Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Fitness guru
Trying to think here if any of my readers work out. My Sis does, but I don’t think she’s ever made a study of it, nor worked with a trainer. Kris Starr, but does Kris still visit? I think I lost her along with Kate and most of the other Romance crowd when I got old and dull and boring. If I’m not writing tarantula porn, they simply don’t love me as much.
Anyway, I am trying to figure out why I can work like a horse on the elliptical trainer and not feel at all tired afterward, yet I can’t do shit on the treadmill. According to the heart monitor on the elliptical, I’m getting my heart rate up into the 140s and keeping it there for a good 40 to 50 minutes or more. But on the treadmill, if I run hard enough to get my heart rate into the 140s, I’m lucky if I can keep that up for three minutes.
So I ask you, what gives? Why can’t I run? Why does even power walking (which for me means anything over 3 miles per hour!) tire the crap out of me and give me shin splints? And yet I can set the elliptical to a resistance of 10 or 11 and go at it for an hour.
Another question: is it a good aerobic exercise if I’m not suffering? Running (or even fast walking) feels like work. So I’m going along at a heart rate of 125 thinking This is kicking my ass, but if I hop on the elliptical and get my heart rate up to 145, I’m hunky-dorey. (More dorey lately than hunky, but we’re working on it.)
I want my trainer back. But she jumped ship when my health club changed management, and she’s off at some Other Gym training other guys, and I’m all alone with the yutzes at my current club who sometimes try to trick me into signing a contract for training. The most recent guy demonstrated such ignorance of the subject, though, that I pegged him as someone who had been sent away to the Three Day Trainers’ Camp rather than someone who had studied this shit in college (like my trainer).
Ugh. Maybe I need to bite the bullet and pay day rates at the other gym to use my old trainer. Meanwhile, I’m trying to work from Eric Heiden’s fitness book in order to do it myself. But it’s a long hard road.
D.
Maybe it’s the impact? There’s none on an elliptical, but plenty on the treadmill. Also, are you walking on an incline? I honestly don’t know your answer, (shin splints tend to make me think it’s the impact) but I’d think that what matters is your heart rate, not the method used to get it.
It’s all about heart rate, but then again if you are doing the elliptical (and have been for a while) those muscles are stronger. When I had a trainer, he jumped me from machine to machine telling me every so many weeks that I had to change it up. Your body probably knows the elliptical too well.
The best money I spent was on a trainer. (Kris and I used the same one) No need to change gyms, just try to find a freelance trainer. Might be more money in the beginning, but if they can set you on the right path, they don’t have to be there daily, or even weekly. After the initial butt-kicking sessions, just set up to meet with them every 4-5 weeks. Then you can make sure you get one that studied this in college!
huh. it’s weird that i can walk really well up to 4.0 or higher on a treadmill, yet using an elliptical winds me and i’m pretty sure it hurt my hip too (this was over the summer). biking or running? hell no.
we got two coupons for three free training sessions at one of the women only places around here, so i think my mom and i are going to try it. and i might try and sign up for jazzercize. because i’m a laaaaazy bum and my brother’s getting married in five months and i want to look GREAT!
Hey there, babycakes! I’m here! And my absence has had everything to do with me, because you’re certainly not old and dull and boring. (I think I missed the tarantula porn, though…)
I’ve been suffering with a version of The Crud (as was Dean, apparently) for over a month now, but even more time-consuming is my li’l miss Junior Peanut, who’s six months old. (If anyone is an old, dull and boring blogger it’s ME because I’ve had nothing clever to say for ages.)
Per your quandary, though — I’ll echo Rella. Personal trainers are definitely worth the money, especially if being accountable to this person is a good motivator for you (it worked wonders for me, especially because you’re *paying* this person to be there for you). And yes, it sounds like you’ve become accustomed to the elliptical. You need to shake things up and force your muscles out of their complacency.
Making sure your trainer has had the requisite schooling is vitally important (but I think you know that, too).
We have at least one family wedding coming up in 2011, possibly a second (a Christmastime engagement, no date set) and I’d like to look smokin’ at those events, myself. So I’m going to start moving more in the new year. Whether or not I can get PT services will depend entirely on upcoming royalty cheques.
Sorry for making you feel abandoned! I promise I’ll pop back when I have a moment.
*smooches*
Well, HOWDY! All my ol’ pals.
Tam, I usually do a small incline (whatever “1.0” is on this machine). Not even much of a visible slope. I do worry about the impact, though, since I’m not getting any younger and I don’t want to wreck my hips or knees.
Rella, yeah, that’s what I feared (“Your body probably knows the elliptical too well.”) I wish I knew more exercise anatomy/physiology to understand this whole thing better.
Shaina, of course you’ll look great. Maybe even GREAT 🙂
Hi Kris! Yes, yet another who can’t help but look smokin’. I don’t know if I have any more tarantula porn in me, but chameleon porn would be better still (ever see two veiled chameleons mate?)