6/21/2010

Strength & Conditioning Myths - Debunked! Part 2 (cont.)

Now that you know that steady state cardio isn't the be-all, end-all of fat loss, I'll explain how you can use high intensity metabolic conditioning to build the body you've always wanted.

What is high intensity metabolic conditioning?

High intensity metabolic conditioning (HIMC) is a type of training that uses short bursts of hard work followed by a period of less intense work or even complete rest.  The goal of this is to create a large oxygen debt, which is just a fancy way of saying it will make you feel like your lungs are going to explode.

When you create a significant oxygen debt, your body has to work very hard to return to homeostasis.  In other words, your body wants to get back to normal, and FAST!

In order to reach homeostasis, your heart speeds up, your breathing becomes faster and deeper, and your metabolism gets cranked to 11.   Studies (I'm not going to cite them, but there are several) have shown that metabolism remains elevated for up to 38 hours after exercise!

The term that the studies use is Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption, or EPOC for short.  This just means that after you are done training, your body is still consuming oxygen at an increased rate in order to get rid of its oxygen debt.

There are other factors at work as well during EPOC, like muscular waste product excretion, muscle repair, hormone secretion, etc, but the important, take-home point is that HIMC will elevate your metabolism for several hours after you exercise.  The result is an increase in fat loss when compared to steady state aerobic exercise, even though you might burn only half as many calories during the workout.

OK, so you might be thinking, "Gee, if HIMC is so great, then why doesn't everyone do it?"

A lot of people still associate aerobic exercise with fat loss, so being misinformed is probably one of the most important reasons, which is why I'm writing this.

But, another reason more people don't do HIMC is because it is damned hard work.  You can't read a magazine while you're pushing the Prowler.  You can't BS with your friends about your day while you're sprinting hills or churning out burpees.  When you're struggling to catch your breath, the only thing you can focus on is breathing.


 This is not hard work.

As anyone who has ever experienced a HIMC training session can tell you, having a large oxygen debt is not a comfortable feeling.  You will sweat.  Your muscles will burn.  You might even feel a little nauseous.  These are all signs that you are pushing your body to do what YOU want it to do instead of what it wants to do.  This is a good thing.

 Did I mention you'll sweat?


What does a HIMC training session look like?


The simplest form of HIMC involves two things:  you, and a big hill.  Hill sprints are great because you don't need any special equipment, you don't have to learn any fancy techniques, and you don't have to worry about how long to do them because you will know when you're done.  Simple, but not easy.


Start off slowly, especially if you haven't done any running in a long time.  I suggest warming up by slowly trotting up the hill a few times and walking back down.  If you are in really poor shape, you will probably notice that this is already fairly difficult.


After you feel warm, briefly stretch your hamstrings, quadriceps, adductors (groin), and calves for 20-30 seconds each.  Although you are less likely to strain or pull a muscle doing hill sprints than you are sprinting on a flat surface, it is always better to be safe than sorry.  So don't skip the stretching!

After stretching, you're ready to go.

Run up the hill.

Walk back down (this is your rest period).


Repeat.


That's it.


You may have noticed that I didn't give any recommendations on how far up the hill you should sprint, or how many times you should repeat.  This is one of the great things about hill sprints:  IT DOESN'T MATTER!

It doesn't matter if your hill is 40 yds long or 100.  The longer the hill is, the more rest you'll get on the way back down, and the fewer trips you'll end up taking.

You wouldn't need many trips up this hill...




The key here is to try to do at least one more trip up the hill every time you do it.  So start off slow and gradually build up.  The important thing is to put everything you have into each sprint.  You'll get as much out of it as you put in, so make sure you run as fast as you can!


Do this twice a week for one month and I guarantee you'll look and feel a lot better than you do now!


Hill sprints are not the only form of HIMC available.  I will talk about other methods of ramping up your body's fat burning furnace in future articles.


But, for now, go out and run some hills!

GET SOME!

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