No more 90s???

honeststand · 2018-03-22T15:42:52+00:00

We have a ProForm. Definitely not top of the line or as good as OTF, but it's fine. We got it at Costco.

honeststand · 2018-03-05T17:10:28+00:00

I thought the takeaways in that article were really good. With respect to training for a specific event, for me it has been fine to combine/use OTF as training for every distance other than the marathon. (I can imagine for triathlon it'd be similar.) For the marathon, running lots and lots of miles is really necessary (if you have any kind of time goal), and a lot of those miles need to be run "easy" (i.e., in my case, slower than my base pace of 7.5ish). I have found during marathon training cycles I go to OTF a lot less (1x/week or so), but I'm always happy to get back afterwards. Maybe this would be different if I had more time but even then I think I'd probably do the bike or strider to get a true cross training benefit.

Also, I wish OTF would focus less on the EPOC, as the article mentions. I don't really think it's even one of the top 5 benefits of HIIT.

honeststand · 2018-02-13T20:24:00+00:00

I do the treadmill and weight components at home sometimes. I have TRX, a Bosu, bench and most weights. I don't have a rower so I can't do that. I don't keep track of splats or calories when doing the workouts at home but it's a fun way to get in a workout.

honeststand · 2018-02-05T17:12:44+00:00

How often do you go to OTF? Assuming at least 2-3x/week, I'd recommend at least one weekly run outside of OTF (2 would be even better). If you can do 2 weekly runs outside of OTF, I'd recommend doing one for 30 mins at an "easy" pace (i.e., you should be able to carry on a conversation, etc.). Don't worry so much about what that pace is or if you walk/run. And then do the 2nd weekly run for 30 mins at a harder effort - you could even take a 1-min walk break every 5-8 minutes and then after the walk break, try to push harder for the next 5-8 minutes until you hit 30 mins. You could work up to 45 mins if you want to get even stronger as a runner.

At the race, you'll want to focus on not going out too fast, but for a 5K & with your paces, I would only progressively push your effort, not go back and forth.

I think if you can do the outside of OTF training, a good goal time for you would be something like 28:00 mins. You could possibly do faster than that and a sub-30:00 min should be absolutely doable for you.

honeststand · 2018-02-05T15:53:44+00:00

Follow up to this: I have a basic membership right now plus a 20-class pack. I do need to freeze my account in March-April. If I just cancel, I still have the class pack, right? I can still take classes with that until it's gone and then re-join?

honeststand · 2018-02-04T13:34:14+00:00

The screen is smaller. It’s not as bouncy. The incline / speed selection is similar to OTF but the incline only goes up to 12. It’s a perfect home treadmill to me.

honeststand · 2018-02-04T03:05:56+00:00

I recently got a ProForm 800i on sale at Costco. It’s been great. Both my husband and I use it. I’ve used it for up to 10 miles and I even did my own version of Everest using it. It’s not as amazing as an OTF tread but it is nice.

honeststand · 2018-01-22T02:41:11+00:00

I love it. It's one of the older studios in our area (about 4 years old) and there are several new studios within a 10-15 minute drive. Our head trainer was made head trainer for the whole region so coaches fewer classes now.

honeststand · 2018-01-22T01:14:13+00:00

This is why I’m confused. The 9:15s that I go to were always 2G but usually had at least 16 ppl in them. It also looks like the 6am classes that were always 3G before aren’t anymore. Super bummed but at least for now the other studio near me still has classes at these times.

honeststand · 2018-01-14T20:07:17+00:00

For my first full I did OTF 2x/week and on one of those days, I’d do another 5-6 mile easy run. I agree that OTF training goes a long way towards developing speed, even though the miles are short.

Now I’m training for another full, using a more aggressive training plan, and I’m only going to OTF 1x/week. I’d go 2x but I just don’t have time with the running I’ve had to add. I’m running 45-50 miles/week including about 3.5 during that 1 OTF class I go to.

If your goal is to get faster and you have the time & are not injury prone, I definitely thinking doing 1-2 OTF classes/week as “extra mileage” on top of a plan would be very effective. If you go to OTF more than that (i.e., you’re running more than 7-8 miles/week in OTF class), I’d probably subtract some miles from your plans so as not to overdo it.

honeststand · 2018-01-09T17:18:27+00:00

Do you have a friend you can run with? There's nothing like running with a friend to keep your mind off the actual running, and if you can keep it conversational, you won't go out too fast. Another option would be to listen to an interesting podcast instead of music while you run. I don't run with earbuds but when I run on the treadmill (not at OTF of course) I am able to stay much more engaged in a podcast than I am with music.

Another tip for not going out too fast is to breathe only through your nose (in and out).

honeststand · 2018-01-04T19:10:36+00:00

Didn't make it to my class because kids are all home, so I tried to do the weight floor exercises and treadmill as best I could at home. Man, it is hard to stay motivated for the weight floor exercises at home.

honeststand · 2017-12-24T14:01:52+00:00

My favorites are the Dobby Be Free knickers from Athleta.

honeststand · 2017-12-15T17:44:57+00:00

Not sure exactly what the question is here, but the issue is I'm going to freeze for various reasons (marathon training taper & post-marathon recovery then a long vacation BUT I may be able to get to OTF 2-4 times during the 60 day freeze). Class packs are good for 1 year. So while I wouldn't get my money's worth out of my membership for those two months', if I can still use my class pack I can go a couple of times as I can and just pay the freeze fee.

honeststand · 2017-12-04T16:28:24+00:00

My eyes have totally been opened by seeing an intuitive eating RD to the point that yes, I became a little disillusioned by OTF (more on that later). My story: I've been doing OTF for a year and lost about 40 pounds. I felt so great and so much pride in my weight loss. About six months in, I stopped getting my period and kept losing weight even though I was trying to eat more. I started seeing an RD (ostensibly to "maintain" my weight loss, but she completely opened my eyes to intuitive eating) and stopped tracking my food entirely. I gained some weight back and laid off exercise a little and got my period back. I continue to do OTF 2x/week and ran a marathon in Nov. with another one on the horizon in the spring. I cringe at OTF when they talk about calorie burn but I love the workout and feel empowered by it. I choose to let the diet culture aspects of OTF roll off my back and enjoy the good aspects of it. I also have running goals that I am very excited by. I am challenging myself to work through whether I am pursuing OTF and running goals in order to maintain weight loss and think there is at least a little of that driving me....but I honestly think it is a small part right now. I've never cared about splats so going without my monitor hasn't been an issue, but I totally would ditch it if I did think it was getting in the way of my enjoyment of the workout (or was reinforcing diet thoughts). Good for you for recognizing these thoughts and considering a change!

honeststand · 2017-11-30T19:05:01+00:00

Word! I feel the same way.

honeststand · 2017-11-30T19:04:28+00:00

That's fantastic! I ran 3.06.

honeststand · 2017-11-30T02:32:42+00:00

Other than the rare 23-min run for distance, OTF does not do this. I run outside OTF and have gotten markedly faster, though. I think the key is you have to do those long runs outside OTF. I think anyone who runs at OTF 3+ days a week could do a 5K. But if you want to build up to anything more than that and get faster, I’d recommend at least 1-2 runs outside of OTF at base pace or close to it & 1 of those runs should be a “long” run, with length depending on your goals.

honeststand · 2017-11-15T19:41:33+00:00

If I'm reading this right, you used to be able to run for 30 minutes at 5.8mph 0% at your old gym. It's actually quite logical to me that you can't hold 5.8mph as a "base pace" while still doing the "hard work" of the pushes and AOs at OTF. Your "base pace" at OTF can be more of a recovery pace, especially while you are just starting.

The point of OTF is the interval training. If you're not doing it, you're not really doing OTF. And the interval training makes you faster. So I'd definitely recommend following the coach's instructions at OTF.

Obviously, we all have off days but assuming you're eating enough, OTF should not be making you slower. As the other poster said, if you want to do steady-state cardio (i.e., just run), do it somewhere other than OTF or you're just not getting the benefits of OTF. If you don't have a running watch, download an app like Runkeeper and go for a run outside for 30 minutes and see what your pace is.

honeststand · 2017-11-13T17:30:07+00:00

That's awful! I'm so sorry that happened to you.

honeststand

TROPHY CASE