In your opinion

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chupajen
chupajen Posts: 33 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
do you think its better to get a great high energy workout every other day, or (in all honesty) a lower paced 1/2 assed workout every day? TIA.

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  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
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    it depends on your goals and what you enjoy doing.
  • Ruffianxx
    Ruffianxx Posts: 10 Member
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    High intensity workout every other day, hands down. But definitely consider saving the half assed workout for active recovery days.
  • anthony150paolucci
    anthony150paolucci Posts: 85 Member
    edited April 2016
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    It is better to give 100% all the time when you workout. I don't feel the satisfaction if I work out at 50%. The way I look at it is, if you going to work out, you might as well make it count. With that said though, you don't want to over strain your muscles doing the same workout at high intensity every day. That is why I am implementing alternating Cardio and Strength training into my routine.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    If you're doing cardio:

    "Half-assed" for sure.

    Your body CANNOT go at 100 % all the time. Intensity and time are linked, you have to give one up to get the other. You can go at full intensity for seconds, or moderate to high intensity for hours.

    If your goal is to get healthier, moderate intensity will build aerobic fitness and endurance. You should spend 80 % of your cardio sessions at moderate intensity and the other 20 % at high intensity.

    If your goal is to lose weight, moderate intensity for an hour will burn more calories than full intensity for a few minutes.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
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    Better? Probably whatever you will stick with. If you do 3 high intensity workouts in a week and then don't do anything for the next 4 weeks versus doing 7 low intensity workouts for several weeks...
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
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    There are things to be said for both. There are people who squat almost ever day, I know guys who run everyday, and then there are others who would be wrecked by all that. Set your goals first and then find how to meet them without crippling yourself. That said, 1/2 assed workouts are effective if used for recovery/deloading, and some activity every day is good for your heart. Without specific goals and knowledge about your tolerance and recovery needs, its not really a question that can be answered.
  • filovirus76
    filovirus76 Posts: 156 Member
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    As a runner, recovery runs are very important. I wouldn't call then half-a***d, but they definitely should not be intense. There is a time and place for all different levels of intensity.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited April 2016
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    chupajen wrote: »
    do you think its better to get a great high energy workout every other day, or (in all honesty) a lower paced 1/2 assed workout every day? TIA.

    Define high energy and half assed...

    It's best to do the planned workout as that helps in achievement of the goals, it's reasonable to do an alternative if there is reason to do so.

    How would you define 13 miles in 120 minutes? That depends on the objectives of the plan, and the session.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I'm a cyclist, and I do have recovery rides (I'm about to go on one right now)...but it's a recovery ride, I'm not half assing anything...it's part of my overall training and they are just as important as my tempo rides, hill rides, TT rides, long rides, etc...also, my longer rides are slower and less "high energy"....but they are a lot of miles vs. my TT rides which are only about 30 minutes, but I'm pushing about as hard as I can push without physically hurting myself...there's a time and place for everything and all of the above are important to my overall training plan...you should let your fitness goals guide you.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    I vote high energy every other day, and a lower intensity day on the rest of them.

    If you're not distance running or lifting heavy or experiencing severe DOMS, I see no reason to only exercise every other day, or half *kitten* it every day.
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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    If you're going to work out, it shouldn't be half assed.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I'm a cyclist, and I do have recovery rides (I'm about to go on one right now)...but it's a recovery ride, I'm not half assing anything...it's part of my overall training and they are just as important as my tempo rides, hill rides, TT rides, long rides, etc...also, my longer rides are slower and less "high energy"....but they are a lot of miles vs. my TT rides which are only about 30 minutes, but I'm pushing about as hard as I can push without physically hurting myself...there's a time and place for everything and all of the above are important to my overall training plan...you should let your fitness goals guide you.

    Probably for you, a recovery ride means <= 100 watts and <= 100 bpm. For you, that's active recovery, and it fits into your training plan. But most people would call that "half assing it." Most people have the crazy idea that anything less than 100 % isn't worth doing, as evidenced in this thread. That's why I recommend doing "half *kitten*" workouts every day instead of occasionally doing intense ones. We're talking about the same thing, "half *kitten*" just means moderate instead of full intensity. It's where most people will benefit most.

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