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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > BIMMERPOST Universal Forums > Off-Topic Discussions Board > Health, Fitness, Martial Arts, and Nutrition > -=[Elliptical Only]=- Making Cardio Fun - Unlockable Achievements a la XBOX 360



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      03-22-2010, 06:27 AM   #1
XiaoDeeDeee
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-=[Elliptical Only]=- Making Cardio Fun - Unlockable Achievements a la XBOX 360

Quick background: I've been using cross ramps and ellipticals for the past six months for cardiovascular activity. I use the machines for 70 minutes, four times a week. My results have long since plateaued but at least I have achieved a consistency in my program. I'm still a heavy person - 220; 5' 10", so take that for what it's worth. Almost all of these achievement are very doable--I know since I've done them all aside from the bottom two, and the two upper tier 15 cal/sec achievements; I'm sure I will be editing the achievements to suit more accomplished athletes given input. Input and responses appreciated! The goal is to make it more fun and to push a tiny bit of competitiveness inside ya to make you work harder in your routine next time or even to test out how far you can go or how easy it is!


Notes:
  • the strides achievements are much easier on the cross ramp than the elliptical. I average at least 20-30 strides/sec more on the cross ramps than on the ellipticals.
  • use your real weight for better calorie calculation--yes yes believing you actually burned 1,000+ calories may be optimistic, but we're just using these numbers for consistency checks/comparisons
  • the level of resistance really is your choice...the higher you go the slower, but more calories/sec potential...the lower the faster...less calorie potential...it's all good that's why I list a calorie and stride goal


Elliptical Achievements
all achievements based on a 70 minute elliptical routine
color coded related achievements due to insomnia


Hitting the Stride - 1,000 strides and 100 calories in 7 minutes - 10G

Hitting the Stride II - 2,000 strides and 200 calories in 14 minutes - 10G

Fast and Furious - maintained 15.0 calories/minute ratio for 15 minutes - 35G

Unfair Advantage - experienced a 20% boost in heart rate and speed due to hot female in front of or beside you - 5G

Hitting the Stride III - 3,000 strides and 300 calories in 21 minutes - 10G

Hitting the Stride IV - 4,000 strides and 400 calories in 28 minutes - 10G

Still Pounding It - maintained 15.0 calories/minute ratio for 30 minutes - 70G

Hitting the Stride V - 5,000 strides and 500 calories in 35 minutes - 10G

Hitting the Stride VI - 6,000 strides and 600 calories in 42 minutes - 10G

Almost Time to Switch Positions - maintained 15.0 calories/minute ratio for 45 minutes - 100G

Hitting the Stride VII - 7,000 strides and 700 calories in 49 minutes - 10G

Hitting the Stride VIII - 8,000 strides and 800 calories in 56 minutes - 10G

My Bum is Hummin' - 165 strides/per minute for 25 minutes - 50G

I Can Go All Night Long Baby - maintained 15.0 calories/minute ratio for 60 minutes - 125G

Hitting the Stride XIV - 9,000 strides and 900 calories in 63 minutes - 10G

A Legend in Your Own Mind - 10,000 strides and 1000 calories strides in 70 minutes - 50G

Speedy Gonzales - 10,500 strides in 70 minutes - 50G

Girl, You Sore? I Ain't Done - Burned 1,100 calories in 70 minutes - 150G

No Stress Express - Heart rate avg 135bpm or less after 70 minutes and 1,000 calories burned - 25G

Cardio - Heart rate avg between 155 - 165 bpm after 70 minutes and at least 1,000 calories burned - 25G

Engineered Human - 1,100 calories and 11,000 strides in 70 minutes - 200G

I Inspired GATTACA - 1,150 calories and 11,100 strides in 70 minutes - 250G



And if you're wondering...

I use a Precor 545i (? I think? I'll check today)
2 sets, no break, all stats from the machine
35 minutes / Ramp 10 / Resistance 13 - avg 125 strides / min - around 4,250 to 4,500 total strides - 505 to 525 calories burned
35 minutes / Ramp 10 / Resistance 10 - avg 145 to 155 strides / min - around 5,100 to 5,430 total strides - 520 to 540 calories burned
Cool down - however long it takes till the total is 1200...usually 9-12 minutes -- 130 calories.

Last edited by XiaoDeeDeee; 03-22-2010 at 07:29 AM..
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      03-24-2010, 06:40 PM   #2
Bmoney2K4
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how much weight have you lost in six months?
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      03-24-2010, 07:08 PM   #3
XiaoDeeDeee
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmoney2K4 View Post
how much weight have you lost in six months?
I just weighed myself and I'm at 210 now. Still really heavy, especially for being 5'10"--although I don't consider myself "fat" when I look in the mirror. I have a slight gut, that's about it.

~Six months ago I weighed 245, so I lost 35 pounds. My diet has changed in that I now eat the minimum 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables according to the government website every day in the morning. However, after that, I still eat whatever the hell I want and as much as I want. The weight loss was weird...I seem to lose weight in amounts of 5lbs; not gradually.

Also keep in mind, the heavier/more overweight you are the easier it is to initially lose weight. Naturally overweight people have higher metabolism as the body struggles to maintain it.


Beyond Your Question/Just Cause I like to Share:

However, I just got tired of being out of breath all the time. I started out aiming for 28 minutes of cardio and 400 calories. After 2 weeks of that I just kept adding on from there.

If I were really aiming for weight loss I'd probably fix the diet first, then add some weights. I used to lift a lot, and now doing pure cardio has converted almost all my former muscle into fat.

Definitely still have tons more fat to trim off, but I've still been doing my cardio consistently and haven't noticed any physically changes for a month or so now. It's probably time to change it up for better results, but I'm too addicted to how long I can use the machine to give it up.

As for physical improvement, my bum has shrunk and tightened dramatically for obvious reasons, legs got more toned, forearms more toned, and significant reduction in pubic fat.

No improvements to biceps/triceps--in fact I'd say it has gotten worse due to the muscle loss. The gut is taking a while, but for the long term, I'd say the cardio is beneficial, just very slow progress and not immediately noticeable.

Another thing I noticed is that my sweat has no odor anymore. Just smells like water. A decade ago, when I sweat...I'd see white residue on my shirt when it dried. Talk about excess sodium!!
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      03-25-2010, 09:11 PM   #4
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I think you should do some heavy weight lifting before your cardio sessions, maybe 10-15 minutes to preserve some muscle. In addition, it is suggested that eat about 100 grams of protein, which is half your body weight of 210.

I have to commend you for your efforts especially for being aound 245. Most people would give up after a while. I know I myself weigh that much and my goal is to do 30 minutes on the treadmil of walking 3.5 mph.

I am thinking about getting an elliptical for around 500-1000 bucks, just don't know which would hold my rather large frame of 245-250 pounds. Do you have any recommendations?
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