Where to buy a good, inexensive elliptical?

[Ch40s]

Originally Posted by Got Miikka?

For someone who is just moving into an exercise regimen it is essential that they don't jump right into a high intensity program. Even for elite athletes, the most effective - and more importantly, the safest - route is to begin with a program based on lower intensities and shorter durations, and gradually upping the duration. For athletes this is referred to as developing a training "base", and you have to imagine the system like a triangle, with your top performance at the peak - the longer you can go at ~60% MaxHR the bigger your base, and therefore, the higher your peak (obviously it is a little more complicated in the sense that other factors come into play in actually reaching said peak, not the least of which is getting the athlete to hit their peak at the right time - ie. during competition - but I digress).

Athletes do not start with shorter durations and smaller intensities. The only reason to do so is if you need to. Precautionary reasons come to mind, and also, when designing an exercise program, you want to make sure to include the principle of overload, otherwise you will not see any results - and so you need to start them at a reasonable effort (ie not at a minimal effort).

Originally Posted by Got Miikka?

The other benefit to working towards a long duration/moderate intensity workout is that your body starts to burn fat as fuel to supplement a carbohydrate source as duration increases. Your body has two metabolic pathways for energy utlization in exercise - an aerobic pathway and an anaerobic pathway. The sources of energy, catalysts, and products of these metabolic pathways differ depending on what type of exercise you are doing. I'm a bit rusty on my exercise prescription and I don't have any of my literature handy here in the office, but for a starting program I would probably recommend working at about 50-60% of your max HR (your max HR = 220-your age in years) for as long as you are comfortable, and work on increasing that duration at about the same intensity.

The aerobic/anaerobic pathways depend on the intensity of the bout. As intensity decreases, aerobic utilized more. Think of it like the athlete has a fixed % intensity - like 100% - then there is only a fixed amount of time they may go that intensity. You cannot go truly 100% for 5 minutes - only for a small duration. Therefore, if you're running for 35 minutes, the intensity will be much less than if you run for 20 minutes, assuming, of course, you're pushing yourself. (Although I should mention that intensity is measured in heart rate (bpm) and perceived exertion, not time [time is volume, as is distance]).

I have no idea what Photon plans to do as an exercise program, but based on his post I'm assuming he wants to lose more weight (and build up his fitness level somewhat, which seems to me like a secondary goal, yes?). With this goal in mind, it is not necessary to avoid the inevitable plataeu one may hit from avoiding progression in their bouts (ie, 30 mins 3 times a week with the same intensity each week) as progression is only necessary when attempting to increase VO2max (oxygen utilization). As long as you burn more calories than you ingest, you will lose weight (albeit with diminishing returns without progression).

I apologize for going on for so long, but I am very fond of the information I've learned from my exercise phys classes

Edit: I forgot to mention a few things, but at this point I'm just droning on. I did want to ask, though:

Originally Posted by photon

So I've lost about 75lbs through diet alone...[snip]

No offense intended, but you must have had quite a large intake of calories beforehand in order to lose that much weight strictly dieting, correct? Or do you lead a more active lifestyle that, as soon as you reduced calorie intake, allowed you to burn more than you took in? That's a significantly large amount of weight to lose with a sedentary lifestyle (certainly not implying you have/had one), so you can understand my curiousity, I hope.

[Got Miikka?]

I actually majored in kinesiology so I have studied exercise physiology... but it has been a while since I have applied any of it (I work in banking now - go figure) - clearly my memory does not serve me. Oops.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Got Miikka?

For someone who is just moving into an exercise regimen it is essential that they don't jump right into a high intensity program. Even for elite athletes, the most effective - and more importantly, the safest - route is to begin with a program based on lower intensities and shorter durations, and gradually upping the duration. For athletes this is referred to as developing a training "base", and you have to imagine the system like a triangle, with your top performance at the peak - the longer you can go at ~60% MaxHR the bigger your base, and therefore, the higher your peak (obviously it is a little more complicated in the sense that other factors come into play in actually reaching said peak, not the least of which is getting the athlete to hit their peak at the right time - ie. during competition - but I digress).

The other benefit to working towards a long duration/moderate intensity workout is that your body starts to burn fat as fuel to supplement a carbohydrate source as duration increases. Your body has two metabolic pathways for energy utlization in exercise - an aerobic pathway and an anaerobic pathway. The sources of energy, catalysts, and products of these metabolic pathways differ depending on what type of exercise you are doing. I'm a bit rusty on my exercise prescription and I don't have any of my literature handy here in the office, but for a starting program I would probably recommend working at about 50-60% of your max HR (your max HR = 220-your age in years) for as long as you are comfortable, and work on increasing that duration at about the same intensity.

Not sure if that makes any sense. Let me know.

Makes perfect sense.

Had a personal trainer explain something similar to me about this a while back.

[Ch40s]

Originally Posted by Got Miikka?

I actually majored in kinesiology so I have studied exercise physiology... but it has been a while since I have applied any of it (I work in banking now - go figure) - clearly my memory does not serve me. Oops.

That's too bad you aren't in a field related to kinesiology now! I'm really enjoying myself and absolutely love talking about anything related, it's very interesting stuff.

[Dion]

Some info for you to consider Photon.

Cardio work

Cardio work is a good way to burn calories, and speed up your metabolism. You should be training in your target heartrate. Your target heartrate is calculated as follows: 220 minus your age, multiplied by 0.6 = lower limit 220 minus your age, multiplied by 0.8 = upper limit By staying within these limits you will be utilizing the most fat while sparing muscle.


Here is a way to estimate your "Basal Metabolic Rate"

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a measure of how fast your metabolism is running. It's the number of calories you burn to keep your heart beating, to keep you breathing, to keep your muscles alive, etc. It's the number of calories your body needs while at rest.

Women: 661 + (4.38 x weight in pounds) + (4.33 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age) = BMR

Men: 667 + (6.24 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.9 x age) = BMR

To estimate the TOTAL number of calories your body needs per day, multiply your BMR by the appropriate number below.

• 0.9 if you are sedentary and have yo-yo or crash dieted frequently during the past two years
• 1.2 if you are sedentary
• 1.3 if you are moderately active (exercise 3 days per week or equivalent)
• 1.7 if you are very active
• 1.9 if you are extremely active

This is only a way to estimate caloric expenditure.

http://www.fitnesspros.com/articles/metabolism.html

[Got Miikka?]

Originally Posted by Ch40s

That's too bad you aren't in a field related to kinesiology now! I'm really enjoying myself and absolutely love talking about anything related, it's very interesting stuff.

No arguments there! That's why I majored in it (that, and the girls of course).

Only problem (for a non-specialized undergrad degree): no $$

[photon]

Originally Posted by Ch40s

Athletes do not start with shorter durations and smaller intensities. The only reason to do so is if you need to. Precautionary reasons come to mind, and also, when designing an exercise program, you want to make sure to include the principle of overload, otherwise you will not see any results - and so you need to start them at a reasonable effort (ie not at a minimal effort).

I can imagine I'd want to start with shorter durations, as I'm starting at basically zero from an activity point of view. One of the key things about the elliptical vs. a treadmill was "low impact".

I have no idea what Photon plans to do as an exercise program, but based on his post I'm assuming he wants to lose more weight (and build up his fitness level somewhat, which seems to me like a secondary goal, yes?). With this goal in mind, it is not necessary to avoid the inevitable plataeu one may hit from avoiding progression in their bouts (ie, 30 mins 3 times a week with the same intensity each week) as progression is only necessary when attempting to increase VO2max (oxygen utilization). As long as you burn more calories than you ingest, you will lose weight (albeit with diminishing returns without progression).

That's basically it. While I can get to my target weight through diet alone, what I really don't want is to be at my target weight but have a metabolism so low that I can only eat 1500 calories a day to maintain.

Plus the fitness level increase is desirable because while my HDL has come down to normal, LDL is still low, and as you say just a general fitness level increase that I and my doctor would like to see. If that translates into more such as strength training great, but one step at a time

Edit: I forgot to mention a few things, but at this point I'm just droning on. I did want to ask, though:

No offense intended, but you must have had quite a large intake of calories beforehand in order to lose that much weight strictly dieting, correct? Or do you lead a more active lifestyle that, as soon as you reduced calorie intake, allowed you to burn more than you took in? That's a significantly large amount of weight to lose with a sedentary lifestyle (certainly not implying you have/had one), so you can understand my curiousity, I hope.

No offense at all.

It was a larger intake of calories combined with a sedentary lifestyle.. over a couple of decades. I put it on slow and steady.

What has facilitated the loss (75lbs in about 3 1/2 months) has been a super calorie restricted diet, I consume about 1200 balanced calories a day. That puts me into ketosis and I burn 3-4000 calories worth of fat every day (or so I'm told, and the loss seems to confirm that).

I had enough weight that my doctor and I thought that going on this medically supervised diet was warranted. She said that there are a few more risks with this kind of diet, but as long as I do the right things (drink enough water and such) that those risks should be minimal.

Anyway, knowing what it's like to eat only 1200 calories a day, I want to try to increase my metabolism so that as I reach my goal weight I can eat normal portions and indulge every once in a while without having to worry about every pound.

[photon]

Someone also asked what my workout plans were, I haven't got that far yet

I've had a few people tell me they really like a HIIT style program for their cardio work, but that sounds pretty advanced and not something I should start with.

[photon]

Originally Posted by fotze

Photon, get your bottom 4 ribs removed surgically. You will have a six pack within 4 hours.

If I could give them to you I would. You really could use them.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by Got Miikka?

I actually majored in kinesiology so I have studied exercise physiology... but it has been a while since I have applied any of it (I work in banking now - go figure) - clearly my memory does not serve me. Oops.

Originally Posted by Got Miikka?

No arguments there! That's why I majored in it (that, and the girls of course).

Only problem (for a non-specialized undergrad degree): no $$

LOL. I'm a former kinesiology major as well.

I'm a lawyer now. It pays a little bit better

[Ch40s]

Originally Posted by photon

What has facilitated the loss (75lbs in about 3 1/2 months) has been a super calorie restricted diet, I consume about 1200 balanced calories a day. That puts me into ketosis and I burn 3-4000 calories worth of fat every day (or so I'm told, and the loss seems to confirm that).

I had enough weight that my doctor and I thought that going on this medically supervised diet was warranted. She said that there are a few more risks with this kind of diet, but as long as I do the right things (drink enough water and such) that those risks should be minimal.

Anyway, knowing what it's like to eat only 1200 calories a day, I want to try to increase my metabolism so that as I reach my goal weight I can eat normal portions and indulge every once in a while without having to worry about every pound.

That's a lot of weight lost in a short amount of time, great job!

If your adherence to your diet is any indication of how well you'll follow to a training program, I'd say you're going to do very well

Good luck with it!

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Just wait a couple of months and you'll see all sorts of them for sale used.

[photon]

Lol good point!

[photon]

Originally Posted by fotze

I think you missed the joke. It was nothing mean in the least. I thought everyone knew the Marilyn Manson rumour.

I know, I was trying to turn it into a joke about your skinny boned frame somehow

[Titan]

Congratulations Photon.

This thread is useless without pics....of 4x4's sister!!