This week's theme is the promotion of the 'Race for Life' which will take part in the UK in aid of Cancer Research UK. To show their support women from all over the country will take part in either a 5 or 10km run. This would be classed for most people as an endurance event, and most will train for it by running incrementally longer distances.
If I suggested lifting weights, and only lifting weights you'd probably think I was mad.
Well, you'd be wrong, and I'll explain why.
Sit back and take the time to absorb the information, because this will probably change the way you think about exercise forever.
There is good reason for this belief, first and foremost because it's not completely false. Secondly because this is what leading academic sources have been spouting out for years because they have misinterpreted the information presented to them. This information makes its way down to exercise professionals and then onto clients, who tell their friends and finally everybody has got the wrong idea.
The truth
But how?
In a previous article I explained how HIIT was a better alternative than "cardio training" through a series of crudely drawn pictures. Well you'll be glad to know that the science behind the reasons for this is much the same
It's all about intensity.
It doesn't matter what you do as long as you're giving 100% at the end of it, and you fail (always embrace failure), then there will be great aerobic adaptations.
It is thought that there are two separate energy systems in the human body, the anaerobic and the aerobic, but in actual fact they are one and the same. The aerobic system cannot function without the anaerobic system, the only thing that changes is the proportion of the work that is being done by each system.
When you perform resistance training, both systems are at maximum capacity. When they are at maximum, this is what provides the most significant stimulus for improvement. If you run at 80% of you max, then you will only ever get 80% of the possible stimulus.
Effects of resistance training on aerobic fitness
Notes
http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineJUNE2012_Steele.pdf
Well, you'd be wrong, and I'll explain why.
Sit back and take the time to absorb the information, because this will probably change the way you think about exercise forever.
A preconceived dichotomy
It is widely accepted that in order to increase aerobic fitness, you should perform traditional "cardio training", and to get stronger or bigger muscles then you have to perform resistance training.
It is widely accepted that in order to increase aerobic fitness, you should perform traditional "cardio training", and to get stronger or bigger muscles then you have to perform resistance training.
There is good reason for this belief, first and foremost because it's not completely false. Secondly because this is what leading academic sources have been spouting out for years because they have misinterpreted the information presented to them. This information makes its way down to exercise professionals and then onto clients, who tell their friends and finally everybody has got the wrong idea.
The truth
- Resistance training has been shown to produce improvements in aerobic fitness in older and younger adults.
- Studies with athletes have shown that the implementation of a resistance training protocol has improved aerobic fitness when compared to a control group who continued to use their current "cardio" programme.
- Markers of aerobic fitness such as lactate threshold, and submaximal lactate concentration have been shown to improve after resistance training in previously untrained subjects.
So to sum up, resistance training improves aerobic fitness in all ages and training levels.
But how?
In a previous article I explained how HIIT was a better alternative than "cardio training" through a series of crudely drawn pictures. Well you'll be glad to know that the science behind the reasons for this is much the same
It's all about intensity.
It doesn't matter what you do as long as you're giving 100% at the end of it, and you fail (always embrace failure), then there will be great aerobic adaptations.
It is thought that there are two separate energy systems in the human body, the anaerobic and the aerobic, but in actual fact they are one and the same. The aerobic system cannot function without the anaerobic system, the only thing that changes is the proportion of the work that is being done by each system.
When you perform resistance training, both systems are at maximum capacity. When they are at maximum, this is what provides the most significant stimulus for improvement. If you run at 80% of you max, then you will only ever get 80% of the possible stimulus.
Effects of resistance training on aerobic fitness
- More mitochondria (cell powerhouses)
- More efficient mitochondria
- More fatigue resistant muscles
- More powerful muscles
- Increased blood vessel density
- More blood vessels per muscle fiber
- Improved maximal oxygen uptake
- Improved efficiency of movement
So, marathon runners should do resistance training only?
Not quite.
When your sport is entirely based on steady state aerobic exercise you would be stupid not to train it as part of a balanced routine. Runners need to have the skill to run efficiently and the psychological ability to maintain a high pace for a very long time. These attributes will only ever come from training running.
However unless you enjoy cardio, which I do on a sunny evening, or you are a long distance athlete, there is absolutely no good reason to do it.
Unless the alternative is nothing!
Notes
- I am referring to resistance training performed to momentary muscular failure. This is the point where if you were asked to complete another rep for £1million, you couldn't.
- Cardiovascular fitness is the amount of oxygen the heart and lungs can deliver to muscles and is a part of aerobic fitness
- Aerobic fitness is the umbrella term which most people describe as 'fitness'. The combination of cardiovascular fitness and muscular efficiency.
- Within this article "Cardio Training" is steady state aerobic level exercise which is not performed to failure.
http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineJUNE2012_Steele.pdf
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