In order for you to achieve your training and performance goals, it is of the utmost importance that you outline a strategic training plan—and stick to it! Each workout has a purpose and plays a key role in helping you to achieve your desired results. Below are several training goals that can help guide your workouts and schedule.
These workouts are what teach your body to push through fatigue and achieve longer distances. It might surprise you to learn that these endurance training workouts are most effective when your body has already been fatigued. For instance, a slow run on Sunday, when you’re running on tired legs from Saturday’s long bike ride, is a very productive endurance workout.
Speed- or strength-oriented training sessions will be shorter sessions designed to develop your ability to push hard for short periods. For this type of workout, it is best to be rested so that you can generate enough intensity to make it productive. When you’re too tired, the difference between the work (interval) and rest (recovery) isn’t great enough to have the desired training effect. Therefore, this workout should be put into the schedule after a recovery day.
The purpose of a technique-focused workout is to teach you to use proper form, which allows your body to remain more efficient as you grow more fatigued during performance. The biggest part of the workout will be drills and, since the objective is to maintain efficiency when tired, this workout can be done when you’re not feeling at your best, perhaps after an intense training day. It may be more difficult with a tired body, but it’ll be productive if you are committed to it and remain focused on the objective throughout your workout.
A recovery workout can be thought of as "active rest.” These workouts are designed to prepare you for your next big workout, allowing your muscles to rest and recover, but not long enough that they become disengaged. While it may seem simple to achieve a successful “rest,” it’s the easiest workout to do incorrectly. Don’t push yourself too far during your scheduled rest periods; allow your body the time it needs to repair itself and perform even better in your next intensive workout. For these recovery days, consider taking a nice walk or a leisurely bike ride. The idea is not to lay on the couch immobile, but to engage your muscles without overexertion.
“The role of amino acids goes beyond building blocks—they are essential for the synthesis of proteins, enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, metabolic pathways, mental stabilization, and just about every function that takes place within the human body,” notes world-class triathlete and human performance expert, Ben Greenfield.
Adds Greenfield: “If all eight essential amino acids are present, muscle repair and recovery can start before you’re even done with your workout—and when you’re mentally stretched toward the end of a tough workout, game or race, high blood levels of amino acids [. . .] can allow the body and brain to continue to work hard instead of shutting down.”
So it makes sense, then, that incorporating an amino acid supplement into your regimen can help boost the effectiveness of your recovery process, assist with healing from an injury and power your workouts. BodyHealth’s PerfectAmino™ contains the eight essential amino acids the body needs to support and maintain its muscular, skeletal, enzymatic, and hormonal systems. The essential amino acids in PerfectAmino are in the exact proportions needed for maximum utilization by the body. PerfectAmino is 99% utilized by the body to make the protein you need to stay healthy and active.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
The importance of having a well-functioning and healthy immune system has become increasingly obvious in recent times.
Sadly, everyone seems to have a different answer as to how you should go about strengthening your immune system. When you go to your local health and wellness shop, you might see twenty or thirty products that tout their “immune boosting” powers. An Amazon search reveals thousands of results.
Well, we’re here to tell you about an effective and ancient remedy that has been in use for over two thousand years: the red reishi mushroom.
We’ve all heard about all the negative effects of stress and the modern lifestyle.
We’re all rushing around, overworked, in a constant state of fight-or-flight and it has disastrous effects on our health.
But what if “stress” wasn’t the real problem?
What if our bodies knew exactly how to cope with the intensity of modern life… if we just gave the body what it needed to thrive?
And the key may be one little mineral.
I hope this finds you healthy and able to still get outside (or inside) for a daily run during this trying time of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of us are grieving several losses including race cancellations. Though it's a bummer, I want you to know that your hard-earned training is far from wasted.
Those miles are in your legs and all kinds of wonderful benefits have occurred including the addition of mitochondria, adding new capillary beds for increased blood flow, and strengthening the heart muscle for future training.
As athletes, it's important for us to be proactive in maintaining a strong immune system. We're not only doing this for our own prevention but also our loved ones that we spend time with.
Read on for 5 tips to consider as you seek to stay healthy.
