Advanced Fitness Newsletter
Information for a Healthy Life
http://www.advancedfitness.com
May 8, 2000 1999 Issue 10
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Take Your Treadmill Workout to the Max
- Great Fitness Tips
- Dr. Koop.com Health Tools
Take Your Treadmill Workout to the Max
By Therese Iknoian, M.S.
So you've taken the plunge and invested in a
treadmill. Perhaps you've even worked out on it a few times,
walking or running for your 20, 30, or even 40 minutes.
Is that all there is?
Heck, no! You just have to learn to use the
treadmill controls for incline and speed more effectively
for two reasons:
1. To get a better workout. A "better workout"
could mean using more muscle, upping the aerobic intensity,
or burning more calories, depending on your goals.
2. To help the time go more quickly. Even if
you love to walk or run, trodding along mile-after-mile at
the same speed with nothing to look at except the four walls
can get a little tedious.
Wait, I forgot the third reason . . . to make
your treadmill workout more fun!
Whether you're a walker or a runner, a novice
or advanced exerciser, let's take a look at a few ways you
can toy with the treadmill to get more bang for your buck.
First, think of your workout in four parts:
* Warm-up - Take the first 5-10 minutes to
let your body move at an easy pace, slowly picking up the
pace toward the end to a moderate pace.
* Workout - This is where you do your hill-climbing,
speed intervals, or faster-paced walking or running.
* Cool-down - Use the last 5 minutes to return
to an easy pace to let your heart rate return to its normal,
lower state and to let your muscles relax.
* Stretch - Finish up with a stretch of your
muscles to make sure they'll be ready to go next time.
The second part, or the Workout, is where you
want to start playing with the controls for speed or incline
(note that some treadmills call incline "grade"
or "elevation").
Here are some tips for using speed:
* Start moderately. Try walking or running
for 1-3 minutes anywhere from .5 to 1 mph faster than your
normal pace. Then return to a comfortable pace for 1-3 minutes.
Runners, as you become more confident with your speed ability
or you learn your limits, you'll be able to play with intervals
that are up to 2-3 mph faster than your comfortable steady
pace. Walkers, you'll be able to refine your technique to
walk the intervals at the fastest pace you can walk without
running.
* Rest is important. That means you are not
being wimpy to slow waaaay down between faster spurts. You
must do that to allow your heart rate to recover so you'll
be ready to work hard on your next intervals. Your heart should
drop at least 10-20 beats before you begin the next intervals.)
* Really sprinting means longer rests. The
shorter and faster your intervals, the longer the rests. For
example, if you sprint all-out for 1 minute, you may want
to go easy for 3 minutes.
Here are some tips for using incline:
* Start low. For novices, anything over about
a 6-7 percent hill will start to feel like real climbing and
will mean you must lower your speed to get up the hill safely
and without shooting your intensity too high or ruining your
technique.
* Try short hills. To get a good feel for what
you can handle, try hills that are about 2-3 minutes long,
then lower the incline back down to 0-1 percent for 2-3 minutes
to recover.
* 12-15 percent is hard. No matter how advanced
you are, anything 12 percent or over will be quite hard. You
will have to slow your pace by 1-2 mph to get up the hill
with good technique. Runners may prefer to hike. Walkers may
prefer to jog.
One last tip: No matter what you do, don't let
your technique fall apart. If you have to lean over to keep
going, if you have to hang on to the rails to keep up with
the belt, or if you drift toward the rear of the belt, slow
down or lower the incline.
Now go and play with your treadmill to take
your workout to the max.
Therese Iknoian, M.S., is founder of Total
Fitness Network.com (http://www.totalfitnessnetwork.com),
and the author of several books, tapes and programs about
walking and running. Her latest is the instructional audiotape,
"Maximum Treadmill Workout" (Dynamix, 2000). Purchase
at http://www.totalfitnessnetwork.com/.
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Fitness Tips
From FitnessLink
* Arnold Schwarzenneger would change his exercise
program every 3-6 months in order to force his body into new
growth. Muscles adapt and need new movements to continue growing.
Exploring a range of different exercises gives you a better
idea as to which exercises work best for you. You'll gain
a better understanding of your body and how to achieve your
best possible results.
* Set your treadmill at a 10% incline to burn
40% more calories during your workout.
* For years, golfers have shied away from weight
lifting for fear that added bulk would impair their flexibility
and speed. But a recent study has shown that golfers who weight
trained for two months actually increased their club head
speed by 5 miles an hour.
* If your muscles are sore the day after strenuous
exercise, the best remedy is to work those same muscles again,
but with less intensity. Warm up the muscles with light exercise,
then stretch and take a warm shower.
* When muscles are sore and stiff from exercise,
a warm soak in the tub and a pain killer may be all you need.
But for more significant injuries, stay away from heat and
follow the RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) formula.
Using an ice pack or ice wrapped in a wet towel, compress
the area by securing the ice with an Ace bandage. Then elevate
and rest the sore spot. Swelling should go down noticeably
in 24 to 48 hours.
* To strengthen the underlying muscles of the
foot, place your bare foot flat on the floor and on the edge
of a towel. Use your toes to grab and pull the towel, curling
the toes under as you pull the towel towards you. This is
a terrific exercise for runners, or any athlete whose feet
withstand a lot of punishment.
* If you have a cold, or you feel one coming
on, it won't hurt to exercise. As long as your symptoms are
"above the neck," keep exercising - but at a less
intense level. However, if your symptoms move "below
the neck" (cough, fever), it's best to rest until you're
feeling up to par.
* Hold your stretch. It takes time to safely
lengthen muscle tissue. Hold your stretches at least 30 seconds
- and up to a minute with a particularly tight muscle or problem
area. It's not surprising that you burn more calories when
you walk uphill than on level ground. But walking downhill
also uses significantly more energy than walking on flat terrain.
* Playing just one sport or performing only
one type of exercise is likely to strengthen certain muscles
at the expense of others, leaving some tendons and ligaments
weak and vulnerable. Vary your activities to prevent muscle
imbalance and injury.
* One out of every four sports injuries involves
the knee. Sudden change of intensity in your workout, working
out with worn or ill-fitting shoes, and weak quadriceps muscles
all contribute to knee injuries. Cycling and stairclimbing
are excellent ways to strengthen the quads.
* A sedentary lifestyle (being a couch potato)
is twice as likely to kill you as a high cholesterol level.
* Individuals who exercise regularly are less
likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure,
high cholesterol levels, osteoporosis, and certain forms of
cancer.
* Exercise makes you smart, too! In a recent
study, people who exercised regularly consistently outscored
a sedentary group in tests of mental abilities.
* Working out puts women in a better mood, say
researchers at Concordia University, Montreal. Over six weeks,
85 women completed mood surveys before and after exercise.
Working out put them in better humor. The research suggests
that the best, most naturalistic cure for depression is to
get active!
* Women who walk at least three hours a week
have a 40% lower risk of heart attack and stroke than sedentary
women.
* Fatigue, weakness, listlessness, sore muscles,
slow recovery, jitters, muscle cramps, indigestion, poor complexion,
constipation, even the blues can be the result of lack of
fluid intake. And thirst is a poor indicator of the body's
need for water. A general rule of thumb: Drink twice as much
water as it takes to quench your thirst.
The fitness tips were provided by Fitnesslink.com
(http://www.fitnesslink.com/),
a valuable resource for exercise and health.
********************** Cool Tools **********************
Dr. Koop.com Tools
The web site named after the venerable past
Surgeon General offers a variety of helpful tools for monitoring
your health and fitness. They include:
* Diabetes Type II Risk Calculator
* Cholesterol Reduction Calculator
* Body Mass Calculator
* Calories Burned Calculator
* Ideal Weight Calculator
* Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator
* Target Heart Rate Calculator
There are many more. Check it out at http://www.drkoop.com/tools/calculator/#
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