Basic Fitness

[Alessandro]

I have a ridiculously simple question and I'm looking for input. Essentially, I want to be able to play sports and not be totally gassed. I'm not looking to squat 600 lbs or run a 4.6 40, but just to be able to express the skills I have. I have basic sports skills, but I can't really express them because I'm totally gassed after one basketball game (lungs burn, doubled over, beyond the capacity to fight through it, plus this shouldn't happen after only 1-2 games). At times I'll play for 2 weeks or so, then become discouraged because I'm still pretty gassed. I'm not sure what mix of workouts is the best for this, and for how long I have to do it for to see results. I've had good results with pure weight training in the past, but have never been a great distance runner. I'm looking to play basketball, soccer, and lacrosse (similar to basketball fitness demands) for about two hours at a time. I'm about 5'10" and 200 lbs currently, which I like because I can throw a little more weight around (I've been the same height at 145-160 lbs and even then I couldn't make it through a rigorous practice without significant performance impediments).

So, what might be the best routine for this, and how long before I should expect to see results? I was thinking maybe 4-5 days week, distance running 2 days, playing basketball with a few extra sprints 2 days, and wild card for the 5th day. Thought I'd solicit advice from people who would probably know these parameters better than I do, and see how long it takes before I can rebound from the fatigue better. I was hoping withing 8-12 weeks it would be a lot better, but I don't know.

 

[dealmaster00]

I'd say try doing a beginner's strength training program ( Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5 beginner's program ) for a month or two to get back your old strength quickly, then check out crossfit.

 

[brikis98]

If all you need is to improve your endurance & stamina, running/biking/swimming/rowing a few times a week will do the trick. You could do some long & steady runs (or swims or whatever) mixed with some HIIT. Every workout, strive to increase the difficulty from the previous (ie, longer distance, faster pace, etc) and you should see results within a couple of weeks.

Alternatively, if you want to improve your fitness across the board (endurance, stamina, strength, power, speed, agility, etc), I recommend you look into Crossfit. Crossfit develops "General Physical Preparedness" (GPP), or overall fitness, by building workouts that include a little bit of everything: weightlifting, running, gymnastics, rowing, climbing, jumping, etc. Start slow (every CF workout can be scaled to any level) and gradually increase the intensity. You'll again see results within a couple weeks, but this time, you'll see improvements in all aspects of your fitness rather than just endurance & stamina.

 

[HN]

i would try replicate the energy demands of your sport. for basketball, you're not necessarily running a certain pace for the whole time. you burst down the court, maybe stop for a few seconds in the post, quick move to the basket, chase on defense, stop while opponent you're defending is posting on you etc. lots of stop and go. given that, interval training (HIIT as mentioned above) would be very beneficial.

 

[yelo333]

My 2 cents:

In my experience, BB alternates between slow jogging and very intense running/movement. You need something that mimics this, but at a more intense level. So I would suggest some intense conditioning (HIIT) 2-3 days a week and aerobic work another couple days, transitioning to more HIIT/less aerobic work as time goes on.

CF, as has already been mentioned, will do this. Even just grab some of their workouts that look fun & do them.

Other places to get workouts, besides the CF website:

The 20 Minute Fitness Solution
Sample workouts on RossTraining
Thread on rosstraining forum: Workout of the Week
Google for more!

Just google or ask if you don't know what any of the exercises are.

Much fun can also be had at your local track. Even something as simple as walking/jogging the corners and sprinting the straights will leave you gasping for air in no time.

Take all this intense stuff easy at first, though. You want at least a couple weeks of aerobic exercise to prepare your heart for it. So, for example, maybe only aerobic the first week, 1 session of (easy) HIIT the next and the next, then move it up to 2. You really don't want to do more than 2-3 HIIT sessions in a week, though, since they take a lot to recover from.

If your experience matches mine, you'll see progressively better results starting after week 1, getting great in around 6 weeks. Keep things varied -- the point is not to get your body better at a particular movement, but to have better conditioning in general. You will get better at all the workouts, but not because you're doing that particular workout, because you're getting better.

You can also of course throw some strength work in there. It won't prevent the gassed feeling, but it will make things feel easier.

 

[HN]

exactly

 

[darkxshade]

HIIT is your answer.

 

[yelo333]

Originally posted by: HN
exactly

Hey, I was typing my answer up before I saw yours. I love the way everyone is saying the same thing.

 

[HN]

Originally posted by: yelo333

Originally posted by: HN
exactly

Hey, I was typing my answer up before I saw yours. I love the way everyone is saying the same thing.

oh, apologies. i wasn't implying repost
more of a "see, OP? we're all pretty much on the same page on this one" :thumbsup:

 

[darkxshade]

Originally posted by: yelo333

Originally posted by: HN
exactly

Hey, I was typing my answer up before I saw yours. I love the way everyone is saying the same thing.

Except with fewer words

 

[katank]

Originally posted by: dealmaster00
I'd say try doing a beginner's strength training program ( Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5 beginner's program ) for a month or two to get back your old strength quickly, then check out crossfit.

That's the exact thing that I did and it's been working out great so far.

Kettlebells can also be nice at building strength and cardio simultaneously though Crossfit is even more general.

 

[StageLeft]

You need to run. Any cardio will help a great deal, be it cycling, rowing or whatever, but considering what you're basically asking us is how can you become better in running sports, the natural response is to run. You need to do it more.

The thing about running is when you're unfit it sucks. But it gets much better. At the beginning a mile or two miles may be hell but once you can get over the initial lack of fitness hurdle and a mile or two vanishes behind you without trouble, running is much more enjoyable. Nice thing about it is you can progress very, very quickly. If you got serious about this, in even 8 weeks you'd be tons more competent playing basketball or soccer.

Also, losing weight helps a good lot.

 

[zebano]

8-12 weeks you can certainly do something. Like these guys said, HIIT is preferable, but it doesn't sound like you have the aerobic base in to be able to do that well right off the bat. Basketball & tennis are my main conditioning and I can go run 5-8km without having to train specifically for running (I'm certainly not fast: 7:30 - 8 min miles). I suggest you choose an endurance activity (swim, bike, run) and work on it three times per week (maybe two if you're doing lots of sports) until you can do 45 minutes straight comfortably. At that point you should start more specific training such as throwing in some tempo or interval runs. Strength training can help a lot especially in basketball as it will allow you to keep some of that weight as extra muscle while not carrying the fat. Trust me, throwing your weight around may be nice, but it's certainly hurting you more than it helps. For instance once you're a bit lighter instead of bulling your way to the hoop you can elevate straight up or move laterally much more quickly.

*This is non-scientific, just what works for me (5'10" - 175lbs)

 

[Alessandro]

Thanks everyone for your insights - I could go one by one, but they're all excellent and I appreciate the input. There's a lot of writing about hyperbaric chambers and workouts in zero-g environments, but sometimes I feel getting into the shape to really be able to put many common workouts to use is neglected, especially regarding what to expect when you're starting from relative scratch. It's nice to be able to hear a lot of different viewpoints of people who workout regularly. Thanks again!