Spinning Awesomeness!!!!

Hey Everyone!

I figured it was about time to post some spin workouts since I have two new ones that I really like. I'm going to post one now and hopefully one sometime tomorrow. Writing all this out always takes way longer than I originally anticipate!

First, if you have never touched a spin bike it's important you know how to set your bike up properly You can read about all that jazz here.

Ok now time for the first profile.

Spin Playlist 1: 

Note: I use percentages for my resistance because all bikes are calibrated differently and most don't even have gears (depending on the brand). 100% of your "resistance" would be you cannot move your legs, so use that as a guide....

#1: Justin Timberlake: 4:18 - Warm Up

• Find a natural RPM for you and slowly add resistance until you are pushing through some resistance, but it's nothing to write home about. About half way come out of the saddle and continue to add resistance to warm up

#2: Beyonce: 4:50 - Seated and Standing Climbs

• Round 1: Seated - 85 RPM ~70% resistance on chorus: stand up 75 RMP 70% resistance
• Round 2: Seated - 80 RPM ~75-80% resistance on chorus: stand up 65 RMP 75-80% res.
• Round 3: Seated - 75 RPM ~85-90% resistance on chorus: stand up 55-60 RMP 85-90% res.

#3: Demi Levto: 3:43 - Anaerobic sprints

• For this drill at the high intensity intervals between 1:26 and 1:57 and 3:08 and 3:43 stay in the saddle, increase the resistance so staying over 100RMP is "difficult" (~70-80% max) and push hard. In between these two intervals take a full break with low resistance (40-50% of your max) and stay about 80RMP

#4: Coldplay remix: 8:36 - Long Hill

• For the first minute of this song stay on a seated flat around 90RMP with moderate resistance to recover from drill #3
• Every minute for the remainder of the song increase the resistance aiming to get around your max by the end of the song.
• Note: If you drop below 65RMP seated during the seated portion of the climb switch to a standing climb. Rotations should be smooth (i.e., no pauses) at all times during this drill.

#5 Pitbull: 4:11 - High/Low Intensity Interval This drill can be done either standing or seated. High intensity in this song starts very quickly so give yourself time at the end of #4 to get set up.

Here is the song break down

• High Intensity: 0:25-0:55 seconds
• Low Intensity: 0.55-2:10 minutes
• High Intensity: 2:10- 2:40 minutes
• Low Intensity: 2:40- 3:50 minutes
• High Intensity: 3:50 to end of song

Here are the specifics drill for both standing and seated:

Standing:

• High intensity: Aggressive stance (at least 45 degree angle or more of torso): RPM: between 80-100 (depending on your fitness level) Resistance: ~50-60% of max.
• Low intensity: Non aggressive stance (torso 45 degree or less)  moderate climb at 70RPM and Resistance ~70% of max (it should feel like a mild-moderate hill).

Seated:

• High intensity: RPM: between 100-120 (depending on your fitness level) Resistance: ~50-60% of max.
• Low intensity: Moderate climb at 85-90RPM and Resistance ~70% of max (it should feel like a mild-moderate hill).

#6  2 Unlimited - 3:45 - Jumps

• This is a simple drill. Basically you stand up for an 8 count then sit down for an 8 count. 
• The RPM seated should start around 85-90RPM and the resistance should be at leas 70% of max (so you don't need to increase the resistance when you stand).
• Standing should start at ~75 RPM and around 60% Resistance
• As the song progresses I encourage you to decrease the RPM and increase the resistance. 

#7 - Adele - 5:04 Sustained Ride

• This is a challenging drill for those of you with the attention span of a small puppy (i.e., me).
• The goal is to pick an RPM that you feel will be a) challenging but b) sustainable for 5 minutes.
• I usually do this drill around 100-110 RPM and 60-65% of my max on the wheel
• At 2:30 minutes do 1 of the following
• Increase the RPM 5-10 RMP for the remainder of the song (keep the resistance the same)
• Increase your resistance 10% for the remainder of the song (keep the speed the same)

#8 - Cascada - 3:55 Three Speed Sprints

• There are several variations of the drill. The goal is to have a base RPM and resistance (level 1), a moderate "level" (level 2) and an intense level (level 3). See below for 3 different combinations to try.
• Change between levels every 30 seconds

Combo 1: "Easiest"

• Level 1:  95-100 RMP, 50-60% of max
• Level 2: ~110 RPM, 50-60% of max
• Level 3: ~ 120 RMP, 50-60% of max

Combo 2: "Intermediate"

• Level 1: 110-115 RMP, 50-60% of max
• Level 2: 115-120 RMP, 50-60% of max
• Level 3: 90-100 RMP standing run, 50-60% of max (you will need to increase your resistance when transitioning from seated to standing.

Combo 3: "Advanced"

• Level 1: 115-120 RMP, 50-60% of max
• Level 2: 90-100 RMP standing run, 50-60% of max (you will need to increase your resistance when transitioning from seated to standing.
• Level 3: 85-95 RMP anaerobic standing run, 70-75% of max (you will need to increase your resistance when transitioning from seated to standing.

#9 Lady Gaga - 6:05 Rolling Hills

• Hills can either be done seated or standing. In between the hills you can either take a break or sprint.
• Seated Flat for 1 minute: 90-95 RPM, mild-moderate resistance
• Hill 1: 45 seconds you can make the hill as hard as you want as long as the rotations are smooth (i.e., no pausing).
• Seated Flat/Sprint: 30 seconds
• Hill 2: 1 minute
• Seated Flat/Sprint: 30 seconds
• Hill 3: until the end of the song

#10 Cher - 3:56 Lifts (you know you love Cher!!!!) 

• To finish off this profile I picked an awesome song to do some lifts to.
• Basically, your riding seated at higher resistance and in the chorus you go aggressive and lift/stand up with your bum as far back on the seat as you can get it and your torso 45 degrees or more relative to the bike.
• Seated: RMP: 80; Resistance: 80-85% of max
• Lift: RMP: 60, Resistance: 80-85% of max (you'll need to increase the resistance coming out of the saddle to get back up to 80-85%).

So there you go! If you have any questions regarding this program please leave a comment. Also, if you would like me to write about something also let me know!

Stay Strong

~Byn

Spinning Playlist with Accompanying Profile!

Good December to you Interfriends

So, yea... I guess I haven't blogged in a very long time. To make it up to you I'm going to give you a spinning playlist with accompanying detailed profile to ride to.

These drills are designed for intermediate-advanced spinners, so keep that in mind if you are new to the indoor cycling thing.

This profile should keep you pre-occupied for a couple of weeks if you're looking to change your workouts without sitting through a class.

Before going into the playlist, I'm going to give a quick and dirty spin bike set up to ensure you have good biomechanics when cycling.

Seat Hight: Should generally be to the top of your iliac crest. If you do not know what that is, no worries just click here. Some people will confuse this with their hip bone, which is lower and on the front of your pelvis (i.e., anterior superior iliac spine).

However, it is important not to just adjust the seat hight based on where your iliac crest is alone. As you can imagine, people have differing leg lengths (mine being very short... thanks mum and dad). Therefore, when you are sitting on your bike you are looking for no more than a 30 degree bend in your knee when your foot is positioned at 6 o clock (i.e., the bottom of rotation). If you're unsure what a 30 degree angle looks like on a knee click here. 

Closeness of Seat to Handle Bars: The spin bike seat should be close enough to the handle bars that you can reach half way up them with a slight bend in your elbows. If you are reaching for the bars you are too far back.

Another way to determine this length is to place your elbow on the front of the seat and your fingertips should graze the middle of the handle bar shaft.

Handle Bar Hight: Ideally you want the bar hight at a point that you have around a 45 degree angle in your torso. If you have lower back problems put the handles higher.

You should look like this.....

Happy knees!

Ok, enough of this boring stuff, here's what you came here for...

Spin Playlist 1:

Accompanying Profile:

Short forms: Res = Resistance, RMP = Revolutions per minute, SE = Seated, ST = Standing

Note: For resistance my drills are subjective as the bikes I use do not have gears, thus 10/10 or 100% would be max resistance.

1. Katy Perry: Warm up 

2. Taylor Swift: Tempo Drill

• 1 minute sprint = SE; RPM: 110-130; Res: 4-5/10
• 30 sec recover = SE; RPM: 80-95; Res: 4-5/10
• 45 sec sprint = SE; RPM: 110-130; Res: 4-6/10 (6 is advanced)
• 30 sec recover = SE; RPM: 80-95; Res: 4-5/10
• 30 sec sprint = SE; RPM: 110-130; Res: 4-6/10 
• 30 sec recover = SE; RPM: 80-95; Res: 4-5/10
• 20 sec sprint = SE; RPM: 110-130; Res: 4-7/10 (7 is advanced anaerobic)

Full recovery = water 

3.  Panic at the Disco: Tempo Drill: This drill goes with the song with high intensity in the chorus and low intensity in between. The times below correspond to the time in the song.... 

• First 30 sec of song: Low intensity (LI)
• Advanced = SE; RPM: 110-130; Res: 4-5/10 
• Intermediate = SE; RPM: 110-120; Res: 5/10 
• Beginner = SE; RPM: 95-105; Res: 4/10 
• 30 - 55 sec High Intensity (HI)
• Advanced = ST Run; RPM: 85-100; Res: 4-5/10 (when standing)**.
• Intermediate = SE; RPM: 110-120; Res: 5/10 
• Beginner = SE; RPM: 95-105; Res: 4/10 
• 55 sec - 1:20 LI
• See above
• 1:20 - 1:44 HI
• See Above
• 1:44 - 2:17 LI
• 2:17- end of song: HI

Recover = Water 

** Note: A standing run is when you are out of the saddle, the resistance is low (but still there), you isolate your upper body by tightening the core muscles, 45 degree angle on your torso and aim  for 100RPM. The upper body should be still while you are cycling.

4. Pink: Rolling hills: The hills can be completed either sitting or standing it's your choice. Look for different RPM cues below depending on which you choose. 

• Seat Flat: 30 seconds = Res: 4-6/10; You can either choose to sprint (RPM = 115-130) on your seated flats, take a break (RPM = 80-90), or ride somewhere in between depending on how hard you want to work work. The next drill is really hard... so keep that in mind.
• Hill 1: 1 minute
• Seated = Res: 8-9/10 (near max); RPM: 75-80
• Standing = Res: 8-9/10 (near max); RPM: 55-60
• Seat Flat: 30 seconds (see above)
• Hill 2: 1 minute
• Seated = 
1. 30 secs @ 7-8/10; RMP 85-90 
2. 30 sec @ Res: 8-9/10 (near max); RPM: 75-80
• Standing = 
1. 30 secs @ 7-8/10; RMP 65-70
2. 30 sec @ Res: 8-9/10 (near max); RPM: 55-60
• Seat Flat: 30 seconds (see above)
• Hill 3: 1 min 30 sec
• Seated = 
1. 30 secs @ 7/10; RMP 90
2. 30 sec @ Res: 7.5-8/10; RPM: 85
3. 30 sec @ Res: 8-9/10 (near max); RPM: 75-80
• Standing = 
1. 30 secs @ 7/10; RMP 70 
2. 30 sec @ Res: 8/10 RPM: 60-65
3. 30 sec @ Res: 8-9/10 (near max); RPM: 55-60
• Seat Flat: 30 seconds (see above)
• Hill 4: 2 minutes
• Follow same protocol as above adding one more level

Rest = Water 

5 & 6: Rihanna & Calvin Harris: Anaerobic Sprints: These two songs are the hardest part of the profile. The goal is to bring yourself to your maximum by the end of the high intensity so you need a full recovery. Below I will give the time points where you will go anaerobic.

For the anaerobic sprint you want your resistance so high it is hard to maintain 100-110 RPM, and you are working at your maximum (Res 8-9/10).

Rihanna: 

• Anaerobic between 1:47 and 2:17, then between again between 3:30 and 4:14 

Calvin Harris:

• Anaerobic between 1:47 and 2:18, then between again between 3:33 and 4:19

REST!!!!

7:  Panic at the Disco: Lifts: Essentially for this drill you are alternating seated moderated resistance with heavy aggressive lifts.

A "lift" is when you kick your hips back when standing so your torsos is past 45 degrees. You should concentrate on keeping your core tight and your spine long (don't round your back).

You are "lifting" in the chorus of this song

• Seated moderate hill: 0-40seconds = Res: 7(ish)/10; RPM: 85-90
• Lift: 40sec - 1:13 = Res: 8-9/10; RPM: 55-65 
• Seated Hill: 1:13-1:50 = see above
• Lift 2: 1:50 - 2:28 = see above
• Seated Hill: 2:28 - 2:51 = see above
• Recover: until end of the song

8.  Pitbull & Kesha: Sprints and Climbs: This drill is similar to drill 4, but is faster moving with only 1 level for the hill. The hill doesn't have the be the hardest thing in the world. 

*Advanced spinners: replace sprint with standing run with the goal of 100RMP

• Hanging out: 0-40seconds = just hang out and prepare for the sprint at 40 seconds
• Sprint: 40sec - 1:08 = SE; RPM: 110-130; Res: 4-5/10*
• Hill 1:08- 1:40: Can be anywhere between 7-9/10 and 75-85 RPM (you choose)
• Sprint: 1:40 -1:52= see above
• Hill 1:52- 2:53= see above
• Sprint: 2:53 until end of song = see above

Recover: 1 more drill to go!!!

9 & 10 Taylor Swift & Deadmau5: Long Ass Hill: Your probably feeling pretty beat up by this point, so I ended this profile with a 10 level hill, 5 levels seated (Taylor Swift), and 5 Standing (Deadmau).

Bring yourself to your max at the end of the Taylor Swift Song, then stand up bring the resistance back down to like a 7/10 with RPM at 75 then work back up... see below

• Increase the resistance every minute until you are at your max at level 5
• For the seated portion maximum is Res = 9/10 and RPM 75
• For the standing portion maximum is Res = 9/10 and RPM 55

11: Queen "don't stop me now": Cool Down: Time for a normal person bike ride, so just bring the body back down to normal.

12 & 13: Stretch: Stretch your calves, quads, hamstrings, and pecs. 20 seconds for each muscle group 1-3 times. 

There you go! If there's any questions don't hesitate to comment. Enjoy the spinning!!!!!

Stay Strong

~Byn

Pre Workout Nutrition: Sorting Out the Confusion

Hello Internets!

I’ll start by apologizing for the delay in this week’s blog post. A combination of a busy and blog-blocked Byn equals delayed-ness in posting.

However, one of my clients has sparked my writing topic this week by asking a question I have heard a lot over the years, “What should I eat before coming to work out with you, why and when?”



Is it time to eat yet?!

This question is usually spurred after a first session or a wicked hard high intensity workout. Why? Because this is when we notice most how nutrition affects our performance when being active.  If we don’t eat properly for the workload we are about to ask our bodies to handle, we can easily go from a superstar to a wet piece of gym towel in minutes.

This often leaves us feeling out of shape and frustrated, which is less than motivating! So, if this scenario sounds familiar to you, try some of these tips to improve your workouts DESPITE your fitness level.

Tip #1: Do NOT eat within the hour before a workout

This is something I learned from my exercise physiology professor, and it has changed my workouts (specifically when I go climbing).  It can seem counterintuitive at first glance and I often get perplexed looks when I preach this all important concept.

When and What You Eat is Important

It is true that we need fuel to exercise, but eating within the hour before starting to be active is setting your body up for metabolic failure.

What we need during exercise is to have level blood sugar so our cells get what they need. If you eat, say, 30 minutes before working out your body will spike in insulin levels to deal with the blood sugar rise.  This is bad because when you start exercising you are in a hypoglycemic state, as insulin tells all the sugar to go into your cells to be used or stored. This leaves you feeling sluggish, light headed and weak.

Now, the beautiful thing about exercise is that it suppresses insulin release due to two hormones called norepinephrine and epinephrine. So it is ok to eat once you have begun to exercise, as insulin will not be released and you will not become hypoglycemic.

For example, say you have a volleyball game at 6. You ate lunch at 12 and now its 5… and you’re starving. If you wait until you are already playing volleyball to eat that granola bar and banana your blood sugar will stay much more level than if you eat it on your way to the game… causing you to play better.

A note of caution with this…  I would not recommend downing a banana right after the warm up before an intense circuit training class. What you eat is important as well…

Tip #2: Choose Appropriate Food Depending on Your Impending Workout  

As afore mentioned, eating a banana right after a crazy warm up (*cough* Bobby*) and right before an impending ass kicking is probably gonna make you vomit. So –what- you eat is also as important as when you eat it.

I don’t recommend falling into the volleyball scenario mentioned above, but hey life happens. So if you do find yourself staring down an over-enthusiastic trainer holding a sledge hammer with an empty stomach, reach for something that will digest very quickly and is bulk free.

There are several options you can choose from, including glucose gels to energy drinks. These are a quick fix and I do not suggest falling into a habit of using them on a regular basis, but keep some with you incase crap hits the fan and you have a Bootcamp at 5. 

Gels often don’t taste the greatest, but I prefer them to energy drinks as they often contain less sugar, for example try Clif Bar energy shots. Gatorade has come out with a new line of pre- during and post- workout nutrition. I haven’t tried these supplements myself but those are another possibility to avoid puke-age. DO NOT drink energy drinks… they are not the same thing… they are very very bad for you.

The goal, however, is to eat 2 to 3 hours before your workout. What you should eat should depend on what you are about to do. I am a fan of high intensity training, and for this you want to make sure you have a low fat, high carbohydrate meal with some protein.

Some examples could include;

·         Banana and half a class of orange juice with 8 almonds: The banana and orange juice is light, quick digesting and high in potassium which will allow you to avoid cramping and keep you going through those burpies.

·         Small Chicken Salad with Fruit in it: This is a good choice for 3 hours before. Two hours may be pushing it as the roughage may not sit well. It really depends how your body handles food. For me, I have to stay away from too much roughage if I want to avoid heart burn, but some people it doesn’t bother them. Make sure to have fruit (i.e. grapes, blueberries, strawberries) for those quick digesting carbohydrates that will help you last longer.

·         Fat Free Yogurt and Berries: You’re probably getting the idea that fruit is a good thing before a workout. Fat free yogurt is a great paring because you’ll be getting some protein, which is important to maintain your blood sugar and is very very light.

·         1 Piece of 12 grain Toast/ 1 Tbs of Peanut Butter and 1 Banana: This is my favourite pre-workout meal not only because I’m addicted to peanut butter but my body handles it very well.

·         Apple and a Handful of Walnuts

So as you can see, you’re eating light, nutritious foods with something quick digesting.  The most important thing is to listen what your body is telling you. If you eat an apple and walnuts 3 hours before and you feel like you have 0 energy to finish a class, re-evaluate and try something different.

Tip #3: Please Drink Water

This can either be the easiest or hardest thing for people to do in my experience. You either hate drinking water because you were raised on pop and Sunny D or you don’t mind drinking it, well at least that’s what I have found.

Drinking plain and simple water before exercise is very important for performance, which a lot of people don’t realize. Most of us think that we just need to drink during a workout, when we are sweating. However, if you go into a workout dehydrated your body will be struggling to keep up with your crazy fitness instructor, personal trainer, workout program, workout partner… you get the idea.

So how much water should you drink? Simply put, you need 2-3 cups 2 hours before a work out and ½ to 1 cup directly before a workout. There’s no playing around with this one… that’s what you need. So drink that water!

I find putting stickers on my water bottle helps…



Mmmmm Water!



That’s it for this week! My regular followers may have noticed a lack of vlog action. I hang my head in shame as this regular vlogging thing seems to be harder than I first anticipated…mainly the editing.

I’m not giving up though! There will be more to come, I promise.

As always, questions, comments and suggestions make me VERY happy!

Stay Strong

Byn

Why Are You Making Me Do This: Anaerobic Training is Awesome!

Hola Interwebs!

Not Fun... But Worth It!

I’m so super excited because for 2 weeks now I have had requests for my blog topics. That means you all are reading and want more. It makes me so happy I could explode!!!! However, this feeling of impending explosion could also be due to too much caffeine consumption this afternoon.

 Today’s topic is all about anaerobic training. That horrible high intensity, chest burning, back sweating, heart rate pumping, “I’m gonna puke” exercise I know you all love.

I’m a huge believer of the benefits of anaerobic training (eliciting fear in all those that train with Byn),

those of which I will discuss in a moment, but first things first….

What the Potatoes is Anaerobic Training?!

In the world of exercise, scientists have come up with two different training terms: Anaerobic and Aerobic Training. Without writing a novel, what these words refer two is the predominant energy supplying metabolic system in dominance during a given physical activity.

Aerobic training occurs when you are doing cardiovascular activity below 80% of your V02max*. This means you are not exerting your maximum effort, but you are still working. I tell my clients when trying to stay in their aerobic zone to work at a level 6 or 7 out of 10, with 10 being all out effort, like sprinting. During aerobic training your body is using metabolic systems that require oxygen to produce energy (Think aer = air!).

 Now, it is important to understand that our metabolic systems work on a scale, not an on-off switch.  This means when you are sprinting, although your anaerobic systems are dominant, your aerobic systems are still making some energy even though they are not dominant at the time.

Aerobic training has been traditionally used as the #1 type of training for improving our cardiovascular (CV) system (e.g. your heart and lungs). However, as you will see later in this post, recent research is challenging our previous conceptions in regards to what is the best type of training for CV health.

Anaerobic Training, which is the topic of this post, occurs when you are exerting all out (or near all out) effort while exercising. I tell my clients to work at a level 8 or higher out of 10, which essentially is at a level that is less than fun! Some common names for anaerobic training in the fitness world include (but are not limited to) Fartlek, Interval, High Intensity Interval and Sprint Training.

Now, at high intensity exercise the dominant energy making systems in our body do not require oxygen to work. However, because this type of training is much more energy demanding we unfortunately do not last as long as we would during aerobic training.

So why train anaerobically if it sucks so much, we can’t do it as long and it….sucks? Good question internets!

*V02max: a measure of how hard your cardiovascular system is working during exercise.  For example, if you are working at 100% of your V02max you are exerting maximal effort.

Why Should I Put Myself Through Anaerobic Training?

Because I said so….

Seriously though, there is a whole bunch of benefits from this training that the wonderful exercise physiologists have been uncovering in the last 10-20 years.

So I don’t ramble on and on I’m going to break the benefits down into the following;

A.      Physiological Benefits

B.      Metabolic Benefits

C.      Performance Benefits

So you think I’m not talking out of my well toned butt, I will be providing the names of the researchers and resources I retrieved this information from. For you phys kids out there, if you want the full articles just let me know.

Part A: Physiological Benefits of Anaerobic Training

When talking physiology, there are many different things researchers look for to see if a type of training is beneficial.  These include important metabolic enzymes, membrane transporters and pH .

Enzymes: 

Without boring you with too much exercise physiology, anaerobic training (e.g. sprint interval training) has been shown to increase the amount of key metabolic enzymes required for energy production (Iaia et al., 2007; MacDougall et al.. 1998).

Now what does this mean? Well, essentially the more enzymes you have the more energy you can make during exercise through important chemical reactions. This means you will be able to work harder, longer and stronger.

The exciting thing is though, anaerobic training does not only increase anaerobic enzymes like PFK, it also increases key enzymes used is AEROBIC exercise, like citrate synthetase. This is important because not only will this help you perform better in short, high intensity exercises, but longer lasting exercises like running or biking…cool huh! I think so.

Membrane Transporters:

I tried to draw a diagram in paint to help me explain this, but it was horrible so no drawing for you! Imagine a muscle, to help you with this get a steak from your freezer and put it in front of you. Now, on the surface of each muscle fiber (which are the little lines you can see in the steak) are cells.

If we get even smaller (use your right brain here people), on the surface of each sack like muscle cell are membranes and on the membranes are transporters, which are like doors that let things in and out of the cells.

Every cell in our body has a variety of different membrane transporters, and for myocytes (or muscle cells) a really important transporter is the sodium-potassium transporter (Na⁺-K⁺ Transporters).

These doors help our muscles contract, which help us move and physiologists think one of the major reasons we fatigue (or get tired) during exercise is because these transporters can’t keep up with the contraction demand we are putting on our muscles.

Well, anaerobic training increases the number of these Na⁺-K⁺ Transporters (Iaia et al., 2007; MacDougall et al.. 1998), which allows muscle cells to keep up with the demand being placed on them during exercise. This helps you last longer, work harder, faster and stronger!

pH

pH refers to the amount of hydrogen ions in a given system, like our body. Most people know (if you didn’t don’t worry now you do), that exercise causes our bodies to become more acidic (i.e greater concentration of hydrogen ions)

Some trainers will refer to this as lactic acid build up, this is a misconception as it’s not lactic acid itself that is causing the body to be acidic, but hydrogen ions (H⁺), which is one of the byproducts of metabolism.

The problem with too much hydrogen in your system is that is causes everything to mess up from your enzymes, to your transporters and proteins. So, theoretically when we get acidic, like during high intensity exercise, we get tired because our bodies aren’t working efficiently.

Those that have completed an anaerobic training protocol have been found to have a better post exercise pH than control groups AND aerobic training groups after exercise (MacDougall, 1998). Physiologists aren’t 100% why this is happening (it’s not because of buffering apparently phys kids).

So, anaerobic training allows your body to have less hydrogen ions post exercise, which means your body is coping with the stress of exercise more effectively.

Part B: Metabolic Benefits

The metabolic benefits of anaerobic training are highly correlated to the benefits discussed in Part A. Anaerobic training causes your body to work more efficiently metabolically during and post exercise, which as aforementioned, allows you to work harder.

Now the ability to work harder lets you burn more calories while you’re working out. This will ultimately lead to an increase in fat loss if your diet is sound, because the higher the caloric deficit your body is in, the more fat you metabolize.

Don’t get me wrong, aerobic training will also burn calories. However, anaerobic training has been shown to burn up to twice the amount of calories in much less time then aerobic training (ACSM). For example, if you go for a 45 minute run at the same pace you would burn the same, if not less calories than 25 minutes of high intensity interval training. If you’re like me, time is an issue when working out. So I would much rather burn a whole bunch of calories in 25 minutes than 45 minutes

Part C: Performance

Anaerobic training has been shown to have a direct correlation to increases in performance in a variety of activities from running to biking to swimming. There are many reasons for this (a lot of them are mentioned above), but I think not only does anaerobic training help people physiologically but also psychologically.

Train hard for mind and body!

From personal experience, the more high intensity training I do, the better I can cope with high stress situations during performance. I attribute this to being “used” to being uncomfortable during my training which translates over to other activities.

For example, I rock climb, and rock climbing requires a huge amount of relaxation when your body is under a lot of physical stress. I find my high intensity training on the treadmill or bike is a perfect and controlled environment to practice relaxing my mind when I am really uncomfortable so that I can do it when it counts.

I may be biased, as I always think “mind over matter”, but I think this is one of the key benefits anaerobic training has in regard to performance… it makes you mentally tough.

Examples of Anaerobic Training

There are lots of ways you can anaerobically train, all you need is the basic format and a little imagination. Generally, interval training consists of;

●      High intensity intervals over 80% of you maximum effort.

●      Intervals lasting 30seconds-2minutes

●      Rest periods the same amount of time as the intervals or longer.

●      Repeated intervals for no longer than 25 minutes.

●      A very good dynamic warm up focusing on major muscle groups and a long (10minute plus) cool down.

●      Lots of water.

Preparation is as important as the training itself

●      A well fueled body: Do not eat within 1.5 hours of doing this training, but make sure to have a meal consisting of a quick digesting carbohydrate (banana) and some protein (nuts).

●      Your game face and a very motivating friend, trainer, music… ect.

My 3 personal favourite ways to anaerobically train are on the treadmill, the spin bike or tabatas using free body weight exercises like burpies!

On Wednesday, I will be demonstrating these three different examples (god help me) in my video blog. So stay tuned for that! I promise I’ll actually do my vlog this week. Last week was kinda of crazy with my new job.

Any questions, comments, suggestions are ALWAYS welcomed!

Stay Strong!

Byn