Throwing the cat amongst the pigeons here....for an activity that lends itself to slow movement and connecting to the world around you....I vote for crawling - in any form.
Slow breathing, deliberate slow movement....this will build a very strong body and an ability to improve reflexive stability like no other.
Richard
Some things about Cardio Vascular Training I gathered freely from Kenneth Jay's Cardio Code.
Cardio - Vascular training definition:
Any form of exercise that improves heart and circulatory function and efficiency via central and peripheral changes and aerobic and anaerobic energy pathways.
Cardio- Vascular training has to 1) increase stroke volume of the Left Ventricle and not to limit venous blood return (which happens with weightlifting) to the Right Atrium 2) deliver oxygen to the working muscles and remove carbon dioxide (which gets difficult in prolonged tensed muscles, because blood flow is hindered), 3) increase capillary density by stimulating formation of new capillaries, 4) increase the efficiency of oxygen extraction by increasing the working arterial - venous O2 difference and 5) improve aerobic and anaerobic turnover.
then there is the ability to use oxygen as expressed in the formula
VO2= Stroke Volume x Heart Rate x (Arterial O2-Venous O2) [ml O2 per minute]
When lifting weights because of the tension, oxygen extraction is limited because a very small amount of blood can enter the muscles and blood returning is hindered also, thus the heart walls are filled to less degree.
With weights the Heart Rate can get really high but Stroke Volume and (arterial O2 - Venous O2) are relatively low in the VO2 equation. The heart rate for a given VO2 usage is much higher while weight lifting than with dynamic low resistance exercises where rapid tension relaxation cycles of agonist and antagonist muscles occur, as can be measured in a lab. Therefore, one can not use HR as an indication vor cardiovascular stimulation with weightlifting.
An increase in VO2max can be achieved when blood can get to the muscles easily, delivers its Oxygen and return as venous blood with little restriction back to the heart and the cycle repeats for a prolonged time.
It seems, that it is all about tension and relaxation, not only for strength, for "cardio" also...
I really like sauna for many reasons. It relaxes and increases heart rate for sure. the heat is a kind of stress, shorter exposure relaxes and feels good too much of a good really gets stressful for the body and mind I do not want to get trapped into 90 Celsius..my guess is that it has to do with maintenance of the homeostasis of 36 C Celsius body-temperature and aids with sweating to cool the body. Maybe comparable with cooking milk on a stove: stirring the milk keeping the fluid moving prevents scorching.in a sauna one can be extremely relaxed yet have a high heart rate.
The same with me. Sometimes I re-think of what I am doing but not over- think it. I just want to work on it without working hard on it.For myself, having something of a daily or near-daily routine which covers all bases/GPP which requires minimal thought ensures that I stick with it.
anyhows make happy and strong in a creative way without overthinking it: how much weight, how many reps, how much rest... Just focusing on moving well and performance. Filming myself is a very helpful tool. When I am done with a lift I sit down in peace looking what I have done on the phone while recovering, trimming the video to length, watch another time and thinking about the next set up. In the end I have just a few heavy lifts with adequate rest. Strength and mobility somehow-anyhow.PS @Harald Motz as always, I'm thoroughly enjoying your Instagram posts - the various 'anyhow lifts' you've been doing lately are extremely impressive!
I set the pace by breathing only through my nose, though I don't always run the whole route with nose-only breathing, rather I use it intermittently to ensure I am going at a nice slow pace while staying maximally relaxed.
Am I understanding this to be that you use nasal breathing to check your speed, then return to mouth breathing?
Sometimes (like I did two days ago) I will just nasal breathe the whole way if the mood takes me.
Having only recently got back to including long runs as part of my routine, I can only say, so far, so good. I enjoy it, it hasn't left me sore despite the high volume, and seems to help me in other facets of my life, both mental and physical.
I personally use this method only and always, to include at rest, while running, or while snatching. I use my mouth to eat and/or talk. I'm not one to tell you what you should do...
Exactly! Enjoy this. Don't play around with things trying to improve on this.
Just to clarify, do you mean by this that when running, you personally only nasal breathe? Also, when you say you use it when snatching, do you mean the rest intervals between sets (as I imagine nasal breathing during a set of snatches to be pretty brutal )?
during a set of snatches