The cardiovascular system

This is partly true. I mean, interval training is indeed one of the most effective body-sculpting workout methods, but these two-bit assholes, so proud of their knowledge and thinking themselves great experts, tend to forget something called the human factor and current physical condition. Yes, unfortunately, this isn't in the textbooks.

Tuning into individuals, the training sensitivity that requires empathy, and a given person's mental resilience cannot be learned. And any trainer who doesn't possess these abilities should definitely grab their qualification papers – all of them, mind you – and decide with a coin toss whether to wipe their ass with them to get some use out of them, or simply throw them in the trash, where they belong in this case.

Because interval training cannot be done with everyone, and a significant portion of the population is neither physically nor mentally prepared for such training intensity. But of course, this doesn't bother the "experts"; they just parrot what they've read, that this is good, and then they don't bother with minor details like the extreme, full-body pulse load that quickly occurs in cases of overweight.

Because what are we talking about here? Cardiovascular fitness shows a person's physical capacity, which depends on the current state of the heart, circulatory system, and lung capacity.

If, due to lack of training, the heart muscles cannot pump enough blood into the bloodstream, if the lungs cannot take in enough oxygen, and if the blood circulation cannot deliver enough energy to the skeletal muscles for a basic physical load, then I must ask a question of these good-for-nothing glorifiers of interval training.

How do you do interval training with someone who is physically incapable of it? Because this is not decided in your head; your body says stop, no further. How do you do interval training with someone who, in their current state, is gasping for air after 5 minutes of jogging, whose pulse is near the death zone, and whose blood pressure is skyrocketing, thus exposing their vessels to extreme stress? I'm talking about anatomical and organ functional limitations here, but it seems this really bothers no one, and I haven't even mentioned the extra load due to excess weight. Interval running requires basic physical fitness, which one should somehow reach, but for that, one needs to run first, and with significant overweight, not even that.

So, if I could suggest something to that part of the profession who only and exclusively accept interval cardio as the only alternative to running, it would be to kindly go to hell, and if they have time, between reading two textbooks, to pull their heads out of their asses, because with this attitude, they are literally risking lives.

I say, let's leave the pinnacle of the profession for a while, let them masturbate in the clouds, and let's descend to slightly deeper levels.

In the rest of the post, I will go through the fitness ladder, starting from the training of severely obese people and progressing level by level. I will describe in detail what kind of exercises are allowed for what amount of overweight, thus advancing until the point when the body, freed from the kilos, can indeed be loaded, and any exercise can be performed at any intensity.

Unfortunately, from experience, I can say that some people don't even have as much sense as a garden chair, without a garden and a chair. Therefore, I would ask everyone to strictly adhere to what I write, not to override what is written here, and definitely not, even if you feel you could do more, stronger, faster, longer. Don't do it. Mental strength and the idea of pushing further are not an alternative at the beginning; you only need to keep in mind what your body allows in its current state. What the fitness level of your heart muscle allows, what your vascular system can tolerate, what your lung capacity is capable of, what your musculoskeletal system can bear. If you ignore these, you will get injured, or worse, you will ruin yourself for life.

50+

Let's start the list with those living with an overweight of 50 or more. Let's not sugarcoat it, because it's completely unnecessary. To reach this state you are in now, it didn't take 1 week, nor even 1 year of a dreadful hedonistic lifestyle, for which there is simply no sane explanation. An overweight of 50 or more is not the fault of genetics or bone structure. There's no need to envision great shadows and dark forces; you simply didn't give a damn about what you were doing to yourself, because maintaining an excess of 50-70 kilograms in the long run is not that simple either. This requires a daily caloric intake of 6-8, sometimes 10 thousand or more. So, what are we talking about now? Who is to blame? You are responsible for everything that happens to you, and no one else. This is not a matter of fate or karma; it's simply a matter of attitude and will, so do yourself a favor and slap yourself, and quickly, because it's high time you finally came to your senses. You're not pathetic because you're fat as hell, but because you don't even want to change it.

But let's also talk about the workouts a bit. Above 50 kilos of overweight, exercise can be nothing else but walking, and even then, with short breaks. Here, you literally have to relearn to walk, and if necessary, start from rock bottom. If that's all you can manage, then just walk for 15-20 seconds; compared to doing absolutely nothing, this will also result in a radical change. So, walking, perhaps minimal movements like exercises performed in water. With such overweight, there is no other alternative than to stick to the diet and lose weight to an excess weight level that already allows for a slightly, but damn, only slightly more intense form of movement.

Acquiring a heart rate monitor is mandatory, and learn one number. 220 minus your age. The number you get is your maximum heart rate; never exceed this, especially with such overweight.

Recommended exercise: walking and exercises performed in water at least up to the chest.

40+

With an excess weight between forty and fifty kilos, the situation is already a bit more consolidated, which means that this state is no longer sad, but merely pathetic. Besides walking, you can now start eyeing the elliptical trainer, which, by the way, perfectly shows the quality of workouts performed on an elliptical trainer, because if its use is already recommended with 40 kilos of excess, then you can imagine the machine's effectiveness. At this point, however, it is a perfect alternative because it gets you moving, but here too, the principle of gradualness must be the guiding factor. Starting with 2-3 minute intervals, keeping the revolutions in the 30 to 40 RPM range with 1-minute breaks, but if the heart rate does not allow this, then starting with even less active movement and longer breaks.

All forms of running and jogging are strictly forbidden. It is forbidden even if you feel you could run. Ignore your consciousness; it's still a long way before you can mentally push yourself further and burden yourself, because your joints, your knees, your ankles, your hips, and your spine will not withstand the load at such an overweight. Pick up 40 kilos once and try to do anything with it. Your body is subjected to such a load, plus your organs are fatty, your heart is already tired at idle, having to work for not one, but one and a half people, so the whole thing is messed up as it is. Continue dieting, and on your better days, if you feel like it and your pulse range allows, even a short uphill walk might be an option.

Recommended exercise: walking, uphill walking, elliptical trainer

30+

Thirty kilograms of excess weight is no longer the level where managers of traveling circuses offer you a contract to display you on stage, but there's still plenty to do. Thirty kilos plus is a psychological zone. If you've lost weight into the thirties category, there's a danger that you no longer see yourself as so fat, and you allow yourself some relaxation. However, if you've gained weight from below and reached this point, then it's high time to hit the brakes, because if you don't get a grip on yourself, you'll fall into a very deep and very dark abyss from which it will be very difficult to climb out. Because, you know, the problem is not that one makes mistakes, but that these mistakes will eventually have to be corrected, and climbing back to zero will require enormous energy. And even then, we're still only at the zero point.

With thirty kilos on your shoulders, the world starts to open up a bit. Besides walking, uphill walking, and using the elliptical trainer, you can also start doing basic clown-like exercises, such as Kangoo, which in itself is a huge joke, of course, but with this excess weight, due to its joint-sparing nature and its resemblance to normal movement, it doesn't seem as bad as it actually is. All forms of running are, of course, forbidden here too.

Recommended exercise: walking, uphill walking, elliptical trainer, and other cardio machines that will be useless later, such as a bicycle and ergometer.

End of Part One…