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What other than crossfit??


GFgirl

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I do see that many here are into cross fit. What other types of workouts do people do? I do not see myself doing cross fit in the near future or if at all.

I usually work out 5/6x a week with 3 days weights, 2 cardio, and one day of yoga. i also walk about 2-3 miles everyday. I prefer to workout at home and normally do DVDs( you name it, I probably have it). I have weight sets ranging from 3lbs to 50lbs.

From what I am reading cardio is a bit of a waste of time?!? Not a huge cardio fan, so that works for me.

Should I be cutting back from my 2/3 days of cardio and just focus more on my lifting days? How many days a week do people normally workout?

Would love some insight and direction.

Amy

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I walk nearly everyday just because I like it...my intensity varies quite a bit so I hesitate to count it as a "workout". I am trying to get back into running (again, because I like it...not for "chronic cardio") so I'm easing into a 5K training program to get my legs back under me. I rebound and infrared sauna detoxification and relaxation. I do strength training (kettlebells, free weights, body weight exercises) 2-3 times per week and hot yoga 2-3 times per week. I do not do Crossfit either and I don't really see it in my future...

I have dabbled in sprinting and like it but it hasn't made it into my regular routine yet...

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I walk 45mins to an hour on most days, lift three times a week, tap dance, hike, and other random fun things. I despise the gym. Seems kinda weird and unnatural to me...and it stinks to have to force myself to go. So, I gave up on the torture and I do lots of fun things now! :D

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I usually do 12 minutes of high intensity interval training (HIIT) in my living room 4 to 6 times a week...that's all I do as far as formal exercise sessions...with HIIT you really don't need that much. I try to be more active in general and do things like walk to my office, park farther away, walk my dog...just get little bits of activity in here and there.

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Cardio a waste of time?!? ::::speechless::::

I know that weight lifting has a lot of benefits (building muscle, losing fat, increasing bone density, etc. etc. etc.) but for me personally, the idea of lifting weights makes me want to yawn and turn on the TV. I also haven't set foot inside a gym in almost 5 years, because I simply don't want to. But on Sunday I ran up a foggy, soggy mountain trail in the rain and it was just glorious. I've been consistently running (trail and road), hiking, and intermittent yoga/triathlons for five years now and I know my heart, lungs, feet, calves, the entire rest of my body, and spirit are stronger because of it! Others I'm sure feel the same way from cross fit, sprinting (ow), weights, pilates, etc. etc.

I think unless you're trying to meet specific performance goals, anything that motivates you, personally, to get your butt up off the couch is worth doing!

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I'm not in an area that CrossFit has come to. It sounds intriguing.....

I get bored easily and really like a lot of variety. I have a sit down job (though I now have a sit-to-stand computer desk which I love :wub: ), so I try to be active outside of work. I love the ease of DVD workouts for variety at home (big fan of interval type training because I like the results I see quickly). I am just getting back into jogging after a 2 year break. Never really a runner, but jogging is so easy to do no matter where you are and a good stress reliever. I don't log a lot of miles, pretty relaxed about it.

I'm toying with the idea of a personal trainer for a more focused strength routine. But for now, working on lots of body weight exercises at home like push ups and squats and such. Is it weird I like burpees?

And there are weeks where I don't really "exercise" because we're scraping the outside of our home and painting (which is a lot of work and hence I count as a workout), or it's yard clean up time and we spend the day raking and bagging and climbing and carrying. I wish I lived closer to the woods, because I'd hike more often.

I'm really intrigued by MovNat and thinking about getting to one of their retreats.

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This thread is really interesting to me. Traditionally, I've also been really into video fitness and I've got the makings of a home gym to rival most commercial ones. I also love outdoor fitness and have been loving triathlon (shorter distances) for the past 3 years or so.

The problem is that I have been restricted from all forms of impact for the past 7 months and don't see that changing in the near future (foot injury and surgery recovery that is still not complete). In addition, we just moved into a smaller home with zero space for my workouts. I had hoped to make room in our garage for a workout space, but that's not going to work and I'm pretty upset at the idea of selling all my equipment and DVD's.

So now I'm wondering what my next fitness related move will be. I fear most of my options are not going to be fun and that is really not inspiring. I've never been in such a situation before and new ideas are always welcome!

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GLC, could you do yoga, modified where needed, to build strength/flexibility/inner peace without hurting your foot? This combined with light walking if you are able could be quite satisfying mentally and physically.

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GLC ...I have some discs in my back that won't tolerate running or moving myself into a pretzel. If you check out my post above...you'll see some of the things I do. Honestly, I think hiking & kayaking are are such wonderful ways to exercise. It feels great to be out in the woods or on the water. Very relaxing for the mind but yet I work up a sweat as I vary my intensity. I used to go to the gym every day, but I never really enjoyed it. Now I look forward to exercise! I hope you can find something that you enjoy too! :)

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Paleo/Whole30 was actually my gateway to CrossFit...the two complement each other SO well. It's amazing to have a WOD kick your butt and then be able to fuel your recovery properly with whole foods. (It's also helpful that your gym buddies don't even bat an eye when you whip out your tupperware full of salmon and sweet potato.) :D

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You may have already tried these in your home-dvd routine, but I am doing Jilian Michael's 30 day shred and will next do Ripped in 30. In the shred, there are three levels. Each level contains three circuits and each circuit consists of 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. There are modified versions of more intense and beginner. The premise is that you stay at each level for 10 days and then move on. I think Ripped in 30 is a bit different as there are four levels you do each level for a week.

For athletes, this may not be a big challenge, but if you do the more advanced moves in each circuit (and use heavier weights for the strength section)...I'm pretty sure you'll work up a great sweat and get in a good (fast) workout. 30 day shred is about 20 minutes long and the Ripped in 30 is about 25 mins long (each one is under $10 on amazon). I love the combination of strength, cardio, and ab work!

I'm on Day 15 of the shred and can already tell a difference in my shoulders and waist. Jillian can get annoying but others have recommended to mute the tv and turn on some music.

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I find this topic to be interesting as well. I'm actually kind of disappointed that the Whole9 is so closely affiliated only with Crossfit. This is simply a healthy lifestyle. I've given Crossfit conducted at a box a fair chance and it's just not my cup of tea (at least the programming at our boxes is questionable at times). But to each his own.

I think that this lifestyle is fesiable for any athlete. You just need to know where and when to eat what.

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Thanks Tray and Keri!

I've tried yoga and its not really my cup of tea. Of course, now that I have to rethink so much of my activity, it would probably be worth trying again.

I love hiking (but impact is a problem on descents around here) and kayaking, but I can't do those things after work during the week very well. Luckily, we just moved to where its possible for me to bike to work, so I get to start that next week! Yay!

I do feel like I should do strength training though. I may have to sick it up and head to the gym again. ;)

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I'm not in an area that CrossFit has come to. It sounds intriguing.....

I get bored easily and really like a lot of variety. I have a sit down job (though I now have a sit-to-stand computer desk which I love :wub: ), so I try to be active outside of work. I love the ease of DVD workouts for variety at home (big fan of interval type training because I like the results I see quickly). I am just getting back into jogging after a 2 year break. Never really a runner, but jogging is so easy to do no matter where you are and a good stress reliever. I don't log a lot of miles, pretty relaxed about it.

I'm toying with the idea of a personal trainer for a more focused strength routine. But for now, working on lots of body weight exercises at home like push ups and squats and such. Is it weird I like burpees?

And there are weeks where I don't really "exercise" because we're scraping the outside of our home and painting (which is a lot of work and hence I count as a workout), or it's yard clean up time and we spend the day raking and bagging and climbing and carrying. I wish I lived closer to the woods, because I'd hike more often.

I'm really intrigued by MovNat and thinking about getting to one of their retreats.

If you like burpees, you're doing them wrong. Do 50 or 100 as quickly as possible. I promise you'll change your mind. :-)

We do CrossFit in our garage. We've spent quite a bit outfitting our garage gym, but I love being able to walk 50 feet and be in my gym. I choose the music. I curse if I feel like it. I could workout naked (with the door closed), were i so inclined. I LOVE having my own gym.

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Kettlebell are AWESOME! They are cheap, work the whole body, don't hog space and are fun. I'm working on the kids form while my foot recovers from surgery and can't wait to swing with my babies. I'm also getting a slackline for rehab. Used one once at a rock climbing gym and it ate me for dinner.

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Zumba 2-3 times a week, Convict Conditioning bodyweight exercises (I'm still on the low levels) each day rotating muscle groups, belly dancing (I teach 3 classes a week), and walking (although the sun isn't rising early enough right now for happy morning walks).

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If you like burpees, you're doing them wrong. Do 50 or 100 as quickly as possible. I promise you'll change your mind. :-)

We do CrossFit in our garage. We've spent quite a bit outfitting our garage gym, but I love being able to walk 50 feet and be in my gym. I choose the music. I curse if I feel like it. I could workout naked (with the door closed), were i so inclined. I LOVE having my own gym.

I do burpees right, and I still love em. Although, being so close to the ground has it's advantages. My one burpee time is half that of most others in the gym because I'm so dern short. :0)

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I can burpee til the cows come home..... Burpees directly into a 30" box jumps are another story!!!! You got to do them fast or it messes with the timing.... I was going for 25 the other day and left 1/2 my shin on the box at rep 22!!!!

Back on topic...... To the OP... TABATA drills are amazing and can be done with almost any exercise. Running, cycling,push-ups, burpees, squat jumps, swimming, ball slams, kettle bells,, anything. The key is to warm up very well, then you strictly time 8 sets of 20 sec 100% performance, followed by 10 seconds 50-60%. It's very important to keep your time .... That means by the time your 5 seconds into your rest, you ramp it up so you get the full 20 seconds at 100%. ( with push-ups you hold a bridge, squats... A catchers stance etc). The key is to go all out for all 8 sets with no addition rest..... Then recover for 2-3 min at 60% work load

I do an entire conditioning workout once or twice a week with 4-6 sets of tabata drills.... If doing push-ups or squats, etc.... I'll jump on a stationary bike or run around the building as my recovery period.....

These will set you on fire!!!!!!

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You can also do your Tabata drills with 100% effort for 20 seconds, then 10 seconds REST. That is how they are usually done. So for squats, you wouldn't necessary have to stay down in the bottom of your squat (aka catcher's stance), and for push-ups you wouldn't have to hold a plank, etc. That is a more advanced variation.

But yes they are really great at building aerobic as well as anaerobic capacity.

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You can also do your Tabata drills with 100% effort for 20 seconds, then 10 seconds REST. That is how they are usually done. So for squats, you wouldn't necessary have to stay down in the bottom of your squat (aka catcher's stance), and for push-ups you wouldn't have to hold a plank, etc. That is a more advanced variation.

But yes they are really great at building aerobic as well as anaerobic capacity.

Very true.... I forgot to mention that you can do these, activity/sport specific... For kickboxing we don't come to a complete rest and do 10 sets to better simulate a five min round....

One of the hardest workouts we do is to chose 4 exercises, say burpees, squat jump, ball slam, push-ups, and do a cycle of 30 seconds each, no rest, and keep cycling through for five min... To simulate a five min round.... One min rest and then change the frequency to 20 sec then ten sec.... For a total of three five min rounds..... You work not at max but 85% of max.... I believe this is referred to as cardiac threshold training? It works.... You are at the threshold of a cardiac arrest in18 min!!!! Lol

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