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Old 12-01-12, 12:40 PM  
sammycakes
 
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Texas
Pace Express- Ad-Ons or stand alone?

For those of you who have done Pace Express, did you do them in addition to other workouts or as a rotation on their own?
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Old 12-01-12, 03:35 PM  
slysam
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Hi Sammycakes, this is my understanding and not authoritative by any means. I have Pace Express and used it as add-ons for a while but am not trying it more or less as written to ease back into exercise after some health issues. I've have not read Dr Sear's books, but I read the material that came with the system, watched some interviews on the bonus disc and youtube, lurked on the PACE forum (which has little action and is mainly users asking questions and moderators answering), read most of the amazon reviews and VF threads. So I did some research...

It is intended to be the only intentional exercise you need. I think the PAce structure is meant to be used for any vigorous exercise--strength or cardio. The Pace Express uses a mix of bodyweight calisthenics and more aerobic drills. But, I think, if you were wanting to stick with their theory you can add some types of exercise on if you choose. The reason I say this...
*The Pace Express dvd set comes with bonus workouts--stretching, core work and a lower body workout. So in theory it must be okay to add on flexibility and less vigorous body weight strength exercises.
*On the forum, moderators told users they can continue with their yoga practice, recreational sports hobbies, dancing for pleasure, walking to work or on errands and general activity. They just discourage intentional cardio for the sake of cardio (not sure I agree, but just saying). It sounds like bodyweight strength is preferred, but some seem to add weights on. I think Dr. Sears said he prefers people do body weight strength and ideally incorporate it into the Pace structure (which is what Pace Express does).
*I saw some suggestion to limit intentional vigorous exercise to 20 minutes at a time, by the theory behind Pace. This 20 minutes is including the rests between 4 minute bursts of activity.

Personally, when I first used these dvds I found them easy enough to use as a more vigorous warmup or add on. I was skeptical whether it was enough for either cardio or strength. I am still skeptical whether it is enough for strength. It is well thought out and organized so I am really intrigued by some of it. Now, that I have decreased my activity for a couple months, I am finding them more challenging than before. So now I can see they might be enough exercise for health if you add on some stretching or yoga. I am planning to do the rotation more or less as intended for the six weeks (with modification according to how I feel). I am allowing myself to add on it I want to, so I have added on some less vigorous strength a couple days (like Powerfit Harmonies). And am still doing yoga, dancing, recreational activity (or light workouts if I feel like it).

It would be easy to apply the structure to kettlebells, bodyweight circuits like Zuzana's, Ugi ball exercises, etc. so I am considering doing this to mix it up if I start feeling the workouts are easy. Well, if I start feeling they are easy, that might mean they are effective workouts since my stamina has decreased enough they feel doable but quite challenging. It may depend on your current fitness, but they can be made easier or harder after you understand how it works.

When I was using them as add ons... Dr Sears would probably hate this... But, I would do a pace workout first, the first interval as a warmup, the second and third more intense (the third should be most intense), then after my heart rate recovered I would follow with either strength or a milder steady state cardio workout. I think it is a little like the idea some trainers suggest of doing intense intervals followed by milder cardio only a little less intense version.
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Old 12-01-12, 08:38 PM  
blueskies
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Hi sammycakes,

I completed the 6-week rotation, and PACE Express was the only workout I used. It is designed to be your go-to workout, and I was thrilled with the time-saving concept.

Like slysam, I also lurked on the PACE forum and was disapppointed in the lack of activity there. Most of the posts dealt with the routine as described in Dr. Sears' book, and there were only a few that discussed the actual PACE Express workouts. Interestingly, I noticed that there was quite a bit of confusion surrounding how often to do PACE-style workouts. One of the posters even became quite miffed at Dr. Sears' lack of participation on the boards and his evading some rather interesting questions concerning "topping out" your heartrate. It seems like the forum is structured so the moderators take general questions to Dr. Sears, he answers them, then the moderators post his answers on the forum. Not a very close-knit atmosphere, that's for sure! And I think at one time, you had to actually pay to be able to access the forum.

I was happily going to continue PACE Express indefinitely, but unfortunately, I noticed that at the end of my first week of Round 2, I experienced some major overtraining symptoms, and one of the exercises injured my back. I'm thinking that since the original concept of PACE as Dr. Sears described in his book was only supposed to be doing the workouts at most 3 times a week, maybe doing PE 6 times a week was overdoing it, even with the short time per workout. I guess there's only so much intensity the body can take before it starts to fight back, which seems to be what I experienced. I'm taking it easy until my back heals, then I might go back to doing PE a few times a week rather than 6 times.

Looking at PACE as a 3-day-a-week activity, I think you definitely could do your own thing the other days of the week if you wish, as long as it didn't involve long cardio sessions. Leisurely walking or sporting activities would also work.

Hope this helps you!
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PACE Express rotation: completed 11/14/12


Life is a wonderful thing even with the difficulties that are sprinkled in.
~little bird from VF



I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
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