Richard Ha writes:
Next week, under 200!
I lost .6 pounds this week.
My goals: To lose one pound per week for 39 weeks, and to get my resting heart rate below 50 beats per minute.
Today’s weight: 200.1 lbs.
This week’s target weight was 200.6 lbs.
I am still .5 lbs. ahead of schedule
Starting weight on 5/23/06: 214.6 lbs.
End goal, on 2/18/07: 175 lbs.
Since 5/23, I have lost 14.5 lbs.
On 5/23, my resting heart rate was 65 beats per minute. Today’s resting heart rate: 54 beats per minute.*
* This goes down as one gets into better shape. Lance Armstrong’s is said to be 32. George W’s was reported to be 47 beats per minute. Out of shape, mine is in the 70s. My best was 52 many years ago.
***
Below are typical training times that various categories of bike racers commit to training. The lowest category racer commits from 30 minutes to an hour every day of the year, and sometimes more than two hours per day. I can’t realistically commit that much time, no matter how much I want to improve.
| Category | Hours/Year | Minutes/Day |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | 800-1200 | 132-197 |
| 1-2 | 700-1000 | 115-164 |
| 3 | 500-700 | 82-115 |
| 4 | 350-500 | 57-82 |
| 5/Junior | 200-350 | 33-57 |
Three weeks ago I hit a weight loss plateau, so I increased the length of time I exercised at a low heart rate (110 beats/minute) from approximately 40 minutes per session to more than one hour per session. I did this seven days per week. But it was taking too much time and I was hardly losing any weight.
I read about interval training a few months ago and learned that one can get the benefits of the above training program with a shorter time commitment. It involves working out at a higher intensity three times per week for 30 minutes.
For the last two weeks I have been doing this. I checked with my doctor first and he said that I should have no problem going on this exercise program as I had already been exercising for three months. Having a resting heart rate of 60 in his office also helped to convince him.
For this new program, I start to count seconds from the time my heart rate gets into the zone. After the length of time scheduled, I stop and walk around until my heart rate hits the recovery level of 115, and then start another interval. The idea is to squeeze as many intervals as possible into a 30-minute session. Three intervals is plenty for right now and as I get into better shape I should be able to do more.
My first month’s schedule of Interval Training:
| Week | % max heart rate | Beats/minute | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75-80 | 123-132 | 3 minutes |
| 2 | 85-90 | 140-148 | 90 seconds |
| 3 | 90-95 | 148-156 | 45 seconds |
| 4 | 70-75 | 115-123 | 1 hour |
So in week 1, I do 3-minute intervals of 123 to 132 beats per minute during a 30-minute total session, and I do this three times (say, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.)
In week 2, I do 90-second intervals of 140 to 148 beats per minute, during a 30-minute session, 3 times during the week.
In week 3, I do 45-second intervals of 123 to 132 beats per minute, during a 30-minute session, 3 times during the week.
In week 4, I do a 1-hour session at 115-123 beats per minute, one time each on Mon., Wed. and Fri.
Then I repeat the cycle.
This training program is more like competitive ice skating than bicycle racing. The Kulani Trails require this type of short burst of intense work and some coasting and then repeat. It’s like doing triple jumps and resting and then doing it again.
Since I am trying to lose weight in addition to improving my performance, I have modified this program to make sure I expend at least 500 calories of energy per day. I spend that additional time at a low recovery heart rate of 115 or so.
I feel this program will help me start losing weight again. Several days ago, I actually weighed 197.5 pounds. And on Friday morning my resting heart rate was 50.
Due to the increase in exercise intensity lately, I am craving food, and I also needed to take two days off each of the last two weeks. This makes me think this program will work just fine once my body adapts and I can start to do low heart rate exercise on some days instead of having to take them off completely.
P.S. I have noticed I can eat the largest fresh salads and hardly gain weight. And they are nutrient-dense. But I do need to watch the rice, bread, meat and fat.