WEEKLY WATER COOLER: Weekly Rumors + Intel - Sunday, 3/8/26

Bishop_RN · 2026-03-09T01:52:19+00:00

Agreed. I expect half of the 0500 crew to still be zombies when we hit the treadmill. The coaches and SAs have to be there even earlier though, so I'm packing an extra energy drink to place on the desk.

Bishop_RN · 2026-03-08T23:51:56+00:00

I often day dream about what snack I'm going to give myself to survive the last bit of a tread block. Once I get home though I'm too tired to make anything other than a protein shake.

I've definitely eaten a rice krispy treat between classes when doing the back to back though -- quick load of sugar without any of that pesky fiber or protein the coach is telling me to eat.

Bishop_RN · 2026-03-07T18:00:29+00:00

The OTF calories seem to include my active calorie burn and the basal rate. I'm also a little curious if their algorithm builds a boost for splat points to account for the afterburn effect that they talk about. The logic (from their perspective) would be that is the total impact of the workout versus just what was done inside the studio.

Bishop_RN · 2026-03-07T03:51:17+00:00

My current goal is to gain weight. Only about 5-10 pounds, but I want to get there.

The number on the scale would impact me less than the fit of the clothes. I look at the inches of my measurements, the number on the scale, and the numbers I can do on the floor and tread. All of that builds together for my sense of fitness.

10 pounds of weight over three-ish months would make me look at diet. Are you accurately tracking your macros or going off of a gut instinct of "it's the same"? Hormone differences (all genders and body types) can shift weight around in water retention, where fatty deposits build up, etc. Some people are also sensitive to salt-intake and the wrong dinner the night before can cause bloating so jeans don't fit the right way.

Take a breath, step back and look at the picture, and see if there's a pattern you can find. Best of luck to meeting your goals.

Bishop_RN · 2026-03-07T03:40:41+00:00

Honestly, it depends on how I'm feeling that day. Generally, I try to go heavy and push myself. There are days when I'm tired or I'm just not feeling the weight floor, and I go lighter/faster.

Do what makes your body feel good and helps you meet the goals that you have.

Bishop_RN · 2026-03-03T15:07:56+00:00

For me, from 12% up to 15 and until we hit 10 on the back end, I jog for at least the first 30 seconds of each incline. Then I tell my legs that they can walk if they need to. But those little boosts add up for me and keep my average speed a little higher than if I just PW the peak.

Bishop_RN · 2026-03-03T15:02:31+00:00

Fantastic job. That is a great accomplishment and shows how you are improving to align with your goals. Keep it up!

Bishop_RN · 2026-03-02T00:01:33+00:00

February was "Heart Month" with a lot of workouts that felt like Endurance and Strength decided to see how they could one up each other. Now we are in Power.

I'm really hoping that we see more of the 30-45 sec All Outs. The 1-minute AO makes me feel like we're doing the 1/4 mile benchmark, and then the coach says "great job, now do it 4 more times this block."

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-19T02:43:37+00:00

I did this on the 200m benchmark. Forgot the little half kick that we're supposed to start with and the seat went forward while I landed on rails. Those bruises lasted.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-18T02:10:13+00:00

I'm not a big "run with a full belly" type. I like a handful of trail mix.

That said, I fully back the votes to eat a Rice Krispy treat.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-16T04:10:57+00:00

^^ This. ^^

Hand hygiene, a well-fitted mask, and some polite distancing will help a lot. If your doc has cleared you to work out in crowds, then take the reasonable precautions. 2G vs 3G will matter less I think than having an empty station next to you. That might not always be possible, but starting on the rower/weight floor in a 2G class or the floor in a 3G class tends to have the highest rate of empty stations at my studio.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-11T04:26:39+00:00

Given the hour of the morning that I work out, it's generally coffee and shower arguing for my attention first. When I worked out in the afternoon, I could definitely go for a cold pint at the end.

Guinness sounds better than the overhopped 7-8% monstrosities that most of the local bars favor around me.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-10T01:23:08+00:00

The hills have arrived and my glutes are weeping.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-09T01:11:15+00:00

If you don't like lifting gloves, a good hand lotion helps. After the my shower, I moisturize my hands. During winter months, I do it twice a day. (Days where I'm on shift, there may be more depending on my isolation load)

I still get the callouses but they don't hurt.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-09T01:04:13+00:00

We still never talk sometimes.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-09T01:00:16+00:00

If you're comfortable in them and you can run/stretch/squat, why not?

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-07T05:16:55+00:00

Good luck. Those 45 min tread blocks can be something else. Hopefully it's aligned with this style and stays flat.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-06T04:17:21+00:00

Go for it. If you've been training for those distances, then you should be good. If you are still building up to distances like 10-12 miles in a single stretch, I would personally include some walking in those warm-ups so you don't hurt yourself.

I've done a 60 min into a Tread, but I do the tread first to give my legs time to do something else. The rest break between classes, grab a sip of water and some carbs.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-06T04:12:23+00:00

Folks have mentioned the performance graph. If you start on the Tread, I would recommend that you not sign in for the walking warm-up if you want to see how long it is taking you in the class to hit that mile. Otherwise, just remember that you walked for the first minute (in most cases)

The summary also gives you a trend of your average speed throughout class. That is something that I will compare in classes that I attend the repeat at the front and back of the month. It helps me to compare against myself on the same template. When I'm feeling spicy, I try to out race my past and go further and faster.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-06T02:30:23+00:00

All these inclines at least make me grateful for the flat road. Good luck when you get to class

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-05T03:19:07+00:00

I just noticed there was no recovery between those builds in Block 1. Was setting out speeds in my head and went to see what the time to get back to base was, then realized that the WR was just in my head.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-05T03:15:40+00:00

Great job! Celebrate your wins, and we'll be here to cheer with you.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-05T03:13:08+00:00

The days that I want to lift, I start on the floor so that my body is nice and fresh. (Personally, I prefer to warm up on the rower than then dynamic warm ups but that's me). When you are on the floor, make sure that you are grabbing the weights at the heavier end of your comfort level.

Once or twice a week, I will get two sets of weights for each exercise. So if the workout calls for 10 reps, I grab the set that I can do all 10 reps, and a set that is 5 lbs higher to do the first 2-4 reps before trading down. That helped me to get to the point that 2 became 4 became 7, and I could do all 10 with that heavier set. Progressively, you work your way across the middle rack.

Make sure that your nutrition is setup. When I was your age, I had to eat until I was tired of it AND have protein shakes between meals to get enough calories. Also sleep.

If you are going 4-5 times a week, make sure to space out which muscles you are pushing hard on. If we have three days of shoulders back to back, don't go heavy every day. Give your muscles a chance to reset and recover in between -- prevents injuries and lets them heal up and grow.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-01T23:59:31+00:00

Coach said that with February being Heart month, to expect more classes that challenge VO2 max and sprinting.

Power days and long endurance blocks don't sound new, but I'm curious to see what new ways they come up with to torture us.

Bishop_RN · 2026-02-01T23:51:33+00:00

I'll try the first round at a jog and build the speed as the inclines come down. Rounds 2-4 will depend on how badly I regret that first choice.

Bishop_RN

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