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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
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<head><title>My experiments with training and fitness</title>
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<div class="maketitle">
<h2 class="titleHead">My experiments with training and fitness</h2>
<div class="author" ><span
class="cmr-12">Pranav A. Bhounsule,</span>
<br /> <span
class="cmr-12">Comments to: </span><a
href="mailto:[email protected]" ><span
class="cmr-12">[email protected]</span></a><span
class="cmr-12">.</span>
<br /><span
class="cmr-12">My homepage: </span><a
href="https://pab47.github.io/" ><span
class="cmr-12">https://pab47.github.io/</span></a></div><br />
<div class="date" ><span
class="cmr-12">Revisions: In 2014; 8/20, 8/25; 9/13 9/18; In 2015; 3/29, 7/25, 11/8; In 2019; 10/16</span></div>
</div>
<!--l. 19--><p class="noindent" ><span class="likeparagraphHead"><a
id="x1-1000"></a>Prologue:</span>
This document is for people who want to get into better shape and stay fit. Do you lead a sedentary
life? Do you wish you were in better shape? If you answered yes on both counts, then this document might
help you.
<!--l. 21--><p class="indent" > How does one get into better shape and stay fit? There is no single method that works for all. This is
because everybody is unique. Your best bet is to try out a few ideas and see what works best for you. It
will take both, time and patience. But then, you will be well rewarded. You will rarely fall sick. But if you
fall sick, then you will recover much faster. You will feel renewed energy at work. You will
develop a positive attitude. Your self esteem will grow. And so on. There are so many positive
aspects of remaining fit that I urge you to try to make fitness one of your important (life)
goal.
<!--l. 43--><p class="indent" > <span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Why should you read my advice? </span>Because of my track record. I have been consistent with fitness
over the last six year. I have averaged 210 gym visits per year (4 visits per week) and burnt an average of
13,000 calories per month, maintained an average weight of 150 lb. (142 lb. during training/race season). I
have done 2 half marathons, 2 marathons, 1 half ironman. Most importantly, in these six years, I have had
zero training related injuries.
<!--l. 45--><p class="indent" > <span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">What have I learnt about fitness so far? </span>In the next section, I will list some general ideas and
tips that I have helped me in my quest to stay fit. I cannot claim any of these ideas to be novel. I found
them either on the web or by talking to people. I did not implement all of them at the same time. But I
gradually added them to my training regimen. I discarded and/or modified the ideas that did not work for
me. You will realize that there is lot of advice available. But everybody is unique. So not all advice will
apply to you. I recommend taking a tip, experimenting with it, and tweaking/tuning it to suit ones own
goals and needs.
<!--l. 47--><p class="noindent" ><span class="likeparagraphHead"><a
id="x1-2000"></a>Fitness tips, tricks, and hacks based on my experiences (so far).</span>
<ol class="enumerate1" >
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2002x1"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Prioritize work over training. </span>If there is a tie between doing work (e.g. studying, office
work) and working out like during an impending deadline, choose work. However, if you
are skipping a workout most times, then clearly you need to better manage your time and
priorities.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2004x2"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Home gym vs private gym. </span>I have always used a private gym. In my case, this has been
the university recreation facility (my job is in academia). You will get better equipment in a
private gym but then you will have to pay monthly/yearly fees and then there is the commute
time. Home gym is viable option if you have the space for the equipment and want to think
long term. Weights are cheap and are a one-time investment. However, cardio equipment
such as elliptical, treadmill, bike trainer are relatively expensive and have a maintenance cost
associated with them.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2006x3"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Save time by building a cardio workout into your daily work. </span>For example, bike to
work or run to work. I know a professor who advises students while doing his cardio on the
treadmill. Here is another idea that does not appeal to me but might excite you. Use standing
desks at your workplace or at home. Still better, put a treadmill near the standing desk and
walk while you work!
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2008x4"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Use public roads for cardio with caution. </span>Some people get their cardio exercise by biking
and/or running on public roads, sharing the road with motorized vehicles. A word of caution.
Be extremely alert of the automobiles around you. Try to run against the traffic direction,
so you are always facing the incoming traffic. Biking in the opposite direction of traffic is
against the rules but be sure that you are aware of vehicles behind you. A rear view mirror
is recommended. Wear bright colored shirt so that you are easy to sight. If you are biking in
the night, have a bright flickering light on the rear. Listening to music with headphones is a
distraction that is best avoided to be safe. I do all my cardio in the gym. It is boring but it
is a lot safer. In fact, all my half ironman training (some of which was around 3 hours long)
was done indoors.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2010x5"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Stop immediately if you sense abnormal pain. </span>Abnormal pain while exercising is a sign
of injury. Exercising further will make things worse. Stop immediately. Do not start exercising
till you have diagnosed the pain and/or recovered from the injury.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2012x6"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Abnormal pain might be due to bad equipment. </span>Pain after a running workout might
be due to worn out shoes. Pain after a bike workout might be due to incorrect saddle height.
Such things are quite easy to fix. Rule out bad equipment or bad form before you see the
doctor.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2014x7"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Nutrition is important for general health and fitness. </span>Eliminate food items that have
lots of simple sugar or fat in them. For example, muffins, cakes, ice creams, baked goods,
white bread etc. If elimination is not possible then moderate the quantity of such food items.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2016x8"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Two tricks to clean your diet: </span>1) Gradually cut down on a food item. For example, to
eliminate sugar in tea or coffee, cut it down by half every week. 2) Substitute a food item
with a healthier option. For example, whole milk with skim milk.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2018x9"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Beware of snake oil salesman in the fitness industry. </span>If somebody is telling you that
there is a magic pill and/or a piece of equipment which will help you slim without spending too
much time or effort, then he/she is lying. If such a pill or equipment existed then everybody
would have been slim! There are really no shortcuts. Getting slim and staying there requires
time and dedication.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2020x10"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Two strategies to get slimmer: </span>There are two ways of getting richer. One is to earn more
and the other is to spend less. Similarly, there are two ways of getting slimmer. One is to eat
less calories and other is to burn more calories. The most healthy and progressive way is to
eat slightly less and exercise slightly more.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2022x11"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Aim for a healthy physique: </span>Maintain a normal physique (e.g. normal BMI) doing most
of the year and get in top shape during the race season. This way your interest in fitness will
be sustained for longer period of time. Competitive athletes in all sports do the same.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2024x12"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Consistency is the key: </span>1 hour of exercise everyday is much better than 7 hours exercise
done once per week. Consistency wins in the long run.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2026x13"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Best time to complete your workout is early in the morning. </span>That way the chances
of skipping the workout because of work commitments are reduced.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2028x14"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Another good time is when you are mentally drained out. </span>For example, if you are
a student, this might be after a long class or a hard study session. If you are a working
professional, this might be after a long meeting.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2030x15"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Two or more workouts for increased calorie loss. </span>You can benefit from increased calorie
loss will maintaining the same exercise volume by splitting one long workout into two or more
short workouts. The increased calorie loss is due to the after-burn effect, which is the bodies
ability to burn calories after a workout.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2032x16"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Drink lots of water. </span>This prevents dehydration. To eat less, drink a glass of water before
a meal. Always keep a bottle of water handy, so that you you drink water whenever you feel
like it.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2034x17"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Eat slowly to better sense when you are full. </span>This is because it takes 10-15 minutes
for your stomach to send the message to your brain that you are full. By eating slow you will
eat less.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2036x18"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Simple plan to start slimming. </span>Aim to burn a set amount of calories each week. Here is
one tip. 1 pound (0.45 kg) of fat = 3500 calories. It is not recommended to burn more than
1 pound fat per week (unless you are obese). So a simple tip is to have a calorie deficit of
3500 calorie per week. Thus, if you exercise 5 days a week, you need to have a deficit of 700
calories on the days that you exercise. This is how I got started and vouch that this simple
idea actually works.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2038x19"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Cheat meals. </span>It is a good idea to have food classified as “non-healthy” such as pizza, fries,
ice-cream, chocolates, cakes etc. once in a while instead of totally eliminating them. These
meals are known as cheat meals. This practice will prevent you from binging junk food when
presented with such an opportunity at a party or at a buffet.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2040x20"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Eat right, exercise right, but do not forget to rest your body. </span>How well you perform
depends your training, your nutrition as well as how well rested you are. One simple strategy
is to ensure that you sleep in proportion to amount you exercise. That is somewhere between
7 to 12 hours depending on no exercise to extreme hard exercise.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2042x21"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Cross-train to prevent injuries and to add variety to your workouts. </span>Doing the same
exercise daily makes your body vulnerable to injury because of muscle overuse. It is best to
do a multiple types of exercises, also known as cross training. You can rotate between the
following: running, skipping (lower body exercise with impacts); biking, elliptical (lower body
exercise without impacts); swimming, rowing (upper body with no impact). Cross training
will also help overall muscle fitness and growth. I alternate between multiple types of cardio
workouts and avoid doing similar type of exercises on successive days.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2044x22"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Seek slow and steady overloads to improve fitness. </span>You get fitter by subjecting your
body to bigger loads. But the overload has to be done slowly to avoid injuries.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2046x23"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">To improve you need to get beyond your comfort zone. </span>The right overload is the
one that pushes you just beyond your comfort zone. For example, this could be running at a
slightly faster pace or lifting a slightly bigger weight than what you are comfortable with.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2048x24"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Seek realistic goals. </span>Setting unrealistic goals will push you over yours limits too fast, leading
to an injury. Injuries can be expensive (e.g. surgery, doctor visit). Injuries might force you to
stop exercising completely, leading to loss of form and motivation.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2050x25"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Weight training to prevent muscle loss. </span>People who do cardio ignore weights completely.
This is not good. Because too much cardio forces the body to burn muscles to generate energy,
leading to a muscle loss. The net effect is that you will look pale and thin. You might also get
injured because your muscles are no longer strong enough to support your body during cardio
workouts. Little to moderate strength training can go long ways to prevent muscle loss.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2052x26"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Doing weights will not bulk you up. </span>Many people, especially women, do no weight
training thinking that doing weights will bulk them up like professional body builders. This
is totally untrue. To bulk up you need to lift heavy weights and eat a high protein diet. There
is no way you will bulk up like a body builder if you lift moderate weights once in a while.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2054x27"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Slow pace for weight training. </span>You will find that you can lift much more weight when you
are moving the weights dynamically, that is fast. Moving weights fast can be dangerous for
you as well as people around you. However, lifting less weight at a slow and steady pace has
the same effect on your muscles as moving more weight fast, and is recommended because it
is safe.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2056x28"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">How to choose weights. </span>This depends on your goals. If you want to build muscle then
you have to go to the point where the muscle you exercise is fatigued and you can barely
do another repetition. Muscle-building is typically done by using heavy weights and doing
a small number of repetitions, usually 8 to 10. If you want to maintain your muscle mass,
you need to lift light weight with more number of repetitions. During race season, when the
objective is cardio training, I do light weights. However, in the off-season, I do relatively heavy
weights.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2058x29"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Two types of amateur/intermediate athletes: </span>1) First, are the people have no time to
develop a diet plan and exercise regime on their own. They will seek a professionals help who
will plan every detail for them. This way you can get quicker results if you hire the right
person and follow the regimen strictly. But this is the costly route. 2) Second, are the people
who develop their own diet plan and exercise regime by reading books, website, talking with
friends. This is relatively cheap route. However, this route will take time and effort. You will
fail many times and also learn a lot. I want to warn you that this route might lead to injuries
if you do not proceed with care.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2060x30"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Keep a progress diary. </span>Keep a track of your workouts. This can be calories burnt, distance
run, miles biked, your weight, waist size etc or even pictures of yourself. This diary can be
very motivating, especially when you want to skip a workout.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2062x31"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Keep yourself motivated. </span>You will not workout unless you are motivated. Here are few
things you can do to stay motivated. i) Put variety in your workouts. ii) Sign up and compete
in races. iii) Workout with a training partner. iv) Reward yourself after working out. Fitness
is 50% motivation and rest is working out and eating right. Hence, it is important to find
ways to motivate yourself.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2064x32"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Do few races. </span>This is a personal choice. I have averaged 2 races per year. The most number
of races I have done was 4 in a single year and the minimum was 0 (in my first year). One
prime reason for this has been the cost. For example, a half marathon can cost you anywhere
from $30 to $150. A half ironman costs around $250. When I started racing, I was a graduate
student with little income. This forced me to run few races per year, and that thought just
stayed with me.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2066x33"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Spend minimal on equipment </span>Again, this is a personal choice. I have consciously tried
spending minimal amounts on fitness equipment because I do not see the point in having fancy
equipment unless you are competitive. The most expensive equipment I have is a wetsuit and
cost me $200. I got a salvaged road bike (made by the now obsolete company ROSS) for free
and it cost me about $150 or so to fix it. (I get chuckles from other bikers who have modern,
light-weight, fancy road bikes, some of which cost a grand or more). I buy a pair of running
shoes every 1.5 years, and they cost me around $100. Over the course of 6 years, I must have
spend at most $1500 on racing and equipment.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2068x34"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Have a short intense race season. </span>A short intense race season lasting for 3 months or
so is ideal for working professionals trying to juggle their time between training, family and
work. Also, training during this period is specific to the races that you have signed up for.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2070x35"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Aim for general fitness off-season. </span>Maintain a steady and consistent training program
during the off-season. Aim for overall fitness and cross train a lot during the off-season. You
might want to train in your weak areas during the off-season.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2072x36"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Experiment like a scientist. </span>You will make lots of progress if you experiment with fitness
like a scientist. One way, and perhaps the simplest way, is to change one parameter in your
training/nutrition at a time and monitor the effect it has on your fitness. The process is going
to be slow but it will get you consistent results.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2074x37"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Have clear goals. </span>Have clearly defined goals. For example, I will burn 3500 calories this
week is much better than I will do cardio 5 days a week. Write your goals down and see
them occasionally. This hard wires your goals into you sub-conscious mind. Somehow, the
subconscious mind can do wonders without you even noticing.
</li>
<li
class="enumerate" id="x1-2076x38"><span
class="cmbx-10x-x-109">Everybody is unique. Not all advice may apply to you. </span>Almost every article I read
about running talks about stretching before exercising or having a warm up session to prevent
injuries. I think this is great advice. But I never follow it. I go full speed on the running track
immediately and I have never been injured. Just because somebody gives you advice (like
what I am doing right now) does not mean it applies to you. Take the advice only if you
believe it will work for you. But also tweak it and experiment with it, to check if it actually
works for you.</li></ol>
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