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Off Season Conditioning

Madroch

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Well, it is early for this thread, but as I did not take the plunge into Mtn. Biking this year, I needed some activities to keep me active (I golf a lot, but even walking, while a good way to burn calories, doesn't do a whole lot for strength/conditioning).

I am trying p90x-- and it seems great (only 30 days in). I think two of the workouts (legs and plyometrics) in particular will really help for skiing- as they are leg intense and also good for balance.

Will probably do two 90 day rounds, which takes me to the doorstep of ski season (late October)-- than will probably forego the upper body stuff and do legs and cardio only for November and December until the bumps are big enough to keep me busy!
 

deadheadskier

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Joined the gym last November and was somewhat committed throughout the season going 2-3 days a week. Since April I've been much more committed averaging 5 to 6 days a week. Usually go for about an hour and a half each morning. 45 minutes worth of weights, 45 worth of cardio. Also try and play Tennis once a weekend.
 

Madroch

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Hope to Mountain Bike next year--- that would be my preferred off season gig.

I did the gym cardio thing pretty regularly but that got old after about three years-- plus it was getting harder and harder to get to the gym during the day- and I could not drag myself to the gym before work - and could'nt go after - too late and like to see the kids on occassion.

I can do the p90x in my basement at 5:00 am-- it is easier to get down stairs than to the gym-- we shall see how long I last. I will check out those excercises legal...
 

MR. evil

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I made it through 60 days or P90x last fall before I tweaked my shoulder at Judo. that thing is killer. I still have nightmares about the chest and shoulder work outs. The first two weeks I could barley move my arms :). Once my kitchen face lift project is finished I plan on doing it again as I have put back all the weight I lost.

Love the Plyo and arm workouts. Hate the Ab Ripper X and I found the Kenpo X workout too easy so I did Plyo in it's place.
 

Madroch

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I made it through 60 days or P90x last fall before I tweaked my shoulder at Judo. that thing is killer. I still have nightmares about the chest and shoulder work outs. The first two weeks I could barley move my arms :). Once my kitchen face lift project is finished I plan on doing it again as I have put back all the weight I lost.

Love the Plyo and arm workouts. Hate the Ab Ripper X and I found the Kenpo X workout too easy so I did Plyo in it's place.

Plyo is the best--and the leg workout rocks too. Think both must be great for skiing. Chest/back is a killer, no doubt, I was armless for a while too. I don't like yoga X much, or kenpo X, for different reasons-- but I still do the kenpo- I just add some plyo (10 minutes) to the back end to get me working. I do the cardio X plus some plyo (20 minutes or so) on Yoga days. Cardio X itself is pretty easy, but I like it because it gives me some yoga in small doses.

Hate the ab ripper also- but do it religiously. It has proven to be the most rewarding- as I see improvement in my ability to do every move without pausing every time I do it.
 

hammer

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I made it through 60 days or P90x last fall before I tweaked my shoulder at Judo. that thing is killer. I still have nightmares about the chest and shoulder work outs. The first two weeks I could barley move my arms :). Once my kitchen face lift project is finished I plan on doing it again as I have put back all the weight I lost.

Love the Plyo and arm workouts. Hate the Ab Ripper X and I found the Kenpo X workout too easy so I did Plyo in it's place.
I get the impression that you can't start that if you are a couch potato...also never seem to have an hour a day that I can dedicate. If the infomercials are anywhere near accurate it seems like a pretty intense program.
 

MR. evil

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I get the impression that you can't start that if you are a couch potato...also never seem to have an hour a day that I can dedicate. If the infomercials are anywhere near accurate it seems like a pretty intense program.

It's actually much harder than the infomercial would lead you to believe. You are alo right about the couch potatoe thing, if your really out of shape you might want to consider working out for a month or two before starting P90x. I'm active and in decent shape, and those workouts Fd me up the first week.
 

UVSHTSTRM

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I drink 12 months a year, no off season.

I did P90X for a while, I stopped because of life events and it was tough to find enough room for some of sessions. However it was awesome.......ab ripper is brutal and I noticed even more then my weight loss that I became much more flexible.

Aside from P90X I am now going to the gym regularly and I must say I love the rowing machines. Gives you a full body workout, arms, legs etc.
 
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Joined the gym last November and was somewhat committed throughout the season going 2-3 days a week. Since April I've been much more committed averaging 5 to 6 days a week. Usually go for about an hour and a half each morning. 45 minutes worth of weights, 45 worth of cardio. Also try and play Tennis once a weekend.

I joined the gym december 1984:wink:
 
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MR. evil

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Plyo is the best--and the leg workout rocks too. Think both must be great for skiing. Chest/back is a killer, no doubt, I was armless for a while too. I don't like yoga X much, or kenpo X, for different reasons-- but I still do the kenpo- I just add some plyo (10 minutes) to the back end to get me working. I do the cardio X plus some plyo (20 minutes or so) on Yoga days. Cardio X itself is pretty easy, but I like it because it gives me some yoga in small doses.

Hate the ab ripper also- but do it religiously. It has proven to be the most rewarding- as I see improvement in my ability to do every move without pausing every time I do it.

A piece of advice that several friends / P90x grads all told me was "don't skimp on the yoga". I didn't listen and the first couple of weeks I skimped on the yoga and really paid for it. I then started to do it regularly, even on my off day and it made a HUGE difference. I was much more flexable and recovered much quicker after workouts.

I could never manage to do the AB ripperX after the strenght workouts. I was so spent that there was no way I could do the Ab workout. So I would always do it the following morning before work........without a doubt the worst 13 minutes of my day!
 

Madroch

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A piece of advice that several friends / P90x grads all told me was "don't skimp on the yoga". I didn't listen and the first couple of weeks I skimped on the yoga and really paid for it. I then started to do it regularly, even on my off day and it made a HUGE difference. I was much more flexable and recovered much quicker after workouts.

I could never manage to do the AB ripperX after the strenght workouts. I was so spent that there was no way I could do the Ab workout. So I would always do it the following morning before work........without a doubt the worst 13 minutes of my day!

I've been given similar advice by others... but Yoga is a combination of too hard and too boring.... I don't have the flexibility or balance to hold a lot of the poses, and man do I tire quickly if I actually manage to get into one of the poses correctly. I sense I also lack the zen state of mind for the inner peace required to spend 90 minutes doing it... I am starting phase 2 next week (a week late due to a vacation- had to back track a week this week and do an extra week of phase 1 to address vacation) so if it is in the program I will force myself to try it.
 

Madroch

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I get the impression that you can't start that if you are a couch potato...also never seem to have an hour a day that I can dedicate. If the infomercials are anywhere near accurate it seems like a pretty intense program.

It is also more than an hour a day-- it is closer to 80-90 minutes on at least 4 of the days. Finding the time is a bear-- but I have been doing it early... still hard to get up though.
 

legalskier

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I've been given similar advice by others... but Yoga is a combination of too hard and too boring.... I don't have the flexibility or balance to hold a lot of the poses, and man do I tire quickly if I actually manage to get into one of the poses correctly. I sense I also lack the zen state of mind for the inner peace required to spend 90 minutes doing it...

Sometimes I tune into the Namaste Yoga show on FitTV; it's only 30 minutes and runs several times each day. It isn't too hard, and with those women on the show it sure isn't boring.
:beer:
 

Madroch

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Sometimes I tune into the Namaste Yoga show on FitTV; it's only 30 minutes and runs several times each day. It isn't too hard, and with those women on the show it sure isn't boring.
:beer:

The most useful advice I have recieved to date! :spread:
 

Sky

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I workout with my PhD Anthropoligist pal. He's huge into wt training. We mix up the workouts. The primary programs last six to 8 weeks and they get tweaked throughout (mostly at the start) to accommodate gym-time availability (lunch).

We are currently working "super sets"...where you do an exercise (ex: leg press) for six reps @ a high weight (290 for me), 10 second rest to adjust the weights, 12 reps at the lesser weight (260), 10 seconds to adjust for 24 reps at a lesser weight (230). Two minute rest before the next exercise.

So it's the same routine (6, 12, 24) for six exercises.

Legs Monday (leg press, leg extension, leg curl, lunges with dumbells and something AWFUL called the "Pull Through". Dumbell to the floor betwen your bent legs (a squat) and pull that sucker up to shoulder height as you stand up...sort of like a bizzar way to start a lawnmower. OOOOF! I know, that's only five exercises. Trust me...it's plenty.

Cardio Tues/Thurs (hoops or eliptical (for 500 kcal)).

Wed is arms/shoulders. Overhead press, Inclined Bench, Bench press, chin ups, upright row, bent rows.

Friday...more chest/arms. Overhead press, lateral raises (dumbells raised with straight arms out to the side), Fly (same as latteral raise except on a bench rasing the weights over your chest), Close-grip bench press, "Press-Downs" (the opposite of a reverse curl), Hammer curls with dumbells.

I need the weekend to recover. :>
 

Marc

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There's just no way in hell you could convince me to do cardio indoors in the spring, summer or fall in New England. Why waste the weather staring at a digital timer or TV?? No extra equipment needed for running outside.
 
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