I need some advice.....

So...for the past several weeks I have not been hiking due to a foot injury and I am terribly afraid of getting out of shape. I was given clearance to do the stationary bike at the gym and as much as I dislike biking I will continue.

Usually I have a book to read but forgot one today so I was left to read all the charts on the bike which left me with some questions....first what is the difference between an aerobic zone and an anerobic zone and second which one should I try to stay at to stay in shape?

-MEB

You want to mix both zones into your training.

Aerobic exercise increases stamina, helps you manage weight and strengthens the heart. Anaerobic exercise is used to build endurance and recovery.


Check out this site:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/282747-aerobic-anaerobic-heart-rate-zones/

MEB said:

Usually I have a book to read but forgot one today so I was left to read all the charts on the bike which left me with some questions....first what is the difference between an aerobic zone and an anerobic zone and second which one should I try to stay at to stay in shape?

Click to expand...

Aerobic exercise is exercise at a level where your heart and lungs can keep you supplied with oxygen. (Eg distance running, hiking.)

Anaerobic exercise is exercise at a level where your heart and lungs cannot keep up with your oxygen demands. (Eg. a sprint.) You build up an oxygen debt which must be made up later.

Aerobic exercise can be sustained for long periods, anaerobic only for short periods.

A simple way to distinguish between them is: if you can speak reasonably normally then you are exercising aerobically. If you can only speak in very short gasps, then you are exercising anaerobically.

There are rules-of-thumb about some percentage of one's maximum heart rate being the dividing line between the two, but they can be pretty inaccurate. For instance, my aerobic threshold is 90-95% of my maximum heart rate (~200 bpm) as opposed to the rule-of-thumb ~65--70% and (~160 bpm for my age).

Hiking is aerobic exercise carried out for long periods of time, doing the same on the bike will prepare you for hiking. (In biking, it is called LSD: Long Slow Distance--as opposed to pushing as hard as you can.)

Doug

I agree with DougPaul.
Get on the bike and do some LSD.

Not sure about you but I find if I read when working out on cardio equipment I do not work out as hard. It is boring riding an exercise bike. I usually listen to my ipod. If you are interested, I can send you the bike workout that the Coast Guard 5th week recruits do. Its tough. Takes about 45 mintues. I thought I was in excellent shape until I did it the first time.

Just some other ideas besides focusing on target heart rate:

things I've done when stationary bike is the only option: I get upbeat/fast beat music that I like and ONLY allow myself to listen to it when on the bike. That way, I look forward to the "ride." Also, so it doesn't seem like a prison sentence, I tell myself, "ONLY 20 MINUTES!!" Then, once I get going, I add another 10, then, another 10, then another 10, then, if I can another 10 minutes. It doesn't seem so bad. Also, it's hard to get the heart rate up, so, my goal is just to see if I can sweat. I don't use a spin bike; I use a couple old schwinns, recumbants, and other gym bikes when I HAVE to.

My main goal is always just to keep up the momentum/pattern of just exercising even if it isn't the exercise that I would usually do to maintain weight.

There may be other options such as weightlifting of some form.

YMMV!!! Best of luck!!!! --Becca

Working on other muscle groups can help out too..like upper body, light weight, do as many reps as you can (i.e. say bench press machine) in 30 secs. then increase time as you go...do other upper body exercises in the same vein...a useful exercise is the rowing machine, where you put your feet into stirups, the seat goes forward and back, and you pull on an "oar"...this seems not to place too much pressure on the foot, and you can control how fast you want to work it...you'd be surprised how winded you can get after 30 secs doing as fast as you can...hope you recover quick...! that is if you can get clearance to do things not involving your foot!!

I haven't met MEB. But from what I read here, she'll probably be the first one to complete the NH48 walking on her hands.

Seriously, MEB, I'm super impressed with your hiking resume, and a bit surprised you haven't been exposed to the basics of aerobic and anaerobic training before this. Posts above are a good summary. This is a huge area of study, and there is extensive science being done. Some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartlek

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interval_training

http://www.spinervals.com/

I hope the foot heals fast!

TCD

Meb, maybe your injury can tolerate pool running for some variety.

Thanks everyone for the advice....and TCD thank you for your kind words. I'm not really into the "fitness" thing like some folks....just like to move cause I got a lot of excess energy to burn off

-MEB

i agree with mtnpa.

MEB said:

I was given clearance to do the stationary bike at the gym and as much as I dislike biking I will continue.


-MEB

Click to expand...

Spin classes are pretty fun and can be very intense depending on the level of the class. Hope you feel better soon, MEB!

Depending on the type of foot injury you have you might find it can tolerate the elliptical trainer. Since your foot stays flat on this it puts much less pressure on the Achilles and other tendons. For some reason I find it far less boring than the stationary bike. Though I do find spinning classes don't get boring.

Since nobody else has mentioned it yet, i will...SWIMMING! It's the best low impact in-recovery activity around.

Don't push it MEBitz.
Wanna be ready for your LSD/JMT trip...

MEB, I feel your pain.

In '99 I broke my fibula - a stress fracture that progressed to a complete fracture from hiking in heavy double boots. Since my orthopedist had me in just a walking cast, I was able to experience the thrill of an hour a day x 6 weeks on a stationary bike. About went out of my mind, but it kept me from getting too out of shape.

Six weeks later I was given the okay to commence running. That first one miler on a treadmill ranks up there as one my all time best runs.

Also, another plug for spin classes. I'll do an occasional one just to mix it up a bit - they are kinda fun and a great workout albeit on the short side.

Let me know if I can help on the JMT this summer!