Hey gang!

Ya know one of the by-product benefits of my taking on, and providing these “6-Week Body/Life Challenges” (more about the “Body/Life” distinction in a later post) is that often times….clients really need my laser-like, “Master-to-Student” coaching!

And I love it cuz every time I help someone with a specific issue…when I share it publicly…I learn there’s hundreds of others who’ve had the same “issue” or better put, Specific Results-Getting Questions!

And I must thank our member and athlete Mer Weiss for this one!

Mer taking on a 10K as a life goal…and she’s leveraging the coaching of the 6WC to get results.

Her question is:

“If I wanna mix up the actual exercise movement, (ie running, biking, etc) how would I go about using your famous “Terrible 21″ cardio routine, say, on an ELLIPTICAL MACHINE?”

Answer: “Mer! Great question!”

I just did this myself, side-by-side with Ms. Laura Cohen, also a 6WC member, and ill tell you EXACTLY how you do this without getting confused!

First off, in Laura’s case, she was dealing with a pulled calf muscle….but she didn’t want to let that circumstance blindside her progress because she reported her clothes were already fitting looser after just 2 weeks into the challenge.

So I met her last night, and tested out her range of motion, and we together decided that the Elliptical machine would be a good testing grounds.

So I printed out the palangi.com/cardio.pdf document (aka “T-21″, slapped it up there for here to see and follow, and quickly realized the elliptical can be tricky….that is of course, if you don’t have a plan!

That said, here’s what I discovered (btw, I say “discovered” because, normally, if I do T-21on this machine, its for a steady pace style of workout; so I too am new at using Elliptical in this way) I learned that “intensity”, is easier managed by using the machines settings vs. Simply moving your legs faster. (Beware though… I did it just yesterday…and its mad hard! Creeps up on you in third leg of the format.)

I keep the same RPM’s (revolutions per minute), and adjust intensity by going up 2 levels a ta time (machine brand depending) I.e. 50%-Level 2… 60%-level 4… 70%-level 6… And so on. Now, by “intensity” and “level” what it is is, “level” represents the INCLINE.

Fyi, most machines have 1-12 or 1-20 levels.

First crack at it though, do like a 5 min warm up and figure out the machine…

Then, get confident in your Terrible 21 routine for that particular elliptical brand/machine, and let it rip!

So…again…for me and Laura we did:

60%=level 4
70%=level 6
80%=level 8
90%=level 10! (Yikes)

And, as you may know, the routine is primarily made up of exactly the 60, 70, 80, 90% thing repeating at one minute per each step of the interval “Leg”.

T21 has 4 legs; the last of which has a “bonus minute” that takes you to 100% or your personal, perceived maximum”

But be careful doing any and ALL exercise when “100′s” are somewhere in the picture!

If you take this on, please report back and share your success on the blog if it let’s you log in lol (working on that too).

Best, MSP

Master Scott Palangi