Author Archive
Why Should I Lift Weights?
Author: John Marshall CPT, Coach
There are multiple excuses as to why endurance athletes avoid strength training like the plague. They fear they may gain weight, or get injured, or lose speed. I have heard them all… I am a “fill in the blank” endurance athlete not a body builder, why should I lift weights? I don’t want to get big and bulky. This is where the professional comes in and avoids those things. Just because you lift does not mean you will get big. In fact most don’t have the genetics, and the diet is not such to produce those results. The truth is that lifting weights may be the missing link to move them forward and give them that extra edge, especially the MASTERS AGE groups. Weight training helps to maintain and /or build lean muscle mass that can be catabolized during racing and just the normal muscle loss from aging can be off-set.
Weight training also boosts metabolism, regulates hormones and improves posture, which leads to one of the most beneficial reasons to add weight training to your life routine. Weight training when done properly can correct muscular and postural imbalances, caused by repetitive movements (as is done in endurance sports such as running and cycling). Also postural formations like hunch back, which can be caused by activities such as cycling, a desk job, or longer term computer work. This all can lead to all kinds of postural dysfunctions and head aches, neck and back discomforts, etc. If you don’t do something to off-set the muscle loss of age you will never get it back, not to mention the performance loss that happens over time, even if you are not an athlete.
My hope is that by reading this, any myths and misconceptions you may have are now replaced with the desire to improve your performance and your life. If you are curious or motivated to get involved in a scientifically based and sport specific training program, start by seeking out a knowledgeable experienced coach or trainer. Within a short amount of time you could be enjoying your strongest, best year to date!!
For more information on the subjects discussed here, or for any of your coaching or training needs contact John Marshall at totalbodyworks21@gmail.com.
*John Marshall started his career at Baylor College of Sports Medicine over 15 years ago and has been certified and educated through ISSA, ACE, and PFIT programs.
TOTAL BODY WORKS Contact us:
PERSONAL TRAINING www.totalbodyworkspersonaltraining.com
29 W.cimarron st. #1
Colorado Springs Co.80903
(719)339-0690
High Metabolism/Low metabolism
Why it’s hard to lose weight and how to kick start your metabolism
Author: John Marshall CPT, Coach
Ever wonder why some people eat twice the number of calories as we do and do not gain weight, and their energy levels are through the roof? I have seen multiple body types and situations in my 15+ years in the health and wellness field, and through the years I have found that lifestyle has everything to do with the way you end up in the later years.
So what happens to us between childhood and adult hood that makes us become heavy, lethargic, and weak? Why do we eat less than we did in our teens, 20s, or even 30s, but continue to gain weight as older adults? To a great extent these changes occur because our set-point changes. According to the set-point theory, our body weight is kept fairly constant in response to an internal control system that helps us maintain our weight within certain parameters. Think of it as a type of thermostat. Each persons set-point is different, and we can deviate a few pounds in either direction, but the system’s goal is to help the individual function at their optimal level.
Some researchers believe that the set-point is psychological and others believe it to be physiological. The physiological suggests that the basal metabolic rate changes in response to any change in weight. For example when you follow a diet that is too strict, this system reacts by sending out signals such as hunger pangs in an attempt to remind us to eat to maintain that set-point. If we ignore the signals and continue to diet, or change the type of food we are in-taking, the body responds by causing us to feel lethargic and possibly depressed, and ultimately we slow down so that fewer calories are expended. In both situations this system makes sure the body’s ideal set-point is once again maintained. This is the bodys way of restoring that feeling of well being experienced when at the set-point.
The physiological and psychological viewpoints combined suggest that when we stay close to the body’s idea of the ideal weight, our set-point allows us to function as efficiently as possible while it acts to make us feel more comfortable. Even when not depressed, as adults we move less than we did when we were younger, and as we become more and more sedentary through the years, fewer calories are used to do activities such as playing, running, jumping, etc., and more are stored in our bodies as fat.
As the years pass we develop increasing layers of heavy insulation that become difficult to lose. Then we diet like crazy only to regain the pounds we have lost plus more as soon as we begin our eating patterns again. Our body strives to stabilize this way, this is one of the reasons people on a diet hit those plateaus. Then no additional weight is lost no matter how good they are following the diet. The body is dedicated to maintaining the set-point in the form of how much fat is stored in case of need.
Since we have become efficient energy users of the calories we intake and by being consistently sedentary, our set-point or body thermostat becomes set on soft. You see, the body is better at maintaining that storage system than the person is. The body feels best when it gets the calories it needs to maintain the set-point, the individual feels best when he gets the calories he wants in spite of set-point. Since dieting in itself does not seem to change the set-point, can anything change it? The good news is there are some indications that the set-point can be adjusted. With exercise, the set-point can be lowered, making it easier to lose weight. A great way of using calories for energy and not for storage is accomplished through exercise. Adding more muscle to the body will enhance this because the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn for any given activity.
Resistance training is great for adding muscle, and once this is accomplished, doing cardiovascular activity is a much more efficient and effective activity. Exercise affects metabolic rate by making the engine burn hotter and more effectively burning those calories instead of storing them. Exercise helps to regulate blood sugar, and is a great mood elevator because it releases endorphins in the bloodstream and helps you feel good. A person that feels good tends to be more active. So once again we see that moving the body and eating correctly is the answer, and not some magic pill that the manufacturers are trying to cram down our throats.
For more information on the subjects discussed here, or for any of your coaching or training needs contact John Marshall at totalbodyworks21@gmail.com.
*John Marshall started his career at Baylor College of Sports Medicine over 15 years ago and has been certified and educated through ISSA, ACE, and PFIT programs.
TOTAL BODY WORKS Contact us:
PERSONAL TRAINING www.totalbodyworkspersonaltraining.com
29 W.cimarron st. #1
Colorado Springs Co.80903
(719)339-0690
