We have all done it, you have probably been ordered to do
it by your coach, you'll probably want to do it to lose
some weight... But is jogging really the answer to your
training needs.
I mean, will going for a jog solve your lack of endurance
in a game of squash, rugby, football or golf?
Are you lumping around more body fat around the court than
you absolutely have too so you feel that a jog around the
block will make this go away...
What I write over the next page or so will probably annoy
you, you may even flat out disagree with me. All I ask is
that you keep an open mind.
Some 40 or so years ago, a man Mr K Cooper invented the
world of aerobics and ever since, we have been "shackled"
to the concept of effective training involving an hour long
bout of aerobic training, normally in the form of a jog,
cycling down the street, or attending a fitness class.
However this form of training has been long since proven to
NOT be the most effective method for most sports AND, more
importantly, NOT an effective fat loss tool either.
How has this form of training managed to remain the
foremost practised workout in the world? Whilst my
sceptical head has many theories on this, the purpose of
this article is not to disprove the aerobic method, but to
provide you with reasons to try something else instead.
I could bore you with many studies that prove that Interval
based training principles and resistance style workouts are
better for your sports training needs, but instead I want
to appeal to your common sense.
Unless your chosen sport is purely endurance based, such as
marathon running, triathlon, long distance cycling or cross
country skiing then you need to look at the how you
challenge your body when you are "playing" your game?
Even an endurance based sport demands a different look for
optimum training plans, but that is for another article!
Most sports require short bursts of effort interspersed
with periods of rest. The ability for your body to handle
these efforts is based on the ability for your muscles to
recover effectively ready for the next effort. Think of the
short sprint to reach a long ball, darting across the
squash court, or rushing at an opponent to make a tackle.
Most sports require a level of strength exerted over a
short period of time, ie. POWER. Think of a tennis stoke,
golf swing, a leap or a quick start.
Most sports require a flexibility and at the same time a
stability of your joints to execute a controlled movement.
Think a kick of a ball, striking a ball with a bat, or
throwing an object.
Now tell me how spending most of your training time doing a
low intensity, aerobic style workout like that of jogging
or an hour on an exercise bike is going to help you develop
a better body for sport?
This style of workout that has been shown to restrict
mobility, increase your chances of repetitive strain
injuries and breaks down muscle tissue in order to retain
your body's natural homeostasis.
Armed with a little knowledge and a helping of common
sense, you can see that doing your "usual" workout may not
be optimum for you or your sport! I also mentioned at the
start that this style of training is not that effective for
fat loss either! The only study I will cite in this article
demonstrates that an interval based training plan has be
shown to be NINE times more effective for fat loss than
doing long slow steady state workouts such as jogging, or
working out on an exercise bike for an hour or more!
Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal
muscle metabolism. Tremblay A, Simoneau JA, Bouchard C.
Physical Activity Sciences Laboratory, Laval University,
Ste-Foy, Quebec, Canada.
So what should you be doing for your sports training?
Well simple really, take a look at the demands your sport
has on the body...
Is it short sprints, then go out and train for short
sprints...
Is it dynamic, powerful movements whilst on your feet, then
train to make dynamic, powerful movements whilst on your
feet (that means stay away from the machines, and pick up a
dumbbell or two!)
Is it jumping, first step quickness, changes of direction,
flexibility, stability, strength, power?
You see what I am getting at?
Most of us never need to do aerobic style training, whilst
to some this will come as a relief, you may still be
resisting this paradigm shift. What I propose is such a
fundamental shift in over 40 years of training folk lore
that it is easy to dismiss such a simplistic concept.
Sabine is a keen skier, water in the summer, snow in the
winter. Since changing her training approach from that of
endurance athlete to that of power and strength, her
sporting performance has taken a dramatic turn for the
better, what's more her body fat percentage dropped to
below 20%. Her workouts never last more than 45 minutes and
has not done a single aerobic workout since the change.
Whilst every sport is different, it is important to note
that the basic requirements of "most" sports requires a
very different model of training than that which is
normally adopted. Before heading out for your next workout,
take a close look at the demands of your sport and ask
yourself honestly if the jog you are about to do is going
to make a difference? Or are you just doing it because that
is what you have always done...
----------------------------------------------------
Tim Goodwin is a fitness professional specializing in help
the busiest people achieve more with their amateur sporting
interests, and at the same time ridding them of excess body
fat. Visit http://www.corporateathletehandbook.com to get a
free 18 page report "How to lose weight even when you are
really busy" containing a full 4 week program which you can
start today!
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