i’ve been lifting heavy 3 times a week, with intervals of cycling (gym roundtrip, 20 mins each way). all my lifts have gone up, i’ve ‘thickened’ considerably since last year (can’t wait till my mom sees me at the airport and faints)…
however, i noticed something while doing laundry today; while carrying the loads to the washer/dryer and back home, i had no trouble carrying the weight, however, i ran outta breath real fast. this is surprising, coupled with the fact that i can’t see my chin anymore, added to which i see myself as wide as two guys my age, and i start questioning what I’m doing wrong…
my diet hasn’t been immaculate since the last 2 weeks… and i’ve got about 3 weeks left before i head home. thinking of adding some cardio to my routine… yes, i hate it, and i’ll appreciate comments on how to ease into it… don’t wanna die from shortness of breath, yea? =)
Well… I HATE THIS QUOTE : but, learn to love it or accept that it’s just as important as good nutrition and rest.
Run as long as you can, then walk til your bored of walking, then run. Repeat for 1-2 hours a night, overtime you’ll notice you can run a little farther. This is no overnight phenomena, you will have to dedicate yourself to being able to run 1 mile without walking. Start there and continue ~
Yes I’d add some conditioning to your routines. As you add mass you also increase you requirement for oxygen. Because even when you move regularly, you are still utilizing more cells per movement which requires more O2. I am pretty sure you did not increase your lung capacity or oxygen absorbtion rates. The way to counter this is to make your body more efficient at taking in and utilizing O2. The best way to do that is cardio conditioning. As you become more efficient, you will notice the winding phenomenon going away. Just don’t go crazy with it.
It could just be that you were a little dehydrated or undernourished at that time. You weren’t expecting “a workout” so you probably didn’t prepare as you would for a lifting session. You said your diet’s been off - you may not feel it but your body’s working hard 24/7 to adapt to your training, and you have to give it the proper support.
Of course, a better cardio base couldn’t hurt. Just have fun and go a for a walk or jog or jump rope or practice a sport. Search for HIIT and GPP and consider adding them at some point. 1-2 hours per night is silly.
Was this a lifting day? It could be that you just kicked your own ass in the gym. I usually have some trouble functioning after a good squat/deadlift day.
it was not a workout day… at least, not before the event…
sleep has been slightly weird (vacillating-insomniac?) but i’ve kept myself hydrated… as for food, mostly cafeteria and italian subs and chinese delivery… stopped cooking a few weeks ago…
i’ll try adding in a cardio session for the next few weeks, in between weight days and see how things go.