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[S1062]Strength Training For Athletes

by Gen Wright, Gen

You may have heard the term metabolism recently; it is mentioned a lot when it comes to losing weight. Although it is not something we can see or touch our metabolism is the process of all the physical and chemical processes within the body that create and use fuel for energy. Metabolism is directly related to energy levels, so the higher your metabolic rate the more energy you have throughout the day.

Your metabolism is the engine that drives every cell in your body. Its fuel is the calories that you eat as food. Each one you consume goes into a metabolic tank that keeps your engine running. Your metabolic rate is based on the number of calories we burn throughout the day. Our body constantly burns calories to keep us going whether we are eating, sleeping or working.

As you age, your body becomes less effective at burning calories, mostly because of a gradual decrease in activity and resulting loss of muscle mass. Your metabolism can dip as much as 25 to 30% over your adult life. As a result, without optimal metabolism your body tends to store excess calories in the form of - you guessed it - fat. The problem for many people is they don't ever use these excess calories and as a result struggle with weight issues. Clearly you can see you could be in for a battle with weight gain if your metabolic rate declines. Some people have a naturally slower metabolic rate and have a harder time staying slim.

Several factors can lower your resting metabolic rate. If you severely restrict the number of calories you eat, your body thinks it is in famine mode, so it burns fewer calories. This leads right in to the second problem. Deprivation diets of less than 1200-1400 calories per day send your body in diet shock and strip your body of lean muscle tissue.

Consider this: 500 grams of muscle tissue burns approximately 50 calories a day, while 500 grams of fat burns about 5 calories a day. So if you lose 5 kilos of muscle due to a strict diet or inactivity, your body will eventually burn about 500 fewer calories a day.

The good news is there is one way to alter your metabolic destiny. Strength training is the only way to build lean muscle and will increase your calorie burning mass. Additionally, weight training can keep your metabolism revved up by 25 percent for up to15 hours after a high-intensity strength training session, while cardiovascular exercise such as walking or jogging yields little or no calorie after burn.

For most people, strength-training can help boost metabolism by as much as 10% in 12 weeks by rebuilding lean muscle tissue. There is a direct relationship between muscle mass and metabolism. In other words, by building your muscles you are increasing your ability to burn fat more efficiently throughout the day even when you are not exercising.

You can jump-start a sluggish metabolism with a strength training program which will have long lasting health benefits for you. Not only will you lose excess body fat and gain lean muscle tissue, you will have more energy to burn and you will feel great. Soon you will feel healthier and stronger, and in time you will see the results of a toned, healthier body.

You can increase your metabolic rate further by making small but targeted lifestyle changes. Anything that energises you - regular exercise, sunlight, infrared heat therapy, a healthy diet, small regular meals throughout the day, a good nights sleep ultimately helps drive metabolism and keep it humming all day.

If you are trying to lose extra kilos of body fat, or preparing for the inevitable metabolic slowing that comes with age, it is relatively easy to boost your metabolism if you are committed to doing so by following a strength training program a minimum of twice per week.

This will keep your energy pulsating, help you stay young, improve your health, help you fight disease, and get your body in better shape.

If you are looking for a total body workout, you want to combine strength training and aerobics. These are two very different types of exercise but the work together to turn your body into a finely tuned machine. Weight training will tone your muscles, making you stronger while aerobics will make your heart and lungs stronger, giving you more stamina while burning the fat. These two disciplines of exercise work best when you combine them with a sensible, sound nutritional plan. When you combine good nutrition, strength training and aerobics you can get the body you have always wanted.

Strength Training

Strength training is typically weight bearing exercise or resistance training. It does just what the title suggests, it builds strength. Weight lifting and exercise machines are examples of strength training devices. However, pilates and yoga can also be methods of strength training. You don't necessarily have to hold free weights to use a machine to strength train. You can use the weight of your own body to provide resistance and increase your strength.

It is a good practice to strength train one set of muscles (such as the upper body) one day and another set (such as the lower body) the next. Most muscle groups need time to rest and recover after exercise. So while you can work out every day, you should work out different muscle groups each day to give worked muscles time to rest and repair. This will give you optimal results.

Aerobics

Aerobics is a cardio exercise that gets your heart rate up and keeps it up. This can be anything from walking to riding a bike. You can run on a treadmill or take an aerobics class. If it gets your heart rate up, it is an aerobic activity. You generally move a lot during aerobic exercise.

You can do aerobic exercises every day because they do not focus on specific muscle groups. Where strength training makes you strong, aerobics makes you lean. It also strengthens your heart and respiratory system, giving you increased stamina. With regular aerobic exercise, you will find that you can run faster and longer as well as perform better.

Interval Training

Interval training is a combination of weight training and aerobics and is attributed to effective weight loss and conditioning. During interval training, you do your regular weight training, but intersperse with brief spurts of aerobic exercise. For instance, you do a set of curls, then walk on the treadmill for five minutes. Next, you do a bench press and then ride a bike for seven minutes. In short, you do an aerobic activity such as jumping rope, walking on the treadmill, running or riding a bike for short bursts in between each set of weights or nautilis machines.

Interval training is very popular among athletes because it builds stamina and strength. With people who want to lose weight, it can bring about fantastic results. Interval training utilizes the best results of strength training and aerobics.

What is a Total Body Workout?

A total body workout involves both strength training and aerobic exercise so that your entire body is worked. You get the benefits of being stronger as well as having enhanced endurance. A typical total body workout consists of working one muscle group (such as the upper body) for thirty minutes or so a day three times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday, then the other muscle group (such as the lower body) for thirty minutes or so three times a week - Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Aerobic activity is practices every day for about thirty minutes. Some workouts differ in times, some go longer and some are shorter, but that is the basic total body workout.

Nutrition

If you are working your body with strength training and aerobics, you need to have the proper nutrition to fuel your body so that is can perform at an optimum level. You should eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. You need a lot of protein to fuel your muscles, muscle growth and loss of fat. The various fruits and vegetables give you the vitamins and minerals that you need. Whole grains like brown rice and quinoa also offer protein, fiber and minerals. If you are training intensively you may find that you need nutritional supplements. This is very common for people who train vigorously.

There are specific differences between strength training and aerobics. Actually, these two types of exercise work together to form a total body workout. When you combine the two you will find that you body is stronger, leaner and have better stamina. If you want to tune your body to an optimal level, strength training and aerobic activity are the way to accomplish it.

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About Author

Both Gen Wright & Ronald Godlewski are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

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Ronald Godlewski has sinced written about articles on various topics from Vitamin and Mineral Supplement, Types of Cancer and Benefits of Vitamin A. Ron Godlewski has written many articles on health, wellness, and maintaining vitality as we manage our weight through lifestyle diets. You can read more about the importance of nutrition while strength training or doing aerobics in his. Ronald Godlewski's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.