How can I get my cardio?

[Muse]

Can't really run much:
I used to be a pretty avid runner. For many years it was my principal form of exercise. Suddenly, when I was up to 5 miles in a bit over 30 minutes on my best days, I developed pain in the bottom back of my left foot. Sports doctor said "plantar faciitis" and it didn't really go away any time soon, so I took up daily swimming instead.

Can't really swim much:
After 10 years of swimming 2 mi/day, I was down to a bit over 50 minutes on my best day. Then a pain in my left shoulder was so bad I just had to stop cold. A few years later a shoulder surgeon said although the MRI didn't show anything, my non-response to cortisone left me two options:

1. Live with it
2. Arthroscopic exploratory/clean-up surgery

I had the surgery and he told me I should be 100% in a year, but I'm not 100%, not close to it. I have trouble reaching over my head without sharp pain, etc. I'm afraid to try swimming again. I used to figure I got the labrum tear in the pool but now I'm wondering if it might have been the 1 1/2 hours of weight training I was doing before each swim.


Can't really bike much:
I took up daily biking around 5 years ago into the local hills, as usual taking splits and recording my times. After 2-3 months of this the left foot became very painful and I had to stop. 1/2 a dozen foot doctors later I had options similar to my shoulder and I had surgery. He found two Morton's neuromas in the same foot ("rare"), removed them, and now, 3 years later I'm not certain it feels better. So, I don't really dare trying to bike much let alone run. The foot is better some days, worse others and I have to believe that using it a lot aggravates the condition, whatever it is. I figure it's just the cut ends of the nerves that somehow are hypersensitive.

So, I don't know what options I have to get adequate cardio exercise. I bike around town, but that's paltry compared to what I used to do on my bike recreationally (those hill rides, even occasional 50 milers). Seems to me that all the cardio type machines at the gym are basically foot driven, if not entirely. I have done them a few times, but usually just pass up that room as I make it to the weight room every other day where I continue my routine in there. I skate to the gym, and that's easier on my foot (almost no impact). That's good cardio but it's pretty limited. It's hard to get real cardio fitness from just skating and occasional biking and weight room training. I try to make my weight room experience cardio-vascular intensive (don't sit around but move from one thing to another), but it's still not enough.

Can I get some suggestions?

 

[brikis98]

Some ideas:

1. Crossfit. A combination of power lifting, olympic lifting, running, gymnastics, and a whole bunch more. Workouts are done at extremely high intensities, are constantly varied, and will improve not only your cardio, but just about every other aspect of your fitness too.
2. Rowing
3. Boxing/Kickboxing
4. Stadiums (ie, run up/down stairs)

 

[Muse]

I'm thinking maybe add to what I do in the gym. After my 60-80 minute routine, do 20 minutes of a circuit training routine that I develop for myself, something that my foot and shoulder tolerates but gets my heart really pumping.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: brikis98
Some ideas:

1. Crossfit. A combination of power lifting, olympic lifting, running, gymnastics, and a whole bunch more. Workouts are done at extremely high intensities, are constantly varied, and will improve not only your cardio, but just about every other aspect of your fitness too.
2. Rowing
3. Boxing/Kickboxing
4. Stadiums (ie, run up/down stairs)

A guy I know asked me years ago if I wanted to join his rowing club on a local lake. I should have taken him up! Maybe that stadium thing. I did that for a bit in college. Not sure my foot can handle it now, but I think it might be worth a try.

 

[TheVrolok]

I second that guy's suggestion on rowing. There are some good cardio rowing machines out there. You really don't have to rotate your shoulder too much (though I'm not sure what kind of pain you experience from gripping/pulling), and you can push off the balls of your feet rather than your bum heel.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Tabata training may work out great for you then. You can do it with body weight exercises such as
squats, pushups, situps, etc. You could also do them with weight such as farmer walks, cleans, anything you can sustain really. You can also do sets of tabatas. For example Crossfit does a killer workout called "Tabata This," where you do all body weight exercises: pullups, pushups, squats, and situps.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Tabata training may work out great for you then. You can do it with body weight exercises such as
squats, pushups, situps, etc. You could also do them with weight such as farmer walks, cleans, anything you can sustain really. You can also do sets of tabatas. For example Crossfit does a killer workout called "Tabata This," where you do all body weight exercises: pullups, pushups, squats, and situps.

Ah, good call! I always forget about Tabata, probably my brain trying to erase the painful memories of actually doing "Tabata This"

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Tabata training may work out great for you then. You can do it with body weight exercises such as
squats, pushups, situps, etc. You could also do them with weight such as farmer walks, cleans, anything you can sustain really. You can also do sets of tabatas. For example Crossfit does a killer workout called "Tabata This," where you do all body weight exercises: pullups, pushups, squats, and situps.

Ah, good call! I always forget about Tabata, probably my brain trying to erase the painful memories of actually doing "Tabata This"

Yeah, I started doing quick 1-round tabatas every day just to get something done and they would hurt. I can't imagine doing 4-rounds. Freaking insane.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Circuit training. Here's a circuit I'm currently doing 3x/week:

Bench (or dips)
Inverted Row (hang upside down from a smith machine bar and pull yourself up)
Dumbbell Squat Press (deep squat into standing military press)
Hanging Leg Raises
Dumbbell Wood Chopper
Pullups

I use a weight I can do about 10 times with perfect form. Do not rest between exercises. Do the 6 exercises back to back then rest 2 minutes. Repeat until you puke. I do 3-4 repetitions of this circuit depending on how I feel.

If you're one of those guys that can do 50 pullups or inverted rows, add weight with a belt or do a substitute exercise like regular bent over barbell rows.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: TheVrolok
I second that guy's suggestion on rowing. There are some good cardio rowing machines out there. You really don't have to rotate your shoulder too much (though I'm not sure what kind of pain you experience from gripping/pulling), and you can push off the balls of your feet rather than your bum heel.

Thanks. Fact is, it's not the heel that's bothering me, it is the ball! That doctor's Rx about Plantar F. may have been right, or maybe partially right. I figure I must have had incipient Morton's Neuroma even then because since giving up regular running I don't think I've done anything that would account for the condition developing later. I just didn't notice it at that time. Morton's Neuroma is a nerve inflammation between two toes, in the front ball of the foot (just behind the toes themselves). Once the nerve there enlarges from irritation, the condition snowballs until the victim experiences painful symptoms. Caught reasonably early the inflammation often responds to cortisone injections. In my case, I believe I was probably way past that point and I didn't improve from injections. Like I said, I had two... in the same foot, which only happens rarely. I guess surgery helped, sometimes I'm not sure. I think it's probably worse during the chilly months of winter.

Maybe I could handle a rowing machine, I'd have to try to make sure. I don't recall seeing one at my gym, but I'll ask. They well might have something. I don't mess with the machines much. They probably have a machine in the weight room (not the aerobic room), that uses either round (user removable) or rectangular (incorporated) plates.
- - - -
Thanks for the endorsement of circuit training, a likely candidate for this. I'll also look into Tabatas!

 

[wheresmybacon]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Tabata training may work out great for you then. You can do it with body weight exercises such as
squats, pushups, situps, etc. You could also do them with weight such as farmer walks, cleans, anything you can sustain really. You can also do sets of tabatas. For example Crossfit does a killer workout called "Tabata This," where you do all body weight exercises: pullups, pushups, squats, and situps.

When you guys do Tabata, what do you use to time yourself?

I really need to invest in a stopwatch or something.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: hungfarover
When you guys do Tabata, what do you use to time yourself?

I really need to invest in a stopwatch or something.

There are a bunch of free options:

1. Set-up a laptop nearby and run one of these Tabata timers (the first two run in a browser, the third is installable): timer 1, timer 2, timer 3.

2. Install the "mobile" version of this Tabata timer on your phone.

3. Use one of these mp3 files, which have recorded sounds at set timer intervals.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: hungfarover
When you guys do Tabata, what do you use to time yourself?

I really need to invest in a stopwatch or something.

There are a bunch of free options:

1. Set-up a laptop nearby and run one of these Tabata timers (the first two run in a browser, the third is installable): timer 1, timer 2, timer 3.

2. Install the "mobile" version of this Tabata timer on your phone.

3. Use one of these mp3 files, which have recorded sounds at set timer intervals.

Awesome! Thanks!