Proper Hydration for Exercise
hydration, water, sports drinks, workout intensity
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What and when athletes drink depends upon exercise duration and intensity
Water is the most essential ingredient to a healthy life. Water has many important functions in the body including:
Transportation of nutrients / elimination of waste products.
Lubricating joints and tissues.
Temperature regulation through sweating.
Facilitating digestion.
Importance of Water During Exercise
Proper hydration is especially important during exercise. Adequate fluid intake for athletes is essential to comfort, performance and safety. The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to drink the right kind of fluids.
Dehydration
Athletes need to stay hydrated for optimal performance. Studies have found that a loss of two or more percent of one's body weight due to sweating is linked to a drop in blood volume.
When this occurs, the heart works harder to move blood through the bloodstream. This can also cause muscle cramps, dizziness and fatigue and even heat illness including:
Heat Exhaustion
Heat Stroke
Causes of Dehydration
Inadequate fluid intake
Excessive sweating
Failure to replace fluid losses during and after exercise
Exercising in dry, hot weather
Drinking only when thirsty
Hyponatremia - Water Intoxication
Although rare, recreational exercisers are also at risk of drinking too much water and suffering from hyponatremia or water intoxication. Clearly, drinking the right amount of the right fluids is critical for performance and safety while exercising.
Adequate Fluid Intake for for Athletes
Because there is wide variability in sweat rates, losses and hydration levels of individuals, it is nearly impossible to provide specific recommendations or guidelines about the type or amount of fluids athletes should consume.
Finding the right amount of... read entire entry
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on 4/1/2008
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2 |
12.5
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Secrets to Building Workout Intensity
workout, pain, muscle fatigue, intensity, mental preparation
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Secret #1 Apply intensity with success
Working out with intensity is a process. You can't simply decide to go for it; you have to build up to full intensity by first developing the physical skills and strength needed.
Intensity is the application of maximum physical effort systematically applied to a technically developed motor skill. This means you must be experienced in a technique before intensity is applied. For example, if you're inexperienced at weight lifting but attempt a maximum deadlift with bad form, you risk injury. However, performing a maximum deadlift with expert skill and good form can actually help prevent training accidents.
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Secret #2: Going for the Gold
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Before you can be the best that you can be, you must first master the physical discomfort associated with intense physical activity. "No pain, no gain" refers to the mental development of pain tolerance to push your muscular endurance to the absolute limits of failure - thereby stimulating muscle growth.
Strength and endurance athletes use such terms as "pushing it to the limit", "to the max", and "hitting the wall" to describe these upper limits of performance. However, these don't imply reckless and dangerous techniques for maximum performance at any cost. Just the opposite. With regard to exercise, the terms refer to the skilled use of weight training techniques systematically applied to a working muscle group sufficient to cause temporary failure - without causing muscular injury. Therefore, you need to distinguish muscle burn and muscle fatigue from the pain of injury.
The burn from muscle fatigue subsides within 20-30 seconds, whereas injury pain is pronounced, sharp and continuous. Know your p... read entire entry
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on 4/1/2008
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0 |
3.7
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Building Your Best Body - The Intensity Factor
exercise, lifting, reps, effort, intensity
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Ever feel like all the work you put into attaining your 'best body' just is not cutting it? Here you are dragging yourself to the gym, running on the treadmill, slaving away with dumbbells, barbells and machines that resemble some sort of medieval torture device and none of it is working. You can't seem to lose any more body-fat, build any more muscle or increase your strength beyond what it's been for the past few years.
You ask yourself, "how could this be, I train hard...don't I?" How hard--or more appropriately--how intensely you exercise, is the biggest determinant of your success. If you are truly training hard (intensely) then you will, without question see some substantial improvements in your physique, your strength and the way you feel. The trouble is most people measure 'how hard' they are training by 'how much' work they are performing.
Just because you exercises 6 days a week for an hour and a half each time does not necessarily mean you are training hard. In fact if training this much or something close to this much you are probably not training hard at all.
Intensity (as defined by the International Association of Resistance Trainers) is" the possible percentage of momentary muscular and volitional effort exerted." Basically, intensity refers to how strenuous an exercise is at any given moment during a set.
The only problem is that a person's percentage of effort can only be measured accurately at two specific moments. When they are exerting no effort at all (zero) or when they are exerting all their effort (one-hundred percent). A person's intensity is at one-hundred percent when they've reached momentary muscular failure or fatigue. This is when another repetition can not be completed through its full range of motion and with good form despite all of the physical and mental effort the person puts forth.
It should be noted that it is not known precisely how much intensity is actually r... read entire entry
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on 3/29/2008
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0 |
8.3
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Fitness Do's Don'ts
healthy habits, moderation, variety, intensity, hydration
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Whether you're just beginning your quest toward becoming fit or have been exercising for as long as you can remember, these useful hints can help you develop and maintain healthy exercise habits and minimize your risk of injury.
DO Start Off Moderately
Work your way into a routine. Going overboard after a long respite from exercise may result in injury, or at least disappointment.
DON'T Over-Exercise
For maximum benefit at minimum injury risk, the body needs to rest and recover. At least a 24-hour rest after heavy muscle strain is advised. Stagger workouts between heavy and light strain. For example, you can alternate a weight training routine with biking.
DO Warm Up and Cool Down
A low-impact warm-up before any exercise is essential. It warms the muscles, makes them more limber and easier to stretch, which results in a better workout. It also helps to prevent injury. Cooling down after exercising is also important as it relaxes the muscles, lowers the heart rate, and helps the body to recover from the stress of a workout. It'll make you feel better immediately after the workout, and the next morning.
DO Stretch
Flexibility is one of the most important factors of fitness. Stretching before, during and after a workout will result in better performance, good posture, fewer injuries, and overall better fitness.
DON'T Push an Injury
Listen to your body. If you feel pain, stop. Muscle and joint pain can mean many things -- pushing a small hurt can lead to big problems later on. If pain persists more than a few days, see a doctor.
DO Consult a Trainer
If you belong to a gym, you may have the opportunity to consult a certified trainer. He or she can help you craft a reasonable workout plan, tailored for your goals. A trainer can also teach proper form with exercise equipment. Even if you are experienced, bad habits can be developed.
read entire entry
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on 3/24/2008
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5.7
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