Summer Exercise Routine

[TeamZissou]

So in trying to come up with topics to discuss that are more relevant to the current students and don't deal with degree changes, DO vs MD etc. I thought this one could spark some interest as we are quickly approaching summer.

I dunno about anyone else buuuuttttt I definitely was not able to stay as healthy this year as I anticipated. So I'm coming up with ideas of how to get back in shape this summer before the next stage of body DETERIORATION begins.

I'm planning on combining some biking with weight lifting to make the most of the 10 weeks I have off.

What's everyone else planning on?

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[dudechiefboss]

I like traditional isolation mixed with crossfit style training (crossfit.com)

Ex:
"Barbara"
Five rounds, each for time of:
20 Pull-ups
30 Push-ups
40 Sit-ups
50 Squats


Or bench press (body weight) 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 with 1/4 mile sprints between sets...use your imagination!

 

[sylvanthus]

I have officially reached the "overweight" category, so intend to do as much hiiking as I can this summer. Hopefully, I can get in somewhat decent shape in the couple months we have off.

 

[Medbear]

I gained a lot of weight in the beginning. I started running often and it definitely helped me lose weight and relieve stress.

 

[sonofva]

Or bench press (body weight) 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 with 1/4 mile sprints between sets...use your imagination!

why would you ever do 55 reps of bench press repeatedly? how is that good for your muscles? if youre going to do some basic lifting, do a 5*5 on some large compound lifts.

 

[jslo85]

If you're pressed for time and are limited to only 2-3 days of a week to work out, I'd focus on power lifting with high repetition squats, deadlifts and power cleans and any core strengthening exercises.

Try to monitor your sleep habits to keep them regular and sufficient as well as make sure your diet includes the necessary amount of lean protein and carbs. Try to make an active effort in the small picture like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, waking up earlier to maybe walk or bike to class or work if it's relatively close, and keep it routine and not mercurial.

 

[jkmph]

why would you ever do 55 reps of bench press repeatedly? how is that good for your muscles? if youre going to do some basic lifting, do a 5*5 on some large compound lifts.

You really can't compare crossfit to the mark rippetoe/madcow 5x5. They are two completely different philosophies with different objectives.

 

[Kramerica]

why would you ever do 55 reps of bench press repeatedly? how is that good for your muscles? if youre going to do some basic lifting, do a 5*5 on some large compound lifts.

I don't know man, I've done 3x25 reps of dumbbell bench alternating with 3x25 dips when I was doing a toning regiment. Granted I was only using like 30-35lbs. It was a much better workout for my needs than doing the whole 12-10-8 of 70-80lbs.

 

[JaggerPlate]

I work out at a pretty epic gym 6 days a week right now, but I'm trying to mentally start shifting my workout to more basic lifts, more emphasis on cardio, and shorter workouts. This is because I know the gym at my school is going to be smaller and I'm going to have less time to lift in general. BTW does anyone have any pictures or descriptions of the KCOM gym??? I've been there twice and both times I wasn't able to check it out.

 

[csmittyB]

... BTW does anyone have any pictures or descriptions of the KCOM gym??? I've been there twice and both times I wasn't able to check it out.

Here you go :

 

[JaggerPlate]

Here you go :

Throw in some dumbbells and I'm actually good!

 

[csmittyB]

Throw in some dumbbells and I'm actually good!

Dumbells, the smart choice.

I have these:

I just need to quit being so lazy and actually use them more than once a month

 

[JaggerPlate]

Dumbells, the smart choice.

I have these:

I just need to quit being so lazy and actually use them more than once a month

Nice. I have a few friends who use those!

 

[farnesylatedDO]

I'm MS 0 and I just started P90X. Today was my 4th workout. Last time I work out seriously was 4-5 years ago. If you don't know what it is google it. Very hard and intense program but well worth it. I am planning to keep doing it while in med school, I know few med students who used the program in 3-4 year.

 

[lokiperson]

I'm MS 0 and I just started P90X. Today was my 4th workout. Last time I work out seriously was 4-5 years ago. If you don't know what it is google it. Very hard and intense program but well worth it. I am planning to keep doing it while in med school, I know few med students who used the program in 3-4 year.

I did about 60 days of p90x last summer.. I then was traveling a bunch and couldn't stay with it. I started Insanity on Monday to give it a try since it's a much more portable workout.. I'm actually more impressed with it rather than p90x when it comes to physical exertion. Once I finish the 60 days of it I'll probably mix both workouts and do my best to continue them throughout med school.

 

[Danlee07]

Just an FYI, P90x is really geared for girls.........

And, what's your body type? And you should at least go to the gym three times a week during your really busy school yr.

Basically do a chest/tricep day, legs day, and back/bi. Depending on your body type and your goal will determine your sets/reps/weights.

 

[MalachiConstant]

Just an FYI, P90x is really geared for girls.........

I don't think so. I don't do it, but Tony Horton's a guy, at least half the people in the commercials are guys.

And, what's your body type? And you should at least go to the gym three times a week during your really busy school yr.

You don't necessarily have to go to the gym but its good advice to get some kind of exercise at least 3 times a week.

Basically do a chest/tricep day, legs day, and back/bi. Depending on your body type and your goal will determine your sets/reps/weights.

I know this is the standard that people follow, but some full body workouts with some intensity is probably better if you're after improved overall fitness and health. Now if you just want bigger bicepts for teh gurls, then by all means isolate away.

 

[Danlee07]

if you look at the type of workouts p90x gives you, it pretty much is. if you're a beginner, most of the time any workout will give results if the person sticks to it. most of the pts i know advise for girls to do p90x.

I guess not just the gym, but i'd try to go to the gym at least three times a week and do cardio the other 2.

i mentioned the full body since he's going overall and it's healthy. curls for the girls is great, but i hate seeing the guy with the most unathletic, gigantic, upper body with the scrawniest chicken legs and a 2 inch vert..

 

[Hextra]

if you look at the type of workouts p90x gives you, it pretty much is. if you're a beginner, most of the time any workout will give results if the person sticks to it. most of the pts i know advise for girls to do p90x.

One of the important things to realize about p90x is that there are a few different ways to do the videos.

One of the options, "p90x Lean", is what most girls gravitate toward, as it consists of more cardio and less weight training (3 cardio/2 muscle vs 2 cardio/3muscle). It's focused on making you smaller/more toned and uses different cardio movies than the other options.

The primary option, "p90x Normal", is pretty balanced regarding cardio and pumping iron, with the cardio being much tougher (plyometrics vs other sets of cardio moves), but in less volume (2 videos vs 3).

Then there is "p90x Doubles" where you basically do 2 movies each day.

I did p90x normal at the end of last year and lost 24lbs while doing it (I ate healthily also, which is just as important as the workouts imo, with 1 day off each week), and I'd be surprised if people were willing to forego a workout system that could help them achieve their goals because someone on the internet told them it was too "girly".

 

[MalachiConstant]

if you look at the type of workouts p90x gives you, it pretty much is. if you're a beginner, most of the time any workout will give results if the person sticks to it. most of the pts i know advise for girls to do p90x.

I guess not just the gym, but i'd try to go to the gym at least three times a week and do cardio the other 2.

i mentioned the full body since he's going overall and it's healthy. curls for the girls is great, but i hate seeing the guy with the most unathletic, gigantic, upper body with the scrawniest chicken legs and a 2 inch vert..

No one is going to get super strong on p90x but it does seem to be good at what it's designed for which is getting people lean and "ripped." I think we are on the same page here to an extent. I personally would prefer to be bigger and stronger than small and cut, but for people with different goals, it might be a good program.

My problem with the body builder style training for average folks is twofold. First, most people are not bodybuilders, but if their info is coming from body building magazines and websites, they still get that same mindset. I often overhear fat weak guys at the gym discussing supplements and sometimes steroids. The other thing is what you mentioned about the people who curl exclusively. For some reason, so many people will spend hours doing every possible variation of upper body exercises but never ever even think about working legs. Granted, this is nice in a way, since at my gym I rarely have to wait on the squat rack, but it makes for some pretty silly looking dudes.

I don't think there's any such thing as a bad exercise, but the training method needs to be tailored to the individuals needs and goals, and often, folks could maybe use a reminder that exercise is also about being healthy, not just looking good naked, and they could tailor their program in accordance with that.

 

[TeamZissou]

For some reason, so many people will spend hours doing every possible variation of upper body exercises but never ever even think about working legs. Granted, this is nice in a way, since at my gym I rarely have to wait on the squat rack, but it makes for some pretty silly looking dudes.

By no means am I "huge" in my upper body but it is proportionally larger than my legs. I do leg exercises (squats, deadlifts etc) however I also like to road bike which isn't exactly helping my legs bulk up, but it's a balance I don't mind.

I don't think there's any such thing as a bad exercise, but the training method needs to be tailored to the individuals needs and goals, and often, folks could maybe use a reminder that exercise is also about being healthy, not just looking good naked, and they could tailor their program in accordance with that.

My preference is just an example of how there are different strokes for different folks. I'm a thinner guy so for me P90X could very well make me lose almost any muscle mass I have.

On a side note, people who look good naked tend to be pretty healthy (aside from anorexia/bulemia etc).

 

[Bayonetwork]

I'm a thinner guy so for me P90X could very well make me lose almost any muscle mass I have.
On a side note, people who look good naked tend to be pretty healthy (aside from anorexia/bulemia etc).

I am a "thinner" guy too. 6'3'' 200lbs. Crazy fast metabolism, hardgainer etc. That said, crossfit has helped me get to the best balance of bulk muscle, endurance, flexibility, and overall cardiovascular health.
As a result, my whole outlook on fitness has changed.

Instead of thinking how much weight can I max out on in a nice gym with the latest in supplements, protein, etc, I think in terms of work capacity. That is, how much weight can I lift, how many times, and how far/fast can I run just to come back and do it all over again...and how fast can I do it.

Ex: A Real Crossfit Workout: Warm Up: 3 rounds AFAP: run 400M, 20 x KB slasher (55#, 10 ea side), 10 x Goblet Squat (55# KB)
Strength: Work to 1RM Bench Press
Work Capacity: 10 Rounds for time:

• 10 x Dead Lift (185#)
• 10 x Burpees

Stamina: Chipper:

• 20 x Bench Press @ 90% 1RM
• Row 2,000M
• 125 Push-ups

Durability: Sand Bag carry 800M, Sand Bag Walking Lunge 200M.


Trust me when I say you WILL gain overall functional strength, endurance, flexibility, and mental toughness. Additionally, your body proportion will certainly be in balance and your physique will look very good.



Additionally, it would greatly benefit you to eat a healthy diet.

 

[Cheshyre]

Forget weights. More biking! Upper body strength is totally over-rated. Just ask Rasmussen!
(For non-roadies out there, he's a Danish pro cyclist who used to ride for Rabobank... was a climbing specialist = lightweight, high endurance).

As far as bulking up your legs, you could probably just do a ton of telephone pole sprints (sprint between two telephone poles, ride easy for 4 more, repeat until you vomit). I have no idea how track racers train, but it probably involves a ton of sprinting. Just think, in a few months, you too can look like Chris Hoy!

 

[Cheshyre]

Thanks, Cheshyre.

You're welcome?

I love cyclist tan lines, razor sharp on each limb. If you've got gloves that are thick enough, you can get those lines too. Bald people get helmet vent lines.

 

[Danlee07]

i don't have pics of myself, but im 175 lean with ectomorph bodytype. i wrote in the diet topic too; but, if you actually wanna do a work out that you'll stick to you, you can pm me with your body type/how much eat and how much time you'd have to workout, and i can make one for you. i do track for 800m, and once im done with competition (this was probably my last yr since next yr is mcat/application season).

p90x has many different types, but i don't if you noticed that they try to emphasize the continual use of the muscle (endurance) and not so much on recovery. This will definitely shred your calories, but it'll also shred down your muscles. if you're not an endomorph, it doesn't really fit you.

 

[MossPoh]

I love how all these routines come out and they are just variations on friggin circuit training.

They give it flashy marketing, random "functional" exercises or throw in a few objects one doesn't see at a conventional gym and it becomes revolutionary.

Anyway, I'm kicking back into a more formal 5/3/1 variation with some HIIT thrown in during the mornings and then 3 days a week of strongman training as well.

Rasmussen looks like he just got liberated from Dachau. Sure you could do that, or you could have big legs, a reasonable upper body and fairly strong cardiovascular system.

 

[Cheshyre]

Rasmussen looks like he just got liberated from Dachau. Sure you could do that, or you could have big legs, a reasonable upper body and fairly strong cardiovascular system.

Elftown - I'm working on it. It's finally sunny in Michigan.

Moss - Rasmussen is a pretty extreme example. The guy was known to pick stickers off of his bike to shave off as many grams as possible. Most pro cyclists look proportional, even the climbers.

And now, my general thoughts on P90X:

To be fair, I think most people don't know how to go about burning calories. Say you're a person who has been sedentary your whole life. The doc says you have to exercise. Now what? You can't play soccer by yourself. Running is too hard. You go to the gym and you see rows of weight machines and free weights. Totally lost. Then, you go online to forums and see threads like this and your mind explodes because you don't know what's right.

I say that because that's how I used to be and it's how I still am, mostly. Outside of the realm of cycling (which I'm not ultra-hardcore into anyway.. no 250 mile weeks for me) I know essentially nothing. My riding plan basically consists of going out and riding for an hour. If I'm not tired, I'll push myself more. If I'm tired, I'll just cruise. If I'm lazy (like today), I'll eat dinner and take a nap. This plan works pretty well for me, but for people trying to change their lifestyle, it's difficult. How do you know when you've exercised enough to lose weight? It's not like there's instantaneous feedback. Even if it's just basic exercise, it seems like people who start P90X like it and want to stick with it. If it gets them in the habit of being active, that's great.

 

[Danlee07]

Instantaneous feedback: You're dog tired and sweating. Even if you don't really sweat that hard, trust me, if you actually push yourself, you will be sweating and tired. That's the difference between wanting something though. You push through it even if you're tired/not tired/lazy like you said.

I actually started working out so that i know how to mentally push myself and manage time for things other than school related stuff. it was a change in lifestyle for me, and learning to stick to this also helped me out a lot. I know my body better, and i know when to push it and stop even when studying.

yeah, that's what i mean by p90x as a beginner type and any workout works for a beginner as long as the person sticks to it.

someone like mosspoh who's doing 5/3/1 variation is probably an intermediate and p90x would not be effective for him.

when i give workouts to my buddies, i do it pretty detailed and go with them what to do most of the time; the two that have stuck to it are jacked... and all this knowledge i have was also from my buddy who taught me to start working out and helped me with track too.

 

[bsiddiq]

I plan on supplementing Insanity with my normal workouts in place of cardio. Mainly because cardio is really boring and I'm hoping Insanity is a little better. I'd probably personally never subscribe to it (or P-90X or other variations of high intensity circuit training) just by itself. Like Dan/Malach said, it just doesn't tailor to my personal needs/goals.

Currently, I do a pretty standard 3 day split of bis/back (M), legs/shoulders (W), chest/tris (F), using Tu/Th to just play basketball. The only catch is I add in squats MWF. Usually just 3-5 sets. I've just noticed gains in strength all-around when squatting 3 days a week and my legs don't feel like they're being overtrained or anything.

I've been lazy lately and just been pyramiding to about 6-8 reps for most exercises. I'd probably try a 5x5 over a 5/3/1 but I don't really eat enough right now to be able to see solid gains. Maybe later this fall

 

[Danlee07]

i'm guessing you're an ecto or a meso? if you play ball, maybe you should add some plyos + deadlifts and just make a leg day twice a week. squats + deadlifts raises your testosterone threshold lvls since they use so many muscles. also, if you do play ball, you don't really need to extra cardio if you're a meso/ecto...that'll ruin gains.

 

[TrimtheChute]

I was just planning to train for a triathlon before I start classes. There is something about signing up for an event that forces me to actually train for it so I don't embarrass myself too much. Actually, I'm more motivated by not looking so unfit for OPP lab.

 

[bsiddiq]

i'm guessing you're an ecto or a meso? if you play ball, maybe you should add some plyos + deadlifts and just make a leg day twice a week. squats + deadlifts raises your testosterone threshold lvls since they use so many muscles. also, if you do play ball, you don't really need to extra cardio if you're a meso/ecto...that'll ruin gains.

Definitely not an ecto, though you wouldn't think so from my current weight (~155-160, 5'9). The most I've ever weighed is 205, so I think I'm more of a meso. I do deadlifts on back days, so I usually get that in 1x a week. Occasionally i'll do box jumps or something but thats rare.

Playing ball is great exercise if people are running 5on5...sometimes people just do 7-8 person 21...which is alot of standing around.

i definitely need to eat more though...only eat about 1800-2000 calories a day right now...thats probably not very good for gains

 

[jkmph]

Playing ball is great exercise if people are running 5on5...sometimes people just do 7-8 person 21...which is alot of standing around.

8 person 21? That'd never fly where I play. That's absolutely absurd.

 

[Cheshyre]

That's the difference between wanting something though. You push through it even if you're tired/not tired/lazy like you said.

I have to thank you. I read your post early this morning. I've been trying to get a regular training schedule up for a few weeks now and I always wuss out when it comes to the hard ride of the week, but your words pretty much hit home. I do, actually, want to get out of skill plateau I'm stuck in. So, I hammered out 33 fast miles today as soon as I got home from work. I'll probably do a recovery ride tomorrow in the early morning. Again, thanks. Hopefully it sticks this time.

And TrimtheChute: There's a guy in the pre-Osteo forums a lot named TexasTriathlete who seems to do them regularly. The only other resource I really have is cptips.com which has help me diagnose a lot of the knee pain I've been having. There's a lot of training info on that site.

 

[Danlee07]

How much time between the 205 and the 150-160? Unless we're talking yrs, that's either really unhealthy or shredding...and the yrs could say if you're even an endo... if you've got smaller hands/feet or your upper arms/thighs look bigger than the lower? yeah, for gains, you probably are going to be have to be strict in your diet + get 1.5x your daily needed caloric intake.

dang, 33 miles? did you get the mile you wanted to get? the plateau you hit was probably earlier and because of that, im guessing you slowly stopped regularly working out. i don't know what a skill plateau is. however, for plateaus, you can either reset (in terms of weight lifting, it means to cut back to a lower weight with same set/reps so in terms of biking, think how much you could've done, but break it down to a lower number) and/or specifically target your weak muscle groups (quad/hams/calves/hip flexors). for hard days, i have to do a 1600m, 1200m, 800m, 400m all with 2 min rest and target my time (6:15, 4:15, 2:15, 1:00)...it's a little more time than my best since i'm going with just 2 min rest. 2nd hard day of the week, i have to do 4 x 400m (1:10) with 1 min rest. this is all just to train for my 800m meet which i just run once... i basically push myself by thinking "all i have is 1 more set" and just keep doing that. maybe you should change your workout to time yourself and then mark your progress that way and also the distance.

 

[Cheshyre]

Yeah, 33 miles of pretty intense riding was what I was going for. It was ~1.6 hours.

By "skill plateau", I meant that things like pedal technique, cornering, balance, and just average top speed in general haven't been improving. I didn't really know what else to call it.

Thanks for the advice Dan. I've started a log of distance, terrain, and effort for each day, so hopefully I'll be zipping up hills in no time.

 

[Danlee07]

no problem..bad news is, i don't know if this rule applies to cycling, but generally, top speed is just genetics. you can't really do too much to it. you can either build up to it really fast or learn to sustain it for a while (which is still mainly genetics). technique really isn't a plateau. i'm guessing you need to lift weights actually so that you can try to increase your pedal rate for the gear level..

 

[Cheshyre]

no problem..bad news is, i don't know if this rule applies to cycling, but generally, top speed is just genetics. you can't really do too much to it. you can either build up to it really fast or learn to sustain it for a while (which is still mainly genetics). technique really isn't a plateau. i'm guessing you need to lift weights actually so that you can try to increase your pedal rate for the gear level..

Haha. I need to watch what I type. I should've just said average speed.

Yeah, top speed is genetic. Marc Cavendish puts out 56 mph in the final sprint to the finish line.. after racing all day. Generally smaller guys like me can't come close to that kind of power output.

 

[bsiddiq]

8 person 21? That'd never fly where I play. That's absolutely absurd.

I've seen 10 person 21. It happens...people just want to casually shoot around and talk rather than play.

How much time between the 205 and the 150-160? Unless we're talking yrs, that's either really unhealthy or shredding...and the yrs could say if you're even an endo... if you've got smaller hands/feet or your upper arms/thighs look bigger than the lower? yeah, for gains, you probably are going to be have to be strict in your diet + get 1.5x your daily needed caloric intake.

I lost the weight over ~ 2 years. As for the upper arms/thighs...doesnt everyone have bigger upper arms/thighs?

And yeah, I plan on eating more soon starting this friday. I've been trying to lean out a little bit more, but just getting tired of it.

 

[farnesylatedDO]

Hear are my reasons why I choose P90X:

I generally don't have problems gaining muslces while working out. In high school and in first 2 years of undergrad I used to go to gym and do weight lifting all the time, heavy weights especially while working legs. I used to weight 220, 200 with leaner body. I gained muscles but my workouts lacked endurance, stretching was minimal, range of motion quiet bad, balance not so good. I worked out like that until I injured my wrist, then after 4 years of not exercising regularly I wanted to do something different. As a medical student, and then doctor do I really need big muslces that scare patients, problems with joins, back etc. or rather have endurance to work long hours, have fit body, feel good, be able to stretch, have good eye- body coordination that I will use every day doing procedures, balance, healthy spine, joints. These were the reasons why P90X was right for me.

For anyone who say P90X is for girls, I encurage you to try it, if you don't feel totally burned out after workout that means you didn't do your best. Apparantly some people don't realize that women could be as good and as hardcore as men in many things including exercise.

 

[TeamZissou]

Hear are my reasons why I choose P90X:

I generally don't have problems gaining muslces while working out. In high school and in first 2 years of undergrad I used to go to gym and do weight lifting all the time, heavy weights especially while working legs. I used to weight 220, 200 with leaner body. I gained muscles but my workouts lacked endurance, stretching was minimal, range of motion quiet bad, balance not so good. I worked out like that until I injured my wrist, then after 4 years of not exercising regularly I wanted to do something different. As a medical student, and then doctor do I really need big muslces that scare patients, problems with joins, back etc. or rather have endurance to work long hours, have fit body, feel good, be able to stretch, have good eye- body coordination that I will use every day doing procedures, balance, healthy spine, joints. These were the reasons why P90X was right for me.

For anyone who say P90X is for girls, I encurage you to try it, if you don't feel totally burned out after workout that means you didn't do your best. Apparantly some people don't realize that women could be as good and as hardcore as men in many things including exercise.

Dude I don't think anyone is disputing that. One of my buddies here is in some of the best overall shape a guy could be in and he did P90X and he said it was really hard. I think most of us agree that you could get a great complete workout with it. However a lot of guys prefer to lift more weights to get that bigger mass. I don't think there are many who want the decreased ROM but most would like a bit more muscle. I for one seem to go in cycles of what I want, thinner for biking or bigger for more muscle so to each their own!

 

[jkmph]

and then doctor do I really need big muslces that scare patients

I fully intend to use my large frame to intimidate my patients into compliance. .. Seriously though, I do.

 

[TeamZissou]

I fully intend to use my large frame to intimidate my patients into compliance. .. Seriously though, I do.

Hahahahaha not sure how that would work but I have the mental image of a guy flexing his biceps and grunting out "must... get... Surgery... I'll throw in a protein shake!"

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Rippetoe's starting strength routine is pretty good. I like it. There's a good thread on it in the workout routine's thread of bodybuilding.com forum. I'm still in the middle of it, but the routine is great.

 

[PunkmedGirl]

I was just planning to train for a triathlon before I start classes. There is something about signing up for an event that forces me to actually train for it so I don't embarrass myself too much. Actually, I'm more motivated by not looking so unfit for OPP lab.

I'm also planning on doing my first triathlon in Nov or Sept, depending on how prepared I am for it. My goal is to do a couple triathlons a year.

 

[Superman DO]

Does lots of sex count??

 

[PunkmedGirl]

Does lots of sex count??

Nope, you only burn probably a max of 100 calories.

 

[TeamZissou]

Nope, you only burn probably a max of 100 calories.

Hahahaha uh that would be based on the individual

 

[PunkmedGirl]

Hahahaha uh that would be based on the individual

Uhmmm....what kind of sex are you participating in that burns a whole lot of calories??

 

[Superman DO]

Nope, you only burn probably a max of 100 calories.

Welllll around 100 a hour. If you're the kind of person with a lot of stamina ,and it just so happens that you are going from sunset to sunrise and straight through brunch sometimes, wellllll that is a whole lot of calories being burned!