Wow (RMR results)

abarriere

@rckeeper22 - I have dabbled with Whole30 and paleo eating. Some people swear by it. For me, personally, I have decided, if i can't keep it up forever, it's not worth my time. It was very helpful to eliminate certain food groups and then reintroduce them in order to find out if anything affected me negatively. Luckily, the answer is no, I don't have any intolerance to anything, so there's no need to give up grains/dairy/beans, etc.

Right now my workouts consist of basic circuit training a couple of times a week, plus jogging, dance class, whatever cardio I feel like at the time and lastly, playing with my crazy 4 year old son. I tried to do Bigger, Leaner, Stronger last summer and lift heavier, but I injured my piriformis. I took some time off and now am easing myself back into more of a circuit workout with moderate weights.

What do you do these days to keep that RMR so high?

rckeeper22

@abarriere - I agree with your attitude towards Paleo and Whole30! I've made recipes that are friendly to both programs, but it's because they look tasty, not because I'm worried about rice/beans/etc. And it's cool that you know for sure that your body is happy with it all. My husband would probably benefit from Whole30, since his stomach bothers him pretty often, though he's more or less narrowed it down to spicy or highly acidic foods that give him trouble.

Nice, sounds like a well-balanced workout plan! And I can't imagine how much energy you burn with your son! Hope your injury's continuing to heal and allow you to get after it.

In the past, I've done the Hard Body Training for Women workout from T-Nation (though I only did the 4 primary days per week, since I was pairing it with 'medium-level' 5k training plan).

Right now, I'm in a phase where I'd rather let someone else do the planning, so I've been going to HITT (High Intensity Tactical Training) classes about 5x per week. It's a program offered for service members that has similarities to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), but has enough differences that it stands apart on its own.

Three days a week, it's more strength-focused, with 10-15 minutes of agility training, followed by three main lifts (always some sort of squat, press, and hinge/pull movement), with one being the 'heavy' for the day in the 3-4 rep range, and the other two being 'lighter' at a 6-8 rep range. Following those three main lifts, we do an 'easier' circuit that may be timed or for reps, consisting of exercises with the TRX, bodyweight exercises, etc.

The other two days a week are more endurance-based; the first half of class is some kind of high-intensity cardio, like sprints or sleds, and the second half is a slow-and-steady recovery circuit, usually TRX-heavy.

I've been trying to add distance (3-4 mi) runs 3x per week, since that piece is missing from HITT, and also do pull-ups and ab work on my own.

I saw more strength gains from the T-Nation workout, but I like the group atmosphere and doing different exercises (battle ropes, TRX, etc) with HITT that I wouldn't necessarily do on my own.

Edit: I should add that I'm not working out more than 2 hrs/day- the HITT class is just an hour. I'm fortunate right now to where my work schedule is pretty amenable to fitting in PT.

abarriere

@rckeeper22 wow, your program sounds crazy! no wonder why you burn calories like a champ. That's so awesome that you are able to get in those classes. I really enjoy a class atmosphere, having people around me brings out my competitive side and pushes me to do more than I normally would. I like to jog as well. I call it jogging, not running, bc I go very slow, lol. I can run 3 miles, but it's soooooo slow. I could probably benefit from some sprints on occasion. One day i will get there!

rckeeper22

@abarriere

Absolutely you will get there! Sounds like you have a solid plan in motion too. I'm not actually a very big fan of running, so to get my butt out the door, I like to repeat a quote I heard somewhere, "No matter how slow you're going, it's still faster than sitting on the couch." Of course, the more you do it, the more your body adapts, so very slowly I'm starting to enjoy it a bit more, vice just feeling like I want to die the whole time, hah.

I completely agree WRT the class/group aspect; it's so helpful for pushing yourself harder, or just getting to the gym in general, when you know you just need to show up and follow instructions.