Aerobic and Anaerobic
Most of the sportsmen you meet in gyms constantly train with weights trying to get an extraordinary physique muscular and harmonious; many beginners, preparing for the upcoming swimsuit test, do not pay attention to the well-being and performance development of their body, thus concentrating only on theaesthetic appearance.
In doing so, they perform weight training only, convinced that it is the only way to achieve their goal. Professional athletes, on the other hand, are well aware that the combination of aerobic and anaerobic activity, in different proportions depending on the objectives set, is the best way to push their sports performance to the maximum, making the body more and more perfect. also from an aesthetic point of view.
Let's see now how 2 weekly running workouts, combined with a muscle development program in the gym, allow the achievement of more performing results than you think, both from the aesthetic point of view and from that of physical well-being.
But let's try to clarify ideas a little, capturing the essential technical aspects that distinguish an anaerobic body building training from an aerobic (or even anaerobic, as we will see) running training.
Sports Aerobics and Anaerobics
With the term aerobic, we mean all long-lasting exercises e low intensity, during which the metabolism uses oxygen to activate chemical reactions which, by consuming lipids and carbohydrates (fats and carbohydrates), allow the body to obtain the energy necessary to make the effort. Usually an exercise is aerobic if it is performed for at least 4 minutes or so.
Examples of aerobic sports are the race (beyond the 400 meters), il swimming, cycling, etc.
With the term anaerobic, on the other hand, we mean sports of short duration and high intensity, during which chemical reactions based on the constant supply of oxygen are not sufficient to guarantee a high source of energy in a short time.
The muscle glycogen (the supply of carbohydrates contained in the muscle) which is sufficient to guarantee a great source of energy, but for a short time (for this reason it cannot be exploited during long-lasting aerobic exercises).
Classic examples are the body building exercises weightlifting in general, run 100, 200, 400 meters, etc.
Corsa + Body Building
All those who constantly attend the gym will know very well all the various training techniques: negative, pyramid, supersets ... With some cards you train mainly the force-mass, with others we try to optimize the ratio between lean mass and fat mass (definition).
But there is something more: the very fact of vary the sets and repetitions, like switching exercises from one card to another, is one of the central points of muscle development; subjecting the body to different stimuli, in fact, will determine the best conditions for one greater muscle growth.
Of course, you don't have to change all the time; a certain training program must be done for a period of usually 8 weeks before being replaced. However, you can alternate weight training sessions with running sessions: the result will be amazing ... The body will never get used to anaerobic stimuli and every weight training session will always be effective and mentally more stimulating.
Benefits of running
Needless to say, how much the ride improve the cardiovascular system, flexibility and coordination, abilities often underestimated even if of fundamental importance for any physical activity and to prevent injuries.
Let us also remember that the stimulus to which the muscle is subjected during the race is totally different from that activated with weightlifting exercises; and the very fact of subjecting the muscle to different stresses, as we have said, is one optimal condition for its development.
When engaging in prolonged high-intensity physical activity, the contribution of sugars as an energy reserve increases, with the risk that, as soon as these latter reserves are scarce, the organism triggers muscle catabolism to get energy.
Conversely, in less intense efforts the body burns mainly fat from the adipose tissue. Also, if the low-intensity aerobic effort is short-lived (very light running for 20-30 minutes) the consumption of lipids and carbohydrates is about the same.
Conversely, if the low intensity aerobic effort is prolonged over time (1 hour and more) the consumption of lipids increases up to 80%.
As for the widespread fear that aerobic activities in general can "consume muscle" (in more technical terms, lead to muscle catabolism in order to gain energy), just conduct gradual running training, taking care not to exceed the threshold of 60-70% of the maximum beats per minute to avoid triggering muscle catabolism processes and use adequate supplements. moreover, if the activity is not too short, the consumption of lipids will be very high in percentage terms.
Simply put, you lose weight limiting the loss of muscle mass as much as possible!
Optimal integration
Proper integration is not only helpful, but downright essential in the event that an aerobic activity such as running is carried out, alongside weight training.
Protein supplements that include different sources (casein, whey, egg white) in order to cover the entire amino acid spectrum allow the development and maintenance of lean mass. Don't overlook the use of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) too before and after aerobic activity, to ensure better performance, less fatigue together with faster recovery (it is essential to reduce recovery times when you want to combine two physical activities).
Not to be overlooked, especially during running, is a "supplement" whose importance is often forgotten: the water. In fact, all the processes of energy gain through the consumption of fat and not of muscle tissue take place only if the body has adequate source of oxygen (for this the beats per minute must not go up too much) and di water.
The latter also regulates the hydro-saline balances of the organism, allowing its regular functions.
In conclusion
So far we have talked about aerobic running carried out in prolonged workouts, and we have seen that it can be an excellent complementary activity to the gym, both to improve one's performance and for develop the body aesthetically.
But why not also consider anaerobic running? As usual, the ideal solution is precisely there variety: add anaerobic running (sprints, 100, 200 meters) to the gym during periods of strength-mass; instead engage in aerobic running during the definition periods.
In general 2 weekly running workouts, alternating with four gym sessions, constitute the optimal compromise. This way, not only will you be able to get one perfect physical condition, but you also have the opportunity to train outdoors.
