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Summary
On episode 62 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with John, one of his coaching clients, for their weekly check-in on his walking, strength work, and food.
They cover why cold-weather walking still burns extra calories, and Allan teaches John a Tabata interval workout he can do at home on days he can't make it to the gym.
The conversation also touches on training with friends and a spouse at different fitness levels, and why it's important to get a nagging injury checked out before signing up for a race.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- Cold weather actually burns extra calories through thermogenesis. Your body works harder to keep you warm during exercise in the cold, similar to why elite cold-water swimmers or Navy SEALs burn more energy from cold exposure alone.
- A true Tabata is 8 rounds of 20 seconds max effort with 10 seconds rest, for 4 minutes total. Allan has John apply it to bodyweight squats, pushing hard enough that the squats edge toward jump squats, while being careful to protect the knees and use a soft surface.
- Stacking Tabata rounds with walking laps builds strength, cardio, and metabolic conditioning in one session. Allan's structure: walk a lap to warm up, do a Tabata of squats, walk another lap to recover, do a Tabata of push-ups, then walk one more lap.
- Don't let someone train through pain toward a fitness goal they're not ready for. Allan flags that a friend restricting calories while immobilized with a bad back needs to see a physician first; setting her up for a 5K she can't train for would set her up for failure.
- Allan won't train his own wife, and recommends against training a spouse in general. He'd rather hand that off to another trainer because the emotional dynamic isn't the same as coaching a client.
- Everyone progresses at their own pace, and that's the only real benchmark. Allan's standing advice to John: the only goal is being a better John than you were yesterday, and that same standard applies to everyone else on their own timeline.
- When training as a group with mixed fitness levels, pace to the slowest person. John's group plans to run their 5K together at whatever pace keeps everyone included, rather than everyone racing their own pace.
- Finding new complex-carb recipes doesn't require an app. Allan suggests browsing a library's cookbook section or doing simple online searches, like “sweet potato recipes,” to keep meals interesting without getting bored.
“John needs to work on being better than John is today. That's the only goal you have.”
Coach Allan Misner