Physical Therapy Rehabilitation

The phrase ‘interval training’ should be synonymous with the word EXPLOSIVE. It can involve biking, climbing, squat thrusts, plyometrics, and many other things, but most famously sprinting.

It involves 3 things:

1. Many and large muscle groups,

2. maximum heart rate/cellular stress

3. periodic cool downs

Now flex your leg as hard as you can. Just do it!

Notice at first, it’s easy and your leg feels strong, but as you’re reading this and time passes, it becomes harder to maintain a powerful flex. This demonstrates the different sources of ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate), and how they wear out, forcing the muscles power to diminish.

Interval training is like fine tuning your exercise to the natural flow of cellular energy. The cell’s most basic form of energy is ATP. There are 4 basic sources of ATP which are too complicated and boring to get into very much, but each successive source of ATP is a less immediate and slower source of energy. During the most intense activity, a cell’s initial store of ATP can be exhausted in two second. The second source of ATP (the ATP-PCr system) may only last 10 seconds and the third (the glycolytic system), which starts at same time as the ATP-PCr system, lasts as little as 2 minutes. These first three sources of ATP is called the anaerobic system. The fourth (the oxidative system) is the primary supplier of APT during lower-intensity activity, when the anaerobic system isn’t needed much. It is slow and can sustain only moderate activity, but may last quite some time. Interval training targets the anaerobic sources of APT which are the fastest and most ready sources of energy for use.

In many ways, Interval training is superior to long-lasting cardio exercises of less intensity. Less intense cardio uses more of the oxidative system; which does not preserve lean muscle mass very well during exercise. There are many benefits of interval training. Along with burning maximum calories relative to time, interval training preserves and promotes more muscle growth. It also increases the resting metabolism which is crucial for burning fat and benefits cardiovascular strength. Interval training may only last 10 to 15 minutes, but you might feel like you’re about to die. Interval training is about power and intensity not necessarily endurance. Types of interval training, rather than moderate cardio, can be ideal for all age groups and fitness levels.

Interval training should start with a warm-up. During the warm-up you should be able to have a conversation; otherwise you’re using the anaerobic system too much too soon and should slow down. A warm-up should last 5 minutes, is meant to get the blood pumping and the body ready for the actual workout.

After the warm-up is finished, it’s time to sprint. This should be highly intensive; as if you’re trying to escape death from a crocodile, an aggressive water hippo, or a rapid land-tuna; yielding some sort of above-water breathing apparatus. If this part of the set is not intense enough, the cell’s ATP source will default more to the oxidative system rather than the anaerobic system. You should try and target the anaerobic systems during the heightened part of the interval, so minimizing the time from 30 seconds to 3 minutes and maximizing the intensity is crucial.

The next part of this set is recovery. A slow recovery is needed for the anaerobic systems to renew and prepare itself for the next set. Recovery should last 3 to 5 minutes until a slower breathing rate is comfortable; then it’s time to sprint again. Do 3 to 5 sets to complete the workout. Also, remember that this principle of interval training can be applied to many forms of exercise.

With or without starting any exercise program nutrition is always 100% necessary. Malnutrition can lead to a loss of muscle mass, a lowered metabolism, and can have countless other negative effects. During interval training, malnutrition will also cause low energy, dizziness, poor exercise, and poor results. A proper balance of complete proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats should be utilized for any lifestyle or exercise program.

There are dangers to interval training. It may be wise to take interval training slowly at first; building up to higher intensity over days, weeks, or months. This of course, depends on your cardiovascular fitness levels and age. Consult your doctor before starting an exercise program to avoid any possible risks.

Water aerobic exercises, also known in other terms as water fitness, water exercise, water jogging or water aerobics, offer a low-impact and low-risk way of getting into shape that are effective for people who are dealing with joint problems or arthritis. Even those who have stayed sedentary for a long time will benefit from these workouts because they can be of great help in the process of slowly building a fitness routine.

Water workouts are also known for improving balance, strength, cardiovascular fitness, and flexibility without straining the muscles and joints. By using water as resistance and allowing athletes to engage in exercises that are usually performed on land, they can provide the benefits of aerobic workouts while decreasing the risk of injuries at the same time. You don’t have to be a swimmer to participate in water aerobics, as many of the exercises are done in shallow water.

While no single exercise is perfect for everyone, water aerobics comes close by conforming to individual needs, abilities and restrictions. A study in the March 2002 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise came out declaring the pluses of workouts in water. Water aerobics is an excellent addition to any weight loss program since it will ensure an aerobic workout and burn calories without undo stress or strain on the joints. This can help with motivation to continue exercising.

Water aerobic exercises are available in different forms. While most forms can be performed without specialized equipment, others require the use of flippers, floatation devices, water weights, and aquatic shoes. Although aqua aerobics adds less pressure on your muscles and joints, it can still help you burn as many calories as you would when performing land aerobics. In fact, you can burn up to 300-500 calories per session of kicking, jumping, running, or squatting in water.

Aqua aerobics is not only ideal for injured people and the elderly; pregnant women and overweight individuals will also benefit from its low-impact yet high-resistance nature. Water aerobic exercises are also perfect for those who are suffering from back pain, arthritis, and other joint or muscle problems. The water can partially support your weight and slow down your movement so you can easily perform a wider range of movements without hurting yourself. This form of aerobic exercise is also an amazing stress buster because it will relax your body after a long and tiring day of work.

If you would like to have a fun alternative to land exercise then water aerobics might be your choice for fitness and weight loss.

Adrienne Durrett M. Ed.

Adrienne holds a Masters Degree in Health and Physical Education and has had a lifetime of enjoying all things related to the water. Visit Water Fun and Fitness to learn all about the benefits of water aerobics and the many fun activities individuals can participate in….in the water.

Regular exercise is essential for maintaining physical fitness among women. However, the appropriate type of exercise would largely depend on each woman’s personal fitness condition, weight, age, lifestyle, and fitness goals.

Cardio-vascular exercises are important in strengthening the heart and in reducing women’s risk factors to diseases. This is the type of exercise that benefits all organs of the body, as it increases the pumping of blood through all of the organs. If your goal is to improve health and maintain your weight, you can opt for moderate-intensity cardio exercises such as hiking, dancing, cycling and engaging in sports. Around half an hour daily of these types of exercise for six days a week would give you adequate amounts of physical activity to meet your goal.

On the other hand, if you are aiming to burn fat and lose a significant amount of weight, you might want to try doing high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. This type of exercise burns the most calories in the least amount of time. The principle behind this type of exercise is to discourage the body from achieving a steady state. When you are performing exercises at a steady pace, the body tries to adjust to the energy demands of the body by conserving calories. Of course, this is counter-productive for you if your goal is to burn as much calories as you possibly can. To help you elude getting into a steady state, HIIT programs instruct you to frequently vary the pace of your workouts. For example, you can alternately perform medium-intensity cardio, and high-intensity cardio every two or three minutes until you complete your half-hour exercise session. If you’re a runner, you can warm up with a five-minute jog, followed by 1 minute of full-speed running, around 2 minutes of brisk walking, another minute of high intensity running, and so on. HIIT is ideally performed around 3 to 4 times a week. One added benefit of HIIT is that your body would continue to have elevated metabolism for the next 4 to 8 hours, so that you continue to burn calories even after you are done exercising.

The other component of a good exercise plan for women is strength training. Strength training used to be associated exclusively with body builders and athletes. In more recent physical fitness researches, however, strength training has been significantly correlated to improved blood pressure management and reduced risks for diabetes. It has also been linked to back pain relief.

Strength training is an effective means for improving women’s physical appearance. Increased muscle mass allows you to burn more calories by increasing your basal metabolic rate. It tones and sculpts your body, and helps you get rid of unwanted flab.

A good strength-training program should incorporate the principles of overload and progression, that is, you subject your muscles to greater resistance once you can comfortably perform more than eight repetitions on your current weight. Don’t worry about getting too muscular. Women genetically do not have the hormones for developing the bulky muscles seen in male body builders.