I used to be a personal trainer, but even in that you get rusty from lack of practice. So last night I opened up my Exercise Bible to review aerobic training protocols and adaptation. I've made some adjustments to my conditioning program now. Namely, I'm making sure to incorporate interval training at least every other day. The reason is no different than when lifting weights: No Pain No Gain. You push yourself to lift higher weights to exhaustion because you want your body to adapt by growing the muscles larger, improving neuromuscular facilitation, etc., so that you can perform lifting that level of resistance. The difference is that in aerobic training we're trying to adapt by improving lung function, nervous system responses, hormonal responses, capillary size, and (heart) stroke volume. While the "long and slow" is good for training your body to be able to run at a given pace for a long time, you're not inducing the intended training protocol we desire: increase stroke volume and VO2 max (lung function). You target that through high intensity training.
Think of it this way, it is nice to be able to bench 200 lbs 20 times, but to get there you don't just bench 200 lbs until you can do it 20 times. You train by lifting 250 lbs in 3 sets of 8 reps, say. In the same way, you don't train to run an hour by just trying to run an hour. You run, say, 10 to 20 minute intervals with 1:2 (high:low) splits.
If you're not incorporating interval training into your workout routine, I highly recommend it. The actual exercise protocol is entirely up to you. I personally can't handle running at high intensity (sprints) due to my knees. That doesn't mean I can't do sprint lengths in the pool, high intensity incline on an elliptical, or just kick my butt on a spin bike. Personally, I'd rather just do sprints, but it is good to mix it up because you're changing up the muscular adaptation, also. You utilize different muscles when you do that. Therefore, use multiple exercise protocols for your interval training. If you have any questions, suggestions, or whatever, let's talk about it.
Today I did a 45:90 (seconds) 5 split interval on a spin bike. I thought I was going to die! I was breathing really hard, and that's what you want. When you lift weights we often talk about feeling the "pump" (of blood through the muscles). When it comes to aerobic training, you feel your diaphragm pump! I've actually made my chest sore from breathing so hard in the past. We'll see if my very non-gentle re-introduction to interval training does it again lol
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74.3 + 1.5 = 75.8 miles (122.00 km)
PT: 19.5 miles (26%)
Think of it this way, it is nice to be able to bench 200 lbs 20 times, but to get there you don't just bench 200 lbs until you can do it 20 times. You train by lifting 250 lbs in 3 sets of 8 reps, say. In the same way, you don't train to run an hour by just trying to run an hour. You run, say, 10 to 20 minute intervals with 1:2 (high:low) splits.
If you're not incorporating interval training into your workout routine, I highly recommend it. The actual exercise protocol is entirely up to you. I personally can't handle running at high intensity (sprints) due to my knees. That doesn't mean I can't do sprint lengths in the pool, high intensity incline on an elliptical, or just kick my butt on a spin bike. Personally, I'd rather just do sprints, but it is good to mix it up because you're changing up the muscular adaptation, also. You utilize different muscles when you do that. Therefore, use multiple exercise protocols for your interval training. If you have any questions, suggestions, or whatever, let's talk about it.
Today I did a 45:90 (seconds) 5 split interval on a spin bike. I thought I was going to die! I was breathing really hard, and that's what you want. When you lift weights we often talk about feeling the "pump" (of blood through the muscles). When it comes to aerobic training, you feel your diaphragm pump! I've actually made my chest sore from breathing so hard in the past. We'll see if my very non-gentle re-introduction to interval training does it again lol
__________________________________
74.3 + 1.5 = 75.8 miles (122.00 km)
PT: 19.5 miles (26%)
Gotta push it harder.
