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Conditioning
Climb your way to peak anaerobic condition
Virgilio Aponte explains how to use stair climbing exercises to improve your
anaerobic condition
My discovery of stair exercise workouts came when I had to walk up 19 flights of
stairs to visit a friend of mine. His elevator was out of service. Anyone who has done
this knows how tough this can be. After that day, I decided to give stair climbing
workouts a try and have been using them ever since. I initially used stair climbing
workouts to improve my aerobic conditioning but as time went on I learned to use it
for: anaerobic conditioning, lower body strength, power development and flexibility.
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Real Stair Climbing™ jargon and definitions
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Real Stair Climbing - Real stair climbing is the actual use of stairs and stair
cases. I do this to differentiate it from modifications like the Stairmaster™ and
Step Mill™. Although equipment like the Stairmaster™ and Step Mill™ can
have great value they cannot compare to what Real Stair Climbing™ has to
offer.
Climbs or Climbing - The actual act of walking or running up stairs.
Round or sets - From the first floor to the top floor and back down is
considered a round of stair climbing. This is not written in stone. Call it what
you like. I also sometimes call it a set. Also in my own workouts, I rarely walk
downstairs. I usually take the elevator down for safety reasons, but also keep
in mind in the high school where I work in we have to use the stairs to get
back down, but we make it a point not to run downstairs and just walk down
and take our time. It is not going to improve our conditioning, but in this case
safety takes precedent over improvement.
Real Stair Climbing™ for anaerobic conditioning
My favourite use of stair climbing is for anaerobic conditioning. As with any workout
start off with a warm-up and stretching. I suggest you use one round of walking up the
stairs and then proceed to the anaerobic work. In my own workouts I prefer to run up
the stairs for anaerobic work but you could also walk very fast. I also prefer to climb
every 2 steps but you could use every step. Experimentation will help you decide what
works best for you. In my own anaerobic workouts I usually climb 6 to 12 flights at
full speed and then rest for 2 to 3 minutes. During my rest period I usually continue to
walk up a few flights. I find this allows me to recover faster. I usually perform
anywhere from 4 to 10 sets.
As your conditioning improves you have many options to challenge you further.
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You can climb more flights
Reduce your rest intervals
Increase your sets (rounds)
Use a weighted vest
Example session:
1. Warm-up: Walk up 20 flights at slow pace, duration approx. 4 to 5 minutes,
walk back down
2. Run up 10 flights (every other step and go half speed), duration approx. 1
minute, Rest 2 minutes
3. Run up 10 flights (full speed and every other step), duration approx. 30 to 45
seconds, Rest 2 to 3 minutes
4. Run up 10 flights (full speed and every other step), duration approx. 30 to 45
seconds, Rest 2 to 3 minutes
5. Run up 10 flights (full speed and every other step), duration approx. 30 to 45
seconds, Rest 2 to 3 minutes
To start this may be enough for most people. As one's conditioning improves you can
add rounds, add flights or reduce rest intervals to continue improving or use a
weighted vest.
Other ideas
Another great anaerobic conditioning tool is an all out sprint to the 20th floor (that is
if you have 20 flights of course). By the 18th floor your legs can barely move. You
will be forced to walk but your body will still be in an anaerobic zone. When I am
pressed for time I use this as a workout. Just do 1 or 2 warm-up rounds of 20 flights
and then use the third round as the sprint to the 20th floor.
Another fun way to do anaerobic training with groups, especially athletes, is to race
up flights of stairs. One person uses one stairwell and the other the opposite. An all
out race to the top will challenge even the best conditioned athletes. With the high
school student/athletes I have worked with we had access to 12 flights and racing up
those stairs proved to be one of the best ways to condition them. They did not see it as
a workout but just a race. So just calling it a race really motivated them. Remember to
try and pair people of equal ability.
There are many ways to do anaerobic conditioning in stair cases. Just remember to be
safe and what you are trying to address. Anaerobic work should have you breathless.
To get an idea of how you should feel, run 400 metres at full speed and you will see
what I mean.
I think the main reason I like anaerobic conditioning so much is because it gives you
more bang for your buck. I find that conditioning is a limiting factor in many athletes.
Many complain that they just do not have the strength late in games. I think they have
the strength it is just their lack of conditioning does not allow them to use it. I find
myself outlasting many high school athletes in basketball games and I think one big
reason is my conditioning. The only thing I usually have over the athletes is strength.
They are usually quicker, more powerful, and more skilled. But my teams usually
prevail in games because I do not tire easily. It also helps that I have been playing for
over 20 years but I certainly notice the difference of how I feel (great) and how they
look late in games (gasping for air and bent over).
In future issues of Successful Coaching Virgilio Aponte will continue his review of
how stair climbing can be used to improve lower body strength, power development
and flexibility.
“This special report on high carbohydrate intake and carbo-loading has
been written by Peak Performance’ team of specialists and looks at many
of the ways in which diet can improve performance. It’s wide in its
research and in the practical advice it offers”
Carbo Loading for that Extra Edge explains how the Energy Diet not only gives
you an extra competitive edge, but does it without reducing your food intake.
Now, with the whole year ahead it’s time to plan and implement your own energy
diet.
Discover that extra edge
Whatever your activity or sport you’ll find the energy diet the easiest and most
enjoyable way to extra stamina and speed.
Our 85 page book Carbo Loading for that Extra Edge explains how you can
improve competitive performance over and above what you previously imagined
possible -- simply by eating the right food at the right time. The book also blows
away some current fads, including the highly popular protein diet.
Scientific evidence blows away two common fallacies
A good way to explain how the energy diet works is to examine two common
fallacies. These fallacies help illustrate why athletes need scientific proof – and
not just anecdotal hearsay – before they make any potentially disastrous changes
to their training diet.
Protein: many (probably most) people regard protein as the ‘building blocks’ for
muscles. Protein is vital; it increases power and prepares muscles for intense
activity, right? Actually it doesn’t. That’s fallacy number one.
Fat: fat, of course, is regarded as a top source of energy, especially for lengthy
or arduous events. It’s found in most snacks (e.g. chocolate bars) and is vital to
any athlete’s speed and stamina. No it’s not. That’s fallacy number two.
Now, the truth about the food you eat
Here’s why you won’t get much speed or stamina if your diet relies on protein or
fat:
•The energy requirements of muscles used in intense activity are met largely by
oxidisation of carbohydrate -- with only 5% from the breakdown of protein. That’s
why you can’t rely on a high-protein diet.
•Fat is a good fuel for walking – but not for anything faster. That’s why you can’t
rely on a Mars bar for a marathon.
•The higher the intensity of exercise, the more you rely on carbohydrate. When
you reach 75% of VO2 Max (75% of your maximum oxygen uptake) carbohydrate
replaces fat as the major fuel.
•If you don’t have enough carbohydrate in your system, you drastically reduce
your speed, stamina and recovery time. In fact, unless you follow the advice
contained in Carbo Loading for That Extra Edge your long-term performance can
decline to a dangerously low level (see below)
How the crucial fuel for exercise is produced
Carbohydrate is the crucial fuel for exercise. The body makes its own
carbohydrate store known as glycogen, which is stashed away in the liver and
muscles. Glycogen is the body’s fuel of choice for any exercise more intense than
a gentle jog, because it provides energy much more quickly than fat (the body’s
other major energy store.)
However, the snag with glycogen is that only limited amounts of it can be stored.
So unless you eat the right carbohydrate diet at the right time you’ll get a
sluggish performance and an increased risk of injury.
If you ate just chicken or steak on a Tuesday, for example, your performance on
Wednesday would drop significantly. And, like many uninformed athletes, you
probably wouldn’t know why. But things can get far more serious than that. Your
muscles, brain, red blood cells and kidneys all rely exclusively on carbohydrates
as a fuel. Continuing training without the right level of carbohydrates will have
serious implications for all these functions.
You’ll discover how carbohydrates are converted to high-energy muscle glycogen
and why there is no substitute – as far as intense athletic activity is concerned a
low-carbohydrate meal is the same as eating no food at all.
Carbo Loading for That Extra Edge explains which carbohydrates to eat and how
much. You’ll learn when to ‘Carb Load’ to improve performance in each activity.
Carbo Loading for That Extra Edge – contents
Here are some examples of the subjects covered:
•Learn when to take carbohydrates: if you are training once or twice a week,
you’ll need to take carbohydrates at different times than if you are training once a
day.
•Which foods to take: some foods are best for certain purposes: For some
training, for example, you’ll need food with a high ‘glycaemic index’ in order to
bring about a large surge in blood sugar. We provide carbohydrate contents of
recommended foods and twin strategies for cutting back on fat and increasing
carbohydrates:
• How to base your
meals around
carbohydrate foods
• Replacing fat-rich
foods with
carbohydrates
• What to drink
with meals and
at bedtime
• Carbo-rich sauces
• High-carbo
• Carbo-rich
for pasta dishes
breakfast: how to
start the day
sandwiches and
snacks
Advice for all activities
For the purposes of the energy diet, sports can be divided into three activities:
1. Aerobic: endurance events such as running and swimming
2. Anaerobic: short intense bursts of activity such as sprinting
3. Strength: weightlifting and throwing
For each of the above activities a different level of carbohydrate intake is
required. Timing is crucial and care must be taken to carbo-load only in the right
circumstances – get it wrong and you get lactic acid build-up, which will limit
performance.
Why you won’t read this information elsewhere
Our book, Carbo Loading for that Extra Edge, is not based on some contested
theory from a best-selling author. It is not likely to be serialised in newspapers or
magazines. As explained above, the facts are as stated -- scientifically
researched, tested (on real athletes) and proven. There is no disagreement
among scientists, professional trainers or coaches that the carbohydrate energy
diet increases performance to winning levels.
Energy Pathways
Energy production is both time and intensity related. Running at a very high intensity,
as in sprinting, means that an athlete can operate effectively for only a very short
period. Running at a low intensity, as in gentle jogging, means that an athlete can
sustain activity for a long period. Training introduces another variable, and the
sprinter who uses sound training principles is able to run at a high intensity for longer
periods. Similarly, the endurance athlete who uses sound training methods can sustain
higher intensities during a set period. There is a relationship between the exercise
intensity and the energy source.
Lactic Acid
The expression "lactic acid" is used most commonly by athletes to describe the
intense pain felt during exhaustive exercise, especially in events like the 400 metres
and 800 metres. When energy is required to perform exercise, it is supplied from the
breakdown of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). The body has a limited store of about
85 grms of ATP and would use it up very quickly if we did not have ways of
resynthesising it. There are three systems that produce energy to resynthesise ATP:
ATP-PC, lactic acid and aerobic.
The lactic acid system is capable of releasing energy to resynthesise ATP without the
involvement of oxygen and is called anaerobic glycolysis. Glycolysis (breakdown of
carbohydrates) results in the formation of pyruvic acid and hydrogen ions (H+). A
build up of H+ will make the muscle cells acidic and interfere with their operation so
carrier molecules, called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), remove the H+.
The NAD+ is reduced to NADH that deposit the H+ at the electron transport gate
(ETC) in the mitrochondria to be combined with oxygen to form water (H2O).
If there is insufficient oxygen then NADH cannot release the H+ and they build up in
the cell. To prevent the rise in acidity pyruvic acid accepts H+ forming lactic acid that
then dissociates into lactate and H+. Some of the lactate diffuses into the blood stream
and takes some H+ with it as a way of reducing the H+ concentration in the muscle
cell. The normal pH of the muscle cell is 7.1 but if the build up of H+ continues and
pH is reduced to around 6.5 then muscle contraction may be impaired and the low pH
will stimulate the free nerve endings in the muscle resulting in the perception of pain
(the burn). This point is often measured as the lactic threshold or anaerobic threshold
(AT) or onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA).
The process of lactic acid removal takes approximately one hour, but this can be
accelerated by undertaking an appropriate cool down that ensures a rapid and
continuous supply of oxygen to the muscles.
The normal amount of lactic acid circulating in the blood is about 1 to 2
millimoles/litre of blood. The onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA) occurs
between 2 and 4 millimoles/litre of blood. In non athletes this point is about 50% to
60% VO2 max and in trained athletes around 70% to 80% VO2 max.
Endurance Training
What is the objective of endurance training?
The objective of endurance training is to develop the energy production system(s) to
meet the demands of the event.
What are the energy production systems?
In the human body, food energy is used to manufacture adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
the chemical compound that supplies energy for muscular contraction. Since ATP is
in very low concentrations in the muscle, and since it decreases only to a minor
extent, even in the most intense voluntary contraction, tightly controlled energy
pathways exist for the continual regeneration of ATP as muscular contraction
continues. For continuous exercise, ATP must be re-synthesised at the same rate as it
is utilised.
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What types of endurance are there?
The types of endurance are aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, speed endurance
and strength endurance. A sound basis of aerobic endurance is fundamental for all
events.
Work conducted by Paul B Gastin, "Energy system interaction and relative
contribution during maximal exercise" Sports Med 2001: 31(10); 725-741, provides
estimates of anaerobic and aerobic energy contribution during selected periods of
maximal exercise (95% effort).
Duration
%
Aerobic
%
Anaerobic
0-10 seconds
6
94
0-15 seconds
12
88
0-20 seconds
18
82
0-30 seconds
27
73
0-45 seconds
37
63
0-60 seconds
45
55
0-75 seconds
51
48
0-90 seconds
56
44
0-120 seconds
63
37
0-180 seconds
73
27
0-240 seconds
79
21
Aerobic Endurance
Aerobic means 'with oxygen'. During aerobic work, the body is working at a level that
the demands for oxygen and fuel can be meet by the body's intake. The only waste
products formed are carbon dioxide and water. These are removed as sweat and by
breathing out.
Aerobic endurance can be sub-divided as follows:
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Short aerobic - 2 minutes to 8 minutes (lactic/aerobic)
Medium aerobic - 8 minutes to 30 minutes (mainly aerobic)
Long aerobic - 30 minutes + (aerobic)
Aerobic endurance is developed using continuous and interval running.
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Continuous duration runs to improve maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max)
Interval training to improve the heart as a muscular pump
Aerobic threshold
The aerobic threshold, point at which anaerobic energy pathways start to operate, is
around 65% of maximum heart rate. This is approximately 40 beats lower than the
anaerobic threshold.
Anaerobic endurance
Anaerobic means 'without oxygen'. During anaerobic work, involving maximum
effort, the body is working so hard that the demands for oxygen and fuel exceed the
rate of supply and the muscles have to rely on the stored reserves of fuel. The
muscles, being starved of oxygen, take the body into a state known as oxygen debt.
The body's stored fuel soon runs out and activity ceases - painfully. This point is often
measured as the lactic threshold or anaerobic threshold or onset of blood lactate
accumulation (OBLA). Activity will not be resumed until the lactic acid is removed
and the oxygen debt repaid. Fortunately, the body can resume limited activity after
even only a small proportion of the oxygen debt has been repaid. Since lactic acid is
produced, the correct term for this pathway is lactic anaerobic energy pathway.
The alactic anaerobic pathway is the one in which the body is working anaerobically
but without the production of lactic acid. This pathway can exist only so long as the
fuel actually stored in the muscle lasts, approximately 4 seconds at maximum effort.
Anaerobic endurance can be sub-divided as follows:
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Short anaerobic - less than 25 seconds (mainly alactic)
Medium anaerobic - 25 seconds to 60 seconds (mainly lactic)
Long anaerobic - 60 seconds to 120 seconds (lactic +aerobic)
Anaerobic endurance can be developed by using repetition methods of relatively high
intensity work with limited recovery.
Anaerobic threshold
The anaerobic threshold, the point at which lactic acid starts to accumulates in the
muscles, is considered to be somewhere between 85% and 90% of your maximum
heart rate. This is approximately 40 beats higher than the aerobic threshold. Your
anaerobic threshold can be determined with anaerobic threshold testing.
Speed endurance
Speed endurance is used to develop the co-ordination of muscle contraction.
Repetition methods are used with a high number of sets, low number of repetitions per
set and intensity greater than 85% with distances covered from 60% to 120% of
racing distance. Competition and time trials can be used in the development of speed
endurance.
Strength endurance
Strength endurance is used to develop the athlete's capacity to maintain the quality of
their muscles' contractile force. All athletes need to develop a basic level of strength
endurance. Examples of activities to develop strength endurance are - circuit training,
weight training, hill running, harness running, Fartlek etc.
Effect on the heart
As an endurance athlete, you will develop an athlete's heart which is very different to
the non athlete's heart. You will have:
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Bradycardia - Low resting pulse rate of under 50 bpm
ECG shows ventricular hypertrophy (thickening of the heart muscle wall)
X-ray reveals an enlarged heart
Blood tests shows raised muscle enzymes
The above for the average person (non athlete) indicate a probable heart block,
hypertension, heart failure, a recent myocardial infarct or cardiomyopathy. Should
you need to go into hospital or see your doctor, you should inform them that you are
an endurance athlete.