July 28, 2021
Day S7: HIIT It
Jiao Chang Wei Beach to End of Subway Line #3
The beach had a different atmosphere in the morning, it was a lot less crowded and things felt more chill. I suppose it must be a day trip destination. A lot of the infrastructure around the beach is abundant but isn't all that busy, including the hotels. Already at 8am the sun was scorching and it was the kind of weather that you sweat by just standing there.
The original plan was to bike towards Guangzhou but I changed course because this was all getting much too boring. Plus I kept on getting messages in the chat saying how awesome the group fitness class was supposed to be tonight. They even had a competition for who could do the most burpees in 2 minutes. This sounded more like the ticket. Burpees won out over boring cycling in civilization.
Ever since being stuck to these domestic tours during the pandemic, I could never really get into this. The FOMO for group fitness was real and it provided such a constructive outlet. It wasn't long before I caved on the cycling and set a short destination near the end of the subway line #3. That way, I could then find a hotel, check in, then take the subway back into the city for this class. Plus I would still be on course to eventually reach Guangzhou.
The biking today couldn't have been any easier. It was only 45km, but I figured correctly that the group HIIT later on would compensate for the lower calorie burn. But also, as this pandemic grinds on year after year it makes all of us super tired mentally. So I might be able to crush some physical exercise but mentally I'm just done.
As for the route, there was about a 200 meter stretch where they didn't allow bicycles because the road had to cross an on-ramp. In the end I said fuck that and just cycled on thorugh anyway so as to enjoy a really nice descent later. Whoever decides where bikes can and can't ride doesn't really have any brains, so I'm not following that. Ironically, the roads they say you're allowed to ride on are actually a lot more dangerous. It makes zero sense.
The location of the hotel was strategic. I checked in then followed my plan. How many other cycle tourists do you know of that combine high intensity group training with their rides?
In fact, the two kinds of exercise have quite different focuses. Cycling falls under the category of LISS (low intensity steady state) exercise which is a slow burn and designed more for recovery and active rest. The heart rate doesn't get up too high but over time the calorie burn adds up. HIIT, on the other hand, is designed for short bursts of high intense exercise to get the heart rate soaring and the goal is to burn fat more efficiently. It's not designed to be done for very long.
It may very well be possible to use the gym facilities at some hotel and design your own fitness workouts after a day of cycling. If that's the case it might be better to do more strength training. Too much cardio for days on end does eat up muscle mass eventually.
Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 832 km (517 miles)
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