September 21, 2024

This is a modification of my classic cardio workout (EMOM; 10 cals).

I wanted to go straight through, but I’ve done 10 cals in that format in about 22 minutes, which was too short. I thought about going to 12 cals, but then settled on 11.

I finished in 26:38 (1,598 seconds). I have done 10 calls in 22-something (let’s say 22:15; 1,335 seconds). That means that the extra calorie (+10%) added about 19% to the time, which is scary. I have to think going to 12 calories would have been very difficult.

(Note: the 22:15 was a few years ago, when I was younger and in better shape.)

Also, there’s a very, very subtle aspect to this workout which helps. Since I’m not doing an EMOM, the skier and the rower do not shut down between uses. This means that I gain from the run-off at the end.

When I do 10 cals, I probably get, say, 10.5 or something, but then the skier and the rower shut down and clear before the next round, so I lose that fraction. Since they stay running the entire time, I get to keep the slight overage and start from that point. It may seem small, but it no doubt helps.