Effects of Alcohol on Training

So I'm sure many of us had an Alcoholic beverage this weekend.
Want to know whether is effects your training in any sort of way?

Alcohol, or ethyl alcohol (ethanol), refers to the intoxicating ingredient found in wine, beer and hard liquor. Alcohol arises naturally from carbohydrates when certain micro-organisms metabolize them in the absence of oxygen, called fermentation

Alcohol is metabolized extremely quickly by the body. Unlike foods, which require time for digestion, alcohol needs no digestion and is quickly absorbed.
From a trainer's perspective excessive alcohol consumption can drastically increase our calorie intake, create blood sugar irregularities, and tilt our hormones to a more fat-storing, muscle-losing environment.

Once alcohol reaches the stomach, it begins to break down with the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme. This process reduces the amount of alcohol entering the blood by approximately 20%. (Women produce less of this enzyme, which may help to partially explain why women become more intoxicated on less alcohol than men.). In addition, about 10% of the alcohol is expelled in the breath and urine.
Not only is it easy to consume too many excess calories when drinking alcohol; alcohol also puts the body in a state not conducive for fat burning and muscle building. Alcohol intake spikes insulin levels (which can lead to fat storage), and then can quickly drop a person into a hypoglycemic state where they continue to crave sugary drinks and junk food.

Alcohol will also leave you with more muscle soreness after exercise making recuperation periods longer. Alcohol causes a release of insulin that will increase the metabolism of glycogen, thereby sparing fat making fat loss more difficult.
Because alcohol also can interfere with the absorption of many nutrients, you can become anemic and deficient in the B vitamins. Since your liver is the organ that detoxifies alcohol, the more you drink, the harder you liver has to work and the extra stress can damage and even destroy some liver cells.
If you must consume alcohol, do so in moderation and never consume alcohol right before exercise as this will impair your balance, coordination and judgment.

To sum it up a bit: Alcohol in moderation is okay. Although if your goal is to lose weight, cutting out alcohol would be more beneficial for reaching your goal. Also if you are wanting to increase your muscular size, alcohol would also be a detriment to your goal. Further, your endurance fitness levels decrease.

In conclusion, a drink or 2 would be fine, but if you are serious about your goals, dont drink!

References:
http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/3545/1/How-Does-Alcohol-Affect-Exercise.html
(http://www.south-florida-personal-trainer.com/alcohol-fitness.html).
http://www.healthchecksystems.com/alcohol.htm

2 Oceans Preparations

The 2 Oceans is right around the corner and it is vital to prepare correctly for sufficient energy supply and minimal lactate accumelation (When your body makes lactic acid, it splits into lactate ion (lactate) and hydrogen ion. Hydrogen ion is the acid in lactic acid. It interferes with electrical signals in your muscles and nerves, slows energy reactions, and impairs muscle contractions. The burn you feel in intense exercise is caused by hydrogen ion buildup.)

Thus said, our body obtains energy from glygen stores within the muscles (we eat glucose and we store it in glycogen stores, either in the muscles or the liver).
When we exercise for long periods of time, often our glycogen stores in our muscles become low and the majority of our energy is gained from liver glycogen and then our fat stores through a process called lipolysis.

Lipolysis is a slow process and therefore we cannot rely to much on those stores and therefore need to restore our glycogen stores to their full potential to allow faster muscle reaction times.

From http://www.marathontraining.com/marathon/m_longr.html i gained simple helpful ways to increase your potential on the running day.

1. Get atleast 8 hours sleep the night before
2. Rest fully two days before the run or if you do want to go for a run, it must be a light run.
3. Hydrate- drinking water only when you are thirsty (too much water can also be fatal). A good combination drink between water and juice is energade or powerade.
4. Eat foods with low fat and high in good carbohydrates. Such as pastas.
5. Stretch
6. Wear comfortable, non-chaffing clothes, often vasoline would help prevent me from chaffing in my arm crease and between my legs. PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE!!!
7. Stay loose by shaking out your arms and shoulders regularly
8. Maintain a regular pace
9. Use imagery, mental rehearsal/visualization, and self-talk to develop mental toughness.
10. Keep your head up, never stop, ALWAYS keep moving forward!

Hope this was a little helpful :)
GOODLUCK AND MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

Speed and agility

My goal this week is to expand my knowledge further with speed and agility training, especially involving a rugby player.



This is what I have come up with- HOPE YOU FIND IT INTERESTING! :-)

Frederick Claro stated that a fast running speed would involve sprinting a distance in the shortest time possible.

Agility is the ability to rapidly change directions without the loss of speed, balance, or body control (Craig BW (2004) what is the scientific basis of speed and agility. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 26(3), 13-14.).



Of course, everyone is an individual and therefore for me, it is my challenge to increase your sprinting speed as well as combine your agility skills in order to create the best outcome individually possible within your sporting field.
The human body is fascinating containing 3 types of muscle tissue. I gathered good explanations for this discussion from: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/muscle-and-muscle-fibers.html.

The first being Cardiac Muscle Tissue- It is striated and forms the bulk of the Heart muscle. It is involuntary, meaning the muscle contracts unconsciously.

The second type is smooth muscle tissue- Smooth muscle tissue is located in the walls of hollow structures such as blood vessels, the stomach, intestines, and the bladder. Smooth muscle fibers are usually involuntary, and they are non-striated. Smooth muscle tissue, like skeletal and cardiac muscle tissue, can undergo hypertrophy (growth).

The last muscle type and the one I will discuss further is skeletal muscle. “Skeletal muscle tissue is attached to our bones. It is striated; that is, the fibers (cells) contain alternating light and dark bands (striations) that are perpendicular to the long axes of the fibers. Skeletal muscle tissue can be made to contract or relax voluntary (consciously).

All skeletal muscle fibers are not alike in structure or function. For example, skeletal muscle fibers vary in colour depending on their content of Myoglobin (Myoglobin is found in muscle tissue, where it binds oxygen, helping to provide extra oxygen to release energy to power muscular contractions.) Skeletal muscle fibers contract with different velocities, depending on their ability to split Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). Faster contracting fibers have greater ability to split ATP. In addition, skeletal muscle fibers vary with respect to the metabolic processes they use to generate ATP. They also differ in terms of the onset of fatigue. On the basis of various structural and functional characteristics, skeletal muscle fibers are classified into three types: Type I fibers, Type II B fibers and type II A fibers.”

Characteristics of Different Muscle Fibers Fibre Type Type I fibers Type II A fibers Type II B Type fibers Contraction time Slow Fast Very Fast Size of motor neuron Small Large Very Large Resistance to fatigue High Intermediate Low Activity Used for Aerobic Long term anaerobic Short term anaerobic Force production Low High Very High Mitochondrial density High High Low Capillary density High Intermediate Low Oxidative capacity High High Low Glycolytic capacity Low Low High Major storage fuel Triglycerides Glycogen Creatine Phosphate. Metabolic System Used Aerobic System Anaerobic-oxidative System Anaerobic: ATP-PC System

So from the above knowledge, it is of no surprise that the primary muscle fibres we want to focus on is the fast-twitch fibres, type II A and type II B. Predominantly focusing on Type II B for sprinting and agility, because the contraction time is very fast and there is a predominant ATP-PC system used for fast energy supply.

Concerning the rugby aspects of things, it is of course the most obvious that the wing gains the greatest amount of ground over a short period of time. The least expected to achieve this goal would be the hooker. However the forwards have a big task of constantly clearing the ruck and moving from a squatted position or the floor to a standing position moving through forward momentum during the running game.

Most of us all know the basic necessary components for all the players a rugby team.

But the vast differences in weight, height, muscle fibre type and lastly mobility can be challenges to their fitness goals.

Expanding on the above thought, here are a few speed and agility exercises:

Exercising after a mascectomy

A client asked about exercising after a mascectomy. I researched it and found the best explanation for recovery and rehabilitation:

 

• Undergoing a mastectomy, or removing one or both breasts, is a big challenge for women. It is a painful process not only physically, as well as psychologically. A patient may feel withdrawn and think that she’s not complete anymore. However, with proper rehabilitation and support of family members and friends, these problems can be overcome. (http://www.rehabilitationtoday.com/news/23-rehabilitation-program-after-a-mastectomy.html).

 

Implant Reconstruction: After implant reconstruction, avoid overhead arm motions until well after the implant has settled into a satisfactory shape and placement. Refrain from performing exercises that involve pushing motions (e.g. Chest Presses) or excessive pulling motions. Be certain to receive full clearance from your surgeon.

 

Safety: When blood counts are low, exercise gently and slowly to avoid bruising, weakness, and fatigue. During this time the safest, most beneficial forms of exercise are moderate walking/stationary biking to prevent muscle atrophy and deconditioning.

 

Quality Over Quantity: The quality of an exercise is far more valuable than the quantity. Performing 5 repetitions of a specifically designed movement with perfect form will provide more benefits than performing 15 repetitions inefficiently.

 

Tram Flap Abs: Approximately 10 weeks after Tram Flap reconstruction, perform gentle, specifically designed abdominal and lower back exercises with guidance from physicians and physical therapists. To support the lower back and abdominals during floor exercises, place a thinly rolled towel horizontally under the tailbone and lower buttocks. This will help stabilize the spine and allow for a mild contraction of lower abdominals.

 

Exercise Gear: Wear activity-appropriate sneakers for exercising. Do not wear shoes with thin, smooth, or unevenly worn soles. Athletic sneakers with good arch support and an even tread on the sole provide stability and safety for all types of exercise.
(http://www.stayingabreast.com/site/browse/tips.htm)

 

• Periodization is the long-term chronological planning of a conditioning program. It is based on the physiological principles of exercise program design and the incremental segments of time.

Phases 1 - 4 are formatted chronologically. The NON-CHRONOLOGICAL sections, which may be performed at appropriate stages of healing, are: Upper Body and Lower Body Stretches; Beyond Phase 4 (Abdominals, Spinal Stabilization, Lower Extremities, Adjuvant Treatments); and lastly, Above and Beyond, an interval training workout that combines aerobic/strength training to increase endurance, elevate the metabolism, and improve body composition, bone density, and muscle tone.

 

Timing of the various phases is dependent upon: the physical condition of the individual; duration of the healing process; type of surgery; courses of adjuvant treatments; and recommendations from physicians, nurses and physical therapists. Variables (e.g., low blood counts due to radiation or chemotherapy) may exist that will effect particular exercise choices at a given time. Physician approval is imperative.

 

Phase 1: Immediately post-surgery: Basic exercises to be performed soon after surgery to prevent swelling and tightness, to relieve pain and tension, and to promote physical and emotional healing. Towel or dowel-stick may be used for stretching and basic strengthening exercises upon recommendation of physician. Perform a few repetitions of selected exercises slowly and gently 2 - 3 times per day. Deep-breathing exercises are beneficial for relieving pain and tension.

Phase 2: Up to 6 weeks post-surgery: low, controlled movements focusing on the upper body to help prevent weakness and inflexibility. Deep-breathing exercises are important for pain-control, relaxation, and to relieve tightness in the chest and back. Frequent, slow walks will help increase endurance and prevent muscle atrophy. (Exercise on right is from Phase 3.) Phase 3: 6 - 10 weeks post-surgery: More advanced upper body exercises. Rehabilitative lower body exercises when healing well. More active walking (without swinging or pumping arms). After 6 weeks, include other moderate activities (e.g., stationary biking). Swimming (breast-stroke and side-stroke) is suggested for rehabilitating the arms and shoulders. Free-style (crawl) and back-stroke should be avoided for 2 months after surgery; butterfly stroke should be avoided indefinitely with lymph node dissection or implant reconstruction.

  

Phase 4: 10 weeks post-surgery: Include more active aerobic (endurance) activities (e.g., walking at moderate intensities, stationary biking, slow stairclimbing). Continue to focus on inceasing strength and flexibility. Add gentle lower body exercises if healing well from TRAM flap.

 

Beyond Phase 4 and Above and Beyond: Continue cross-training with aerobic, strength, and flexibility exercises. Before progressing to advanced exercises, patients must consult with physicians.

 

Resume usual lifestyle activities upon recommendation of physicians and therapists.

(http://www.stayingabreast.com/site/browse/periodization.htm)

HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL- this website is very helpful with more information

http://www.stayingabreast.com/

first week

First week up in 360 Specialized Training centre!
EXCITED, AMPED AND READY TO GO all out

Free complimentary session- worthwhile!

Come join me in opening a new world of fitness :)