Training is a plan of action, a concept. We will look into the energy pathways which must be addressed. Training improves health. We will look at the relationship between cardio-vascular training and strength training. The coordination of these factors is of importance whilst realizing goals. We will look at the difference between training and exercise. We will develop your concept of training to allow greater return on your invested time and effort. Cycling all three energy pathways is important in making systems perform optimally.
To plan, to plot, to train, is to craft a framework. In building a house we must first build a foundation. Once the foundation is sound we continue building this framework until each section is refined. If there is a sinkhole we must fix the hole before we finish the master bedroom. Training lives on a timeline. There are short, medium, and long energy pathways allowing different durations of work. Athletes depend on energy. This energy is manufactured. ATP/CP athletes, glycolytic athletes, and oxidative athletes focus training differently. Cycling and periodization are methods used to organize these energy pathways. If a short term goal is not met we need to adjust our plan(s) and take different action(s). We must set goals. Difficult yet attainable goals. We must define our variables. The Soviets did the best scientific research on this and my recommendations are part of the Dynamic Fitness library, http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com/sportivny/library/rwl.htm …or, EliteFTS… http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?cid=222. Craft a multi-year plan, A Program of Multi-Year Training in Weightlifting.
There are three energy pathways which must be addressed in training. Managing these energy pathways is important to healthy living and training harmoniously. Strength is health.
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ATP/CP
pathway
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Glycolytic
pathway
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Oxidative
pathway
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is fuel our cells use. We store ATP intramuscularly and reproduce it as well. Nutritional considerations must be managed. ATP/CP energy pathway athletes spend their careers in a time-frame less than 2 seconds in duration. Glycolytic energy pathway athletes endure durations between 2 seconds and twenty minutes. Oxidative energy pathway athletes live in durations greater than twenty minute bouts. All three energy pathways are dedicated to providing sufficient ATP as it is our muscular fuel. Simply put, biochemistry cleaves a phosphate from adenosine triphosphate. When this bond is broken energy is liberated. This liberated energy drives movement and survival at the most basic level. This fracture is the only functional energy. Training goals determine how we train for optimal energy production. We then have a free creatine phosphate (CP) and free adenosine diphosphate (ADP). Recoupling takes fractions of a second in trained individuals; depending on the removal of waste and other factors. This energy does not last long. We store ATP in our cells in very limited capacities. Food supplement companies would have us believing additional CP, creatine monohydrate, will help us recouple more fuel and perform better http://men.webmd.com/creatine. Athletes interested in short duration energy production should study this topic further. Strength and power athletes benefit most from a thorough understanding of this energy pathway. ATP/CP athletes can train hard longer while using this food supplement properly. Any single, or triple, effort does not require stored CP to perform better. Train the ability to reproduce ATP with interval training, strength endurance work, and contrast methods. The nature of powerful musculatures is other than time extensive. World records are set in less than two seconds. No athlete with elementary attention to nutrition needs this supplement unless longer training sessions are done. I recommend training more frequently and with shorter durations in season. Off season, six months before the primary competition of the year, is staging for these types of cycles. It will take a number of months for super-compensation to occur. Recovery is important. Creatine monohydrate supplements this energy supply. Another benefit is added intramuscular fluid (functional weight) which if used properly can be the difference between gold and silver medals. Considerable research has been conducted on this food supplement with regard to sports performance. It works if we consider wants and needs (goals). Energy output is high per unit of time for ATP/CP athletes.
The glycolytic energy pathway lasts from >2 seconds to <20 minutes. Muscle building work is done in this pathway. Sprinters, bodybuilders, and linemen in American football all benefit from medium-term ATP production and weight gain to a degree. We store glycogen in our liver and muscles. Free in the blood stream it is glucose. In the liver, gluconeogenesis, feeds the brain glucose. Maintaining blood glucose, brain fuel, serves higher functioning. We burn glycogen to nourish the intramuscular production of ATP through glycolysis. This process is insulin and insulin like factors dependent. At rest the muscles utilize insulin. During training IGF takes this role and allow human growth hormone to serve in preservative fashion subsequently. People with diabetes must give training nutrition, and blood glucose, forethought. During glycolysis ATP is produced. Energy output is intermediate per unit of time for glycolytic athletes.
Once glycogen, glucose, and stored ATP/CP are depleted we start using oxygen and fat to produce ATP. This is the oxidative energy pathway. We burn fat doing cardio is accurate. The electron transport chain takes place in the mitochondria, red muscle fibers. If this component is missing your sport is of a much shorter duration. Energy output is low per unit of time for endurance athletes.
Strength athletes need long duration fitness to recover from practice and competition. Endurance athletes need strength to move more powerfully. All athletes need to train for all three energy pathways. Be careful with adding muscle if you are in a weight class. Strength athletes be careful with endurance work. Endurance athletes be careful with a lot of strength work close to competitions.
Americans are overweight. There is a huge influx of metabolic training these days. Just as with the running craze in the ’70s we need to maintain our perspective. We will do what comes easy. This is human nature. Athletes must constantly assess. With assessment comes knowledge. If my VO2 max is 60 I need to get this number up to run marathons. If the VO2 is 75 and I want to get faster strength is my key to success. Muscle is metabolism. Add muscle and add metabolism. Doing thirty reps per set is an invitation to injury just as doing a maximum lift every set would be. Do things correctly and avoid injury. Metabolism is relative to your sport.
“Exercise is bad for us! Training causes explicit changes.” I had a professor in college tell us this. Exercise is acute. Training is chronic. All being told this means exercise is only stress. There is not enough information to cause an adaptive change. We must systematically apply stress, over time, and make the organism adapt permanently. Train your body. Doing exercise is better than nothing, but only barely.
Training is a systematic application of stresses designed to cause a permanent change in both anatomy and physiology. We address health by maintaining balance amongst the systems. We train in all energy pathways. We train in a wide variety of intensities, planes of movement, and tempo of movement. Training is holistic. Do what you love and what you hate and your development will be more complete. Most of you claim to understand this yet your practice is in line with human nature rather than training.
Get stronger, it serves everything else! docgym@live.com
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