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Thread: Short workouts several times a day

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    Default Short workouts several times a day

    Kinda like breaking up meals -- say three workouts at an hr or a little more than an hr apiece -- would this be an effective conditioning method?

    I have a fair bit of time on my hands these days. When I think abt it, a 10-12min stage set 5x/nite on average when I was at work comes to 50-60min/nite of exercise. Not counting dances & running around up&down stairs. Doing that 4-5 nites a wk got me in great shape fast. I am thinking smtg like1hr 3x a day to focus on a different area each time (upper body, core, lower body + elliptical for cardio).

    I think this would be better than just a 'bulk' workout once a day & burning out muscles all at once, plus it would keep my metabolism in constant gear. Thoughts? Idk really anything abt how to get the most from my workouts beyond busting my ass (along w/ the rest of my body) on the pole, but I don't have access to one of those atm.

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    Default Re: Short workouts several times a day

    If it works for you go for it. I do 5-6x a week, about 60-90 mins. But I'm also a night owl and I like going to the gym when there is next to nobody there.
    "Fake tits are like Kevlar. They don't guarantee your chances of survival but they sure as hell improve it."
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    Default Re: Short workouts several times a day

    I don't really see that as being beneficial. I took an Exercise Physiology class over the summer for my major & we learned that your body and muscles need certain amounts of time to recover depending on what exercise you did (cardio, strength, or some intense training.. cardio needs less time like 24 to 36 hours, strength needs somewhere around 36 to 48 hours and intense training needs more... I'm not sure if that's accurate you might want to look it up since I'm just going off memory right now). When you exercise your muscles are breaking down and when you recover that is when they rebuild. Not saying that this is to make you bulk because you're a female and females cannot bulk without taking something to boost their testosterone. Consistently working out in general boosts your metabolism (strength training does the most) and making active choices throughout the day will keep up your metabolism (taking the stairs, walking places, anything but sitting on your butt all day watching tv haha even cleaning the house!). You should just stick to working out every other day or so (unless all you are doing is cardio and then you could workout everyday) and possibly making a habit of walking in the morning and/or at night around your neighborhood? That could help you stay active as well and add in a little more cardio.

    Oh and after your workout is just as important as your workout itself! You need to make sure to get enough protein so your muscles can rebuild and stay hydrated.. I have a problem doing these things because I get lazy or forget.

    Anyway, all of these things will keep you in shape and healthy and there is no way you will bulk unless someone is sneaking you steroids in your drinks lol. You'll just build some nice lean muscle (especially if you mix cardio with weights).


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    Default Re: Short workouts several times a day

    Thnx, I really don't know a whole lot abt the finer points of exercising. I guess one of the main points of your post ^^^^ regardless of the numbers(hrs) is that you can't really rush the rebuilding process?

    I am not looking to 'bulk up' but I've got military PT in mind + generally keeping in good shape for pole, whenever it is I can start that up again. My diet's better than it was while dancing, since at least I am eating regularly & getting appropriate calories, as opposed to barely breaking even calorie-wise while dancing; also making an effort to eat healthier.

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    Default Re: Short workouts several times a day

    is military PT military physical therapy..? That's what I'm going to school for actually (physical therapy). Unless PT is something different haha then nvm.

    But anyway, yeah you definitely cannot rush the rebuilding process and it would probably just end up hurting you to overdo your workouts. Constantly breaking down your muscles can't be good for you! Oh and eating regularly is another way to keep your metabolism going. People who do crash diets or starve themselves for example have a slower metabolism because their body is going into starve-mode. So if you're eating regularly throughout the day your keeping your metabolism going. I know when I'm busy with school I definitely do not eat right, so I have all this info for other people but it's hard to stick to that advice myself!

    It sounds like you are being healthy and if you stick to working out as I said in the previous post you should be good to go!

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    Default Re: Short workouts several times a day

    Military PT is physical training. I have had the other kind of PT b4 & hoping to go a bit longer yet b4 things start breaking again haha. While I was not thinking to go apeshit w/ each of these workout segments I was mainly hoping to speed along the conditioning process a bit.

    I have nvr done crash diets or any weird shit like that, it was just eating once or maybe twice a day, small meals that were ok to 'erm … less than ok' in terms of nutrition & just plain not replacing the calories I burnt at work. I would drink on avg 4-6L of water each shift, sm times more, but I get out of that habit when I am not dancing. I know that's one more thing to fix.

    I really appreciate the advice!

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    Default Re: Short workouts several times a day

    Define 'great shape'. Are you trying to loose weight/fat or add muscle? I see nothing wrong with working out, and later in the day going for a walk, light yoga, or a bike ride. However doing a hardcore dance routine, lifting weights, zumba cardio etc is much too strenuous and will leave your body in a constant state of recovery which will do nothing but leave you open for injuries and sickness. Becoming healthy is not something that can be achieved overnight. It takes time, and consistency. To workout 3 times a day, think about it, athletes don't even do that. They have a time for practice, and a time to compete.

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    Default Re: Short workouts several times a day

    Quote Originally Posted by MissAdriana View Post
    Define 'great shape'. Are you trying to loose weight/fat or add muscle? I see nothing wrong with working out, and later in the day going for a walk, light yoga, or a bike ride. However doing a hardcore dance routine, lifting weights, zumba cardio etc is much too strenuous and will leave your body in a constant state of recovery which will do nothing but leave you open for injuries and sickness. Becoming healthy is not something that can be achieved overnight. It takes time, and consistency. To workout 3 times a day, think about it, athletes don't even do that. They have a time for practice, and a time to compete.
    My wgt has nvr been a problem, except for times of extreme stress when my appetite disappears completely & my wgt drops like mad. I am well w/in the military wgt standards for my height, so even tho there is a need to keep that in mind(since they can basically suspend or even kick me out) I would have to pack on literally 30+lbs for it to be an issue.

    I am more interested in building up for running (it's of the devil but can't really escape it), also general strength training. Upper body esp. Dancing keeps me fit on all fronts but I am feeling a bit like sm1 who has nvr worked out b4, bc pole/stripping has been 'it' for me for so long that I don't really remember how to go abt it any other way. I remember athletic training bc I did martial arts when I was younger, & competed as well as taught classes, so eventually I was really working out for sm times 5hrs a day. But I am realising that I have to build back up to that.

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    Default Re: Short workouts several times a day

    5hrs a day isn't necessary to build up to what you have in mind if you are pushing hard enough/using enough weight with the correct movements. I would suggest a diet either high in carbs or protein whichever you prefer. Calculate how many calories you need just to live and then how many you need on a day you will be doing various workouts. And make sure you eat up to those calories. It sounds like you are an ectomorph so you will need to eat often and lots in order to maintain the size and growth. Maybe consider getting some protein and adding some shakes to your diet. You shouldn't need to cut out sweets - your body needs the calories.

    Dancing the pole is good but you will only ever be working with your own body weight, therefore I suggest you lift weights. Women tend to be weaker in the upper body so that will take some time to build mass. You will build muscle fastest in your back and legs particularly thighs. Any weight training will do you good. Deadlifts, squats, pulldowns, bench all great movements for what you are looking to do. Start with a weight you can handle and work up. Very gradually. You can do this for 1hr no more than 3 times a week. You will probably get DOMs. Invest in ice packs and hot baths. I have found working my entire body in a day, as opposed to legs 1 day, chest the next, is too wearing and again keeping the body in a constant state of recovery, you don't want that. A few basic movements and weight is all you need. Free weights and dumbbells are great also! I wouldn't worry about the amount of time so much as how you feel. If you are breathing hard, sweating with a high heart rate after 40mins, don't force yourself to go too long as that's a fast route to injury. Youtube is also great for home workouts but I got sick of all the guys with false info trying to sell a magic pill LOL

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    Default Re: Short workouts several times a day

    Yeah. I certainly don't want to be working out 5hrs a wk, I was mentioning that bc I did used to have the strength & stamina for it

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    Default Re: Short workouts several times a day

    Quote Originally Posted by Aniela View Post
    I think this would be better than just a 'bulk' workout once a day & burning out muscles all at once, plus it would keep my metabolism in constant gear. Thoughts?
    Aniela, I think you're overthinking this part a little. One of the most important principles is consistency, and if it's easier for you to exercise 3x a day for 20 minutes, instead of once for an hour straight, then it will work out better for you. If it's easier to just get it out of the way once a day for an hour, that will work better -- whatever keeps you consistently working out rather than skipping. Beyond that, specifically for conditioning work (strength work is different), you can break things up -- it's been shown 3 10-minute workouts will be roughly like one 30-minute workout. You've already seen that proven first-hand when you were dancing. It's just a matter of your body getting used to handling the load and recovery time -- which is why even high school athletes will do conditioning work 6 days a week, it works once you've conditioned yourself to it.

    In the context of conditioning work, breaking things up into "upper body, core, lower body + elliptical for cardio" doesn't make sense to me. And I personally wouldn't boot to 1 hour 3x per day. If I did conditioning work 3 hours a day, I'd wonder why I was working out at such low intensity... if you increase the intensity, you can reduce your workout time but increase your results. To put things in perspective, there was a famous study comparing one particular (ultra) high intensity 4-minute workout with a second group that did 60-minute jogs. The 4-minute workout group had similar aerobic gains, greater fat loss, and far greater anaerobic gains. There's been lots and lots of research since then showing that it's a reasonable choice to increase your intensity and lower your workout time, if that's what you'd rather do.

    If you'd like some ideas, I'm a fan of Ross Enamait, a world-class boxing strength & conditioning coach, and his stuff is particularly great for introducing you to great bodyweight & low-tech conditioning and strength exercises, and showing how to put them together into a program. I constantly raid his stuff for ideas. Here's his conditioning book & video http://www.rosstraining.com/fullthro...ditioning.html and another bodyweight/low tech book which includes both conditioning & strength http://www.rosstraining.com/nevergymless.html Incredibly sound exercise and program choice, and more importantly, lots of really fun routines, though they tend to all be high intensity so done over a short period of time. He's got a great helpful forum also.

    (I was referring above to conditioning work, which is what you referenced in your first sentence. If you're also doing focused strength work, that does require more planning with rests, but that didn't sound like what you were doing).

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