Suzie Trains Maui BLOG

Shock Your Body to Get the Results You Want!
by Suzie Cooney, CPT of Suzie Trains Maui

World Champion Greg Minnaar

 

You ask, “shock your body”?  Yes indeed, train really hard! Want to make serious changes in your body, read on. I’ve written many articles about how to avoid the dreaded plateau and burn extra body fat and now it’s time again to revisit this well-known training topic. I want to share in this article a couple different types of training methods that may just help you get through that time when your body is not responding and needs something very different to make these changes, or shed those last 5-10lbs. Let’s burn that fat baby!

I often whisper into the ears of my clients when they are grunting in the sand, covered from head to toe in sweat and I’m trying to get just one more rep out of them, as their teeth are clinched, I softly say, ” this is where your body changes”.   I get the rep and they look at me like I have three heads, but they did it and get the results!

My True Collection team mate, Greg Minnaar trains hard! To pull these tricks and to maintain this kind of speed his routine is intense. Check out these photos:

To learn more about Greg, go to: http://www.gmfanclub.com/ride/

There are many styles and types of training that offer many good results. Training needs to be fun, BUT it also  must be effective and not lead to injury.  Starting with a good base of fitness first before exploring more “hard core” training methods is highly recommended.  If you go out of the gate too hard, or mix too many different types of training together all at once, for example, plyometrics, interval training or increase the numbers of pounds you’re lifting, there’s a good chance you could get hurt and you have a set back.

Ways in which you can Shock Your Body safely:

Continue reading Shock Your Body to Get the Results You Want!

Riding from sea level to 10,023 was on the minds of over 200 competitors from around the globe, to  participate in one of the most challenging cycle races on the planet.  Cycle to the Sun. Organized by Donnie Arnoult, owner of  Go Cycling Maui and Maui Cyclery, this event drew out some of the top athletes from Germany, Japan, Colorado and we even had a few of our local heroes. I believe one of the youngest entrants was 11 years old!

Donnie and wife Michelle did a great job of organizing this event and the volunteers at the rest stations were incredible. The after party was a feast, that included music and even a magician to entertain the kids and us big kids!

One competitor from Maui stood out.  Former windsurf champion and my neighbor and friend, Alf Imperato. Alf’s impressive time of 3:22 gave him the title of “fastest man on Maui.”  Alf’s training regime was quite intense, often seen at our gate at sunrise doing double rides.

I asked Alf if he’ d tell me how he trained, his goals and what drives him. Here’s what he wrote:

“Training for this year’s event was mentally one of the easiest contests that I’ve ever trained for — I didn’t have to do it for sponsors, prove anything to anyone or finish in a certain time for a paycheck. This ride was for me to better my time from last year. With that said, it WAS one of the most physically challenging training schedules I’ve ever had! The ride up the hill is only steep every step of the way, and breathing becomes an issue, especially when you get to altitude.

Over the last few months, I tried to focus on speed and average speeds for every climb throughout the course. Obviously, we all have good days and bad days, but it’s important to see gains and progress through your training (and each day certainly won’t be faster or better than the last). After almost nine (9) months of riding with a heart rate monitor and keeping records of mileage, heart rate, food intake and overall feel — I had a pretty good idea of how not to get hurt or over train. SO, the last two and half months before the ride, I put all that aside and figured the longer I could stay in my “CAVE OF PAIN” the faster I could go up the hill. It only seemed to come down to self-discipline to continue and increase how much you can put yourself through without cracking and giving up. That doesn’t just include pain in your legs, higher heart rates, being tired or pushing a bigger gear. It carries through to eating better, avoiding empty calories, getting more sleep, using time more efficiently, and keeping work where it belongs — at work. Our days are ours’ for us to ENJOY!”

Thanks Alf for sharing. Simply awesome and a definitely words from an athlete!

Here are photos and results to follow:

Paia to Haleakala summit

Continue reading Cycle to the Sun Maui 2010 Results Photos and Maui’s Fastest Rider Alf Imperato

Interval vs. Long Steady Cardio

We’re learning more and more about interval training vs. longer bouts of cardio efforts. Making your cardio time count is the key without over training. Regular bursts of high intensity training followed by moderate recovery is the really the way to go, not to say that there isn’t the place for a longer scheduled cardio period.

Studies suggest one may burn up to 1 1/2 times the calories during the same duration if you had done long and steady cardio. In addition, you will even burn 75-125 additional calories after the workout. Also keep in mind that long and steady helps enhance your metabolism. I’d like to suggest to do intervals 75% of the time and then mix it up with another 25% of Long and Steady to help reduce your chance of injury by over training.

One of my favorite cardio programs that I do for myself in 30 minutes is this:

Treadmill, spin bike, treadmill, spin bike; alternating between each song from my IShuffle. Guns n Roses, Welcome to the Jungle, does it for me!  By the time I’m reaching 20 minutes into my cardio, I try to not sit on the bike AT ALL , until I’m my 30 minutes is up. But, I’m also careful and know that I can’t maintain and all out effort for the entire 30 minutes. I’m probably pushing hard about 6-7 times all out for 45 seconds to a minute, then allowing for small recovery but never fully recovering of course. Then up again!

My heart rate is definitely high but I’m having way more fun by approaching it this way. Then after this, I’ll do my strength training, followed by some balance training with all my fun gear, like the new Gigante by INDO Board. 

Or, if time allows, I grab my SUP board and do fast sprints from point to point. I’ll even head into the wind for and extra challenge.

If you’re just starting to get into interval training, take it easy and don’t allow yourself to crash halfway into your workout. I might suggest that you simply do 2 -3 small bursts of high intensity bouts at 20 30 seconds and work your way up. To do a whole song at 3 minutes can easily deplete your energy stores if you aren’t careful. Another reason to eat about 45 minutes well before you do this.  A little high quality carb or fiber, like a banana or oatmeal is good.  And then remember after your workout, you should consume a little carbs and protein to rebuild what you broke down and replenish your fluids.

Kicking your metabolic after burners on high is truly the key.  This will keep your metabolism  in a higher gear day and night!

Let me know how you do!

In good health,

Suzie Cooney, CPT  Suzie Trains Maui       Follow Suzie on Face Book:  http://www.facebook.com/suzietrainsmaui
http://www.suzietrainsmaui.com

See more of Suzie’s portfolio here:

Interval training is a great to boost your current training program, lean out and get off any plateaus that may be occurring.  It’s also a great way to save time and be extra efficient with your training. Intense bursts of all out for about 30-45 seconds without letting your body fully recover is the basic principal. 

My advice to those beginning the style of training, is to ease in gradually. To avoid injuries, like tears or muscle pulls, be sure that your warm up is long enough to get your body loose before you hit it. You want to be  uncomfortable for most of your workout, but not bonk too soon. Increase your bouts of intensity slowly and monitor your body.

Here’s a sample of what a treadmill interval training session would look like. From LiveStrong:

Treadmill Intervals

Overview

Once you have a base of regular walking or running for at least six months, you should be ready to increase the intensity level with interval training. Interval training can be done on a treadmill by repeating a pattern of a high-speed period followed by a short recovery period throughout your workout. The key is to not allow your body to get comfortable during the workout so it has to work harder. This will become a valuable part of your treadmill regimen and ultimately increase your fitness.

Speed

Interval training can be done on a treadmill by varying the speed. Start with a warm-up period of easy walking or jogging. Before beginning an interval workout, your body must be completely warm with all muscles loose and flexible. Otherwise, you risk injury.

Start with a speed setting that is slower than normal for the warm-up period. Then find a base mph setting that is slightly above the warm-up speed. This will be the speed you come back to for recovery periods. Once you have your base, build on that speed every two minutes.

For example, if your warm-up speed is 3.0 mph, your base or recovery speed could be 4.0 mph. Speed periods would start at 4.5 mph for one minute, then 4.0 for one minute of recovery. The next minute would be at 5.0, then 4.0 again for another minute. Continue to increase the speed period every other minute to 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 and so on while keeping your recovery at 4.0. This pattern should be continued throughout the middle portion of your workout, lasting for 10 to 20 minutes. Always follow with a complete cool-down period.

Incline

The other option for interval training on a treadmill is to vary the incline setting. Start with a warm-up period on a relatively flat elevation at 1.0. When you are ready for the interval portion of your workout, increase the elevation for one minute, then recover at 1.0 for one minute. Keep the mph setting the same throughout. Your workout will get harder by changing the elevation, not the speed.

For example, run for one minute at 1.5 incline, then recover for one minute at 1.0, run for the next minute at 2.0, recover at 1.0. Continue to increase the incline every other minute to 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and so on while keeping your recovery period at 1.0.

Interval Periods

The length of the intervals can vary. One minute is a good starting point, but if you are a beginner, you can start at 30 seconds. If you are more advanced, you can make it two minutes. The goal is to keep the recovery period as short as possible, while still allowing your body enough time to recover. The more fit you get, the quicker your body will recover and the shorter your recovery period can be.

Examples

Here is a sample treadmill interval workout:

Warm-up, 5-10 minutes at 3.0 mph
Gradually increase the setting to 4.5 mph and allow your body to adjust to this speed. Then:
Run for one minute at 4.5 mph
Recover for one minute at 3.5 mph
Run for one minute at 5.0 mph
Recover for one minute at 3.5 mph
Run for one minute at 5.5 mph
Recover for one minute at 3.5 mph

Continue to increase the speed at each interval and repeat this pattern for 10 to 20 minutes.

Cool down for 8 minutes at 3.0 mph.

Work this program into your training week at least once or twice a week. I think you’ll find your body resonding nicely and your endurance will soar!  Feel free to contact me if I can help you with your training needs.

Aloha, Suzie Cooney, CPT

http://www.suzietrainsmaui.com

808-283-2121  e:Suzie@SuzieTrainsMaui.com