I was chatting with my new "trainer" and we were discussing the cardio part of my workout. I told him that I run two to two and a half miles a day and that was it as far as cardio. I run outdoors so I'm able to change courses and incorporate hills and such. Anyway, he suggested that I run for time and not distance. I was finishing my two miles in about 16 minutes and I was informed that I wasn't going to make much progress since I wasn't keeping my heart rate up long enough.

I don't mind running for time, but keeping that up for 30-40 minutes.. I could run to the next town haha. When I get home I'm too exhausted to do my pushups/situps/stretching. I've tried walking part of the course, but then I feel my heart rate drop too much and have to work harder to get it up again.

The question I have would be, what can I do to maintain my heart rate for the duration of my 40 minute cardio session without feeling exhausted at the end? Any suggestions for variations of walking/jogging/running/sprinting would be helpful.

Thanks!!

 

if it is your legs that are exhausted then you can always do different cardio for 40 minutes. Say 20 minutes of running and 20 minutes of swimming (but it would be hard to do back to back). If it is your whole body that is exhausted I'm sorry there really isn't much for you to do. You're going to just have to push yourself for the next 2 weeks until you get used to it. Your body will eventually adapt. For example, my wife is training for a half marathon and she has started going to wrestling with me. So on some days she runs for an hour or more straight and then has to shower, get dressed, and go wrestle a few hours later. It kicked her ass for a while but her body is used to it now.

 

that makes sense. its not my legs that are tired, its my whole body.

 

ive started back up with kickboxing. 40 to 50 mins at the most and it keeps the heart rate up and uses most muscles. i adapt pretty fast to cardio also. i am tired usually before and dont want to do it but when im done the boost after stays for several hours. all the kicks and punches make the workout go fast. i noticed dehydration is what gets me tired. so i have to drink alot before, during and after the kickboxing.

 

i wish i could see how fast you were jogging/running. its really not about how much ground you cover, so even if you only ended up going for a total of 3 to 3.5 miles (instead of 4-4.5 at your current rate), but you kept a slow, steady pace w/in your target rate, you should be fine

the only reason i say this is b/c like you said, its your entire body. i think you may be pushing too hard? :dunno: try to slow it down to a trot and check your heart rate. of course, try to keep good form and minimize crazy bouncing, which could happen from a slower pace

 

I've become a big fan of eliptical trainers. I use one for 30 mins twice a week and just go fast enough to work up a sweat and keep my heart rate up. The low impact is great for me because I'm prone to shin splints.

 

I never read or heard of the concept but I've been running for time instead of distance since highschool... I never saw the point in running to a place considering you should be getting there faster/less exhausted the more you progress.

 

I am a huge fan of them, mine is being delivered next wednesday :yay:

Sarah, the best way to do this is run in circuits. Run hard for 30 seconds, walk for a minute, and repeat for however long you want to run.

I promise you will see results with this method.

 

I'm jealous......:run:

 

lucky bastard.. i want one really bad. how much did it cost ya?