Keeping the mind active during long cardio sessions?

[AD1985]

I just did my first steady state cardio session today and it was super boring. Only 30 minutes too! I don't have that problem with anything else because the weights and HIIT are a change of pace from slow/relaxing to intense/focused. Steady state is just 30 minutes of blah.

So what do you guys do to make the sessions a little more bearable? Or do you just submit to the boredom as a part of the cardio routine?

[MrSinister]

i cant.. im the same and cant do steady state for the sheer boredome.. just do hiit always, or do other cardio (boxing, swimming)

[Kouper]

Originally Posted by AD1985

I just did my first steady state cardio session today and it was super boring. Only 30 minutes too! I don't have that problem with anything else because the weights and HIIT are a change of pace from slow/relaxing to intense/focused. Steady state is just 30 minutes of blah.

So what do you guys do to make the sessions a little more bearable? Or do you just submit to the boredom as a part of the cardio routine?

Well, used to listen to music, till I realised that that didnt really help much. If Im super stressed out, I try and and just get into my run and let my brain go blank, or I've started listening to books on tape and what not because its hard to keep track of time or anything while listening, you dont have a lot of the same things as you do with music.

[Sowilo]

i just listen to the radio, if you have a treadmill put the tv on.

[ScSc0rP]

I have a stationary bike, put that baby in front of computer or television. Before I know it, 45 minutes are up, although the one thing I don't like about stationary bikes is your ass starts to hurt after your done

[plAythiNG]

listen 2 music n pretend ur on the dance floor

[blockmonkey]

Buy an mp3 player and get some decent music on it and the time will fly by. If I had to listen to the crap our gym plays I eould fall asleep, they were playing the beatles yesterday ffs! hardly motivational music for busting your ass on the treadmill.

[TDE]

just go in with the mindset it'll all be over before you know it. When you feel like you wanna stop, remind yourself to keep going, because it pays off; ultimately. remind urself the pain ur feeling is only temporary. make it like a video game in ur mind -if you make it threw all the minutes - you win. if you quit early, you lose of course.


think about all the bitches ur gonna ****. think about how many ur gonna KEEP ****ing, because they like ur muscles, and u can last longer than the average guy etc. Think about how they're gonna let **** slide (like u cheating) because ur so good. think about how 90% of men will envy you, and want to be you.

[Dominikm]

Originally Posted by TDE

think about all the bitches ur gonna ****. think about how many ur gonna KEEP ****ing, because they like ur muscles, and u can last longer than the average guy etc. Think about how they're gonna let **** slide (like u cheating) because ur so good. think about how 90% of men will envy you, and want to be you.

x2

And Is say this becasue it makes you mind wander and not look at the timer on the treadmill or cross trainer, wat eva ur doing...

It sounds kinda stupid but this works, tell yourself how ****ing awsome this is (while your doing the cardio), just put things through your mind like, hell yea, **** yea, bring it, i can take anything, nothign can stop me at all, i am the best of the best, i rock ect..... you will be supprised by how well this works, and for me I like base, I find this with good tunes that have a massive beat makes me go harder and I just keep going till I am done, this morning that was 45 mins fastened cardio

[MikeAaronB]

Originally Posted by TDE

just go in with the mindset it'll all be over before you know it. When you feel like you wanna stop, remind yourself to keep going, because it pays off; ultimately. remind urself the pain ur feeling is only temporary. make it like a video game in ur mind -if you make it threw all the minutes - you win. if you quit early, you lose of course.


think about all the bitches ur gonna ****. think about how many ur gonna KEEP ****ing, because they like ur muscles, and u can last longer than the average guy etc. Think about how they're gonna let **** slide (like u cheating) because ur so good. think about how 90% of men will envy you, and want to be you.

X2

ESPECIALLY that last paragraph.

[Dominikm]

Originally Posted by plAythiNG

listen 2 music n pretend ur on the dance floor

Or that...

[niiick]

abit of ego-therapy going on here....

[krisinboots]

I get a lot of looks for this, but I have a Nintendo DS, so when the days that I'm on the stationary bike, I bring that baby and don't even realize the time is up..I'm a tetris whore though, and I don't have time to play unless I'm multitasking ;-)

If I'm doing any kind of standing cardio, I stay away though..my I-pod usually helps if you change the music frequently!

Good luck!

[proteinpump]

I do an hour each session and I listen to music and watch people workout in the gym. This entertains me enough and sometimes I get some new ideas on exercises. If I am home, I just watch the TV.

[dtsymxfan]

how high are you guys getting your heart rate up when you do steady state cardio? I hear 130-150 is ideal for fatloss...is this true? is it better to have my heart rate even lower?

[Dominikm]

160'ish according to the machine, that puts me at 80% for 45 minutes, I doubt this though, I go very hard but I think it's more like 75%. The calories the machine tells me I burn also, 900cals in 45 mins today, doubt it. More like 500 max or so, but then again I do go very hard on the cardio... Who knows... Only thing that matters is that it's working...

[Grillrd]

Originally Posted by dtsymxfan

how high are you guys getting your heart rate up when you do steady state cardio? I hear 130-150 is ideal for fatloss...is this true? is it better to have my heart rate even lower?

130-150 LI Cardio

This is ideal if you are trying to retain as much muscle as possible while losing fat. I wouldn't recommend lower then that.

[Finnnnnngers]

i do it till i get bored, then i go outside the gym and wlak or run or jog then go back in if i need to

[PatMac]

Since training for a triathalon I do a lot of steady state cardio and never get bored...Obviously my Ipod is a key, I cant go anywhere without it. My mind sort of just wanders and if I ever do need motivation I think of things/people that ge me angry or just savor in the fact that I'm in better shape than 95+% people at the gym, which is motivating

[SK1989]

****s boring to me as well. I just think, think of things I can add into my program, plan the rest of my week, think of new things I can try, what im going to eat etc, usually helps.

[derickonfire]

Originally Posted by plAythiNG

listen 2 music n pretend ur on the dance floor

Haha.. I listen to hardcore / metal / rock a lot of the time I run..

I air guitar, and I headbang on the big big notes ALL the time.

I swear I probably look like a lune while running and throwing my head around... and sometimes I trip a little and start laughing out loud to myself.

[LaxPro]

i read the newspaper

hides the timer too so it goes by quick

did 90mins of steady state the other day just reading the paper *shrug*

[derickonfire]

I've never been able to run and read.

Too much bouncing motion....

I think I'm going to compress some dvd's down onto my mp3 player though =P

.. or maybe some TV episodes.

[X20A]

I focus too much on the pain and the music. That usually gets the time to fly.

[PatMac]

Originally Posted by X20A

I focus too much on the pain and the music. That usually gets the time to fly.

Me too, usually im so short of breath and going so hard that it really does go by fast

[b.spencer]

I am addicted to my iPod. If I happen to forget it, I can't stand to do cardio at the gym, even with the TV's they have going. One little perk at this Gold's is the Cardio Movie theatre, for those long cardio sessions when I'm cutting. The 45 minutes flies by if there is a good movie playing.

[wrbk319]

That's why I love jogging around the lake I live near. It's just better when you have more obstacles and scenary to look at. I also listen to music or e-books while jogging. If I don't have my i-Pod, I just think about my future, or what I have to do to improve my physique. LOL

[GoBig84]

Originally Posted by AD1985

I just did my first steady state cardio session today and it was super boring. Only 30 minutes too! I don't have that problem with anything else because the weights and HIIT are a change of pace from slow/relaxing to intense/focused. Steady state is just 30 minutes of blah.

So what do you guys do to make the sessions a little more bearable? Or do you just submit to the boredom as a part of the cardio routine?

The only way I can tolerate cardio in the gym is to watch football while I'm doing it.

During the offseason do cardio outdoors.

[ibcritn1]

My gym has a full size movie theatre as a cardio room, it is amazing, now sometimes you get movies like 300 and sometimes you get chick flicks so it can be bad

[KingOfChaos]

I have a very active imagination, so I rarely need anything...I just get lost inside my head.