Be Like the Pros
December 19th 2006 11:04
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Some years ago, while observing some desultory sports viewing yielded interesting insights into fitness and my approach to it. On Saturday night a discussion on a hockey broadcast centered on the resurgence of once NHL Most Valuable Player
The player seemed to struggle a little last season after leading his team to the Stanley Cup the previous season. According to the announcers a troubled player reacted by hiring a personal trainer to work with him in the off season. What he and the trainer decided he would not do additional cardio and instead would concentrate on weight training. Yet, the audience was assured that he was leaner now than ever, including, I presume, those seasons when he had concentrated more on the aerobic preparation. How had he done it? Diet. The result of more intense weight training and increased attention to diet he was now stronger and had more success on the ice.
What is to be learned from this? We can assume that a hockey player was in a high state of aerobic fitness. However, by deemphasizing this aspect of his training he was able to improve performance. This is a definitive example of what happens to normal mortals when they rely on heavy aerobics to lose weight. At some point the body cannot do any more to compensate for poor diet and begins to shut down. They suffer from lower capacities and the body refuses to lose any more. By lifting weights and attention to diet the player has decreased his body fat enhancing his aerobic capacity and at the same time increased the strength, helping other aspects of hockey. Want to get in better shape with vigor at the same time? Do what this hockey player did. More diet and weights and be careful about too much aerobic work.
This is a professional athlete for whom performance is everything and he claims that his success has been influenced to the good by four days of weight training during the season. That seems like a lot for someone who is already practicing and playing while recuperating from stressful events. The effect, however, is that his performance is enhanced. Thus, for us regular folks the lesson is that more weight training than we think we should be doing can enhance performance in whatever activities we wish to undertake. More weights and more diet. That's the key to fitness. Your servant, as always.
The player seemed to struggle a little last season after leading his team to the Stanley Cup the previous season. According to the announcers a troubled player reacted by hiring a personal trainer to work with him in the off season. What he and the trainer decided he would not do additional cardio and instead would concentrate on weight training. Yet, the audience was assured that he was leaner now than ever, including, I presume, those seasons when he had concentrated more on the aerobic preparation. How had he done it? Diet. The result of more intense weight training and increased attention to diet he was now stronger and had more success on the ice.
What is to be learned from this? We can assume that a hockey player was in a high state of aerobic fitness. However, by deemphasizing this aspect of his training he was able to improve performance. This is a definitive example of what happens to normal mortals when they rely on heavy aerobics to lose weight. At some point the body cannot do any more to compensate for poor diet and begins to shut down. They suffer from lower capacities and the body refuses to lose any more. By lifting weights and attention to diet the player has decreased his body fat enhancing his aerobic capacity and at the same time increased the strength, helping other aspects of hockey. Want to get in better shape with vigor at the same time? Do what this hockey player did. More diet and weights and be careful about too much aerobic work.
This is a professional athlete for whom performance is everything and he claims that his success has been influenced to the good by four days of weight training during the season. That seems like a lot for someone who is already practicing and playing while recuperating from stressful events. The effect, however, is that his performance is enhanced. Thus, for us regular folks the lesson is that more weight training than we think we should be doing can enhance performance in whatever activities we wish to undertake. More weights and more diet. That's the key to fitness. Your servant, as always.
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