Been spending the weekend going for the Basic Exercise Course, in preparation that I might eventually get a Fitness Instructor Course certification. So far, it's been boring stuff. I'm not too big a fan of musculoskeletal structure, although it's a necessary evil. Instructor didn't seem very proficient either, heh.
Was kinda hoping we'd cover different stretching techniques and the muscles they target though, as I'm curious about all the different stretches available and which one works best on which zone. Unfortunately, we didn't cover much. I did learn about the different stretches to hit the soleus versus the gastrocnemius that I wasn't aware of though, and that's about it.
The other thing that had me thinking was about the different heart rate zones. I'd been reading just a little bit on that because of my new HRM, and trying to match it to my training plan. Since I'm more keen on building endurance rather than speed at the moment, and working on my cardio, I should be aiming to work just below my lactate threshold, rather than my lactate tolerance.
I was asking the trainer about high intensity interval training versus long distance running in terms of gains, since I've read that HIIT provides larger and faster improvements over just running the distance. Apparently HIIT improves lactate tolerance and recovery, while long runs increase lactate threshold. Not sure how this all factors in to the gains, but if they're working on different systems, then I still stick to my initial plan of endurance runs and eschew HIIT for the time being.
For now, the goal is to run long, not fast or far. Get my body used to working for an hour or two non-stop, and then work on the other aspects. Inspired for the run later!
No comments:
Post a Comment