Happy Sunday!
I had a good convo this week with a client about aerobic
based activities so I want to share it with you all. Aerobic based activities are workouts that elevate your heart rate. Think - running on a treadmill, peloton, being on a rower, going on a stair master and yes, going to an Orange Theory, F45, Bootcamp or High Intensity type class. Those are ALL aerobic based activities. Yes... even if you use weights in your classes, it's still aerobic.
Here's why...
Our body operates by using different energy systems depending on what
type of stress and strain we are putting on our body. The type of energy system thats used is dictated by the type of work - we have four energy systems that our body can use. One system is always going to be dominate but we can share usage across energy systems depending, again, on the type of stress we are putting on our body. The system used is dependent on how long the work load is and how intense the workload is. Then, our body will use the
necessary "energy" to help feed those systems. The types of energy systems usually look like this below:
Work times and type of activity:
0-10 sec. = creatine phosphate system - power exercises
10-30 sec. = anaerobic system - HIIT exercises
30 sec.-3 min = anaerobic/aerobic system - HIIT + longer duration
3 min + = aerobic system - longer duration
HIIT or Bootcamp style classes like Orange Theory and F45 will aways fall under the first 3 energy systems. Many of the movements in those classes are for time - usually around 30 seconds to a minute. During this time, your body is working SOO damn hard so it needs immediate sources of energy. These immediate sources of energy come from ATP and glucose - think
things like sugar and carbs. If we do not have these immediate sources of energy available, our body is going to try to find whatever is the fastest to breakdown and use for energy. That would come from amino acids or in simple terms, your muscle...which is naht good!
Here's a good explanation of Amino Acids right from the google machine:
"While not a primary energy source like carbohydrates or fats, amino acids can be broken down
for energy, particularly during periods of prolonged exercise or when carbohydrate intake is low. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) like leucine, isoleucine, and valine, can be used for muscle energy during exercise".
SO..when you're wicked tired during those HIIT classes, your body is not and can not burn fat. Yes, even if you are huffing and puffing and sweating like crazy. The workload you are demanding on your body is way too intense to burn enough fat, it needs quick sources of energy from sugar and carbs. Which is why we need to eat those things if we plan to do some HIIT activities or a class. Carbs are not an enemy, they provide us with
fuel for things like this when used strategically! If we don't give our body enough energy from outside sources, it's going to pull directly from our muscles...which is what we DON'T want!
ANYWAYS... I want you all to think of cardio
sessions as improving your aerobic capacity and not "oh I'm gonna burn so much fat right now" because thats not how the body works. These are some adaptions when we perform aerobic training and do HIIT classes:
- Increased capillary density
- Increase the body's ability to transport and use oxygen to generate energy
- Stroke volume
- Endurance capacity
- If you cycle, you'll get better at cycling. If you run, you'll get better at running. If you elliptical, you'll get better at elliptical-ing...get it?
We want to keep our strength training sessions separate from our aerobic sessions. This will
allow our body to develop both of these systems well when they are spaced evenly apart during the week. We definitely can do both types of exercises, but, if you are looking to build muscle, retain it, and get stronger, then we want to focus the majority of our workout sessions on strength training and progressive overload.
HIIT classes are great 1-2 times per week or if you're someone who is happy with their physique and where they are at. But, the majority of you aren't so please, prioritize strength training always👍🏻.
Great research article HERE if you want some science on adaptations to aerobic training.
