Interval Training Update, Plus a Blog that Rocks

Apologies to those who don't give a crap about intervals.

A second post in two days?

Readers who feel aggrieved may want to just skim through this one (but don't miss the Important Website Recommendation), and then hurry off to a better blog. Or just plop down comfortably into the comments section without absorbing any of this. Interval Training is not a required subject of conversation down there; we'll come up with something better by the end of the post.

So late yesterday morning, Crabby took her own advice and climbed onto the treadmill to actually test out this interval thing. As she mentioned, she already does "interval training," but in a random, haphazard manner. She usually goes extra hard for a couple of minutes during some of her weekly workouts, but she probably only does it two or three times during a session. She isn't really doing it the way the experts advise.

(For more on Crabby's most common form of exercise and why you might not want to be caught dead doing it in public, go here.)

To correct this haphazardness problem, Crabby resolved to be more formal about her interval training. She decided to start with the easiest amount that the experts said would be helpful: thirty second bursts of intense activity, followed by four minutes of moderate activity, repeated four to six times. For her intense phase, she cranked up the treadmill incline to the max and ran as fast as she could uphill. (And she hoped not to fly off the treadmill smack into the wall behind her). For the moderate phase, she walked more slowly uphill.

Here are some things she found:

Thirty seconds felt too short, even for running uphill, so Crabby made it 45 seconds instead.

Four minutes in between was too long and boring, so Crabby just started up again when she felt like it.

Forty five seconds was still short enough that Crabby felt encouraged to do eight repetitions instead of 4-6. She does not necessarily think this will happen next time, and she reserves the right to go back to 4-6.

Crabby's knees were a bit sore when she was done. (This was not a surprise; she has trashed her knees through years of running and it's why she doesn't run very often anymore).

The intervals were fun and the whole workout was over really quickly. (This was a surprise).

It probably wouldn't be fun done more than once a week. (Probably not after the novelty wears off either).

Thirty to forty-five second intervals aren't nearly as exhausting as two minute ones, and so if the experts say you can do them this way, Crabby is all for it. Plus, by the end you still feel good and exercised, with all the kick-ass endorphins that accompany this state.

Bottom line: Crabby likes interval training!

(This week.)

Now for the second part: the blog that rocks.

Crabby is embarrassed to say that she found it once before, thought it was great, may have even commented on it, then forgot to bookmark it. Result: gone entirely from her little crab brain.

But fortunately, Kelly over at Fitness Fixation is smarter, probably because she works out harder and eats fewer cupcakes, so she found Crabby instead. She very generously linked here and reminded Crabby what a great blog Fitness Fixation is.

It's sort of like Cranky Fitness, only better. (But Crabby hopes that you will find room in your heart and on your Favorites for both of us).

These girls (Kelly seems to be the ringleader, but here's also, for example, a great post by Tsan) are funny. Plus they're hardcore (in a good way). They could probably explain this interval thing a lot better than Crabby can.

(Plus, lurking behind the blog is something called the "Ice Chamber." Doesn't it sound sort of medieval and scary, yet at the same time irresistible?)

As promised, Comments will likely veer away from Interval Training as there is only so much one can say about it. So feel free to take a break today, or weigh in on Trying New Things, or Blogs That You've Just Discovered, or Why Exercise Sucks, or Any Old Thing You Can Think Of.

Interval Training: Sorry, It's Very Good For You

Remember a while back Crabby wrote a nagging post about how you might want to start doing some strength training? Well, this is going to be a similar post, on interval training.

It will only hurt for about thirty seconds or so, then you'll feel much better afterwards.

So, are you warmed up and ready to go?

Interval training, as you may have heard, requires short bursts of "very intense" exercise, followed by "recovery" periods. (These "recovery" periods do not, however, require supportive meetings in church basements, bad coffee, or turning anything over to a higher power. Just gasping for air and cursing).

Here's how it works:

After you've warmed up a bit, you go for it: you haul ass and go all out for a short period of time. How long? From about 30 seconds to several minutes, depending on whom you ask. Crabby recommends you start with 30 seconds, because, hell, if some experts say that's enough, then that's good enough for Crabby.

So if you generally do brisk walking for exercise, then during this 30 seconds you would run. Or ascend a steep nasty hill at a fast pace. Or at least waddle with much more velocity than usual and swing your arms in a more frantic fashion.

If you normally run, you sprint. You get the idea.

Then, after you start to feel somewhat miserable, but before you actually perish from exhaustion, you slow down again. Hooray, it's time for the recovery part!

But not forever. Not long enough for your heart rate to go all the way down to resting again. And, unfortunately, you have to repeat this whole cycle several times. Again, the advice varies on how often. At least one of the studies mentioned below said 4-6 times, so we'll go with that. Let's say four. (Others advocate eight, but screw them. We don't want to do that many).

Why on earth would you do interval training, other than masochism?

Well, for one thing, you get a tremendous training effect in a very short amount of time. One study, for example, found that four to six 30-second bursts of "all out" cycling interspersed with 4 minutes of recovery equaled the benefits of 90-120 minutes of continuous moderate-intensity cycling each day.

Coolio. That would save a lot of time.

However, there's more to it than the time savings. Want to know some of the great things interval training can do? How about: burn fat, build stronger lungs and heart, add more mitochondria to muscles (this is a good thing, even though mitochondria sound scary), build lactic acid tolerance (also good), and increase the release of human growth hormone, making you feel young and frisky. (Read this article and the research cited therein if you think Crabby is just making this sh*t up).

Crabby needs to get better about interval training. She does it, sort of, unofficially. She maxes out when the music gets good, or a hill comes along, or a mean dog lunges at her. But given all the nifty benefits she could get by doing it less haphazardly, she resolves to get a bit more serious about figuring out a Program and a Schedule.

Some caveats:

Don't do this if you're just starting out exercising or if you have any health problems. It's intense; that's the point. Check with your doctor, blah, blah, blah.

Don't do it every workout. Start with once a week.

This also might be a good time to think about a heart rate monitor to track your exertion, so you don't kill yourself.

And here are a few random sources of more information on interval training; you can probably find many more through google, your local library or bookstore, or by asking that cute buffed trainer at the gym you've been wanting to chat up anyway.

Is this something you already do? Something you'd consider... when hell freezes over? Anything else on your minds? Crabby loves comments.

"Men Worry More About Penile Size Than Women"

At first, Crabby was just going to mention this penis study in passing, to file under Department of the Obvious, along with this one, "Heavy-Drinking College Kids Make Worse Decisions."

But there were too many interesting findings in the study not to share just a bit more. (Actually, it wasn't a study but a review of a bunch of previous studies. Do we really care?)

The lead guy, Dr. Kevan Wylie (penis size unspecified), concluded: "While men often have a better body image, genital image and sexual confidence if they have a large penis, women don't necessarily feel that bigger is better."

That women "don't necessarily" feel bigger is better seems hardly controversial, yet this idea often appears to come as a huge surprise to men.

Some highlights:

Average erect penises ranged from 5.5 to 6.2 inches in length and 4.7 to 5.1 inches in girth. (Small quibble: isn't an "average" a number, not a range?)

Ninety per cent of women prefer a wide penis to a long one.

Two thirds of men said their penis was average sized. However, 22 per cent said "large" and 12 per cent said "small." (Hmm).

Eighty five per cent of women were satisfied with their partner's penile size, but only fifty five per cent of men were satisfied.

"Small penis syndrome" is much more common in men with normal sized organs than those with "a small micropenis with a flaccid length of less than 2.7 inches." (Hmm again).

Gay guys had larger thingies than straight ones.

Korean guys probably don't want to read the part about racial differences.

Crabby is trying very hard to explain how this study is "health and fitness related," other than she found it filed that way, but she trusts her readers don't care all that much.

There's always room for a good wiener study.

Weigh in about anything below, relevant or not. (Relevant might be fun, but don't let the topic scare you off. (Give you the willies?). It's also great when folks just stop in to say hi over the weekend, with absolutely nothing Penis-related to report.

The 90/10 Rule

It's difficult to eat healthy in a world filled with junky temptations.

Well, strike that, it's not difficult for everyone. Some people are resolute and not easily dissuaded from their goals. They remain unmoved by the smell of a juicy hamburger sizzling on the grill, or the sight of a sundae topped with cheerful mounds of whipped cream and rich hot fudge and a jaunty sprinkle of nuts. They know a slab of tofu tucked in a whole wheat pita accompanied by hummus and broccoli sprouts is a much smarter choice.

Crabby will of course eat her broccoli sprouts (as soon as she finds them and purchases them; she's working on that), but she also, to her dying day, will crave cupcakes and hot fudge sundaes.

To be honest, Crabby doesn't want to not crave cupcakes, because she's a hedonist. Cupcakes give her great pleasure when she eats them. (Which is not as often as she makes out, but she does indeed eat them). She thinks her love of certain Unhealthy Foods and Beverages is not a curse but something that makes life richer.

Thus, for Crabby, the 90/10 rule. (Crabby has other rules for herself, too). Ninety Percent of Crabby's diet is healthy; ten percent is Total Crap. (Okay, sometimes the ration drifts towards 85/15, or even 80/20, but by 70/30 Crabby knows she must Take Steps and she dutifully heads back to 90/10 again).

Before explaining how well this works for Crabby, she'll acknowledge that this rule is not for everyone. Some people work better under a system that is all or nothing. And others who might also use this same approach might use different ratios--say 98/2 or 60/40.

Most Americans (results may vary for different countries) seem to use a 90/10 system too. But they use it in the wrong f*cking direction. Ninety percent of what they eat is Total Crap, but they'll throw a couple of carrot sticks on the side of their plate for lunch and convince themselves that they're "trying." Because of this, it's hard to go to a restaurant and get a meal that is not 90% unhealthy, which of course is a source of constant irritation for Crabby, as she is lazy and would like to eat out more often. But she digresses.

One caveat to the 90/10 system: it's a bit harder than it sounds. Because that 10% has to accommodate the "accidental" unhealthy stuff you eat even if it's not really a treat. That deli sandwich you grabbed for lunch you barely even had time to enjoy? Well, the two slices of white bread and that big dollop of mayo go into the ten percent, even if you'd have been just as happy with whole wheat and mustard. So vigilance is required if you're going to get to eat your cupcakes or your Nutella or your cream-filled apple donuts.

However, on the positive side, if you're careful most of the time and meet your Acceptable Ratio, there's no guilt at all at eating something that tastes wonderful and is totally terrible for you. For Crabby, this is huge. She savors every moment of a junky indulgence with a pleasure almost embarrassing in its intensity. (She has been known to moan aloud, alarming her dining companions).

It is Crabby's contention that Ten Percent won't kill you.

How about you folks? How do you handle the whole issue of Treats?

New Website You Should Visit

This is just a quick note; there's a new Health & Fitness post coming soon.

In the meantime, regular readers of the Comments section may be aware that one of our favorite commenters has a book coming out soon. Dawn Rotarangi, Author of Ripples on the Lake, has a new website and if you'd like to know more about Ripples on the Lake, you may want to go there and check it out.

(A quick refresher: Dawn is the cream-filled apple donut aficionado who runs a fine blog of her own, where Crabby can often be found hanging out and scarfing up all the tempting snacks Dawn leaves out for visitors).

Even if you're the lazy sort like Crabby who might normally wait until after Dawn's book comes out (soon) to learn more, consider visiting a bit sooner. Slothful search engine bots sometimes need a hand finding worthy but brand new websites.

And as greedy as Crabby is for comments generally, she would be quite happy if there were none here. Go instead to Dawn's blog (after you visit her website) and let her know what you think. Perhaps she'll even offer you a donut.