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The Science Behind the Muscle
By Doug Morreale
Whether you are a newcomer to exercise or a seasoned athlete, there is
one thing gym-goers have in common when it comes to achieving superior
fitness. All of us are striving to create the perfect workout program in
order to maximize our results.
This idea is also the reason why many of our friends and family do not
become members of a gym. Frightened by a fear of failure, they dare to
dream of pursuing their life goals.
Reading this article is the first step in understanding what is
happening to our body when we workout. As we grasp these concepts, we
create the perfect workout program for flexibility, endurance, muscular
strength, and size. Let’s first look at how stretching affects the
muscle.
Our activities of daily living have a tremendous impact on our posture.
Over time, these repetitive motions cause the body to adapt in order to
make itself a more efficient “machine.” Some of these adaptations
include hunched shoulders, tight hip flexors, and pigeon-toed walking.
Flexibility training can help eliminate these habitual deviations by
improving range of motion and easing joint pain. The act of stretching
actually lengthens the muscle fibers thereby relaxing the muscles that
are usually contracted throughout the day. Make sure this is done after
a thorough warm up or during the cool down portion of your workout.
Next we will look at endurance training in depth.
Consider this scenario- You are 30 years old and briskly walk on the
treadmill for an hour. Staying at your fat burning zone of 65 percent
maximum heart rate, your heart has an average heart rate of 125 beats
per minute. By the end of your workout, your heart has contracted 7,500
times! Imagine trying to do that many push ups or squats in an hour!
This gives you an idea of how important a strong heart is when it comes
to building endurance. Pay close attention to your heart rate during
cardiovascular exercise. If your heart rate no longer reaches your
target at level three on the treadmill, try increasing to the next
level.
This is similar to when you are trying to increase arm strength. You
would not continue to do bicep curls with 12 pounds if it became easy
after a month, you would increase the weight.
The quest to gain muscular size and strength is an intriguing one.
During a weight training workout, our muscles are being torn apart on a
microscopic level with each repetition. As we barely get that last bicep
curl up, the catabolic lactic acid builds up and produces a nearly
unbearable burning feeling. You then take a rest break, and perform the
rest of your workout. Finally, you are rewarded with the post-workout
pump. This comes from an increase in blood volume in the loaded muscles.
This, however, should not be confused for an increase in muscle size.
This increase, called hypertrophy, occurs after the workout as the body
recovers and is fed properly.
Understanding and applying the knowledge about how our body reacts to
exercise is crucial in creating the perfect workout program. Utilize
this according to your goals and share these ideas with your friends and
family who are struggling to embrace exercise as part of their
lifestyle. Armed with this information, we shall no longer fear failure.
Rather now is the time to realize your fitness goals!
Doug Morreale is a veteran certified personal trainer with a Bachelor's
Degree in Exercise Science at Lifestyle Family Fitness Tampa Palms
location. Doug can be reached at dmorreale@lff.com for all your fitness
inquiries and needs.
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