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The Fitness Cardio Secret That Propels Lance Armstrong
What is Lance Armstrong doing that you can do to improve your results? Most people exercise to lose weight, focusing solely on that one single goal. But wait, it is not only about looking aesthetically pleasing, getting in those tight jeans, or losing ten pounds. It is really about improving your health, and human performance. Each day when you are huffing and puffing on the treadmill, focusing vigorously on keeping yourself lean, have you ever thought about what physically is occurring in your body besides burning a bunch of calories? For improved results, more people need to stop focusing solely on calorie burn, and start thinking about improving such fitness values as VO2 Max, or maximum oxygen uptake. What exactly is your VO2 Max? VO2 Max is defined as the highest rate at which oxygen can be taken in and used during high intensity dynamic exercise. When you are exercising aerobically on your treadmill, each and every muscle contraction requires oxygen to break down the fats, carbohydrates, and protein; thus, providing energy (ATP) needed to fuel the muscles in order for movement to occur. Humans, at rest, need 3.5 ml of oxygen, every minute, for each kilogram of body weight just to support the cellular activities in the tissues that keep us alive. Now let's get back to our treadmill. As you increase the speed or incline (intensity), more oxygen is required to transfer the oxygen through the blood and into the muscles. Due to increased intensity during your exercise session, more oxygen is required to initiate the energy releasing process. Now let's take the treadmill up to a speed and incline where you can no longer catch your breath comfortably. The intensity has increase significantly, but you have reached an upper limit on the amount of oxygen you can take in. This is your VO2 Max. VO2 Max values differ from individual to individual. Factors such as age, health, activity levels, training programs, and genetics all affect VO2 Max. A sedentary person has a VO2 Max of around 20 ml of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute of exercise. A highly trained endurance athlete can have a VO2 Max of 70 ml/kg/min. Now why does Lance Armstrong win all those bike races? Yes, he has a great training program, a great coach, and great equipment. However, his genetics for an endurance athlete are nothing short of astounding. Do you know his VO2 Max measures around 83-85 ml/kg/min, while an average person's is around 40? For Lance, his success is attributed to a combination of great training, will, desire, and unbelievable genetic makeup. A Super Human Lance: 1. Lungs - 2 times the capacity of the average person 2. Muscle - Accumulates less lactic acid and is more efficient at removing it. 3. Heart - Is about 1/3 larger with a resting heart rate of 32 beats per minute, and peaks around 200 beats per minute. 4. Body Fat - 4-5 percent before the Tour starts, while an average person has 15-20 percent. 5. Food Consumption - Needs 6500 calories per day, and upwards of 10,000 per day when biking in the mountains during his 120 mile race. Truly amazing! How do you improve VO2 Max? Improvement is seen by progressively challenging yourself aerobically with consistent workouts at 60% to 85% of your maximum heart rate (220-age) for an extended period of time. The most important variable is to continue attempting to increase intensity levels of your workouts. Progressively overloading is the key; your body will adapt, and improve your VO2 Max as well as burn more calories for decreased body fat. Now you ask, how can I measure my VO2 Max? For the most accurate measurement, you can go into a hospital, or a University Human Performance Lab and get the test. You will generally use a treadmill or a stationary bike, and be given an oxygen mask to measure your oxygen exchange. You will also be connected with chest electrodes to measure your heart response. The main objective is to walk, bike, or run as the intensity is progressively elevated until it is not possible to go any longer. (You should be cleared or monitored by your physician before attempting a VO2 Max test.) The easier. but not as accurate way, is to do an estimated sub maximal aerobic capacity test. The following is one of the many tests that can be used. Find a 400 meter track, bring a stopwatch, and walk/run as fast as you can go for 12 minutes. Keep track of the number of meters you have gone in 12 minutes, and use the following formula. Distance Covered in Meters - 504.9 / 44.730 = Estimated VO2 Max Here is a rough guide: 4-5 laps covered, your VO2 Max will be around 30. Learn to keep a close eye on your fitness values and try to continually improve them. Improvement will lead to great health benefits, and may result in your goal of decreased body fat (depending upon your nutritional habits.) ______________________________________________ To receive your complimentary subscription to Wellness Word Multimedia Newsletter, visit: http://www.WellnessWord.com right now! ______________________________________________ ** Attention: eZine Editors/Website Owners ** Healthiest Regards, By: Jim O'Connor (The Fitness Promoter)- All Rights Reserved Jim O'Connor, a celebrity Exercise Physiologist from Beverly Hills, California, is the editor of Wellness WORD Multimedia Newsletter, and the author of a popular ebook called Home Gym Shopping Secrets. Jim's Passion is educating the public with proper scientific researched health and fitness information. For further information contact: Jim O'Connor - Exercise Physiologist/The Fitness Promoter Wellness Word, LLC http://www.WellnessWord.com
MORE RESOURCES: HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Obese people are not only
at greater risk for fibromyalgia, they are likely to experience more
severe symptoms of the condition, such as chronic pain, fatigue, sleep
disturbance and mood disorders, according to a new study. HealthDay - TUESDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Getting and staying
physically fit might help fend off heart disease even if you've put on a
few pounds, new research suggests. Reuters - Programs that teach parenting skills early on may help prevent obesity in poor U.S. kids, a study published Monday suggests. ContributorNetwork - A study published in the February issue of Pediatrics shows family intervention aimed at improving parenting skills reduced behavior problems in kids and obesity and associated health problems. One-third of Americans, including children ages 2 to 17, are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics. Here are details about parent-child interventions. Reuters - Orexigen Therapeutics Inc said it reached an agreement with U.S. health regulators on the design of a heart-safety trial required for the approval of its experimental obesity drug. AP - A southeastern Indiana woman has been charged after prosecutors say she left her morbidly obese sister alive and decomposing in a chair for three weeks. LiveScience.com - We've heard obesity can be "spread" between friends when we copy each other's eating habits, but a new study in mice suggests obesity could actually be infectious. ContributorNetwork - "A coming epidemic" is how pediatric cardiologists are describing the impending problems from high rates of juvenile obesity, reports The Missourian. Here are details for parents about overweight kids, heart disease and other concomitant health issues. Reuters - An FDA advisory committee will meet in the second quarter to discuss Arena Pharmaceutical Inc's experimental obesity drug following the company's recent resubmission of an application seeking its approval, Arena said on Wednesday. ContributorNetwork - COMMENTARY | According to HLN, the newest and most vocal critics of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's anti-obesity ad campaign are a group known as "mommy bloggers." These angry mothers feel the controversial ads, which depict obese children as unhappy and suffering from medical maladies, do more harm than good by shaming children instead of encouraging them. Critics argue that shaming tactics only lead to greater tendencies to overeat and can lead to higher numbers of eating disorders. HealthDay - TUESDAY, Jan. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Women who are both overweight and
smoke during pregnancy could damage their baby's developing heart, a new
study warns. Reuters - Overweight women with diabetes may be able to cut their risk of urine leakage if they shed some pounds, a new study suggests. Reuters - Alison Sweeney, host of the NBC network's weight loss TV series "The Biggest Loser," has worked with the show's contestants since 2007, supporting them as they drop pounds and learn to lead a healthier way of life. Reuters - People trying to lose weight may swear by specific diet plans calling for strict proportions of fat, carbs and protein, but where the calories come from may not matter as much as simply cutting back on them, according to a study. HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Jan. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Nurses who work long hours
and have less physically demanding jobs are much more likely to be obese
than other nurses, according to a new study. Reuters - Device manufacturers are pushing the government and health insurers to cover weight-loss surgery, an effort that could give millions more obese Americans access to the treatments. ContributorNetwork - The key to combating juvenile obesity lies with parents, the American Heart Association says. The AHA released a scientific statement in its most recent issue of "Circulation" journal. Here are tips for parents to curb weight problems in kids, based on that report. HealthDay - MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Weight loss and malnutrition are
among the medical conditions that increase treatment costs and the length
of hospital stays for older adults with hip fractures, a new study
finds. HealthDay - MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Parents and caregivers should
be involved in treatment programs for obese children and should lead by
example, praise children's progress and use setbacks as learning
opportunities, experts say. Reuters - Overweight girls in their late teens were twice as likely as their normal-weight peers to report having a lot of acne in a large new survey of Norwegian teenagers that did not find the same link in boys. |
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