Well we made it to Japan and all is well. I’m finally just getting back on a regular workout schedule. I’ll be spending 4 nights per week at the K-Fit gym in Kakegawa. And I am continuing a 6 day per week morning cardio session I started well over 10 weeks ago. Gotta’ stay on top of it if you want to keep up with that Last 10 Pounds.
Moving is always an adventure; saying goodbye to friends, trading contact information, getting to meet new people. And sometimes you just get blown away by what is said. Remember what I have said in previous blogs about comments from other people, if they notice, you’re on the right tract. Comments from acquaintances are the most valuable measure of your progress; better than the ARMY Standard, more accurate than Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry and more meaningful than even my prize KPI’s. When someone pays you a comment, it is truly motivational. It provides reassurance that you have ‘walked the walk’ and not just talked about it. So here are a few comments I received during the transition from Taiwan to Japan.
The first comment came from a fellow gym rat that I met in Beijing and had dinner with during my last visit (end of October). Her name is Ning and we were discussing the upcoming move to Japan. I had told her that I would be close to the ocean and it looked like surfing was popular in that area. I made the comment that I might give it a shot. She immediately replied that I should be careful and when I queried why, she told me I had a nice body and some Japanese girl just might steal me away. I was blown away, not so much from the comment but in the following context; Ning makes a living applying makeup to models in Beijing before magazine photo shoots and local fashion shows. She sees women and men half-dressed day in and day out. And in the Chinese modeling industry, I have to assume just like in the US, over fat is an instant career killer. It is really flattering when someone from that industry makes a positive comment.
The next came from yet another gym rat that haunted the World Gym in Taichung, his name is Matthew and he is from Scotland (UK). Here’s a guy that routinely squats in the 350 and deadlifts in the 400 pound range asking me for advice on what he can do to look more like me. That in and of itself, is quite a compliment. Here we have a 55 year old, 5’11’’ probably 220 pounds and built like an old time strong man; barrel chested, huge biceps, skinny forearms, skinny calves. But he can push some weight. Over the course of the several months that I knew him, we talked for what seemed like hours on this subject; we talked basic nutrition, lifting style, sets, reps and all the stuff two old guys discuss when they are serious gym goer’s.
And then there was Curser, he is from Turkey and is built like a Persian Gladiator. He also was a regular at the World Gym in Taichung and like Matt, Curser routinely would squat out 400 pounds or bench close to 300 lbs. He used the term Warrior when he described my look. I’ve always accepted hat as a special compliment. I thank him for recognizing the discipline it takes to stay with a healthier lifestyle.
This last comment really took me off guard; it was during my first workout in Kakegawa Japan. A young Japanese man, proably 24’ish and spoke English very well (he was educated in the US, in Georgia), introduced himself as Sooki. He is trying to establish himself in the golf world here in Japan. Anyway, as he was watching my first workout he commented; ‘your arms are huge’. I was a bit embarrassed by the comment because the guns are actually in the 14 1/2” range, what I would consider proportional to my 5’9” frame; roughly the same diameter as my neck and calves. That’s a hell of comment; I smiled all the way home.
Getting back to the 6 day per week cardio. Actually I came up with a run routine that I would like to share. It won’t kill you like most daily steady pace runs and gives a pretty consistent calorie burn. And it is easily modifiable; duration, intensity and of course, frequency. I stumbled onto it during my 4 week trial of Lyle McDonald’s UD2 protocol and after reading several articles on his web site. In UD2 he has a short paragraph or two on diet and exercise routines for endurance athletes. It uses the same 7 day carb cycle associated with various run routines. And in one of his online articles he made the obvious but bold statement; if you want to be good at something you need to practice it. When we practice lifting a weight with correct form when rested, when fatigued, we will still maintain the form, to a certain extent. If we run, even at a slower pace, and practice good form, it stands to reason that we will maintain good form when fatigued. This prevents injury and allows us to lift heavier and run further, even when fatigued. Practice Makes Perfect. So the question came up; what kind of cardio routine can you do on a daily basis that can be varied enough to fit within the 7 day carb cycle?
Split 20’s
The actual routine is 10 minutes of steady state running at a slow jog (11 to 12 min/mile) followed by 10 minutes of intervals, 1 minute runs (8 to 10 min/mile) followed by 50 seconds fast walk (13 minute/mile). This is one bout, give yourself a 4 minute slow walk then repeat. Two bouts, including a second 4 minute cool down walk at the end takes about 45 minutes. With this routine I can put in 4 to 4.5 miles a day and up to 26 miles per week. You can add bouts, you can lengthen the steady state, you can shorten up the rest periods between intervals, etc…, etc…, and etc… You can do these outside or on a treadmill; split 20’s are versatile to say the least. I have a tendency to mix it up. On days after an evening of squats or deadlifts, it’s generally the straight protocol; two bouts of 10 on 10. On days after benches and curls, sometimes I will add a bout but generally, instead of a walk between run intervals, I will speed it up to a slow jog. And sometimes instead of an 8 min/mile interval run, I kick it up to a slow sprint in the 6 to 7 min/mile range.
For 10 weeks, I have been running these split 20’s and when I do run the occasional steady state 4 to 6 miles, I feel really strong. My best historical runs have always been in the 9:30 to 10 min/mile range with a majority of Saturday 5k (3 mile) runs in the 10:30 min/mile range. After completing split 20’s on a daily basis, not only can I tolerate longer steady runs in the 4 to 6 miles, I find that I can run a consistent 10 min/mile during these runs. The best part, I feel that the split 20’s are a hell of a lot easier on the knees and hips as compared to how I feel just running two or three times a week at a steady pace; e.g. these are really the perfect routine for aging runners (my opinion).
Now the times I quoted may not be the fastest, but they certainly aren’t the slowest and if you’re looking for a general cardio routine to compliment weight training, give these Split 20’s a try. They will up your run Practice and allow more miles at a faster pace with minimal injury. Remember, Practice Makes Perfect.
With that, you need versatility and practice if you’re going to gain on that Last 10 Pounds.
MMJennings
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