavy barbells, more than bodyweight, unless you are really fit with good technique.
Women who have given birth and / or are aged 40+ have a higher risk of pelvic floor / prolapse injuries when lifting heavy than young non-mums.

Press ups
Video

• The best upper body exercise
• Keep attempting one full pressup rather than doing several dozen girlie ones with your knees on the floor
• Once you can do one pressup, you will soon be able to build up to 5, then 10 etc.
• Tip: keep the abs rigid, so strong abs are as important as strong shoulders & arms
• Hand Release Pressups are good to build up strength for full ones
• Also build up via inclined pressups IncPress , see bottom of wiki page
• To increase the number of pushups IncNum

ATG Arse To Grass bodyweight squat

• The best exercise for the large muscle group in bum and thighs
• Basic principle: It is like having a pee on a public loo - get your bum down low and pointing to the rear, but not actually touching the seat

-Lean back on your heels, so that weight is on them, not on your toes

• Bring your arms forward
• Keep your back straight, but angled slightly forward, not vertical
• Squat down as far as you can without knee pain or hunching your back
• Push up from your heels, exhaling.

Pullups

• Very few women can do full ones, but assisted ones build excellent muscle
• Work the same muscles with the much easier Australian pullup / InvertedRow

If you have access to dumbbells / barbells, then for maximum effect, work the large muscle groups:
Squat BentOverRow (press button "female")
BehindNeckPress (press button "female")
DeadLift

To increase Strength
Lift as heavy as you can, low reps, with 1 minute rest between sets e.g. 5 sets x 5 reps each, i.e. totalling 25 lifts

To Build Muscle
Lift lower weight, 3 sets x 8-20 reps, i.e. totalling 24-60 lifts

To Build Endurance
Lift lower (NOT Girlie) weight for 3-5 mins, preferably without pauses

BUM / GLUTES
Squats & lunges are excellent
Also this 2-min bodyweight workout especially for women, targeting the bum:
WorkYourBum

ABS
Choose the exercises & number of reps for your fitness level

The plank
. Start at 2 x 15 secs. Build up to 2 x 45 secs
. Advanced:

1. Use TRX slings, picture 2

Side plank + hip raises
. If you can, keep the side of 1 foot plus 1 forearm on the floor, free arm straight up in the air, picture 3
. Easier - free hand on your hip. Easier still - keep calf & knee on the floor, instead of bent at the knees
. Start at 3 sets of 3. Build up to 3 x 30

Leg raises
. Lie flat on your back, with legs bent to 90 degrees
. Lower the legs one at a time to 1" above the floor (straight leg if you can) then raise again
. Start at 3 sets of 3 each leg. Build up to 3 x 15
. Advanced:

1. Lower both legs at the same time

Situps
. Hands forward to really work abs & avoid pulling the neck
. Alternatively, cross your arms over your chest
. Start at 3 sets of 3. Build up to 3 x 30
. Advanced:

1. Raise legs to 90 degrees & bring them towards you when you situp (double crunch)
2. Legs nearly flat on the floor
3. One leg bent at 90 degrees, the other held straight 1" above the floor
4. Hold a weight disc / dumbbells / barbell above your head

Angled Situps
. Lie on your back and rest one ankle on the opposite knee
. Angled situp so your opposite elbow touches the knee
. Keep the other hand be in the air by your knee, or alternatively supporting your head - do NOT pull on the neck
. Build up to 3 sets of 20 each side
. Advanced:

1. with dumbell
2. Situps with legs rotated 90 degrees to the left, resting on floor. Then repeat set with legs rotated to the right, on floor
3. Lie on the floor, rotate legs 90 degrees to the left. Raise and lower legs like that, keeping back on the floor. Repeat set with legs on other side
4. Keep legs raised & rotated to the left and do situps (double side crunch) Repeat with legs raised & rotated to the right

AVOID OSTEOPOROSIS

To retain bone strength and avoid a painfully disabled old age, start now:
Ideally weight-bearing exercises that load the bone along its length of these types:

Impact exercise E.g. walking, running, jumping, skipping rope, step class, hitting a heavy punch bag

Lifting: squats, press-ups, bench press, overhead press etc

Squats are much better for osteoporosis than lunges, also for knees:
The weight in a squat is transmitted down along the spine, through the hip, and down along the bones of the leg, whereas in a lunge, it is transmitted across the shinbone and puts pressure on the knee joint

Cycling normally does NOT increase bone density, as it does not load bones along their length. Osteo

KETTLEBELLS Kettle
Beginners:
. Two-handed swing
. Sumo Deadlift
. Turkish Getup
. Swing
. Clean and Jerk
. Press

Improve GRIP STRENGTH GripStrength , GripBuild

RUNNERS

. Sprinting improves fitness
. Regular 5 - 10 km runs burn significant fat, especially fasted

Running illustrates the "J or S-curve" effect, where increasing exercise improves health, up to a certain point, after which health worsens e.g. MayoClinic , RiceUni , JMed :

. Running 20 mins improves immune system

. A run of 90+ mins may weaken the immune system for up to 3 days.
With insufficient recovery periods, the damage is cumulative.
Elite runners have immune systems that handle that strain

. Long races 20k+ may cause micro-tears to the heart muscle in some runners, hence a 2-week recovery period is recommended.

CALCULATORS:
Calories Burned for specific exercises: ExerciseCals
Fitness Calculators: 52FastExercise
Estimate fitness age: FitAge
Estimate Vo2Max iTunes App: Vo2APP
Running Calories burned: RunningCals
Running Standards: Age-RelatedRunCalculator
TDEE 24hr activity times & body fat TDEE-Detail

Just popped in to congratulate B&W, knew you would do it!

B&W salsa in Cuba!!! That sounds gloriously exotic!!

Hi panda. Shred it with kettle balls sounds horrific .

I'm about to go to circuits. plank-tastic

I'll be looking out for my flashmob

Joins in the Salsa dancing for Persis reaching target and staying there whilst I've been off having fun!

Hi Panda That's great you've returned to exercise. Keep going and you'll start to notice you are getting fitter.

Hello you inspiring bunch! Exercise thread newbie here

Been doing 5:2 since mid -Feb and losing weight since start of the year . Long, long way to go still but 32 lb lighter and alot fitter already so now trying tp up my exercise slowly but surely.

I have a significant history of straining/injuring myself if I push too hard exercising while still very overweight. So for now, no running. So far I have been building up frequency, length and pace of daily walks (some intermittent fast/slow pace) walk more in general where I used to drive, have started cycling again and, since lurking on this thread, have begun building up daily pressups (B&W I liked what you said about start with 1 and increase each day). Don't do the full on ones on the floor but against a chair arm for now, to spare my joints a bit. Also doing alot more gardening now that I have more energy

I'm not going to be joining a gym or going to exercise classes but want to keep upping my daily exercise and see just how fit I can get. In my 50s now, big family picture of T2D, CVD, dementia and the like and am now determined to get back to being be slim and fit and very active again, and growing old disgracefully

Welcome, Clear
You are right: walking is excellent exercise for your heart & circulatory system, building up lower body strength, supporting bone density;
running is for when there isn't too much extra weight on your joints.
Pressups on a wall, table, chair etc will build up your upper body & core strength.
So, you're working on your whole bod

I've just done 90 mins of Killer Abs and Advanced Lifting. I'm currently typing during my treadmill cooldown walk

Impressive multi-tasking BCF !

Hi everyone, just wanted to check in and show off that I did the park run today in 32 mins - my PB ever is prob about 29 so I am really chuffed!!! I missed body pump due to my life being totally out of control but I am going to circuits tomorrow morning and as today was a FD and I won't eat before I go hopefully it will be a good fat burner!! I had a nice strong coffee before the run too!!

How's everyone else doing?

Well done, Persis - great stuff! You'll soon be posting new PBs, I'm sure.

No exercise for me this weekend - but yesterday I did 200 press ups in under 8 minutes. A set of 20 every 50 seconds. I figure if I can get comfortable doing that, then 20 every minute will be very doable. ATM, TBH, the last three or four of the later sets aren't perfect, but I'm pushing myself all the way, and when I do the challenge, my form will be perfect!

90 minutes intense workout, eh, BC? Good for you. Are there any recovery periods in that? Or are they just for wusses?

Great progress with the running, Persis and the pressups, B&W

Re my rests:
We have a ruthless trainer; he bulges with muscle like the Terminator; the class includes serious male lifters, real hardcore.
The idea is nearly continuous lifts, to exhaust the muscles, so that they rebuild even stronger.

. No breaks during the 25 mins Killer Abs - each exercise is done for one full song, then straight onto the next
. After this, there is a 5-min break to setup barbells and their weights, plus benches, mats, eater etc.and nip to loo.
. In the 60 mins advanced lifting again, each lift is without breaks for a full song. So hundreds of e.g. bench presses. We are allowed about 10 secs recovery between songs, when we also change weights on the barbell. There are also 3 breaks of about 1 minute each.

I can post some of the routines one day, if anyone would like to try - he is a really top strength trainer

We lift quite heavy, but I also do very short sets of lifting much heavier weights, 5-8 reps on my own in the weights room, on another day

Hi all. I'm still kicking about .

I enjoy reading about everyone's exercise exploits! Very inspiring.

This time last year I couldn't do a single press up and had zero strength. Now I'm training 3 times a week and a deadlift addict!

BigChoc I was very interested in the research you mentioned about walking after a weights session. Do you do a different cool down/stretch first?

Excellent, LetMe!

Now I'm training 3 times a week and a deadlift addict!

Details, please!

That's brilliant, Bus We've hooked her !
I find 40 mins treadmill walk -Mumsnetting- is enough in itself without stretches
I certainly feel relaxed afterwards - and my joints are almost 60 yrs old

Advanced Lifting Program
Just as an example, this evening's program (it follows 30 mins Killer Abs)
. 60 mins with huge number of lifts, v little recovery time. Aim is to exhaust muscles, to force rebuild.
. Same barbell weight throughout.
😓 1

• 3 sets x 30 x Barbell Squats, 3 secs between sets
• 3 sets x 10 x Bicep Curls, 3 secs between sets
• 3 sets x 30 x Bentover Row, 3 secs between sets 😓 2 For 1 song
• Continuous stepping onto / down from a step, Barbell on Shoulders 😓 3 For 1 song
• Continuous sets of Mountain Climbs (floor), at your own pace 😓 4 3 x combinations, no breaks:
• 30 x Static Barbell Lunge left leg
• 30 x Static Barbell Lunge right leg 😓 5 For 1 song
• Continuous sets of pressups, at your own pace 😓 6
• 3 sets x 30 x Straight-Leg Deadlift, 3 secs between sets
• 3 sets x 10 x Standing Shoulder Press, 3 secs between sets 😓 7 3 x combinations on a bench, 15 secs between combinations, nothing between sets:
• 30 x Bench press wide
• 10 x situps with arms in fhe air holding barbell
• 10 x tricep curls
• 10 x narrow bench press 😓 8 For 1 song Continuous intervals of
• 20 x straight-legged tricep dips on step
• 10 x pressups

Wowsa Big that's quite a killer workout! Seriously impressed.

I'm currently deadlifting 70kg, doing 3 sets of 5 reps. I've been trying to really work on my form recently and I'm really pleased with my progress. I also enjoy bench pressing and am currently lifting about 55kg. It's addictive and you certainly have hooked me! I like to mix it up with some dumbbell squats and other compound movements.

I'm usually on a bit of a time limit at the gym so probably walking for 10-15 mins is the max I can do. Do you think I need some additional stretches?

That's great to hear, bus You are really strong now < fist bumps >
10-15 mins should be sufficient for your CV system to adjust and to relax your lower body muscles.
I find I don't need stretches anyway, just a few arm rotations etc. However, you could optionally add some gentle upper body movement - I'm not a fan of tough static stretches; they even cause injury sometimes.

Evening, everyone!
Just signing in.
I successfully 5:2ed last year and lost 2 1/2 st. I took part in a swim challenge in Feb last year (the first time I had swam a full length in over 20years!!) and was regularly swimming a mile up to 4 times a week. Occasionally, I go to Pilates and aquafit. This is the sum total of my exercise...tried an exercise dvd a couple of times and bought the shred dvd .
The last few months have seen my motivation for 5:2 and exercise dwindle to almost nothing (and a stone creep back on) but I am back in the zone this week.
I've had three weeks away from the pool but splashed back in this evening and got to a mile in my usual time. Stayed for the aquafit class afterwards and am now looking forward to crawling into my bed
I'm wondering whether to swim again in the morning or just leave it for this week. I did Pilates last night so am fully expecting to ache in the morning (it's usually the second morning after the class) but part of me wants to go while I'm feeling enthusiastic.
I don't always have time to go each week so I find if I have the chance to go to the pool 4 nights in a row I should because the following week I might only be able to go once.
Maybe I should dust off the dvds for the days I can't get to the pool.

Blimey, BC, I got tired just reading that!

Well done, LetMe, sound like you're having fun.

Nice to see you again, Haddock - you'll feel so much better now you're back in the zone!

I'm a lot more relaxed these days about leaving gaps in my training - IMO, you wouldn't benefit much by exercising the same muscles 4 days in a row. Good idea to mix it up with a bit of variation. No doubt BC will be back to offer some good advice.

Welcome back, Hiccup
What you eat & drink is overwhelmingly more important for weight loss than exercise.
So, concentrate on 5:2, especially on training yourself to eat within TDEE on NFDs. I suggest when you reach goal that you make some form of IF your longterm WOL, to avoid the yoyo frustration.

Medium intensity steady state exercise - like swimming, running - often increase hunger. Reaction is individual, but I suggest avoiding FD swims until you are used to fasting again.
If you enjoy swimming, schedule it on say 2 (preferably non-consecutive) NFDs per week for now.

What better suits 5:2 is lifting or HIIT, which tend to decrease hunger, e.g. Shred (iirc free level 1 on YouTube), pump, martial arts, or spin classes. Pilates is good too.
Also, add try adding Mosely's Fat Blasts which are 4-5 mins on up to 5 days per week. You don't need equipment and can do them at home.

Add a brisk daily walk too. Mumsnet on the treadmill is my exercise cooldown

Basically, exercise only helps weight loss is you don't eat back calories, i.e. set TDEE at a lower activity level and aim within that on NFDs
I know of several women who actually gained weight training for marathons (much less likely in blokes)

Thank you, both.
One of the pros of me going swimming (especially on a FD) is that it fills 2 hours without me even thinking about eating. Fortunately, it doesn't increase my hunger and I am usually so tired afterwards (if I go in the evening) that I go straight to bed.
Will look up Mosely's Fat Blasts and try and fit in more walking. I do try to walk at least half an hour each day and am often pushing a heavy double buggy with two toddlers!!
I shall focus my energy on FDs and try not to blow it on NFDs!!
Thanks for the advice

Well, I've done it! 1000 press ups in less than an hour!

1012 in 54:13, to be exact! And I did the last set of 17 in 15 seconds

I intended to start off with sets of 20 for 300 or so, then drop down to 17 for another 3-400 and finish up with 300 at 14. But I found it relatively easy to continue with sets of 20 - so I stayed with those up to 500, when I switched to sets of I7. I could have gone on for another 5 minutes and done another 85 or so within the hour.

Now I know I can do it, I can go ahead and start organising the fund-raising for my attempt!

By the time I actually do the challenge, I'm certain I'll be able to do 20 every minute for the full 60 minutes - so 1200 is certainly doable!

Just to show how far I've come in less than 6 months, I went back and looked at the post where I first mooted the possibility of 1000 press ups in a day.

Breadandwine Sun 15-Nov-15 10:48:39
Yesterday I managed 100 press ups in 5 sets in less than 90 minutes!

I know I could go on doing 20 press ups every 15-20 minutes - but I don't want to overdo it.

Now for two days rest. On Tuesday I'll do the 100 in 60 minutes. When I can do them within 20 minutes I'll start doing weighted press ups.

Be nice to be back in my pre-op condition by Christmas! smile

Now, I think it's time I shared with you guys something I've been mulling over for several weeks.

Someone, can't think where, recently mentioned 1000 press ups in a day. I was idly musing on this with my YMCA mate, saying that it was an achievable goal for sometime in the future. He perked his ears up and said that could be a fundraiser - "78-year-old bloke does 1000 press ups in a day."

So, in the back of my mind, is a target for next year. I'm thinking that if I was to set out to raise money for 2 charities - the YM and the local hospice, St Margaret's, say, both would join in with publicity, etc, and I'd get a fairly wide audience.

The YM has promised me space to carry out the exercise. All I have to do is get into shape.

But there's more. At my peak earlier this year, I managed 50 press ups in one minute. I'm pretty sure I could manage, 30 say, every 5 minutes for several hours. That's 360 in an hour - 1080 in 3 hours. So, if I could keep this up for 6 hours, then 2000 is achievable.

So that's my goal, ATM. But, as with losing weight, the goal can change the nearer you get to it.

Hardcore B&W well done!

Inspired by you and others on this thread I am building up very gradually to 'proper' press ups. Can feel the progress already on inclined PUs, just a few a day inreasing gradually and going a bit lower week by week. Not hardcore but definitely building some muscles strength. Doing same with situps daily