I've been wanting to post about this in my thread, My Second Life and other Secrets, but this is such a broad topic that it seemed better to start a new thread. I can't sleep so it seemed like a good time. The Elliptical machine has helped to change my life. I will get into the "Zen" part shortly but I wanted to say this first. I really can't say enough good about it! I have bad knees from years of running and abuse. I can't even handle the spinners without causing knee pain. I tried swimming but it has too many drawbacks. If the water is too warm or too cold, that becomes an issue. Also, the extra effort for breathing interferes with my ability to maximize my workout. I had lost the fat and added the muscle, but getting good cardio still eluded me. Then I discovered the elliptical. The more I did it, the more I learned to appreciate it. Here is why. First and foremost for me, it is zero impact. I have had absolutely no knee pain or issues. For this reason alone I find it superior to running, the treadmill, and spinners. But it also allows one to focus 100% and turn the elliptical workout into a zen experience that maximizes your workout. For one, you can't trip, or get hit by a car, twist your ankle, or get chased by a dog... You are completely safe so you can focus 100% on the workout itself. The other big advantage I see over other forms of cardio is that it involves the entire body. It is basically simulated cross-country skiing that works the legs, arms and core. And it can be finely adjusted to the perfect level. I find I am able to keep myself right at my maximum, constantly. I do HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training. The machine I use doesn't allow the interval periods [length of time] to be changed, and they are a little longer than they should be, but it works. Mine runs on two minute intervals - two minutes of a high load followed by two minutes of a lesser load - both adjustable. I modify my effort to limit my maximum output to intervals of about one minute. HIIT has been shown to be highly effective in weight control, as well as adding muscle and improving cardio. The benefits of a HIIT workout continue through the next 48 hours or so, from what I have read. But the Zen of elliptical training! This has been a new experience. One can focus completely, but focus on what? Breathing! It is all about the breathing. Even though I've been an athlete my entire life, I had never been able to focus 100% on my breathing during a hard workout. This became an entirely new experience. I start with a warm up and don't push too hard for the first two intervals - 4 minutes, 2 low load and then 2 high load. But by then I cut loose. I close my eyes and think only about two things - how hard I'm breathing, and whether my muscles are getting enough oxygen. When you start to feel that drag and the muscles are feeling fatigued, either breathe harder of back off a little. The fatigue will subside. And you can constantly fine tune as needed. As I ramp up, I am breathing as hard as I can without gasping, and keep it there and slightly below that level as the intervals cycle. This alone is a lot of exercise! Try breathing as hard as you can for 30 minutes. Breathing involves not only the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles, but also the serratus anterior, pectoralis major and pectoralis minor, trapezius, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, iliocostalis lumborum, quadratus lumborum, serratus posterior superior, serratus posterior inferior, levatores costarum, transversus thoracis, subclavius muscles. Breathing itself can be a workout! If you breath as hard as you can for 30 minutes, you will definitely feel it. I found that I had to build the muscles of respiration as well as the rest of the muscles in my body. I also learned to anticipate the load. Because of the focus, I was very much aware of the delay between the time I breathe, and the time the oxygen gets to my muscles. In order to prevent that sudden feeling of being overwhelmed, you have to start breathing hard 5 to 10 seconds before the load changes. This allows time for oxygen to get to the muscles when the demand hits. The muscles will need the oxygen immediately. So if you wait to start breathing hard until you feel the need to do so, there will be five seconds or more of extreme fatigue. The same thing when the load is reduced. Keep breathing hard for another ten seconds. This allows the latent oxygen demand from the muscles to be satisfied without that feeling of wanting to collapse. Another huge advantage: You can shift the load between muscles. If my legs are feeling fatigued, I can shift the work to my arms, and visa versa. It can also maximize your workout by targeting muscle groups. The primary load can be carried by your right arm and right leg, then the left arm and left leg, by pushing on the handles as you push down with you foot. This exercises one group of muscles. Then shift to an X pattern where you pull with each arm and counter that force with the opposite leg. This creates a load across your core. Then go to mostly arms, then mostly legs. Each approach gets a different set of muscles and allows a targeted full-body workout. It also allows you to shift the load as fatigue hits each muscle group without interrupting the cardio! By focusing on all of this, one becomes completely consumed with one thought - breathing hard enough to keep the muscles satisfied. It really is very Zen and form of meditation. I go the entire 30 minutes with my eyes closed. I am 100% "in the zone". When the high load interval ends, it takes about a minute for my breathing to start slowing naturally. Then I have about 40 or 50 seconds before I have to start breathing hard in anticipation of the next high load. I have been lifting weights since I was ten years old - the first thing I ever bought with my money from mowing lawns, was a set of weights. I ran many miles a day for years. I played hs football, was a life guard, and swam competitively. But this is the best workout I've even had. It can be controlled so precisely that not a moment is wasted. 30 minutes of elliptical training every day, or every other day, will change your life. For the older men out there, I'm in my fifties. After 3 months on the elliptical, I didn't need Viagra any more. I call it the sex machine!
Oh yes, I have discovered cool trick for motivation. I call it the five-minute rule. I go through periods where the hardest part for me is making myself get down there and do it. But I realized I wasn't really dreading the workout, just the first five minutes. After five minutes the blood is flowing and I start pushing myself automatically. After that I enjoy it. So the trick to getting motivated when you don't feel like doing it, is to realize you are really only dreading five minutes. I can do five minutes! The rest takes care of itself. Normally I go for 30 minutes of interval training followed by 30-40 minutes of weight lifting. I used to go two days on, one off, but I have backed off of that a bit. I think with age we just have to allow more time for the muscles to heal after a hard workout. Now I go every other day and do something light on off days. It is important to do something on days off. This helps to make the new muscle tissue more fibrous and less prone to injury.
