Say goodbye to the dreaded long hours spent on cardio pieces. Get ready to lean up, and the best part is that it only takes 15 minutes after your resistance workout! The new wave of cardiovascular exercise is interval training, and it is the most economic way to get results fast. Helgerud et al. found that, “High-aerobic intensity endurance interval training is significantly more effective than performing the same total work at either lactate threshold or at 70% HRmax, in improving VO2max.” In the exercise world, VO2max is simply maximum oxygen uptake and HRmax is max heart rate. The key component to any form of interval training is that it should be done after a resistance training workout in a state where glucose stores are nearly depleted and fat is the prime source for energy. When performing intervals, set your elliptical, recumbent bike, or treadmill to a proper seat height/warm-up speed and perform 30 seconds to a minute. Initially, start your interval program at a 3:1 rest to work ratio. A sample beginner’s program would look like this; 30 seconds of 85%-95% of max heart rate and 90 seconds of rest. As experience with the program advances, the work time goes up along with the rest periods. Perform anywhere from 4-6 work/rest sets which should take anywhere from 10-20 minutes at most, efficiency at its best!

HELGERUD, JAN 1,2; HOYDAL, KJETILL 1; WANG, EIVIND 1; KARLSEN, TRINE 1; BERG, PALR 1; BJERKAAS, MARIUS 1; SIMONSEN, THOMAS 1; HELGESEN, CECILIES 1; HJORTH, NINAL 1; BACH, RAGNHILD 1; HOFF, JAN 1,3 “Aerobic High-Intensity Intervals Improve V[spacing dot above]O2max More Than Moderate Training.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 39(4):665-671, April 2007. April 8, 2008..

The pool workout has been developed as an alternative program. The main benefit of this program is the ability to do a cardiovascular or aerobic workout without putting undue stress on the joints. The water’s continuous resistance forces you to engage more muscle fibers through a larger range of motion. Listed below is a list of exercises:

Lower Body

Sprints : Sprint in waist deep water across the pool using proper running technique.

Hi-Knee’s : Sprint across the pool performing “hi-knee’s”

Shuffle : In an athletic position, shuffle across the pool as fast as possible.

Back Pedal : Stand in an athletic position, reach back as far as possible with every stride.

Sprint/Swim/Jog : Sprint across, swim back (any stroke) and jog across.

Jumps : In chest deep water, go under into a squat position and explode up through the water trying to get as much height as possible. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps.

Abduction/Adduction : Hold onto the edge of the pool in face down position. Force legs apart in a lateral motion as far as possible. Pull legs to the mid-line of the body letting them cross in a scissor fashion. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Hip Flexion/Extension : Holding onto the edge stand on one leg. Without bending at the hip, flex and extend the knee as fast as possible. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.

Flipper Kicks : The kicks can be done in a variety of ways. Go to the deep end of the pool and kick in place for 1:00 minute. You can also hold onto the edge with arms extended, legs straight back. Flipper kick continously for 1:00 minute.

Upper Body-Neck Deep Water

Arm Sprints : Same action as running mechanics. With elbows in, pump arms up and down as fast as possible. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetions.

Arm Raises : Keeping elbows straight. raise arms to the surface of the water to the front and then the side of the body. Drive the arms to the surface simulating shoulder front and side raises. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetions.

Chest & Back : extend arms at 90 degrees keeping the elbows straight. Force arms together so that the hands meet in a clapping fashion. Pull back towards the starting positionas fast as possible. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Push & Pull : Hold hands in front of chest with fingers pointing up. Push out and pull back in a quick, explosive manner. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

In later articles, we will introduce you to the vast world of training that can be done at your bedside when you wake up in the morning, or at night while watching your favorite television show. For now, here is a preview of the cool new ways to train.

• Resistance Bands: Resistance bands are quickly becoming one of the best ways to train due to their variable resistance and the fact that literally hundreds of exercises from strength training to flexibility, can be done with them.

• Body Weight Training: When you think of using your own body weight for training, the most common preconceived notion is that it doesn’t look very difficult. On the contrary — mastering your own body is a key step on the road to using external forces for resistance such as dumbbell or free weight training.

• Plyometric Training: Also known as jump training, plyometrics is a sure way to boost heart rate and metabolism to the max. Once a base strength foundation has been developed, it has been proven that light to moderate jump training can improve tendon, ligament, and muscle strength of the lower leg.

• Physioball Training: Also known as stability ball, this form of training like band training, has gained enormous attention — and for good reason. It is a very simple, cost-effective tool with which you can perform a plethora of exercises.

• Yoga Exercises: By far, the most relaxing form of the above-mentioned training, yoga focuses on total body relaxation and flexibility. A yoga mat is all that is required, and you will be well on your way to waving good-bye to joint pain, thanks to your newly found flexibility.

When performing manual resistance, the focus should be on performing slow and controlled reps. Example: 2 seconds to pull the weight, 1 second pause and 2-3 seconds of eccentric/negative  resistance.  When performing the movements, make sure that there is constant resistance on the muscle. The first few reps of the set should be performed slow and under control to allow the specific muscles to adapt to the resistance. Communication is  of paramount importance during the set. This will allow for varying resistance and proper execution of the movement. This will allow for smoother reps and resistance. To make the exercises more interesting, you can utilize different grips and speeds of movement.

SAMPLE PROGRAM

All manual upper body movements should be performed for 1-2 sets of 8-10 reps.

 UPPER BODY

• Towel Shrugs – Grip the towel with an overhand grip. Shrug with elbows straight. Make sure that shoulders come as high as possible, to ear level.
• Seated Rows – Grip the towel with a vertical, overhand or underhand grip. Different grips will activate different parts of the back. Bring elbows back until hands are by your side. Pause in the contracted position and return to starting position.
• Standing Side Raises – This movement will be performed one arm at a time. The athlete grabs the towel with an overhand grip and raises his arm to a parallel position. Pauses at the top and resists the spotter in the lowering action of the movement. There should be constant resistance throughout the rep.
• Towel Biceps – Grip the towel with an underhand grip. Bring towel up to the chest and pause in the contracted position. Resist the spotter on the lowering portion of the lift.
• Triceps Extension – Standing grip the towel overhead. Make sure the partner id positioned behind the lifter. The resistance is placed in the lower portion of the towel. The lifter brings towel overhead to an extended position, elbows locked.

LOWER BODY

• Single Leg Deads – This exercise will be performed one leg at a time. To begin the movement, bend at the hip and touch the floor with opposite hand. Make sure that the back leg is completely extended and you are bending at the hip. There should be a slight bend in the leg on the floor. Complete total amount of reps and repeat with opposite leg.
• Single Leg Squats – Start movement with both arm extended forward with thumbs up. Bring right leg up front completely extended. Bend at the hip and sit back and down. The goal of the movement should be as parallel to the floor as possible. Complete total number of reps and repeat with other leg.
• Lateral Reaches – Starting in an upright position with both feet together. Lateral reach to the left with right leg locked. You must maintain an upright position. Reach in front of your toes with you hands and sit the hips back and down. Make sure that the knee does not come past the fron knee. This would cause undue stress on the patella tendon.

CRAZY LEGS FINISHERS

• Speed Squats x 15-20
• Alternating Lunges x 15-20
• Speed Jump Squats x 15-20

IMPORTANT POINTS

• When training the lower body, the reps should be in the 15-20 range.
• Make sure technique is perfect. Quality before quantity.
• If there is any knee pain, eliminate the lunges with those athletes

There are three types of warm-up methods: Passive, active and dynamic. Regardless of the type of warm-up activities used, the general purpose of warming up prior to physical activity is to increase core body and muscle temperature.

Passive Warm-up

Generally, a passive warm-up involves such methods as hot showers, massage or heat pads, but most research has shown that this type of warm-up does not achieve the desired increase in tissue temperature needed to cause a warm-up effect. Due to this, a passive warm-up may be better termed a pre-warm-up and may allow the individual to relieve some muscle pain and stiffness and therefore enhance facilitation of body movements for the general warm-up to follow.

Active Warm-up

The active warm-up is probably the most commonly used technique and employs various movements not directly related to those employed in the activity itself, with the goal being increased tissue temperature and improve the efficiency of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems for the physiological demands and processes that will soon be placed on it. These may start with joint rotations, twisting and bending movements usually followed by jogging, jumping rope or light calisthenics.

Dynamic Flexibility

The final component we will cover in regards to warming up is the dynamic warm-up or sometimes called dynamic flexibility. The dynamic warm-up consists of functional-based exercises that use sport-specific movements to prepare the body for activity. This type of warm-up has been used for some time, but is still not common among most people. While dynamic flexibility is not as commonly used as other types of stretching (static, ballistic, PNF); this type of training has some unique aspects that may warrant its use in a warm-up.

This type of flexibility training has been shown to improve movement flexibility, balance, coordination, proprioception, elasticity of muscles and ligaments. It also has been shown to change the surfaces of joints in the process of long-term flexibility, and increases core body temperature and active muscle temperatures.

The next time you are looking for new ways to spice up your workout routine look to the different types of warm-ups to keep things interesting. General, passive and dynamic flexibility warm-ups will help you increase body and muscle temperature, which help you reduce muscle pain and stiffness, as well as, increase coordination, balance and muscle elasticity.

Among the 39 sports surveyed by the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), exercise walking, swimming and exercising with equipment attracted the greatest number of female participants seven years of age and older in 2008, according to data in the Association’s Sports Participation reports. Exercise walking attracted 59.3 million females; swimming, 33.3 million; and exercising with equipment, also 33.3 million.

Sports, recreational and fitness activities attracting more than 20 million females were aerobic exercising, 25.6 million; bowling, 24.8 million; camping (vacation/overnight), 23.4 million; and working out at club, 21.6 million.

Attracting more than 10 million females were bicycle riding, 19.4 million; hiking, 18.9 million; running/jogging, 17.2 million; fishing, 13.7 million; weightlifting, 13.5 million; yoga, 12.9 million; power boating, 12.4 million; and billiards/pool, 12.0 million.

“Nine of the 12 most popular sports and activities among girls and women are fitness activities, which clearly shows that females are health and fitness conscious,” said NSGA Vice President of Information & Research Thomas B. Doyle.

Attracting the fewest number of female participants was muzzleloading, 200,000. A complete listing of female participation is posted on the NSGA website www.nsga.org.

For the study, a participant is defined as someone seven or older who participates in a sport more than once within the year. For swimming, exercise walking, bicycling, exercising with equipment, running/jogging, weightlifting and aerobics, a participant is defined as one who is active in a sport six times or more within the year.

The two-part sports participation report is based on a survey of 20,000 U.S. households.

Recently, we have discussed the importance of physical assessments, organizing training sessions, strategies to maximize training goals and the staying consistent with your fitness plan. I want to cover the frequent problem of Overtraining that occurs to athletes that is becoming more prevalent with active non-athlete trainees. Let us take a look at overtraining syndrome, common warning signs and treatment strategies.

What Leads to Overtraining?

Overtraining can be classified as a consequence of an imbalance between stress and the body’s ability to adapt and recover. Without adequate rest and recovery your immune system response gets stuck on “overdrive,” and can no longer fight infection properly. Your training regimen backfires; you begin to experience a decrease in performance. There are two types of overtraining: general and local. “General overtraining affects the whole body and results in stagnations of a decrease in performance, whereas local overtraining affects a specific body part.”1 I’m sure at one time or another we’ve all over trained. It’s common to want to push harder and harder to achieve the goals you have set out for yourself, but you have to make sure that you’re doing things correctly.

Common Warning Signs

Many people train and work to the point where they get weaker. Those who live a high stress lifestyle and are overachievers tend to suffer the predominant symptoms more often. When you don’t let your body rest sufficiently to allow for proper adaption the body can’t build or repair muscle, so you may notice more aches and pains or that you are sustaining increased injuries.  You may be getting sick more often.  You may even notice increased headaches, moodiness, inability to sleep, increased apathy, anxiety, lack of appetite and chronic fatigue to name a few. Overtraining is also sometimes accompanied by a compulsive need to exercise even though you are feeling very tired and worn out.  If you display any of these warning signs you could be over training.

Recovery is Key

To see improvements in ones fitness and strength levels one must rest and recover. We always tell our clients that gains are made at rest. When we are in the gym conditioning and strength training we are breaking down muscle tissue that must be restored through proper recovery. The rest period following a hard training sessions is a process that takes up to 36 hours to complete. By skipping on rest, complete regeneration cannot occur. If you don’t want to take complete rest days, you may want to incorporate light aerobic exercise of 10-20 minutes to flush the system by keeping your heart rate below 140 bpm that ensures a moderate pace. You may also want to monitor your sleeping patterns, mood and muscle soreness.

Reduce your chances of overtraining by allowing for adequate recovery time in between workout sessions and ensure variety in your exercises and training techniques. Remember treatment of overtraining is variable based on the individual’s severity and fatigue. Try to find strategies that will work for you and your situation.

Siff M.C. Supertraining. 2003; 439-440

• Lie face up on the floor w/ knees bent at 90 degrees and heel on the ground

• Squeeze a rolled-up towel between knees and draw in your belly button

• Bridge your hips towards the ceiling by squeezing your glutes and hold

• Only your shoulder and heels should remain on the ground

• Lower your hips towards the floor without touching it and repeat.

• This exercise helps stabilize your spine and create mobility and strength of the hip

• On your hands and knees with your belly button drawn in and your shoulders protracted (extended, or pushed away from each other)

• Tuck your right knee to your chest. Fire the glute and extend out while extending your opposite arm using the scapula (shoulder blade) on that side

• Pause in the extended position for 2-5 seconds, while maintain good posture