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Previous Questions:
Question:
I want to run a half marathon. I am a beginner and have never done this before. I have been training for about a month now and have been doing pretty good. I am up to 6 miles already. However, my second wind is not coming as fast as it used to. I also get tired faster then I did when I first started. Is that normal? Is there something that you recommend I should be doing for training?
Ditanyon's Answer:
I think it is great that you have decided to run a half marathon. It's a great challenge as well as a lot of fun. It also takes a lot of time and dedication if you want to complete it safely. To me there is no difference in the way you prepare or train yourself for a full or half marathon. The only real difference is your belief in which you are able to finish. A lot of inexperienced runners will begin their training to fast and aggressive and burn themselves out.
This is what I feel you have done. Every day of training has to have one of these purposes, speed, recovery, maintenance and distance. Unless you are an experienced runner I would not suggest running more then 4-5 times a week. Done properly you can accomplish a half marathon with 4 days of running and 3 days of rest. What you have to remember is that you are pushing your body farther then it is use to and it will take time to adjust and recover.
If not, you will not only be lacking in the energy department but you will also be opening yourself up to a list of injuries and overtraining. There are many strategies in how to separate each day of your training due to your fitness level, schedule and availability of time. I will give you an example of the training schedule I created for one of my clients training for her first marathon. I have also included my top ten tips for training for a marathon to help give you that extra edge on the day of the marathon.
- Monday (maintenance) x train 30-45mins (optional) 3-4 miles
- Tuesday (rest) X-train 30-45mins
- Wednesday (speed work) 3 miles
- Thursday (maintenance) x-train 30-45mins, 3-4 miles
- Friday (rest) x-train 30-45mins
- Saturday (distance) 4-13 miles
- Sunday (recovery) off
Ditanyon's Top Ten Tips for Running a Marathon
1. Make sure you get a medical exam, and clearance from your doctor before starting an exercise or running program.
2. Ease into running by walking.
a. for the beginner, walk for the first 7 days for 30 mins
b. day 8 run 3 mins walk 3 mins for 36 mins
c. run and find you target heart rate and pace (log on to ditanyon.com to find the Target Heart Rate formula)
3. Places to Run. (Soft surface is key)
a. Choose blacktop over concrete
b. Race Track (soft and flat) switch direction every 3-4 laps
c. Flat dirt trails.
d. Grass. Only low cut and even
e. Treadmill. For beginners or last resort
4. Dress correctly.
Dress according to the weather. Make sure your body can breath.
5. Figure out your foot type, to find the right running shoe.
a. high arch means you may underpronate/supinate (neutral shoe)
b. a normal foot means you probably are a normal pronator (stability or neutral running shoe)
c. a flat foot means you may have a tendency to overpronate (stability or motion control shoe)
Shoes are the most important piece of equipment you will need to safely accomplish your marathon. So don't be a penny pincher when making your shoe choice. Running forces your feet and legs through a series of complex movements. Wearing improper shoes can not only cause pain but also serious injury. It's vital to take the time to visit a specialty running store to purchase your shoes. This way you get the knowledge of a professional that can help you find the proper shoe type and answer any questions you may have.
6. Stretch.
Tightness in one joint will cause unnatural forces on other muscles and joints. By increasing your flexibility you increase the ability to move muscles and joints through their full range of motion. This will help prevent injury, and maintain mobility. For example, if you fail to stretch your calf you may develop knots in the calves, or if you fail to stretch the hamstrings it may cause added stress to the gluteus and lower back. This will increase the probability of injury. Stretching should be performed after a 5-10 min warm up allowing for proper blood flow to the muscle being stretched. Stretches should be held 10-30 seconds and should not cause pain.
7. Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition
Proper nutrition plays an important part of your performance during training and during the actual event. Improper fueling before and during activity may result in a lack luster finish. During training you should increase your daily caloric intake 100 calories per mile on average depending on your training intensity. 60% of these calories should come from carbohydrates being that they will be the primary source of energy your body will be using. The rest 20-25% protein, and 20-25% fat. The week of the race you should increase your carb intake to 65%. Foods such as whole grains, cereal, bread, pasta, vegetables, and fruit should be on your weekly shopping list. These foods will play as your performance boosting carbohydrates. It's very important to make sure your liver glycogen stores are full, and blood sugar is at its peak before you run. Your liver can store between 300-400 calories of glycogen, and the blood has the capacity to carry about 80 calories of glucose at any given time. Glycogen is converted to glucose and used for energy during average to high intensity exercise. So make sure to ingest as much as 380-480 calories of complex and simple carbs 3-4 hours prior to aerobic activity. It can take 3-4 hours for the complete absorption of these nutrients into the blood.
8. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
An estimated 60% of our total body weight is water. It regulates our body temperature, movement of nutrients, digestion, absorption, circulation and excretion of wastes. At 2% dehydration your body's work capacity decreases around 12 to 15%. Your heart rate increases, and your body starts to pull water from muscle and all other reserves in an effort to maintain blood volume and a safe body temperature. By increasing your water consumption this survival response will be prevented. The small intestines can absorb water at a maximum rate of 8-10oz every 20 minutes. So make sure to weigh yourself before aerobic activity, and then ingest 16oz per pound of body weight lost at previous prescribed rate. (8-10oz/20min) During long runs over 60 minutes include a sports drink containing 6-8% sugar solution (more then 10% will interfere with fluid absorption), and a sodium concentration of about 100mgs/8oz of fluid. Try to consume 16 -24oz of fluids every hour during long runs.
9. Have a heart rate monitor and pace/mileage monitor.
You must accurately monitor your heart rate to make sure you are not over working or under working during training. A heart rate monitor is essential to all running programs. It's also a great way to track you progress week to week. It will also make sure you are tracking your mileage accurately.
10. Mentally prepare for every run.
It's important to set a goal before running to properly mentally prepare. You will have a different mental preparation for a 5 mile run then you do for a 20 mile run. Knowing the day's mileage is important. Try and visualize yourself completing the run comfortably and successfully. See yourself fueled and feeling good crossing that day's finish line.
Remember, Visualize, Believe, and Achieve!
Question:
I heard that I should do low intensity cardio if I want to lose fat. Is that true? If not what type of cardio should I be doing to lose weight?
Ditanyon's Answer:
I get asked this question a lot. There is a lot of confusing information out there about the different forms of aerobic training and the "fat burning zone"
. So I will do my best to clear it up for you. But before I begin we must agree on one thing. That one thing is that in order for us to lose weight we must burn more calories then we take in. At the end of every day we must be in a calorie deficit if we are to see any results on that weight scale. There are three primary ways of doing this, monitoring daily food intake, exercise, and the combination of both. Now let's move on. Your body has three sources of energy it uses to fuel itself throughout your work out. Our body's first source is Glucose/glycogen (which is stored primarily in our blood and muscles); its second source is Fat, and last is Protein which is always our body's last resort for energy. It's a common misconception that during low intensity cardio your body uses only fat to drive you through your work out. What isn't told is that your body actually uses both fat and glucose during any physical activity. The only thing that changes is the percentages it uses of each. During intense workouts your body uses a higher percentage of glucose/glycogen and when working at lower intensities the body uses a larger percentage of fat. Now remember what I said at the beginning, the only way to lose weight is to burn more calories then we take in? Look at these two examples:
If you walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes you may burn around 180 calories, 108 calories used from fat.
Now let's say you run on the treadmill for 30 minutes, you may burn around 400 calories, 120 calories used from fat.
At the end of the day which do you think will yield the most results from the weight scale and measurements? As you can see running expends twice as many calories in the same amount of time. At the end of the day the amount of calories burned is going to give you the greatest weight loss.
Your individual goals and genetics will all determine the time and duration you do your cardio. I will try and help you find what formula works best for you. Let's take a look at the 4 primary modes of cardio.
- Low intensity
- Long duration
- Interval training (alternating high and low intensities over equal durations of time)
- Maximum intensity with short rest in between.
Long Duration or Low Intensity aerobic exercise is usually performed anywhere from 40-90 minutes depending on your individual fitness level and available time. This type of training will result in little if any athletic enhancement. The gains one makes doing this type of aerobic activity will be shortly lived if continued over long periods of time and will serve more as maintenance or recovery cardio verses growth and enhancement. This type of cardio is great for beginners or used as a recovery session. The benefit of this type of aerobic activity is that the energy being used to fuel this activity comes primarily from fat. This is also a great way to build your cardiovascular endurance if you are training for a marathon or other long endurance activities.
Interval Training is aerobic activity performed at high intensities (90 to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate MHR) for short periods alternated with lower intensity (70-80 percent MHR) for an equal or lesser amount of time. This type of training will maximize the amount of calories being burned in a shorter amount of time while increasing your ability to perform high intensity work longer. This mode of training strengthens the muscles ability to utilize all energy resources and pathways more efficiently. Because you burn more calories doing this type of aerobic training there is less time needed to spend at the gym doing cardio giving you more time to focus on family work and friends.
Maximum Intensity Training is similar to interval training. The main difference lies in the intensity and recovery phase. The effort used to do this type of training must be so intense it can not be maintained for longer the 1-3 minutes followed by complete rest. This mode of training will increase VO2 max and make the heart itself stronger. This will allow the heart to pump more blood with each contraction. This also creates a greater efficiency for the body to remove and tolerate lactic acid. Be advised, this type of training is not for beginners. Make sure you have been on a regular cardio regimen for several months before trying this mode of training.
I believe for the most part each of these modes have a home in anyone's routine that is serious about developing extraordinary fitness levels. To get the best results from these modes of cardio you should target one mode in particular and let that mode be the focus of your cardio routine for several weeks. Then change it out with a new one and repeat till you have completed each mode. This will keep your body from adapting or plateau. Remember each time you cycle through each phase to set new target times, speeds, and incline levels. If you are trying to gain muscle don't spend more then 20 to 30 minutes on cardio as to much will break down muscle.
Happy training! Remember, Visualize, Believe, and Achieve!
QUESTION:
I have drastically increased my cardio over the past few months and have failed to see any real fat loss. I am on a strict diet taking in only 1200 calories per day. Why am I unable to lose this fat?
Ditanyon's Answer:
Well first let me congratulate you on your increase in activity. For many people this is something they are unable to do or fail to make time to do. You not being able to reap the benefits from this increase I believe lies in you not eating enough. You see your body uses fat as its primary source of "survival energy".
When your body believes it is being starved it will store fat for its survival, and use valuable muscle for energy instead. When you are very active your body needs more calories to keep up and repair damaged muscle tissue experienced from your training. When you are able to supply your body with the needed calories it will not only restore your muscle allowing you less time for recovery but will also speed up your metabolism. If you aren’t able to provide the proper amount of calories your body will feel as if it is being starved and will protect itself by eating your muscle for energy.
It will then begin the second half of this process by storing its most efficient source of energy, which is fat. 1200 hundred calories is a bottom line caloric intake and should only be used in extreme cases. If you are not extremely obese with a life threatening symptoms this amount should not be used. It is also important to make sure resistance training is the back bone of your weekly training routine. Resistance training teaches your body that muscle is valuable and needs to be spared at all cost. This way, your body will be more likely to use your fat reserves and spare its muscle tissue.
Happy training, and remember Visualize, Believe, and Achieve!
QUESTION:
I've been doing a new abdominal routine based off of your top 10 abdominal exercises segment. I can feel my abs getting stronger. However, I still haven't been able to get rid of that fat around my waist. Any suggestions?
Ditanyon's Answer:
This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions by most of my new clients. Contrary to popular belief localized fat reduction, better known as "spot reduction" is a theory current science does not support. Despite what you may have heard on infomercials or read in magazine from companies trying to sell their products. The latest research and science has not proved this theory true. Without proper nutrition, and an overall cardio and resistance program you can do all the abdominal exercises you can think of and it will never result in localized fat loss in your waist. This will only be accomplished through a combination of several things.
- Make sure you have a good nutritional regimen with a proper distribution of protein, carbohydrates and fat.
- Make sure you have a good cardiovascular program in place. I recommend at least 3 days a week of 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity( 75%-85% intensity/HR)
- Make sure you are implementing a good overall resistance training program. I recommend at least 3 days a week with a session lasting 45 to 60minutes.
If you are failing to see visual results in your abdominal routine I would check your nutritional intake first, and then focus on the second and third area previously discussed. Remember you must eat less and move more. If you feel you are doing all the proper steps and are still failing to see results I want you to take note of one thing. We are all created differently with different shapes, sizes, and needs. Some people store fat evenly throughout their body, while some tend to hold more fat in some areas then others. Therefore, the progression of your results will be at the mercy of your genetic make up. I am sure if you follow my advice for one month then look back at your circumference measurements you will see a change. They may not be in the areas you want at that particular time, but a loss in one body part shows that you are headed in the right direction. I would say give it time. I always tell my clients” First gained, last lost”. Keep this in mind before you start beating yourself up and changing a program that could actually be working. Happy training, and remember Visualize, Believe, and Achieve!
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