# Cardio Intensity



## Transk53 (Aug 13, 2014)

Okay peeps, another random one, but I wish to share because quite frankly, I'm a bit unsure but here goes. Two workouts. Number one would be the bodywork at the amateur boxing club. One hour split down the middle with cardio then hitting the bags. This with a qualified boxing instructor. Number two is Insanity, 45 minutes I believe. A question of exertion here. Which one do you think causes the most cardio intensity?


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## MJS (Aug 14, 2014)

Transk53 said:


> Okay peeps, another random one, but I wish to share because quite frankly, I'm a bit unsure but here goes. Two workouts. Number one would be the bodywork at the amateur boxing club. One hour split down the middle with cardio then hitting the bags. This with a qualified boxing instructor. Number two is Insanity, 45 minutes I believe. A question of exertion here. Which one do you think causes the most cardio intensity?



Both will most likely give you good results.  Could you clarify the Insanity workout?  Is it this?  The debate between steady state and HIIT will rage on and on and on..lol.  Personally, I think both are good to do and both will give good results.  I do both.  Some days I'll get on the stationary bike, set it for 15 min, warm up for a minute, and then every 20 sec, I'll alternate between a fast pace, then a slower one.  I'll also increase the resistance.  Other days, I'll use a preset program, set it for 20-30min, and just go according to the program.  However, even with that, the resistance and intensity changes, so in essence, it's still a variation of HIIT.  The steady state would be more like going to the track or using the treadmill, going a set distance and no making any changes in speed, incline, etc.  

As I said, both are good, and it's good to use both.


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## Carol (Aug 14, 2014)

Personally I'm loathe to exercise indoors so I'm not familiar with Insanity at all.   I will add this though...for the last few weeks I've been building up to doing a bicycle commute which I started today.  Its 30km in each direction... roughly half is on a rail trail (steady state training) and half is on busy roads with a fair amount of New England's rolling hills.  This offers more of the high intensity intervals.   

I gotta say that doing both steady-state and HIIT-type training in the same workout feels lime fitness nirvana!  After pedaling for 60km total and dealing with rush hour traffic, I thought I would be drained from my first day, but I'm not.  I feel better finishing this then i did with my practice rides that were just one or the other.


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## Buka (Aug 14, 2014)

Good question. What's the end game, the goal? Endurance? If so, in what specifically? Fighting? Training? Running? Fitness?


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## Transk53 (Aug 16, 2014)

Buka said:


> Good question. What's the end game, the goal? Endurance? If so, in what specifically? Fighting? Training? Running? Fitness?



I guess a bit of all of that, albeit no sparring. It is one of those situations where the mind is more than willing, but your body lets you down. I used to be able to play football, was a decent right footed left full back. This has basically where my question has come from. My mate has suggested Insanity, which despite having a R.I.P post it on my head, I am willing to give it a go, despite it being somewhat brutal on a newbie. It is about the end product though, don't like keep reminding myself that I am 21 in mind only 

Thing is though, and has been mentioned on this site I agree, most of these new fangled workouts seem to pretty much be all the same, just different names. So many advocates of each, it is difficult to discern from personal opinions what is _the_ HIIT workout, military inspired, athlete inspired or whatever else. I would assume that a military inspired workout would be up there.


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## Buka (Aug 18, 2014)

I guess the first thing to do would be to take a  practical look of what you can and can't do safely, long term. Take into  account knees and feet if you're thinking of any kind of roadwork or  rope jumping, your back if it's core strength or overall strength. 

The biggest consideration is time. Endurance work takes time,  not just in the "gotta put the time in", but in the practical sense on a  clock. If you're working toward a marathon you have to put in the  hours. If you were working on your core, you could add a furious twenty  minutes to what you already do and be fine. Adding endurance to what you  already do....can take up a lot of minutes

I  think the biggest mistake any of us make when embarking on new  training, is doing too much too soon. Of the two you mentioned in your  original post, Insanity would be the far more intense. Just be careful, bro.  And have fun.


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## Transk53 (Aug 18, 2014)

Buka said:


> I guess the first thing to do would be to take a  practical look of what you can and can't do safely, long term. Take into  account knees and feet if you're thinking of any kind of roadwork or  rope jumping, your back if it's core strength or overall strength.
> 
> The biggest consideration is time. Endurance work takes time,  not just in the "gotta put the time in", but in the practical sense on a  clock. If you're working toward a marathon you have to put in the  hours. If you were working on your core, you could add a furious twenty  minutes to what you already do and be fine. Adding endurance to what you  already do....can take up a lot of minutes
> 
> I  think the biggest mistake any of us make when embarking on new  training, is doing too much too soon. Of the two you mentioned in your  original post, Insanity would be the far more intense. Just be careful, bro.  And have fun.


 

The road running for sure. I prefer not too if I can, but the running machines are lovely and smooth. Skipping (despite the fact that I detest it) is okay as well, although I have to work really hard to stay coordinated as always. Having fun is what the what the key is, but also not expecting too much. Think I have spent a lot of time more interested in my own frustrations and thinking, rather than relaxing and aiming further away.


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## Buka (Aug 18, 2014)

Transk53 said:


> The road running for sure. I prefer not too if I can, but the running machines are lovely and smooth. Skipping (despite the fact that I detest it) is okay as well, although I have to work really hard to stay coordinated as always. Having fun is what the what the key is, but also not expecting too much. Think I have spent a lot of time more interested in my own frustrations and thinking, rather than relaxing and aiming further away.



Skipping rope is great, it can burn more calories per minute than jogging, but it can be a ***** on the knees after you get into the groove. The more you do it, the better you are at it....that's when the knees start to gripe.

Got a good hill near you? A brisk power-walk up a steep incline can be great for cardio and strength, just be careful on the way down as it is more taxing to an older, or martially worn body. If you go the incline route, pay strict attention to not hyper-extending the knees and keeping them in line with hip and foot.

And you're right. Having fun is key.


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## Xue Sheng (Aug 18, 2014)

Transk53 said:


> Okay peeps, another random one, but I wish to share because quite frankly, I'm a bit unsure but here goes. Two workouts. Number one would be the bodywork at the amateur boxing club. One hour split down the middle with cardio then hitting the bags. This with a qualified boxing instructor. Number two is Insanity, 45 minutes I believe. A question of exertion here. Which one do you think causes the most cardio intensity?



I can only speak for me here, given the choices between boxing and insanity I'd choose boxing every time, but then I would prefer to keep things martial arts centric. Also there is a real live person training you and not a DVD. Nothing against the DVD in this case, just that the DVD can't tell you when to slow down or take it easy by looking at you


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## Transk53 (Aug 18, 2014)

Buka said:


> Skipping rope is great, it can burn more calories per minute than jogging, but it can be a ***** on the knees after you get into the groove. The more you do it, the better you are at it....that's when the knees start to gripe.
> 
> Got a good hill near you? A brisk power-walk up a steep incline can be great for cardio and strength, just be careful on the way down as it is more taxing to an older, or martially worn body. If you go the incline route, pay strict attention to not hyper-extending the knees and keeping them in line with hip and foot.
> 
> And you're right. Having fun is key.



Thankfully there is a lot of walking involved in my which helps at least maintain some level of fitness. Thing is, my right knee is usually okay to point that I can be confident that I will not snap a ligament. My left foot seems to be that issue at the current time. Stiff as hell when I get up in the mornings. Thought it might be tight calf's, but my squats are doing what they should do and no lifting. The only hills around are Devils Dyke and the South Downs, not a location that you could go for a quick spin as it were.


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## Carol (Aug 18, 2014)

That's all the more reason to go to a class, IMO.  A good coach can help you ratchet up the intensity in a way that minimizes injury.  After having someone ask if I did planks, I tried one.  I was able to hold it for a little over minute...then I started getting a weird pain in my neck and had to drop down.  That made me think about mechanics -- was my body straight?  What angle were my elbows supposed to be positioned at?   Could I catch a ghost of my reflection in a glass door to see how I was doing?  For a simple exercise, there's actually a lot to it.


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## Transk53 (Aug 19, 2014)

Carol said:


> That's all the more reason to go to a class, IMO.  A good coach can help you ratchet up the intensity in a way that minimizes injury.  After having someone ask if I did planks, I tried one.  I was able to hold it for a little over minute...then I started getting a weird pain in my neck and had to drop down.  That made me think about mechanics -- was my body straight?  What angle were my elbows supposed to be positioned at?   Could I catch a ghost of my reflection in a glass door to see how I was doing?  For a simple exercise, there's actually a lot to it.



Yeah concur. Had a similar situation when I was told about crunches. Can't do them without supporting my back with my hands. Thought that was an angle for me, and in a way it is, but the instructor suggested planks in stead. I really like them and they give my pride a little boost as well. We need that a lil bit sometimes  I will have a look at the Insanity, I guess a stinky sweaty me will be worth the effort in the end.


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