Alignment
In some ways things are coming into alignment. As previously discussed, there is no "right" way of anything but some things seem to line up better than others. Last night was day 10 of not eating overnight and I'm sleeping better than ever. I'm also able to eat more during the day to offset the fewer calories at night. That seems to make me feel better, both during the day and at night.
I'm one of these micro-manage type people with some things. Having said that I no longer track my calories, thankfully. That was tedious to say the least. But I do try to hit a few things. The general philosophy I have now it to hit a major calorie deficit hard with food. This really comes into play in 2 ways:
1. Breakfast. I used to eat through the night so breakfast wasn't so important. Now I make sure it's about 400 calories.
2. After harder workouts. After really tough workouts, I drink my Endurox and eat something else after a shower. Normal workouts I just have a decent meal.
The thing I find with covering these big calorie deficits is that it helps me later in the day. If I eat a big breakfast I seem to be less hungry all day. Likewise, if I eat my recovery food after a workout I don't seem to hurt as much. If I try to skimp calories I will rebound at some point in the day, and eventually be consuming food like an average fat American at the buffet line.
So again, while there is no "right" this seems to be working well for me. I'm eating more in the day and quite frankly not watching what I eat at all, yet my weight seems to be stabilizing at the 185-187 realm. I don't know if it's possible but the 170s in 2007 is still in the realm of possibility, though we go on vacation Friday which is then followed by Thanksgiving.
On Monday I did some Tmax intervals which were painful but oh-so-good at the same time. Last week I figured out my Vmax, which is max speed on the trainer at the highest resistance. You start at a low speed and increase 1 mph every minute until you can't complete another minute. This was 23 mph but trainer speeds mean nothing. Then a few days later you get up to that Vmax as fast as you can and hold it as long as you can. For me it was 2:12. That hurt.
The HIT workout is then 50% of your Tmax at your Vmax. So I did intervals of 1:06 at 23 mph with the most resistance. in early spring I'm probably going to block this kind of workout and stack 2-3 days a week with this sort of stuff. On the second day you do 60% and the third you do 70%. Then you take 3 days off.
Lots of load, lots of rest, become strong like bull. I'm not getting into that now I just like to play around with different workouts because I like to know what's coming. I should be backing off a bit and I am. But if I'm going to be on the trainer I want it to count.
I know it's not bike season yet. But I am still on the bike and will be all winter. I need to raise my race pace endurance in the winter so plenty of solid-length moderate pace rides to come, hopefully. Going to try to avoid the trainer as much as possible but I'm sure it will be 2 days a week minimum for most of the winter. Tentative plans to ride out to my parents on Thanksgiving morning, maybe just under 50 miles or so.
Vacation is coming up fast. Oddly, it's almost not real at all. Since I had nothing to do with putting it together, it's just this theoretical thing at the end of the week. I'm going into it with the perfect mindset right now. How often do you hit vacation week well rested?
I'm one of these micro-manage type people with some things. Having said that I no longer track my calories, thankfully. That was tedious to say the least. But I do try to hit a few things. The general philosophy I have now it to hit a major calorie deficit hard with food. This really comes into play in 2 ways:
1. Breakfast. I used to eat through the night so breakfast wasn't so important. Now I make sure it's about 400 calories.
2. After harder workouts. After really tough workouts, I drink my Endurox and eat something else after a shower. Normal workouts I just have a decent meal.
The thing I find with covering these big calorie deficits is that it helps me later in the day. If I eat a big breakfast I seem to be less hungry all day. Likewise, if I eat my recovery food after a workout I don't seem to hurt as much. If I try to skimp calories I will rebound at some point in the day, and eventually be consuming food like an average fat American at the buffet line.
So again, while there is no "right" this seems to be working well for me. I'm eating more in the day and quite frankly not watching what I eat at all, yet my weight seems to be stabilizing at the 185-187 realm. I don't know if it's possible but the 170s in 2007 is still in the realm of possibility, though we go on vacation Friday which is then followed by Thanksgiving.
On Monday I did some Tmax intervals which were painful but oh-so-good at the same time. Last week I figured out my Vmax, which is max speed on the trainer at the highest resistance. You start at a low speed and increase 1 mph every minute until you can't complete another minute. This was 23 mph but trainer speeds mean nothing. Then a few days later you get up to that Vmax as fast as you can and hold it as long as you can. For me it was 2:12. That hurt.
The HIT workout is then 50% of your Tmax at your Vmax. So I did intervals of 1:06 at 23 mph with the most resistance. in early spring I'm probably going to block this kind of workout and stack 2-3 days a week with this sort of stuff. On the second day you do 60% and the third you do 70%. Then you take 3 days off.
Lots of load, lots of rest, become strong like bull. I'm not getting into that now I just like to play around with different workouts because I like to know what's coming. I should be backing off a bit and I am. But if I'm going to be on the trainer I want it to count.
I know it's not bike season yet. But I am still on the bike and will be all winter. I need to raise my race pace endurance in the winter so plenty of solid-length moderate pace rides to come, hopefully. Going to try to avoid the trainer as much as possible but I'm sure it will be 2 days a week minimum for most of the winter. Tentative plans to ride out to my parents on Thanksgiving morning, maybe just under 50 miles or so.
Vacation is coming up fast. Oddly, it's almost not real at all. Since I had nothing to do with putting it together, it's just this theoretical thing at the end of the week. I'm going into it with the perfect mindset right now. How often do you hit vacation week well rested?
1 Comments:
At 9:45 AM,
shaggz said…
strong like bull, smart like tractor
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