Skip to main content

Work Cycles, Rest & RPE

I try to exercise 5 days/week as per Can-Fit Pro's guidelines for exercise:
  • Flexibility 4-7 days/week
  • Cardio 3-5 days/week
  • Strength 2-4 days/week
That gives me 2 rest days per week. On active rest days I still stretch, take a walk with the dog, do some tai chi or yoga- something very easy going just to stay fluid and in motion. On dedicated rest days I do absolutely nothing and it's a mental exercise at least!

Since the half marathon in May I have been making a push with my workouts. My last work cycle was 11 days followed by 2 days of rest- 1 active and 1 dedicated. Today was Day 7 of this cycle, and after 6 consecutive days of high intensity interval circuit work I decided (or rather my body dictated) to have a low impact cardio day- to get the blood pumping but with minimal effort. This morning I logged a nice 6K walk. Later I rode the stationary bike at an steadily increasing then decreasing pace for 30 minutes:
  • 4 minutes HR 120 RPE 10
  • 6 minutes HR 130-140 RPE 12
  • 4 minutes HR 150-160 RPE 14-15
  • 3 minutes HR 180+ RPE 16-17
  • 4 minutes HR 150-160 RPE 14-15
  • 6 minutes HR 130-140 RPE 12
  • 3 minutes HR 120-130 RPE 10
A 30 minute bike ride is a good low impact cardio workout. It is interesting how RPE is adjusted after so many days of high intensity workouts. The effort in the cycling seemed a lot lower relatively today.

Day total: Walk 6K, Stationary cycle 30 minutes

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kate's Guide to Getting the Correct Sports Bra!

I wear an unusual size and it took me years to unlock the secrets to bra fitting (and finding!) I suffered for years in improperly fitting bras, and during exercise I would wear 2 or 3 just to get the support I needed.  E very woman needs support while performing sports; not having proper support means that there is extra stress put on the back during various activities. Even low-impact exercise s done without the support of a sports bra can result in strain on the upper back and shoulders that can result in pain or worse- injuries that may develop over time. Sports bras affect a woman’s posture. Exercising without support can result in slouching to prevent painful bouncing which throws the back and hips out of alignment and impedes form, leading to potential injury. The most common mistakes are when women wear a bra that is too small in the cup and too loose around the body for example a 38e instead of a 36f. Note: When you go down a band size, go up a cup! Step 1: T

I don’t have a Diastasis- Why is my abdomen still distended postpartum?

I get asked this question all the time! Here is my answer: Research has shown that 100% of pregnant women will develop some degree of diastasis recti. A diastasis is a lateral separation in the abdominal wall between the recti or “six pack”, due to a stretching of the midline connective tissue or “linea alba”. Although some diastasis will heal postpartum, in many cases a separation will remain without restorative exercise. Distention from DR will present as a doming in the midline. Women who heal a diastasis spontaneously or through restorative exercise may still find that their abdomens are distended, particularly after a meal and/or at the end of the day. If there is no diastasis, why is this? This abdominal distention does not occur in the midline, but rather across the entire abdominal wall. This is due to a weakened hypotonic TVA- transverse abdominis muscle. The TVA is the deepest anterior abdominal muscle, wrapping around the midsection like a girdle, with a left an

BulletProof Coffee

I have a client who regularly makes us a cup of BulletProof coffee before our workouts. I have come to enjoy its flavor. BulletProof Coffee is simply black coffee blended in a blender (not mixed with a spoon), with clarified grass fed butter (Ghee) and a medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil (Coconut oil works). Apparently there are benefits to brain function by blending healthy fats with your morning coffee. Also it has ketonic diet sympathies, as the fasted body in the morning continues burning healthy fat as energy, reducing hunger and helping with weight management. This is my understanding, anyway. I find it tasty and it perks me up :) Interested in making this for myself, I went to Amazon looking for products. Here is what I found- typical of protein powders and health food supplements, I found a lot of packaging and marketing. This BulletProof coffee package which costs $75.99 for coffee and some hyped up coconut oil? Then there is this Ghee at $57.99. As I added thes