Workout Log 8/26/2013 CARDIO

Good morning! Yesterday was cardio day. It's really not that exciting to write about since I was just on a treadmill for about 30 minutes. (there's really only so much you can say about that). Big thanks to SpongeBob for making the 30 minutes a little more interesting:


SpongeBob Cardio

Anyway.

For my cardio my awesome coach has told me to make sure I keep my heart rate under 130 BPM. I tell people this and they look at me like I'm a crazy person. A big misconception is the harder and more intense the cardio is, the better. For me, this isn't the case. I do hard conditioning 2-3 times per week, which works my anaerobic system. Turns out, I have kind of been neglecting my aerobic system. By keeping my heart rate lower not only am I training my aerobic system, but I am also not putting stress on my body; therefore, it is training my heart and helping me recover!

A lot of you are probably thinking "isn't this the girl who gave up steady state cardio because of the negative effect it was having?" Yes, that's true. But I believe that most everything is good in moderation. Steady state cardio was having a negative effect on me back when I was overdoing it and spending 2+ hours a day running at a steady pace. It is very important to do some sort of cardiovascular training because really, who wants to be winded walking upstairs? Not me. Plus, by only doing high intensity cardio, not only am I still not expanding my aerobic capacity, but I am putting unnecessary stress on my body and slowing down the recovery process. Vicious cycle.

For those of you that are wondering, here is the difference between your aerobic and anaerobic systems: Aerobic means "with oxygen" and, thus, anaerobic means "without oxygen"
During aerobic exercises, oxygen is used to produces energy and during anaerobic exercises (high intensity) oxygen is not the energy source. Aerobic exercises are meant to be able to be sustained for long periods of time. Types of these exercises would be long distance running, biking, etc.

During anaerobic training, you will find your heart rate getting high very quickly and you will see that you cannot sustain the activity for nearly as long as the aerobic exercises. Anaerobic training doesn't use carbohydrates, but instead uses fat for energy. Anaerobic activities consist of sprinting, weight training, prowler pushes (anything you could not physically sustain for a long period of time)

It's important to find a balance with both types and find what works best for you. I think these extra 30 minutes will really do me good!

Also: If you are interested in having a program written for you by a fitness professional I am currently accepting new clients for my online training program! If you are interested in learning more about it feel free to shoot me an email: joanicorbin@gmail.com

Have a fantastic day! Anaerobic exercise, anyone?