Cardiorespiratory fitness is an essential part of optimal
health and wellness. Just like
resistance training, your cardio programming needs proper progression,
variation, and specificity in order for the correct physiological adaptations
to take place. Your specific goals will
dictate the cardiorespiratory program that is right for you. Not everyone needs
a long slow run, which has been the traditional modality. If your goals are
increases in strength and power, interval work may be most appropriate for you.
A real key to cardiorespiratory training is to do something
you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy running or it causes you pain, don’t do it! I think that is a big key to keeping up with
a cardio program. Also, you have to
change it up. If you are always running/biking/swimming etc. the same course at
the same pace your body will adapt to that and you will NOT improve. Your body
needs a new stimulus to see change. That means going faster, slower, different
routes, and different implements (bike, swim, run) to name a few variables you
can change.
Another important thing to remember with all exercise, if it
hurts, don’t do it. Pain is your body signaling you that something is wrong.
When we ignore the pain signal it leads to the body compensating which leads to
more dysfunction and pain. Eventually you will get to a point where the body
can no longer compensate and you will have pain that you cannot ignore. It is
so much easier to fix something when if first starts than to unwind years of
pain and dysfunction (see below for soft-tissue health). Overuse injuries can happen with cardio
respiratory training. That is why it is so important to be focusing on
resistance training, flexibility, soft-tissue work, and nutrition as well to
optimize your body’s function and decrease/eliminate pain and injury.
If you are currently in pain from an acute injury or
something that has been nagging you for a while, don’t hesitate, start treating
it now and get yourself out of that injury pattern. If you don’t know what to
do, call and schedule a FREE assessment and the ICWA team can give you the
tools to eliminate/reduce your pain and keep yourself pain/injury free for a
lifetime of physical activity.
Nathanael ATC, CSCS
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