MUSCLES, MUSCLES, MUSCLES

Part 1


The one part that so many of us are missing as we try to gain speed and power
in a sport, whichever one you choose, is the process of bulding muscles.  The
workouts are not where we build muscles, that is the time we tear them down 
to start rebuilding them to a point where they are stonger than before.
  
Here's the deal:
  
Working out tears down the muscle, nutrition and rest rebuild the muscles, 
nutrition and rest rebuild the muscles stronger than they were before.  
Without adequate rest and nutrition, our workouts are all for not.






WELL ROUNDED WORKOUTS





Part 2


If you have ever wondered what a well rounded workout consists of, the answer is 
to do as much cross training as possible.  Running is about the hardest exercise 
I've have ever come across, but probably one of the best endurance builders
there is.  The reason I have come to that conclusion is, that I am an avid
In-line Speed skater, and although I can go for miles and miles on a pair of 
skates or on a bike for that matter, the most I can run is 4 to 5 miles, generally
I keep it down to 3 miles.  
Running consists of you and the pavement or dirt, when your feet stop so does 
the rest of your body.  When on skates or a bike if you want to rest, you can still 
keep coasting.

Running is also a sport to get into very slowly, like start with a half mile and
work your way up from there.  When I started running for cross-training about
4 years ago, it was at least a year before I could run 2 miles.  For one
thing your feet, knees and back need to get used to it or you will pound 
yourself to death.
  
Another thing of great importance, is shoes, you must have a good pair of 
running shoes or it won't be long before you just give up.
Anyway, to get on with it, a good workout schedule will consist of the
following components:
	1- Strength workouts
	2- Endurance workouts
	3- Speed workouts.

Strength workouts come from resistance training - Weights.

Endurance workouts come from prolonged, steady paced workouts - Bike riding,
swimming, running, skating, hiking, anything that keeps your heart rate slightly
elevated for at least 20 minutes at a time.

Speed workouts come from intervals - Running at 100% for 30 seconds, then running 
slow for 1 minute and letting your heart rate come back down, then repeating it
again for a certain number of sets.  This can be done on a bike or skates
also, or even with a jump rope.

All of these workouts blend together to make a more fit "YOU".
There are many good fitness books available that will explain this more in
detail.  I will be back later to discuss aerobic activity and anaerobic activity. 
Meanwhile, have fun starting your own "Well Rounded Workout"!


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TRAINING and YOUR HEART

 






Part 3

All this talk about training by heart rate may be confusing unless you
understand the principal behind it.

Think about the time you were out with your friend, riding a bike or waking, 
or playing a game.  Then all of a sudden your friend decides to race you and
you take them on.  For some reason, you find yourself  left in the dust.  Then
you find yourself  asking, why were they able to do that to me?
When we do physical activity, we are raising our heart rate, and how much we
raise our heart rate depends on how much we exert ourselves.  If we go for a 
walk, we raise our heart rate maybe 10 to 20 beats per minute, depending on how 
fit we are.   If we run we raise heart rate maybe 40 to 60 beats per minute. 
The more we raise our heart rate, the closer we come to our anaerobic threshold (AT).  
Then, if we continue to raise our heart rate, we go into our anaerobic
state and it is only a matter of seconds for some to completely exhaust themselves.
In the anaerobic state, our muscles are working without oxygen, and toxins begin to
build up in muscles.  When a person is not trained and does not have a tolerance
built up to keep pushing through the pain this causes, it will make them come 
to a sudden stop.

In racing, we use this against our competitors to win the race.  For instance, 
if I'm in a race, periodically throughout the race, I will sprint away from 
the others to make them chase me and try to make them pass their AT, so
that they will have to slow down for recovery, and hopefully, I will be able to 
put a lot of distance between us before I have to slow down.

The best way to workout to become stronger while in your anaerobic state is to add
intervals to your workouts.  This means to make your muscles work without oxygen 
for a sustained period of time.  My suggestion is to start with 15 second intervals 
if you are not accustomed to doing them.  Try setting your stop watch timer for 15 
seconds and when it goes off, go as hard as you can for the 15 seconds, and them 
when it goes off  again, do not stop, but slow down for about 45 seconds to a
minute, so that your heart rate can slow down to and you recover some, then repeat
the whole process 5 times.  This is just one example of interval workouts.  
After you get used to it, you will need to increase the 15 seconds to 20,
then 25 and your recovery time will increase also.

Don't forget to do plenty of endurance work, which means to do your activity at a 
slow and steady pace, in your aerobic state, for as long as possible.  If all 
you do is intervals, you will become a good sprinter but you won't be able 
to keep going for very long after you sprint.






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