Each time Rocky paces through the streets and runs
up the stairs, fitness enthusiasts around the world lose their mind. They are
driven by just one urge - to morph themselves into hardened steel, just like
all the super fit A-listers in Hollywood movies.
Be Warned
Endurance
training is literally not for the faint hearted. It is a training that pushes
our body to the very extreme. Working out in the gym is great and it does help
us get into a fitter shape. But there’s something about endurance training that
grabs everybody’s attention.
Maybe it
acquaints us with our own limits. Shows us the extent to which we are willing
to go to reach a particular milestone. The milestone can be different for each
person. For some of us it could be a Marathon, a 600kms bike ride and for the
blessed ones, four burgers and French-fries!
The All-Essential Cardio
We have all been
there. Paid for a year’s gym and were never seen in its vicinity again. For
this lot of the society, cardio exercises seem to be a sensible investment. The
maximum extent to which you will go to prove your commitment is buying a pair
of good clothes and earphones.
At the heart of
any endurance training is a cardio activity or several of them. The key to
developing the right physique for endurance is to devote maximum time to these
activities.
When such
activities are performed on a regular basis, they give a tremendous boost to
the stamina and endurance of the athlete. And as we know, these are attributes
that every human wants to have.
Strength is Important
Doing cardio
exclusively can make you lose a lot of weight, no doubt. But doing it in excess
can actually burn the muscles you worked so hard to gain. If you do not have
supporting muscles and yet indulge in a lot of cardio it can make your muscles
weaker. This state of the body is referred to as the catabolic state. It leads
to reduced strength and can affect your metabolism severely. The slowing down
of metabolism also affects the rate at which you burn fat in the body.
Like most matters
of the body the ideal amount of cardio depends on individual cases. But as a
metric, if you haven’t participated in distance running and yet spend close to
an hour each day running, your efforts are likely to be counterproductive. For
this reason most experts believe that cardio training is most beneficial when
combined with a strength workout in a gym.
Smaller Intervals
The interval
between subsequent sets should not be too long. For those looking to strike the
bullseye of HIIT, it is advisable if you
shorten the gap between the sets of exercises you perform.
At this stage it
is important to acquaint you with what endurance training is all about.
Endurance training is about bringing yourself to the stage where your muscles
are burning as if they are on fire and you’re so short of breath that you’re
actually gasping for air. But you only take a break when you cannot physically
continue anymore.
Most endurance
athletes have a set of exercises they perform in sets and these usually include
pullups, squats, pushups, sit-ups etc.
Weight Lifting
Weight Lifting is
an activity best done under supervision. Endurance tips for strength training
cannot be passed off as an unsolicited advice. It is best to speak freely with
your personal trainer regarding the type of physique and endurance you wish to
build for yourself. They will be able to guide you in much better way than any
article available online as they are aware of your physical limitations.
Workout’s known Enemy: Routine
When we settle
into a particular routine with a fixed set of exercises it can be
counterproductive for the muscles as well. For instance if you are
predominantly a runner and the biggest portion of your workouts involve you
running, then it is better if you mix and match the running workout with other
supporting exercises. Like for a change you can climb the stairs, as they will
cause movement of different muscles in your body.
When training for
strength and endurance, the most important thing to remember is that you are
building muscles for a body that can actually ENDURE. The body can only sustain
heavy workouts if you have the necessary muscles that are strong enough to brace
impact.
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