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Old 07-05-21, 12:48 PM  
Vintage VFer
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Fitness Tips: If you knew then what you know now.

What fitness tips do you wish you'd known when you first started working out? Here are a couple that come to my mind right away. I'm sure there are more.

1. Modify and/or Substitute. I learned this on VF and it is so important. Early on, I thought I had to do exactly what the instructor was doing to have a good workout. VF teaches us to modify or substitute moves as needed. At this point, I think I modify every single workout I do.

2. Foam Rolling before Strength workouts. I saw this technique in a workout set years ago. It was Rachel Cosgrove's "Drop 2 Sizes" set. About the same time, I was at a fitness convention and took a class with Cassidy Phillips who runs Trigger Point Fitness. He had us do a demo where we tried a strength move before foam rolling the muscle and then again after foam rolling. I was surprised at how the rolling improved strength and now foam roll for about 5 minutes before most strength workouts. If I remember correctly there is foam roll work in BeachBody's "Tai Cheng" set. (Which I did once and returned). Foam rolling is a great warm-up for the muscles. I wish I'd known that when I first started doing weight work. Of course, way back then, I'd never heard of a foam roller.

3. Don't waste your life trying to learn choreography if you are choreo-challenged (This one is more a personal observation. ) I was always terrible with complex choreography. Being slightly dyslexic doesn't help. I can't tell you how many hours and how many workouts I tried to learn with little success. It was a stressful waste of my time when I could have been having fun!

Any fitness tips you wish you'd known when starting out?
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Old 07-05-21, 01:19 PM  
kristiep
 
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1. Strength then cardio. When I started exercising, everyone started with cardio, then finished with strength and toning. I find I do better when I alternate cardio and strength or do cardio after strength when doing on the same day.

2. Allowing for breaks between segments of exercise, e.g. when I do Katami 4x4, I love the 30-second breaks between circuits. I perform better when I have those short breaks.

3. Mixing it up. I gravitate toward the same types of routines, but now I have more variety in my workouts, and that has forced me to address my weaknesses.

Fun thread!
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Old 07-05-21, 04:58 PM  
Lori_Michigan
 
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1. Modify
2. Proper rest and recovery
3. Mobility
4. Strength over cardio
5. I should have stopped high impact cardio long ago before injuries stopped me.
6. Skip the day if it's too not going to work or not feeling up to it.
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Old 07-05-21, 09:56 PM  
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1. Find what you enjoy, and embrace it when motivation is in short supply.

2. Do a variety of workout types---strength, cardio and flexibility.

3. Keep an open mind about different workouts styles and formats. You may discover you like something new if you try it.

4. If a move doesn't feel right or hurts, don't do it.

5. Listen to your body. If you need a rest, rest.

5. If you love complex choreography, do it!
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Old 07-06-21, 08:41 AM  
Izzy
 
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Location: West of Chicago in the Illinois Corn Belt
I would not have used The Firm tall box. It was brutal on my knees and hips and over time caused a lot of damage. I know we have had some threads about physical therapist, but everyone that I have had for the past 15 years has said doing climbs on those 14" boxes is just not good for you.
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Old 07-06-21, 10:01 AM  
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I think I would have stopped high impact sooner. I started having pain from my bladder, due to a slight prolapse, when I did high impact. I'm wondering if the high impact made it worse. As long as I don't do high impact, I don't have any pain from it.
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Old 07-06-21, 12:53 PM  
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Great replies!

From some of the injury posts I've read over the years, it is probably a blessing that I couldn't do very advanced and/or high impact or highly-choreographed workouts.
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Old 07-06-21, 02:21 PM  
kristiep
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Izzy View Post
I would not have used The Firm tall box. It was brutal on my knees and hips and over time caused a lot of damage. I know we have had some threads about physical therapist, but everyone that I have had for the past 15 years has said doing climbs on those 14" boxes is just not good for you.
Really? I like the tall box climbs, but I will lower to 10-12” if I’m not feeling like 14”. Are they bad at the lower heights or just 14+? Cathe also includes squats and presses off the step, and I do them for her workouts too (usually at the lower height).
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Old 07-06-21, 02:30 PM  
cataddict
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Re the tall boxes: I think it depends on the length of your leg and how it bends in relation to the step? I always heard your knee angle shouldn't be more than 90 degrees to avoid injury. I didn't have a tall box, but have only used a maximum of 10 inches for step ups with Cathe. I don't think my knees would tolerate any higher. I'm just under 5"6".

Oh, VVFer, thanks for the info about using the foam roller before a strength workout. I have never heard this but it makes a lot of sense---kind of like tenderizing the muscle before it's "cooked." I will try rolling on my next strength workout.
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Old 07-06-21, 02:58 PM  
wendug
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kristiep View Post
Really? I like the tall box climbs, but I will lower to 10-12” if I’m not feeling like 14”. Are they bad at the lower heights or just 14+? Cathe also includes squats and presses off the step, and I do them for her workouts too (usually at the lower height).
I still do tall box climbs at 14 inches, but admittedly, not that often. I'm 5'5" and don't notice any knee issues. However, my heart rate really climbs when I do them! Now for regular step workouts, I stick with the 6 inch step. I feel uncoordinated using an 8 inch step with some of the dance moves on the step.
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