Restercise - Pain = No Gain
Restercise is the term I use so that the most important thing you remember about exercise is to keep it calm and slow. This is important because it is not possible to heal adrenaline dominance in the presence of frequent adrenaline surges. This can never be. Never, means never. The two ways this happens are by 1. exercising too intensely or 2. exercising on an empty stomach.
Making this mental transition is difficult for those who have spent their whole lives in the no-pain, no-gain mindset. In the past, going to the gym meant taking a spin or cardio class to “get my heart rate up.” Not any longer. Just imagine how you would feel if you were suddenly scared from a near car crash. Adrenaline would surge and disrupt your body for hours after the near miss. Intentionally elevating your heart rate through exercise does the same thing. Adrenaline surges and the whole fight-or-flight chemical profusion ensues.
The Anaerobic System
The anaerobic system is vital to life. It provides quick energy by using stored blood sugar (glycogen) for fuel. No oxygen is required with the anaerobic system. Very small amounts of glycogen are available for use by the muscles at any given time. That is why weight training “sets” last only a short period before the muscles “burn out.”
Extended exercise routines, of the “no pain, no gain” variety, program the body to burn, or catabolize, muscle in order to make glucose and thus reinforces and perpetuates the already destructive fight-or-flight response and “trains” the body to stay in the sugar-using, fat-storing, and anaerobic metabolism Likewise, too much anaerobic exercise promotes adrenaline dominance leading to both injury and illness. Sprinting, fast jogging, high intensity exercise classes, and most other sports are forms of anaerobic exercise.
Aerobics is Not Aerobic
In the old days when people went to an “Aerobics” class, it was for the purpose of breaking a good sweat. The movements were nonstop, and the heart rate was high. It was the equivalent intensity of today’s Zuma class. Aerobic training, on the other hand, is much less intense (light jogging, easy swimming, easy biking, a specific style of weight lifting, etc.) and keeps a steady low heart rate. This is the kind of exercise that heals adrenaline dominance.
The aerobic system of the body relies on great amounts of oxygen in order to produce energy, and the major fuel used when training aerobically is fat. The same amount of fat contains more than twice as much potential fuel as do carbohydrates (sugars). Therefore, when engaging the aerobic system during exercise, energy accumulation becomes more efficient as fat is burned. Not only should fat be the fuel of choice for energy, it is also the one most people want to get rid of in the first place. Too much aerobic training is possible, but rare. Low heart rate aerobic activity is the best exercise to remove the body from fight-or-flight. Additionally, it promotes fat loss and increases energy. The problem is that you cannot let your heart rate get too high.
Target Heart Rate
The body switches from fat burning to sugar burning at a specific heart rate. Therefore, the purchase of a heart rate monitor is highly recommended. Once the heart rate exceeds a certain range, the aerobic system is disengaged, and the anaerobic system takes over. This means stored sugars—not stored fat—will become the fuel of choice. All aerobic benefit is potentially lost when training at a non-aerobic heart rate (too fast).
A heart rate monitor will help. When set up, the monitor will beep if you exceed or drop below your ideal range. Heart rate monitors are very simple to use and usually include two pieces: a wrist piece that tells the rate of beats per minute (doubles as a watch when not in use) and a strap that goes around the chest which picks up the electrical signals given off by the heart with each beat. Most sports stores sell heart rate monitors for less than $100.00.
Finding Your Target Heart Rate Range:
The following information is adapted from the book In Fitness and In Health authored by Dr. Phil Maffetone, who has successfully worked with thousands of patients and many elite athletes to improve their aerobic capacity and overall performance. (www.philmaffetone.com)
Subtract your age from the number 180.
Then add or subtract from this number based upon the following:
This final number is the upper end of your heart rate range. To find the lower end, subtract 10 points from the upper number.
For example, a person would calculate the heart rate number for a 50-year-old-man to be 130 (180-50). But, he also rarely exercises and gets the flu and/or a cold most years, so the person would need to subtract another 5 points to end up with an upper number of 125. The overall range is 10 points below the upper number or 115-125 bpm. This is his fat-burning heart rate zone. An individual can set any heart rate monitor for this range. When exercising pushes the heart above this range, a beep will sound. Exercising exclusively within this ten point range will yield the greatest aerobic return and generate the highest level of fat-burning.
What to Expect
When first using a heart rate monitor, most people, including regular runners and those who exercise two or three times per week with no apparent difficulty are shocked by how quickly their heart rate exceeds its maximum range. Not surprisingly, these same patients showed many signs of adrenal gland fatigue and nagging injuries. They needed to slow down in order to build a solid aerobic base first. The good news is after training in their aerobic range for only a short period of time, they were able to resume their previous running course and speed but with a much slower (healthier) heart rate.
The ultimate goal with training in the heart rate zone is to improve aerobic function, which means using oxygen to burn fat. A light sweat, easy breathing, and a feeling of not having done too much once exercise is finished are all good signs that training was below the maximum heart rate. Another sign is the presence of sore muscles. Since most people have inadvertently exercised too hard, they have over trained their fast fibers, and neglected their slow fibers. Training at a lower heart rate uses the slow (fat burning) fibers almost exclusively. Using previously unused muscles makes them temporarily sore. This is good and will soon pass.
There are two types of skeletal muscle fibers: fast and slow. Fast fibers are also called anaerobic fibers, while slow fibers are called aerobic fibers. Genetics often determine how much of each are present. Through training, an athlete can change the function of a particular fiber, making a slow fiber act like a fast fiber and vice versa. Once training has stopped, however, the cells gradually return to their previous genetically determined state.
Sprinters and bodybuilders do not have the same number of slow fibers as long-distance athletes. Instead, they have more fast fibers. All athletes, which includes everyone who exercises regularly, have certain special needs. However, it is interesting to note that athletes participating in fast fiber sports perform better if they train their slow fibers as well.
Selecting a Program
An aerobic program should be performed at least three times per week for no more than thirty minutes per session. As the training progresses, you can increase the frequency and time.
Walk, Don’t Jog
Turning on the aerobic metabolism means working the big muscles in a slow steady fashion. The fight-or-flight response is like a thoroughbred running in the Kentucky Derby—it is an all-out sprint. Your racing days are over for now. Instead, think draft horse pulling a cart.
To select your program, look to see which option below applies to you.
The Maximum Aerobic Function Test (MAF)
It is always a good idea to monitor exercise progress. After a few weeks of heart rate training, positive signs will be present, such as feeling better, not being as tired, having more energy, gaining resistance to sickness, improved sleep patterns, etc. These subjective findings are important, but a maximum aerobic function test (MAF) to check for objective changes is critical as well.
A person should choose a distance, such as 4 to 8 times around the local high school track, and walk the entire distance while within their target heart rate range, speeding up or slow down as necessary. Once the distance is completed, she should record the time. After two or three weeks, she should repeat the MAF test. Be sure that the conditions are similar for each test. The results from a calm still day may be different than those from a wet and windy day. If, after the next MAF test, the individual can cover the same distance in less time while staying within the target heart rate range, then the aerobic system is improving.
The opposite can be done as well. Choose a specific amount of time to perform an exercise and measure the total distance. Progress means being able to go further on a subsequent test within the same amount of time. These tests are important emotionally because they quantitatively demonstrate progress, which encourages continued exercise. People should perform a MAF test every three or four weeks.
Most will find that they improve rather quickly, and that they need to progress from walking to fast walking or a slow jog to not fall below their heart rate range.
If improvement has not occurred, other variables should be considered. Are sickness, additional stress, inadequate rest, or too many bad foods contributing to poor progress? If so, these must be addressed. There is also one more critical thing to do, only exercise when you have stored fuel.
When is the Best Time to Exercise?
Without some fuel in the tissues from food, the body uses up stored glycogen for fuel and will even burn up your muscle to make more if it needs to. Those who like to exercise first thing in the morning are especially prone to this problem. All night they have gone without food, using up most of their sugar stores. There is very little left. Speeding up the heart or overly exerting the muscles in this state will trigger adrenaline surges and negate all the balance they are striving for.
Later, you might be able to go back to exercise first thing in the morning, if you have greatly improved on your Functional Health Assessment. If so, you know that your body is doing much better processing adrenaline and managing and storing your blood sugar. You should, however, still have small amount of a protein/fat/carb “snack” before beginning your early morning routine.
When starting out to heal adrenaline dominance and to build your aerobic base, exercise should be either two hours after breakfast or an hour before dinner. It is best not to exercise after dinner because you should be training your body and mind to ramp down in the evenings. Going to the gym and working out under the artificial lights while jamming to your favorite upbeat tunes does the opposite. The one exception would be a stretching routine at home in a dimmed light setting. Doing this for twenty minutes or less could help the wind down process.
Aerobic-Based Weight Training (see also Exercise article for images of exercises)
Remember, because of Core 4 imbalances, the body has been trained to keep the fight-or-flight response turned on. Therefore, the entire oxygen-using, fat-burning, aerobic system needs to be reestablished and the anaerobic, non-oxygen system needs to be shut off. Weightlifting becomes the exercise of choice to accomplish this with some very specific caveats.
After the warmup, the remainder of the workout should be less than thirty minutes, with as much rest between sets as needed to allow for the heart rate to return to a near resting level.
Only the big muscles groups are worked, and for only one set per group (more sets can be added after several weeks).
So, an example may look like this:
Warm up for 10 minutes as described above
First set – lat pull downs – 12-15 rep max (1 min)
5 minute rest
Second set – dumbbell press – 15-20 rep max (1 min)
5 minute rest
Third set – dumbbell curls – 12-15 rep max (1 min)
5 minute rest
Fourth set – Triceps push – 12-15 rep max (1 min)
5 minute rest
Fifth set – body squat – 12-15 reps (1 min)
Total time 25 minutes
The body’s entire big muscle system has been asked to perform, but not for an extended duration. The heavier weight will ensure that all the muscle fibers of the big muscle group are recruited to their near-maximum capacity. This “all fibers in” approach “burns” adrenaline and stimulates muscle fiber growth. With consistency of training in this manner, the body is re-programmed to switch off the reflexive adrenaline response and is induced to build additional muscle in preparation for the future heavy, short workloads it now “expects” to come.
Do Not Run Ahead
This restorative training is highly effective so long as the total exercise time is short for the first four to six weeks. Too many exercises without enough rest will again turn on adrenaline in order to manage what the body now perceives to be a survival response.
As the body transforms and reprograms itself based on this “training,” it will soon demonstrate the benefits through increased strength and quicker heart rate recovery between sets. At this point, more sets and more time can be added in a steady, methodical way.
“I feel fine and can easily do another set.” Don’t. Building muscle is a fat-burning, oxygen using metabolism. So, keep it slow. In the first four to six weeks, resist the temptation to do more, even when enough strength and stamina are present to do so. I have watched many patients crash and burn because they ran ahead too fast. You do not want to flip on the adrenaline switch. Slow and steady wins the race.
Warm Up, Cool Down, and Stretching
Warming up and stretching are essential, but they are not the same thing. Warming up should always happen first and is as simple as a slow easy walk for 10 minutes. It is necessary in order to prepare the body for exercise and to prevent injury. Warming up also begins the fat-burning process by promoting the release of free-floating fatty acids, the desired energy source.
Up to 80 percent of the blood in the organs will be transferred to the muscles during exercise. Warming up prior to intense exercise allows this fluid transfer to happen gradually. This is important for another reason. Exercise generates vast quantities of metabolic waste products. Warming up ensures that a sufficient amount of blood is circulating prior to exercise, so these by-products can be shuttled to the liver for detoxification and elimination.
After the brief warm-up period, stretching may be performed. The added circulation from the warm-up period allows for greater elasticity and flexibility of the tissues during a stretch, decreasing the chance for injury. A person should not stretch through the point of pain and should not bounce when stretching. Stretching beyond the normal range of motion may temporarily increase flexibility, but it also leads to micro injury.
The best form of stretching is a static-active stretch. This means moving slowly to a point of resistance and contracting the opposite muscle for 10 - 20 seconds. For example, to stretch the muscles on the back of the right leg (hamstrings), an individual would mildly contract the muscles on the front of the right leg (quads) for about 20 seconds. Contracting one group of muscles has the neurologic effect of turning off or relaxing its opposing group.
The cool down is just as important as the warm-up. Cooling down allows a gentle return of the blood to the various organs. Stopping suddenly after exercise causes the blood to rush quickly into the organs, bringing with it an abundance of exercise-induced waste products. Since most blood is stored within the organs during times of inactivity, without a cool down, chemical waste products may amass. The potential toxic buildup, if severe enough, could mean a large portion of the aerobic benefits from the exercise are lost. At the end of the walk/jog, simply reduce the exercise pace gradually until the heart rate is about 10 - 20 beats above the resting heart rate. This process is all that is needed and should only take about 10 minutes.
Summary
Making this mental transition is difficult for those who have spent their whole lives in the no-pain, no-gain mindset. In the past, going to the gym meant taking a spin or cardio class to “get my heart rate up.” Not any longer. Just imagine how you would feel if you were suddenly scared from a near car crash. Adrenaline would surge and disrupt your body for hours after the near miss. Intentionally elevating your heart rate through exercise does the same thing. Adrenaline surges and the whole fight-or-flight chemical profusion ensues.
The Anaerobic System
The anaerobic system is vital to life. It provides quick energy by using stored blood sugar (glycogen) for fuel. No oxygen is required with the anaerobic system. Very small amounts of glycogen are available for use by the muscles at any given time. That is why weight training “sets” last only a short period before the muscles “burn out.”
Extended exercise routines, of the “no pain, no gain” variety, program the body to burn, or catabolize, muscle in order to make glucose and thus reinforces and perpetuates the already destructive fight-or-flight response and “trains” the body to stay in the sugar-using, fat-storing, and anaerobic metabolism Likewise, too much anaerobic exercise promotes adrenaline dominance leading to both injury and illness. Sprinting, fast jogging, high intensity exercise classes, and most other sports are forms of anaerobic exercise.
Aerobics is Not Aerobic
In the old days when people went to an “Aerobics” class, it was for the purpose of breaking a good sweat. The movements were nonstop, and the heart rate was high. It was the equivalent intensity of today’s Zuma class. Aerobic training, on the other hand, is much less intense (light jogging, easy swimming, easy biking, a specific style of weight lifting, etc.) and keeps a steady low heart rate. This is the kind of exercise that heals adrenaline dominance.
The aerobic system of the body relies on great amounts of oxygen in order to produce energy, and the major fuel used when training aerobically is fat. The same amount of fat contains more than twice as much potential fuel as do carbohydrates (sugars). Therefore, when engaging the aerobic system during exercise, energy accumulation becomes more efficient as fat is burned. Not only should fat be the fuel of choice for energy, it is also the one most people want to get rid of in the first place. Too much aerobic training is possible, but rare. Low heart rate aerobic activity is the best exercise to remove the body from fight-or-flight. Additionally, it promotes fat loss and increases energy. The problem is that you cannot let your heart rate get too high.
Target Heart Rate
The body switches from fat burning to sugar burning at a specific heart rate. Therefore, the purchase of a heart rate monitor is highly recommended. Once the heart rate exceeds a certain range, the aerobic system is disengaged, and the anaerobic system takes over. This means stored sugars—not stored fat—will become the fuel of choice. All aerobic benefit is potentially lost when training at a non-aerobic heart rate (too fast).
A heart rate monitor will help. When set up, the monitor will beep if you exceed or drop below your ideal range. Heart rate monitors are very simple to use and usually include two pieces: a wrist piece that tells the rate of beats per minute (doubles as a watch when not in use) and a strap that goes around the chest which picks up the electrical signals given off by the heart with each beat. Most sports stores sell heart rate monitors for less than $100.00.
Finding Your Target Heart Rate Range:
The following information is adapted from the book In Fitness and In Health authored by Dr. Phil Maffetone, who has successfully worked with thousands of patients and many elite athletes to improve their aerobic capacity and overall performance. (www.philmaffetone.com)
Subtract your age from the number 180.
Then add or subtract from this number based upon the following:
- Recovering from a major illness, surgery, or taking daily medication…subtract 10
- Have not exercised before; have exercised but have been injured or are regressing; experience frequent colds or flu, or are under high stress...subtract 5
- Exercising for up to two years without any real problems and have not had colds or flu more than once or twice per year...subtract 0
- Exercising for more than two years without any real problems and have been making progress in your program or competition...add 5
This final number is the upper end of your heart rate range. To find the lower end, subtract 10 points from the upper number.
For example, a person would calculate the heart rate number for a 50-year-old-man to be 130 (180-50). But, he also rarely exercises and gets the flu and/or a cold most years, so the person would need to subtract another 5 points to end up with an upper number of 125. The overall range is 10 points below the upper number or 115-125 bpm. This is his fat-burning heart rate zone. An individual can set any heart rate monitor for this range. When exercising pushes the heart above this range, a beep will sound. Exercising exclusively within this ten point range will yield the greatest aerobic return and generate the highest level of fat-burning.
What to Expect
When first using a heart rate monitor, most people, including regular runners and those who exercise two or three times per week with no apparent difficulty are shocked by how quickly their heart rate exceeds its maximum range. Not surprisingly, these same patients showed many signs of adrenal gland fatigue and nagging injuries. They needed to slow down in order to build a solid aerobic base first. The good news is after training in their aerobic range for only a short period of time, they were able to resume their previous running course and speed but with a much slower (healthier) heart rate.
The ultimate goal with training in the heart rate zone is to improve aerobic function, which means using oxygen to burn fat. A light sweat, easy breathing, and a feeling of not having done too much once exercise is finished are all good signs that training was below the maximum heart rate. Another sign is the presence of sore muscles. Since most people have inadvertently exercised too hard, they have over trained their fast fibers, and neglected their slow fibers. Training at a lower heart rate uses the slow (fat burning) fibers almost exclusively. Using previously unused muscles makes them temporarily sore. This is good and will soon pass.
There are two types of skeletal muscle fibers: fast and slow. Fast fibers are also called anaerobic fibers, while slow fibers are called aerobic fibers. Genetics often determine how much of each are present. Through training, an athlete can change the function of a particular fiber, making a slow fiber act like a fast fiber and vice versa. Once training has stopped, however, the cells gradually return to their previous genetically determined state.
Sprinters and bodybuilders do not have the same number of slow fibers as long-distance athletes. Instead, they have more fast fibers. All athletes, which includes everyone who exercises regularly, have certain special needs. However, it is interesting to note that athletes participating in fast fiber sports perform better if they train their slow fibers as well.
Selecting a Program
An aerobic program should be performed at least three times per week for no more than thirty minutes per session. As the training progresses, you can increase the frequency and time.
Walk, Don’t Jog
Turning on the aerobic metabolism means working the big muscles in a slow steady fashion. The fight-or-flight response is like a thoroughbred running in the Kentucky Derby—it is an all-out sprint. Your racing days are over for now. Instead, think draft horse pulling a cart.
To select your program, look to see which option below applies to you.
- I have not exercised in years: You should begin with walking for 10-15 minutes three to four times a week. Over the next month or two, build up to 30 minutes five or six times a week and begin the aerobic-based weight training two or three times per week as described below.
- I exercise regularly: You may begin aerobic-based weight training up to three times per week. Also, continue to do a “cardio” workout at least twice a week within your heart rate range. Do the Maximum Aerobic Function Test every three weeks to make sure you are progressing.
The Maximum Aerobic Function Test (MAF)
It is always a good idea to monitor exercise progress. After a few weeks of heart rate training, positive signs will be present, such as feeling better, not being as tired, having more energy, gaining resistance to sickness, improved sleep patterns, etc. These subjective findings are important, but a maximum aerobic function test (MAF) to check for objective changes is critical as well.
A person should choose a distance, such as 4 to 8 times around the local high school track, and walk the entire distance while within their target heart rate range, speeding up or slow down as necessary. Once the distance is completed, she should record the time. After two or three weeks, she should repeat the MAF test. Be sure that the conditions are similar for each test. The results from a calm still day may be different than those from a wet and windy day. If, after the next MAF test, the individual can cover the same distance in less time while staying within the target heart rate range, then the aerobic system is improving.
The opposite can be done as well. Choose a specific amount of time to perform an exercise and measure the total distance. Progress means being able to go further on a subsequent test within the same amount of time. These tests are important emotionally because they quantitatively demonstrate progress, which encourages continued exercise. People should perform a MAF test every three or four weeks.
Most will find that they improve rather quickly, and that they need to progress from walking to fast walking or a slow jog to not fall below their heart rate range.
If improvement has not occurred, other variables should be considered. Are sickness, additional stress, inadequate rest, or too many bad foods contributing to poor progress? If so, these must be addressed. There is also one more critical thing to do, only exercise when you have stored fuel.
When is the Best Time to Exercise?
Without some fuel in the tissues from food, the body uses up stored glycogen for fuel and will even burn up your muscle to make more if it needs to. Those who like to exercise first thing in the morning are especially prone to this problem. All night they have gone without food, using up most of their sugar stores. There is very little left. Speeding up the heart or overly exerting the muscles in this state will trigger adrenaline surges and negate all the balance they are striving for.
Later, you might be able to go back to exercise first thing in the morning, if you have greatly improved on your Functional Health Assessment. If so, you know that your body is doing much better processing adrenaline and managing and storing your blood sugar. You should, however, still have small amount of a protein/fat/carb “snack” before beginning your early morning routine.
When starting out to heal adrenaline dominance and to build your aerobic base, exercise should be either two hours after breakfast or an hour before dinner. It is best not to exercise after dinner because you should be training your body and mind to ramp down in the evenings. Going to the gym and working out under the artificial lights while jamming to your favorite upbeat tunes does the opposite. The one exception would be a stretching routine at home in a dimmed light setting. Doing this for twenty minutes or less could help the wind down process.
Aerobic-Based Weight Training (see also Exercise article for images of exercises)
Remember, because of Core 4 imbalances, the body has been trained to keep the fight-or-flight response turned on. Therefore, the entire oxygen-using, fat-burning, aerobic system needs to be reestablished and the anaerobic, non-oxygen system needs to be shut off. Weightlifting becomes the exercise of choice to accomplish this with some very specific caveats.
After the warmup, the remainder of the workout should be less than thirty minutes, with as much rest between sets as needed to allow for the heart rate to return to a near resting level.
Only the big muscles groups are worked, and for only one set per group (more sets can be added after several weeks).
So, an example may look like this:
Warm up for 10 minutes as described above
First set – lat pull downs – 12-15 rep max (1 min)
5 minute rest
Second set – dumbbell press – 15-20 rep max (1 min)
5 minute rest
Third set – dumbbell curls – 12-15 rep max (1 min)
5 minute rest
Fourth set – Triceps push – 12-15 rep max (1 min)
5 minute rest
Fifth set – body squat – 12-15 reps (1 min)
Total time 25 minutes
The body’s entire big muscle system has been asked to perform, but not for an extended duration. The heavier weight will ensure that all the muscle fibers of the big muscle group are recruited to their near-maximum capacity. This “all fibers in” approach “burns” adrenaline and stimulates muscle fiber growth. With consistency of training in this manner, the body is re-programmed to switch off the reflexive adrenaline response and is induced to build additional muscle in preparation for the future heavy, short workloads it now “expects” to come.
Do Not Run Ahead
This restorative training is highly effective so long as the total exercise time is short for the first four to six weeks. Too many exercises without enough rest will again turn on adrenaline in order to manage what the body now perceives to be a survival response.
As the body transforms and reprograms itself based on this “training,” it will soon demonstrate the benefits through increased strength and quicker heart rate recovery between sets. At this point, more sets and more time can be added in a steady, methodical way.
“I feel fine and can easily do another set.” Don’t. Building muscle is a fat-burning, oxygen using metabolism. So, keep it slow. In the first four to six weeks, resist the temptation to do more, even when enough strength and stamina are present to do so. I have watched many patients crash and burn because they ran ahead too fast. You do not want to flip on the adrenaline switch. Slow and steady wins the race.
Warm Up, Cool Down, and Stretching
Warming up and stretching are essential, but they are not the same thing. Warming up should always happen first and is as simple as a slow easy walk for 10 minutes. It is necessary in order to prepare the body for exercise and to prevent injury. Warming up also begins the fat-burning process by promoting the release of free-floating fatty acids, the desired energy source.
Up to 80 percent of the blood in the organs will be transferred to the muscles during exercise. Warming up prior to intense exercise allows this fluid transfer to happen gradually. This is important for another reason. Exercise generates vast quantities of metabolic waste products. Warming up ensures that a sufficient amount of blood is circulating prior to exercise, so these by-products can be shuttled to the liver for detoxification and elimination.
After the brief warm-up period, stretching may be performed. The added circulation from the warm-up period allows for greater elasticity and flexibility of the tissues during a stretch, decreasing the chance for injury. A person should not stretch through the point of pain and should not bounce when stretching. Stretching beyond the normal range of motion may temporarily increase flexibility, but it also leads to micro injury.
The best form of stretching is a static-active stretch. This means moving slowly to a point of resistance and contracting the opposite muscle for 10 - 20 seconds. For example, to stretch the muscles on the back of the right leg (hamstrings), an individual would mildly contract the muscles on the front of the right leg (quads) for about 20 seconds. Contracting one group of muscles has the neurologic effect of turning off or relaxing its opposing group.
The cool down is just as important as the warm-up. Cooling down allows a gentle return of the blood to the various organs. Stopping suddenly after exercise causes the blood to rush quickly into the organs, bringing with it an abundance of exercise-induced waste products. Since most blood is stored within the organs during times of inactivity, without a cool down, chemical waste products may amass. The potential toxic buildup, if severe enough, could mean a large portion of the aerobic benefits from the exercise are lost. At the end of the walk/jog, simply reduce the exercise pace gradually until the heart rate is about 10 - 20 beats above the resting heart rate. This process is all that is needed and should only take about 10 minutes.
Summary
- Train aerobically for three months without anaerobic exercise (cardio and/or circuit weight training).
- Exercise to protect your blood sugar. Do not exercising on an empty stomach. Make sure you have eaten a protein/fat/carb meal within the last one to three hours.
- Do not exceed your maximum heart rate at any time during your workout.
- When training without a heart rate monitor, an individual should only exercise at a pace where she notices little exertion.
- Warm up.
- Stretch.
- Cool down.
- Do regular MAF tests to ensure progress.