May’s 30 Day Fitness Experiment Recap and Analysis

Posted on June 3, 2012 by The Young Urban Unprofessional

I’ve spent the past 9 months doing various 30-day lifestyle experiments which have targeted many different aspects of my life. However, I had yet to do one concerning fitness so I figured it was about time. The month of May was an attempt to do something active and different every day as a means to get out of my comfort zone to try new methods of exercise. As with every other experiment I’ve done so far, aspects of them have crept their way into my life and have become habit (compost bin, talking with strangers on the train, minimalism, eating less meat and more veggies, reading short stories, having sober weekends and not feeling weird about it, etc) and I’m sure that this fitness month will be no exception to that. As with any good experiment it is important to first ask the right kinds of questions. I wanted to find answers to questions like: “Is broomball a legitimate form of exercise?” or “Should I spend my time going to the gym or playing pickup soccer?” or “Do I get a better workout when I do them alone or with friends?” I definitely found some answers to those questions and I’ll recap some of them in this post.

I did a total of 27 different kinds of workouts this month, it was pretty tough logistically but with a little bit of organization and a whole lot of supportive friends I managed to do it. The only repeat workouts were running during Ragnar and hiking during my Hawaii trip. In sum, I ended up doing 31 total bouts of exercise, some more intense than others but at the end of the day I accomplished my goal of getting out of my comfort zone and trying out new exercises. For a full list of the workouts I did, scroll to the bottom of this post.

At the beginning of the month I bought a heart rate monitor because as an engineer, I had to find a way to measure my experiment. How do my new workouts compare to my habitual workouts and how do all of those relate to my overall fitness level? Here’s a chart for min/max/average heart rates for each exercise I did this month. I managed to either forget or mess up my heart rate data for only 3 of my workouts, so they’re omitted from this chart, showing 28 out of the 31 workouts I did this month:

Having the heart rates recorded is one thing, but what’s more important is to put these into context of your training zones which differ from person to person depending primarily on age and resting heart rate (54bpm for me): Fat Burning Zone (125-160bpm), Aerobic Zone (160-174), Anaerobic Threshold Zone (174-181), and Anaerobic Zone (181-195). I won’t go through how I calculated the zones because it’s pretty well-established and you can find the equations online anywhere. HERE are the equations I used. Here’s the chart with the zones overlaid on my heart rate data:

In terms of Average Heart Rate, I did not have any exercises that were in my Anaerobic Threshold Zone nor in my Anaerobic Zone. Most of my workouts landed me in the Fat Burning Zone:

Fat Burning Zone: Broomball, Harvard Stadium, Soccer, Lead Climbing, Plyometrics, Ragnar 1/2/3, Insanity, Boxing, Road Biking, Dragon Boat, Austere Fitness, Rollerblading, Spartan Race WOD, and Swimming.
Exercises that didn’t make the Fat Burning cut for Average Heart Rate: Bouldering, Rowing, P90X Shoulders/Arms, Apartment Moving, TRX Suspension Training, Outrigger Canoeing, Hiking 1/2/3, Yoga, Resistance Bands, Fitness Park.

The caveat here is that I only measured heart rate. I indeed burned fat while hiking 22 miles over 3 days in Hawaii, it’s just that my heart rate didn’t bring me into that zone. A proper measurement would include EMG for measuring muscle activity and VO2 for measuring oxygen consumption, but I’ll never have such advanced equipment so heart rate is all I have to work with. The moral of the story here for me is that for the exercises that didn’t make the fat burning cut, I likely wasn’t pushing myself hard enough (low intensity level) or consistently enough (too many breaks). The other lesson is that I was burning fat doing a variety of different things; from rollerblading to boxing to throwing rocks, I was helping make my body leaner and healthier, all without having to join a gym, spend any money, or use any weights/gym machines.

In terms of my Maximum Heart Rate, I had a few surprising findings:

Anaerobic Zone: Broomball was the only exercise that brought me to an anaerobic level of working out, who knew? I knew I was working really hard and super out of breath but I had no idea I was playing at such a high intensity level. Thank you Social Boston Sports for introducing me to Broomball (league champs 2 years in a row!)
Anaerobic Threshold Zone: Pickup Soccer and my 3rd Ragnar leg. Both of these workout were done with friends, were competitive with other people, and were among the most fun I had while exercising.
Aerobic Zone: Harvard Stadium Run, Plyometrics, Ragnar 1/2, Boxing, Spartan Race WOD, Austere Fitness, and Road Biking.
Fat Burning Zone: Rowing, Bouldering, Lead Climbing, P90X Shoulders/Arms, Apartment Moving, Insanity, Dragon Boat Racing, Outrigger Canoe Paddling, Hiking 1/2/3, Power Yoga, Rollerblading, Swimming, and the Fitness Park.

In all of my workouts this month, I at least reached the point somewhere in the workout where I was burning fat, it just might not have been burning fat the entire time as the average heart rate would indicate.

As for my initial questions starting this month, I found that Broomball is not only a legitimate form of exercise, it’s a fantastic form of exercise which could help push the limits of my anaerobic conditioning. I also found that I didn’t need to go to a gym or lift weights, I’m better of running around outside playing pickup soccer. Lasty, I did 15 of my workouts (roughly half) with friends, these were also the ones where I pushed myself the hardest (anaerobic threshold and anaerobic zones).

Would I do another 30day fitness experiment? Definitely. I had a blast, I feel great, and I have plenty of ideas for other types of exercise. There were about a dozen other exercises that I couldn’t quite do just because of logistics, time, and access to gear, some of them are: ultimate frisbee, mountain biking, break dancing, capoeira, various martial arts, kick boxing, spinning, kayaking, canoeing, and others.

Here’s the list of the exercises I did this month, feel free to check them out by clicking on the links:

Pickup Broomball in Somerville (thanks to Michelle for enlightening me to glory that is pickup broomball)
Harvard Stadium Run (thanks to Dan for always being willing to crush it)
Rowing in the Gym (thanks to no one because erging sucks)
Bouldering Pyramid Workout at Metrorock (boulder sesh with Tony)
Pickup Soccer at Tufts University (thanks Dan, Lauren, and Katie for inviting me)
Lead Rock Climbing at Farley Ledge (thanks to Tom)
P90X Shoulders, Biceps, and Triceps
12 Minute Tabata Abdominal Intervals (thanks Julia for sending this my way, sorry we couldn’t get any spinning classes in)
P90X Plyometrics in my Living Room (sorry neighbors below me)
Moving Apartments as a Workout (you’re welcome Sarah :)
Ragnar Relay Race Cape Cod (thanks Katie for organizing it and thanks team for being awesome, 6th place out of over 300 teams!)
Active Recovery Day
Boxing at the Ring Boxing Club (thanks Dan and JLo for joining me)
TRX Suspension Training (thanks Shane for providing the gear and walking me through a workout)
Insanity – Core Cardio and Balance (thanks Karen for letting me borrow the DVDs)
Road Biking
Dragon Boat Racing (thanks Julia for sending this my way, thanks Dave the team’s coach for letting me try it out)
Outrigger Canoe Paddling on Oahu (thanks to Sarah and the Lanikai Canoe Club)
Hiking the Kalalau Trail in Kauai (thanks to Sarah and her expert logistics)
Power Yoga on Kalalau Beach in Kauai Featured as the Adventure Photo of the Day on LetsbeWild.com
Fitness in Austere Environments (Kauai) (thanks Trevor for being a berzerk viking and designing these workouts)
Rollerblading on the Charles River Bike Path
Swimming at Tufts University (thanks Ashley)
Resistance Bands (thanks Graham)
Elliptical – didn’t even write about it b/c it was so lame, recap: awkward/unnatural motion and couldn’t raise my heart rate higher than 140 no matter how high the resistance and how hard I pushed.
Spartan Race Workout of the Day (WOD) (thanks Andy and Joe from Peak and Spartan Races)
Fitness Park Workout (thanks Boston)

Resistance Bands on the Charles River Fitness Park

Posted on May 31, 2012 by The Young Urban Unprofessional

Having just come back from Hawaii, the last thing I wanted to do today was to workout inside. So I went for a short 10 mile bike ride. However, having already done a bike ride this month I decided to stop at the Fitness Park located along the Charles River to get in some alternative exercise. I brought my roommate’s resistance bands and did a shoulders/biceps/triceps workout. For those of you who think resistance bands are for sissies, guess again. You can make them as easy or as tough as you want depending on the strength of your band and/or the tension you create for yourself. I got a good burn going on my muscles and my muscles were shaking by the end of each set. We used to use them all the time when I played high school and during my brief stint in college as well. They are great for strengthening things like rotator-cuffs for example. You can also get a good burn doing just about anything as long as you’re doing it right (i.e. consistent tension in the band throughout the range of the exercise, if the bands go slack you’re doing it wrong).

Using a heart rate monitor for the first time during a resistance band workout I found that I should probably mix in some type of cardiovascular component next time. My min/max/average heart rates were 67/96/125, so pretty low intensity as far as heart rate goes. I was feeling a serious burn in my muscles but I wasn’t exactly working my lungs at all. It would have been great to do one set of shoulders/biceps/triceps and then jump rope or do abs as a way to get my heart rate average up overall. I felt ok with not doing this today because I had already biked 10 miles so I figured that was good enough cardio for the day.

I meant to bring the bands with me on my trip to Hawaii so I could get a workout done in the airport but I totally forgot and left them at home. I would definitely bring these on travel with me as a way to get a quick and effective workout in my hotel room instead of using the bogus equipment usually found in hotel workout facilities. I’d also use them for rehab as well if I were injured. For example, my roommate had shoulder surgery a while back and he’s been using them pretty consistently to regain strength. I used them last summer when I aggravated my shoulder 2 months into the P90X+ workout program. A mixture of rest (i.e. no shoulder exercises) and resistance band workouts helped me to move past the shoulder issue. I’m even thinking of getting a set of bands to keep at my desk at work for those times when I’m sleepy at the end of the day, getting the blood flowing is a great way to wake back up.

I like resistance bands because they are light-weight, low-maintenance, and can be used inside or outside to give you a serious workout so I definitely approve of using them as a way to stay fit and augment your normal workout routine.

Trevor Smith’s Fitness in Austere Environments on Kalalau Beach in Kauai, Hawaii

Posted on May 30, 2012 by The Young Urban Unprofessional

Trevor and I went to high school together and we met on the cross-country team my freshman year. He was a fit dude then and he’s surely a fit dude now, the difference is that more than a decade later he’s now helping Army Rangers stay fit while on deployment, EPIC. He calls his program “Fitness in Austere Environments” or more simply “Man Strength”. The premise is to stay fit in harsh environments where you don’t have access to a gym. Imagine you’re a Special Forces dude in peak physical form as you head off for a deployment in Iraq or Afghanistan. How can you continue to stay in great shape if you can’t bring a gym with you to the Afghan mountainside? His program helps Rangers and other people stay in shape by using their simple tools they can find in their surroundings and easily modifying them for exercise: lifting tires, throwing rocks, doing burpees, lifting sandbags, endless squats/lunges, and other types of exercises. I’d describe it as if Cross-Fit and the World’s Strongest Man competitions had a baby together, it’d be Trevor Smith’s Austere Athletics Program. To quote Trevor’s new website, “If you aren’t training to be as strong as a berserk viking, and fast as greased lightning, you are wasting your time.”

I thought it would be great to investigate some of his workout routines for my month-long fitness experiment. So I emailed him and he sent me some of his YouTube videos where he’s training in his back yard in Norway so I adapted them for my workout on Kalalau Beach in Kauai, Hawaii. Kalalau is one of the most remote beaches in the world. It’s only accessible by boat or an 11 mile hike over a series of cliffs. So with absolutely no access to a gym or formal workout tools I thought this would be a great scenario to do some gymless training.

Based of his YouTube video I grabbed a rock of sufficient weight and did the workout below which lasted about 25 minutes:

5 minute warmup of arm circles, pushups, jumping jacks, and a few other moves to get my heart rate up and my body sweating
Pushups x 25 – in his video he wears a backpack filled with sand, I simply did 25 pushups, if I hadn’t already carried 50lbs for two days I probably would have done the pushups with it on. This time, I decided to pass on the extra weight.
Rock Squats x 15

ROCK SQUATS! I need a larger rock next time. I definitely had a few naked hippies walk by and give me weird looks.

Lunges x 15 (each leg)

ROCK LUNGES! These were pretty tough to do because it was hard to keep the rock balanced. Trevor uses a sand bag which I think would work better, just sling it over your shoulders and go to town.

Bent-Over Rows x 15

ROCK ROWS! Doing some bent over rows with the rock, I was certainly working up a good sweat by this point. Our lovely campsite is featured in the background.

Twist Toss x 9

ROCK THROWING! This was easily my favorite exercise of the whole workout, deep down there's just something satisfying about throwing large objects around.

Burpees x 20 in ~60s
Abs – Russian Twist (with a smaller rock)
Abs – Put it on the Shelf (taken from P90X+ but done with a rock instead of weights).

Based off my high number of reps above, I certainly could have chosen a heavier rock, but not wanting to injure myself with a new workout before my 11 mile hike the next day, I decided to focus more on my form than my weight. Even though I could have done a heavier weight, my heart rate was still cruising with a min/max/average of 75/161/131. I was drenched in sweat and had a blast. I don’t quite yet feel like a berserk viking but I certainly felt the workout.

Note to self: when you’re done working out with your huge rock, make sure to put it somewhere safe instead of the middle of your campsite so people don’t trip on it in the middle of the night (sorry Sarah).

Here’s one of Trevor’s YouTube videos, I used most of his exercises except the sandbag ones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7f5Prr08AT4

Power Yoga on Kalalau Beach in Kauai, Hawaii

Posted on May 30, 2012 by The Young Urban Unprofessional

I knew that yoga would have to be one of my exercises while I was on vacation in Kauai, living on Kalalau Beach. Kalalau is a very spiritual place for the people who have lived there over the centuries so I found it fitting to do my one yoga workout this month while in the valley. Also, after 15 miles of hiking over two days with a pack weight approaching 50 pounds I knew my body needed some recovery. Yoga definitely did the trick. I most often do yoga on Mondays or Tuesdays after a weekend of beating myself up hiking, climbing, or adventuring. It helps lengthen my body back out and helps me work my muscles in a super low-impact way to help them recover. I’ve definitely seen an improvement in my recovery time as well as other aspects of my life (core strength, flexibility, rock climbing, etc) thanks to Yoga.

I used to be a huge naysayer toward yoga because I had wrongly assumed it was just for people who wanted to be flexible and/or wear yoga pants (both of which I fully support but that’s besides the point). I remember the first time I did yoga three years ago during a PE class at Tufts. I figured I would walk into the class, stretch out a bit, hopefully meet a girl or two, and I was golden, basically foolproof. Boy was I wrong, I was totally humbled because power yoga absolutely kicked my ass. My mat was covered in my own sweat, my muscles were shaking uncontrollably, and I felt like I wanted to die. I was that guy in the back of the class cursing and falling over and getting exceedingly frustrated because everyone else was in the zone with these expressions of zen on their faces. After taking a few semester-long classes in college I’m now a firm believer in making yoga part of my weekly routine. I like the emphasis it places on balance, power, and flexibility (not just flexibility as I wrongly assumed).

On Kalalau Beach in Kauai I decided I would do a 45 minute yoga session. I can safely say that I’ve never had such an amazing backdrop for doing yoga. I wasn’t quite sure whether I should be facing the ocean or facing the valley:

Probably my most epic Warrior 1 ever. I wasn't quite sure what I should be looking at: ocean, waterfall, mountains, cliffs, jungle, beach, naked hippies, etc. I wish this picture could really do Kalalau Valley proper justice but it's simply too big and too amazing to capture with film. (photo courtesy of Sarah).

This picture was taken about two minutes before the wind blew away my inner-tube. The tube rolled up on its side and the wind blew it about 200 yards down the beach and threatened to blow it into the ocean to be gone forever. I ran down the beach as fast as I could and saved the inner-tube. As I returned to my yoga I got a standing ovation from a half dozen naked people who were watching my escapades. After running about 400 yards and now knowing that I had an audience, I had to calm myself down and finish out another 20 minutes of yoga.

My min/max/average heart rates were 70/108/153 and it was pretty clear that the 153 peak came from sprinting down the beach. It was pretty tough to do yoga on the sand, I’m not sure I recommend it. At first I tried to use my towel as my yoga mat but it was significantly too short and it kept moving around. I quickly ditched the towel and accepted the fact I’d just be covered in sand by the end of it. I spent a lot of time getting my hands and feet situated before, during, and after each pose. It definitely wasn’t my best yoga session of all time but it was certainly the best yoga experience I’ve ever had. After the session I promptly jumped into the ocean to wash off the sand and the sweat. Then to wash off the salt water I showered under the waterfall you can see in the picture above.