If you’re a field athlete who relies on short bursts of sprinting to keep up with the flow of your sport, you don’t need to train any long distance running, right?
Or you’re an adult who has a strict regimen of resistance training and large group intense interval classes, so you don’t have a reason to take a run or long walk a few times a week, correct?
WRONG!!
Aerobic training is a type of training in which your heart rate is elevated above its resting rate and is maintained at that rate for a long period of time.
Everybody can benefit from aerobic training no matter what their story, background, or training regimen entails, and there is one big reason why.
During bouts of anaerobic activity (Resistance Training, Sprinting, etc.) byproducts are created by the processes that occur in the body to supply the energy to the muscles involved. If not removed, these byproducts linger around the body and impede further performance. This is where our aerobic system comes into play.
Our aerobic system is responsible for being the buffer for those undesirable byproducts that are developed, therefore a well trained system is an efficient system.
Basically, a better aerobic system will allow you to get rid of those undesirable byproducts more quickly, and allows you to perform better.
Here’s what you can start doing today:
- If you’re not an athlete, start walking three times per week for 45 minutes. Over time, build that up to three 90-minute walks per week.
- If you’re an athlete or already have a pretty good aerobic fitness, start jogging (not running, but light jogging) twice a week for 45 minutes. Eventually, add a third day per week and gradually increase the time spent jogging.
Doing either of these methods of aerobic training will pay off handsomely, both in athletics and in everyday life.
