My six-pack

[iain]

If you ever feel out of shape take a tour of the mongolian grill and you will feel like superman when compared to the average patron up at the buffet. they need a waiting ambulance out front at those places

[pope]

iain said:

If you ever feel out of shape take a tour of the mongolian grill and you will feel like superman when compared to the average patron up at the buffet. they need a waiting ambulance out front at those places

 

Hey, I love that place!

 

I've never been very scientific about training/diet. I've found that the best way to drop 15 pounds is to get a physical job (like roofing) where you're too busy to eat lunch. IMO, this is exactly the kind of training that will help with general climbing fitness. When I was going to school, I had a grounds maintenance job where I pushed mowers and shoveled bark all day. There was no need to train! I could walk up Mt. Rainier like it was Tiger Mountain.

 

What's been puzzling me lately is my recent performance on a fitness trail out in Enumclaw on Mt. Pete. One variation has always required about 40 minutes round trip (it has about 1000+ feet of gain). I'm probably 15 pounds heavier than I "should be" right now. Anyway, I went up and did the same loop in 33 minutes this week. Thinking that I had misread my watch, I went back two days later and did it in 31 min. That's almost 25% better than my standard time! My training? I only drink Pyramid Snow Cap, and I have carried my 40-pound daughter up Mt. Pete a couple of times lately.

[Courtenay]

The scoop on anaerobic vs. aerobic: sure, you can do low-intensity cardio until the cows come home if you're in pretty good shape (and this sort of training is crucial if you're going to be doing something like alpine climbing that requires long approaches.) However, if you're trying to reduce bodyfat, the long, slow aerobic activity burns more calories only because you're able to go longer, it DOES NOT improve muscle mass (it actually can be detrimental, catabolic in fact, which is why power athletes like Olympic weightlifters or powerlifters will generally do little to no cardio EXCEPT for heart health OR intervals for fat burning). High intensity interval training CAN -- think of the muscles on sprinters, for example -- yes, they lift, but they also do repeats and repeats and more repeats with varied recovery periods. By including high intensity interval training, similar to strength training, it's not DURING THE EXERCISE ITSELF that you're changing the body composition and burning the extra fat, but it's the metabolic altering AFTERWARDS (in the 2-3 days following strenuous activity) that the body has to compensate, repair damage, and get you prepared to battle the next bout of intense exercise. All those trainers out there telling people to do 45 minutes at 60% MHR need to understand exactly WHY they are having a client do that -- they MIGHT THINK it is for low-intensity fat-burning, but it very well could be instead that it's more appropriate as a post-intensity "recovery" workout instead. Teachers still teaching the "low intensity for optimal fat burning" method should really be changing their tune. REMEMBER, this is NOT to say that low intensity workouts are bad, they have their place for the alpinist, BUT for FAT BURNING, it's not the sole answer.

[skyclimb]

climb, and boulder a load. Goto the climbing gym(yes, the climbing gym) and do the same route as many times as possible. Practice traverses, and twisting manuevers. This on top of a ton of water. Ever liter you drink is 30 calories burned. Tons of water, spagetti, and a good torso work out three to four times a week, and you should be set.

Plus as i read earlier the cold weather thing works great. My girl said she had never seen me look better than after a two week stint of the flu. Do they give viral injections??

For the time being i will stick to my usual, and hope to burn it all off having fun; not worrying about how my abs look, but how strong they really are.