Pure Cardio Take 2

"Pride cometh before a fall"

I think that is from Beowolf. Actually, I'm pretty sure it is. Regardless, that was definitely me tonight. I was so stoked about how well I did yesterday. I pushed hard. I did almost every move (except for the v push ups) and never stopped moving. I felt great throughout. I felt great right after. I felt great today.

Then came Pure Cardio. It is actually a relatively short program. You go through the horrid warm up three times. Each time you push harder and harder. But then you spend 10 or so minutes stretching and the actual pure cardio part of it is only 15 minutes long. Then it is into the cool down.

But man, those 15 minutes are rough. it was my stupid legs again. They just wouldn't work. We had to do football sprints (tiny little sprints from a squat position) and I just couldn't get my feet off the floor fast enough. I felt like I was in quick sand or something. I tried. I really, really, really tried. I didn't quit.

Oh, I think I spent most of my energy cussing at the computer screen, but I pushed. And now I feel like jelly. Very sweaty jelly.

And my least favorite of all the workouts is tomorrow: Plyometrics.

The hubby made an interesting point tonight. Plyometrics is based on interval training. I think I've gone on about that before. Push hard and get your heart rate soaring and then fully recover (maybe not back down to 60 bpm, but down to a slightly elevated rate, maybe 100-110) and then go again. But the video only gives you 30 seconds to recover. I don't recover in 30 seconds. My heart rate is still pushing 130-140 when he calls time to do it again.

the hubby thought maybe we should be pausing the video when the rest came. Allow the heart rate to come down to 110 or so and then hit play to do the next bit. that way we are actually doing interval training instead of pushing the heart and keeping it up the entire 45 minute work out. I don't know. Would that be allowed? Would that be cheating?

Interval workouts are supposed to be high reward in regards to weight loss and cardiac conditioning.  Its because each interval you spend pushing yourself to the absolute max you can possibly go knowing you will fully recover before doing it again. It is the complete opposite of marathon or ultra marathon type sports where you go at a pace that will allow you to keep going and going and going.

So, by not recovering we are not able to push it nearly as hard the next time and even less the next. By pausing the video, fully recovering, and then going at it again we wouldn't miss any of the workout, but instead would actually be doing each interval as intended. I don't know....