Strength- the ability to contract your muscles with maximum force against an external object.
However, that is only the beginning of strength. Strength has many different faces and the better you understand what kind of strength you desire the better suited you are to excel at whatever form of competition or fitness you like to participate in.
Limit Strength:
You can think of limit strength as how much force your muscles can generate for one all out effort. Much like your max weight during a bench press, squat, or power clean. This kind of strength can even be broken down into three subcategories eccentric which is how much weight you can lower with out losing control, static how much weight you can hold stationary with out losing control, and concentric how much weight you can lift at one time with out losing control. The key here is that you are giving an all-out effort with each contraction. Think of a linemen when they go to block a defensive end, basketball player when they go to dunk a ball, golfer when they are driving off the tee, or a tennis player during their first serve. Maximizing this kind of strength helps them perform at a much higher level.
Speed Strength:
This describes how well you can apply force with speed. Think of your ability to explode from a still position to an explosive move efficiently. When you see a boxer throwing a knock out punch, shot-putter throwing the shot as far as possible, or a pitcher throwing a 100 mile an hour fast ball remember it all comes from the ability of their muscles to accelerate from a still postion to an explosive movement and this is most commonly found in your fast twitch muscles.
Anaerobic vs Aerobic Strengh
Anaerobic strength is an activity that can be done without the use of oxygen as an energy source. Running a sprint, swimming for 100 meters, swinging a baseball bat, or participating in the triple jump are all good examples of this. All of these activites are explosive in nature and do not last long enough for oxygen to be used as an energy source.
Aerobic strength can be measured during activites lasting longer than two minutes in duration such as 1600 meter run or swim.
Improving my strength
All of these forms of strength can be improved using resistance training of some sort. In order to be more strength specific you want to be sure that the duration of your exercise last as long as your event. This will help you create similar conditions and apply similar stress to the body. Once your body learns to recognize that stress your strength will increase and you anaerobic/aerobic thresholds will increase allowing you to lift more weights, be faster, and go further. For instance if you run long distance work on putting together a circuit that when you go straight through last over two minutes allowing oxygen to kick in as an energy source combining this with the actual experience of running will help you perform better. If you run sprints or want to get a better serve you want to focus on giving all out effort at a few very focused exercises. Try lifting fewer reps but heavier weight.
As to avoid only being proficient in one area of strength I like to cross-train my clients so that their bodies can experience the stresses of all conditions. This allows them to have strength in all areas.
As always go talk to a trainer and ask them to explain to you what you will need to do to excel at whatever event you would like to participate in. Hopefully, they will put together a competent workout plan and you will see your performance sky rocket.
Until next time be healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
Micah Hayes
Monday, January 23, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Energy Crisis in Your Body
Ever wonder where you get the energy to workout or better yet where that energy went once you started any physical activity? In today's post we are going to dive into the body's Energy Crisis.
Our body creates fuel from a series of chemical reactions called energy metabolism. The source for that energy is found in foodstuffs (carbs, proteins, and fats). Our body will convert those foodstuffs into energy based on what kind of physical activity we engage in. That being said there are four basic forms of physical activity: Strength-Power, Sustained Power, Anaerobic Power-Endurance, and Aerobic Endurance. Each of these forms of activity use a different blend of energy sources. All of which originate as a chemical called ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
ATP is a source of energy normally used during anaerobic exercise the point at which every physical activity starts. As that physical activity is prolonged the energy sources changes to CP(creatine phosphate), Glucose, and Oxygen (combined with lactic acid and glycogen).
If you are wondering exactly which exercises coorelate with what energy source we will get into that next.
Ultimately, the most ideal situation to get max energy output from your body for a prolonged period of time would be to combine the training methods so that you are able to maximize each energy source. That is why cross-training has become such an intricate part of the fitness model these days. No athlete at the peak of their game ignores any advantage given to them so why should you? Make sure you have a well rounded workout routine that allows you to build muscle, power, and endurance.
On the next blog we will discuss some basic anatomy it will be more in the for of FACT page just to throw out some interesting information about your body and how it all works together.
Until then stay healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
-Micah Hayes
Our body creates fuel from a series of chemical reactions called energy metabolism. The source for that energy is found in foodstuffs (carbs, proteins, and fats). Our body will convert those foodstuffs into energy based on what kind of physical activity we engage in. That being said there are four basic forms of physical activity: Strength-Power, Sustained Power, Anaerobic Power-Endurance, and Aerobic Endurance. Each of these forms of activity use a different blend of energy sources. All of which originate as a chemical called ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
ATP is a source of energy normally used during anaerobic exercise the point at which every physical activity starts. As that physical activity is prolonged the energy sources changes to CP(creatine phosphate), Glucose, and Oxygen (combined with lactic acid and glycogen).
If you are wondering exactly which exercises coorelate with what energy source we will get into that next.
- ATP is primarily used during power lifting competitions, golf swing, tennis serve, or any other ballistic movement that requires max output last no more than 3 seconds.
- CP is the secondary source of energy that is used druing sprints in track, fast breaks in basketball, bouts as in wrestling or football linement blocking.
- Glucose is used during endurance events lasting 1-2 minutes such as a 400 meter dash or a 100-yd swim.
- Oxygen is used during events last over 2 minutes such as distance running, cycling, or soccer.
Ultimately, the most ideal situation to get max energy output from your body for a prolonged period of time would be to combine the training methods so that you are able to maximize each energy source. That is why cross-training has become such an intricate part of the fitness model these days. No athlete at the peak of their game ignores any advantage given to them so why should you? Make sure you have a well rounded workout routine that allows you to build muscle, power, and endurance.
On the next blog we will discuss some basic anatomy it will be more in the for of FACT page just to throw out some interesting information about your body and how it all works together.
Until then stay healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
-Micah Hayes
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
My Metabolism and Me
What is metabolism? Metabolism is the chemical processes occuring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while other substances are created.
These chemical processes are categorized into two phases: anabolism and catabolism. These processes occur at the same time to keep your metabolism in balance. Anabolism is basically the building up of complex chemical compounds in the body from simpler compounds and catabolism is the breaking down of the same complex chemical compounds into simpler ones.
Simply put anabolism is the use of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to store energy in the body for muscle repair and cell maintenance and canabolism is the use of that energy for muscle contractions and nerve impulses.
If you can picture this your body is in an anabolic state usually during rest and recovery from any activity and your body is in a canabolic state during activity (i.e. walking, weight lifting, and etc.)
Your body seeks to maintain a "set point" called the basal metabolic rate. This is the state in which the body can operate using the least energy. Small things in your environment can effect this rate (i.e. temperateure, activity level, and diet). It has been shown through research that you can manipulate your own basal metabolic rate through diet and exercise. Low calorie dieting often times slows down your metabolism because your body is trying to conserve energy so that it can operate. Exercise increases your metabolic rate and causes your body to use more energy. The combination of the two can help create a deficit in your daily caloirc intake which will ultimately result in weight loss. If you do the opposite and eat a high calorie diet and exercise you will get a net gain in caloric intake which will result in weight gain.
While the metabolism is much more complexed and in-depth this provides you with a general understanding of how the body works to maintain a constant state of balance and how you can manipulate that balance in order to obtain specific results.
On thursday, I will write about the specific energy sources the body uses for exercise and activity. Until then stay healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
-Micah Hayes
These chemical processes are categorized into two phases: anabolism and catabolism. These processes occur at the same time to keep your metabolism in balance. Anabolism is basically the building up of complex chemical compounds in the body from simpler compounds and catabolism is the breaking down of the same complex chemical compounds into simpler ones.
Simply put anabolism is the use of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to store energy in the body for muscle repair and cell maintenance and canabolism is the use of that energy for muscle contractions and nerve impulses.
If you can picture this your body is in an anabolic state usually during rest and recovery from any activity and your body is in a canabolic state during activity (i.e. walking, weight lifting, and etc.)
Your body seeks to maintain a "set point" called the basal metabolic rate. This is the state in which the body can operate using the least energy. Small things in your environment can effect this rate (i.e. temperateure, activity level, and diet). It has been shown through research that you can manipulate your own basal metabolic rate through diet and exercise. Low calorie dieting often times slows down your metabolism because your body is trying to conserve energy so that it can operate. Exercise increases your metabolic rate and causes your body to use more energy. The combination of the two can help create a deficit in your daily caloirc intake which will ultimately result in weight loss. If you do the opposite and eat a high calorie diet and exercise you will get a net gain in caloric intake which will result in weight gain.
While the metabolism is much more complexed and in-depth this provides you with a general understanding of how the body works to maintain a constant state of balance and how you can manipulate that balance in order to obtain specific results.
On thursday, I will write about the specific energy sources the body uses for exercise and activity. Until then stay healthy, infinitely curious, and eternally grateful.
-Micah Hayes
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)