How do you get in shape for scuba

[myscubastory.com]

Stay relatively fit - Loose weight is very important - keep off drugs cigarettes and smoking!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I go diving. The muscles I use while diving get worked by doing that.

 

[RTee]

...recently, by shoveling snow...lots of it

 

[bracko]

cardio, light weight / high rep weight training and HIIT will give the best results.

although going to the gym after work then eating large servings of high fat foods and washing them down with 4 beers will do nothing for you.

food is the key to losing weight, training is the key to being fit.

 

[vladimir]

I lift weights twice a week and do at least 40 minutes of cardio 5 or 6 times a week, a combination of stationary bike and elliptical that's pretty kind to my joints, with an occasional swim mixed in. The difference between my workout and most of those I see is that I make mine hurt. I mix high-intensity minutes into the cardio to get to the point where I'm sucking wind. I see a lot of people just pass an hour in the gym to convince themselves they made an effort. If you can read a book at the same time, chances are your workout isn't intense enough to have the desired effect.

 

[Lee Taylor]

<- thinking push buttons

 

[fjpatrum]

Not to be rude, Vladimir, but "the desired effect" of a workout is substantially different from person to person. To burn fat you need to get that mix of "high-intensity minutes into the cardio" but if you're just trying to maintain muscle fitness, there's absolutely no reason for it.

Similarly, I used to do the "Workout from Hell" (which I highly recommend to people who do other exercise for legs and cardio) but it's not designed to make you a monster body like the steroid guys on the covers of Muscle magazine. When I did that workout in the gym people often would look at me doing my 5 or 10 pound weights and laugh-- right up to the point where they started counting reps and realized I was doing 90 reps of every exercise.

Passing an hour in the gym isn't always about "convincing yourself you made the effort" even if you can read a book while doing your work out.

TO the OP: cross-training is great. A bit of swimming, a bit of cycling, a bit of punching on a heavy bag and some stretching/yoga and I'm a happy guy.

Edit: made a correction of my reps number... bad multiplication is just embarrassing at my age.

 

[ronbeau]

I need to get in better shape. I am starting to lift some weights and start cycling with a little yoga stuff thrown in. It would be nice to drop a few pounds.

Easier said than done.

I notice a huge difference when I get back into a work out habit instead of couch surfing.

It sure is easy to get lazy.

What do you do to get in shape for scuba?

Rowing (on a rowing machine). I aim for one 30 minute session per day.

 

[vladimir]

Not to be rude, Vladimir, but "the desired effect" of a workout is substantially different from person to person. To burn fat you need to get that mix of "high-intensity minutes into the cardio" but if you're just trying to maintain muscle fitness, there's absolutely no reason for it.

I do agree that everybody has different reason to exercise, but in the context of the thread, "How do you get in shape for scuba," it is reasonable to assume that increased cardiovascular endurance is a priority. And it is a priority that can be effectively addressed with high intensity intervals, which is why I do them.