There is a misnomer in the health and fitness world that the secret to increasing strength and/or endurance is formulating an eccentric, state-of-the-art exercise routine. The reality is, the type of exercise a person does has virtually nothing to do with aerobic and anaerobic development.
Of much greater value is how a person exercises and how he or she recovers. Increases in aerobic or anaerobic maximums occur in direct proportion to how much damage — damage being much different than injury — to their muscles and how a person proactively encourages their body to recover.
Effects of Exercise on Muscles
In all cases, exercise damages muscles. The only variant is the degree to which the damage occurs. The damage occurs as microscopic tears in the muscle fibers and the lining of the muscle fibers. The thicker the lining of the fibers of a muscle, the harder a person must work to generate the micro-tears in the fibers. If damage does not occur, the body is not prompted to rebuild, which means the development and strengthening of the muscles do not occur.
Regardless of how en vogue an exercise routine or contraption, if it does not stress the muscles to the point of damage, no growth will occur. The old adage still applies — "no pain, no gain."
Muscle Fiber Rebuild
In order for muscle fibers to rebuild, the body needs two things: the right nutrition and recovery. The word "recovery" is a concept that the vast majority of people, even those in the heath and fitness industry, do not understand. But understanding recovery is far more important than choosing the right exercise plan.
Plateaus in strength gains, the inability to move the endurance wall, chronic fatigue after exercise and loss of aerobic and anaerobic output performance are all symptoms of poor recovery techniques and methodology.
But, recovery is not a complex concept. There are only two premises an athlete or exercise fanatic must understand: nutrition and metabolic state.
Recovery Concepts
Nutrition
The body requires amino acids, fats, minerals and vitamins to rebuild muscles. In addition to tearing muscle fibers, exercise also depletes the body of these building-block essentials. It is critical to provide the body with these essentials within 1/2 an hour of finishing a workout because while the body has states in which it recovers most productively (e.g. when it is not under stress) the body is always rebuilding.
Metabolic State
The most perplexing concept of the premises of recovery, corporal state is quite simple on the surface. The body only has two metabolic states: anabolic and catabolic. The anabolic state is that in which the body is working and therefore breaking down. The catabolic state is the recovery state in which it is metabolizing food and sending it through the circulatory system to repair muscles and tissue.
While there are only two metabolic states, there are degrees or phases of each. The most productive catabolic phase occurs while a person is sleeping, during REM sleep specifically. In other words, the recovery rate is at its maximum when a person has a combination of proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins in their body and they are in the REM sleep stage.
To find out more about how nutrition and rest prompt recovery, visit ProLine Sports Nutrition! Our expert staff can guide you on your workouts and your recovery routine, as well as help you find the best vitamins and supplements to fuel your body. We're currently offering a promotion where customers can receive a free Gatorade® sideline towel when they purchase $50 or more worth of Gatorade® products.
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