Hello! I did one triathlon in June and I want to do another one this coming summer. I know it's still a ways off but I'd like to up my distance and lower my time, and since I'll no doubt be eating plenty during this holiday season, what better time to revamp my fitness routine? Heh.
During the summer, I weight trained 3x a week (full body) and did cardio 5-6x a week. My cardio consisted of either swimming, running, or biking (obviously) or a combination for about 60-90 minutes each time. I would say I spent at LEAST 90 minutes a day on my fitness goals--on days I didn't weight train I would just do more cardio and on days when I did, I just lessened my cardio by a bit.
When the school year started up my workout routine was cut dramatically. I try to get in at least 40 minutes 5x a week. 1 problem has been finances--I had to cancel my gym membership because there was no way I could afford it right now so that makes lifting nearly impossible. I have a small workout "center" in my dorm that consists of 1 treadmill, 1 stationary bike, and 1 eliptical so lately I have just been doing 10-15 minutes on each and rotating.
My workout feel almost pointless to me. I live in the north so winter is on it's way and it's getting too cold to workout outside, not to mention the ice problems.
How can I use my resources to the best of my ability to maximize my results? What kind of training program could I do? What about for strength training? What are some useful routines that involve little or no equipment? I have 5 and 10 lb dumbbells and I am hopefully getting an adjustable set for Christmas (*fingers crossed*.) My only set backs are equipment and time (I don't have 2 hours a day to workout anymore :( heh) I'm also looking to lose some weight--I've put on 15 lbs in the past couple months (a bulk of that during my training--I ate quite a bit) some of that weight IS muscle weight for sure, I actually still fit into my clothes BUT I am flabbier as well. I'm hoping to lose 10 lbs--I think if I can lose 10 lbs of fat that will bring my bf% down to 20 or so, which will be much healthier and also help with my speed.
Thanks!
All you need is your bike
All you need is your bike and running shoes. If you add push ups and crunches and maybe resistance bands that will help too.
I knew a guy in collage who lifted his furniture in his apartment ;-)
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Beads knows where it's at.
Beads knows where it's at. Check out the post entitled From today's NY Times.... When thinking about a training plan. To build speed it's better to focus on your form for all three sports and take the gym out of the equation. If you have extra time after getting quality workouts in than you should go once or twice (at most) a week to the gym. Strength training isn't pumping weights, but lifting your own weight. Your in college send an email to the coaches of the swim team and track team. Maybe you can get some tips or even train with the team.
Its never (ok, maybe very
Its never (ok, maybe very rarely, say under 0F) too cold to go outside. Inside training burns me out way faster than crazy weather. I had a coach who would say that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. You don't need any super expensive clothing (though thick smartwool socks might be something for you xmas list, feet are usually the limiting factor), layer what you have. Also, there is plenty of non-name brand warm stuff out there on sale that works well enough. No more excuses!
http://www.rei.com/product/774966 for hardcore ice, and Yaktrax for slippery packed snow.
There are all kinds of
There are all kinds of different and challenging ways to do pushups. We have a core thread constantly going here with links to many different exercises. That should be sufficient for your strength work for now. The majority of your time should be spent swimming, biking, and running.
What are some useful
Here's a list of bodyweight workouts (from Crossfit). There's a bit of repetition since it's a list of workouts instead of just exercises, but it should give you a lots of options.
Im in college too, and when
Im in college too, and when I started last semester I had some of the same problems. The 15 hours a week in the class room, extra time needed outside of class, and (for me) a full time job can make training a pain in the ass. I think the biggest part of getting it together is just scheduling, when I took time to sit and look at it I was able to find a lot of extra hours to train. I organized my weeks down to the hour. Not necessarily designating exactly what I was going to do, but establishing the times of day I would do things like study, train, eat, run errands, do chores, and even just sit on the couch. I was able to find a few good hours a day to train by doing this, I check it every morning and adjust it, but the schedule keeps me focused on exactly what I am doing that day. I have a coach now but I didnt then, so I would sit every sunday and write out my workouts for the week. This allows you to dive right into it, and plan your hard workout days around your hard school days. Early to bed early to rise. If I'm not working I get in bed around 1030 or 11 and get up by 7 (its amazing how much time you can find if you get on a good sleep schedule). My first class is at 9 so the two hours are plenty of time to get in a run, shower, breakfast, and get to campus. Its also nice to run before class, I find I'm much more awake no matter how boring the lecture may be. I dunno where you go to school but here our basketball arena stays open and a lot of people run around the concourse or on the stairs, although I like the quote about no bad weather just bad clothes. You can also look into picking up a bike trainer if its possible. If I have to use the trainer I do so watching TV, that way it eliminates my quota on the boob tube for that day. Anyway best of luck, those are just some things that helped me.
You definitely don't need to
You definitely don't need to spend a lot to stay fit towards the next season. People like Bruce Lee and others to this day have used disciplined eating running and isometrics programs that are low cost and low maintenance (you can do them anywhere, anytime). Do some quick online research and you should find a lot.
Cheers
Speaking of Bruce Lee, check
Speaking of Bruce Lee, check out a book by him/his wife called The Art of Expressing the Human Body