Author Topic: Ride up Mt Werner  (Read 662 times)

jim-ratliff

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Re: Ride up Mt Werner
« on: July 19, 2010, 03:45:18 pm »
All of my athletic background has been of the (1) type, playing basketball and baseball is all about fast twitch muscles and then a fast recovery from an anaerobic deficit.? A basketball game goes on for an hour or so, but the physical exertion is all in 15 second (or less bursts).? Now, since I am primarily interested in Aerobic conditioning associated with my advancing years, I am challenged to become more of a (2). I can go up hills very well for about 2-4 minutes, and then my legs just burn.? It's been a challenge to find an aerobic level to ride at from the bottom of the hill. Lynn, on the other had, was doing marathons and triathlons in her twenties and continued a level of exercise that built a preponderance of slow-twitch muscles, and she has a dramatic advantage when it comes to using all of those muscles for longer climb.? I marvel when my legs are burning and she says that hers never do!? She's like the Energizer bunny and just keeps on pedaling.


1. The Burst Power Enzyme System
The enzymes required for this reaction are depleted in less than two minutes. This reaction is called Anaerobic Glycolysis because it uses glucose without oxygen.

Glucose? 2ATP + 2 Lactate

To continue muscle usage requires the aerobic system to kick in. The aerobic system uses oxygen and sugar for fuel. Your ability to perform well after about two minutes of maximum exertion depends on the aerobic conditioning of your body.

2. The Endurance Enzyme System
There are three sources of ATP for aerobic muscle to use: carbohydrates, fats, and amino acid proteins. Carbohydrates metabolize the most efficiently and are therefore used first. If carbohydrates are not available, your body metabolizes fat and amino acid proteins. All three of these reactions are called Aerobic Glycolysis because they use glucose and oxygen:

1. Carbohydrate Metabolism: Glucose + 02? 36ATP + C02 + H20
2. Fat Metabolism: Fatty Acid + 02? 130 ATP + C02 + H20
3. Amino Acid Protein Metabolism: Amino Acids + 02? 15 ATP + C02 + H20

Your body stores glucose and fatty acids for these reactions. Your cardiovascular system provides a continuous supply of oxygen. Glycogen is stored in the muscles and liver in sufficient quantities for about two hours of strenuous exercise. You can extend this time by aerobic physical conditioning and high carbohydrate diet. After your glycogen stores are used up your body obtains its energy from fatty acid metabolism and amino acid protein metabolism. These reactions are not efficient, which consequently cause your strength and endurance to drop drastically.

EXERCISING AND BUILDING MUSCLES
Muscles change and develop with regular exercise but the effects differ, depending on whether you engage in strength, speed, or endurance training.

Strength and burst training cause the muscle fibers to enlarge. Individual muscle fibers increase in diameter as a result of an increase in intracellular protein fibrils.

Endurance training causes more blood vessel formation than does speed or strength training, which produces an increased capacity for aerobic metabolism within the muscle cell. This change is seen after a few weeks of training and is maximized in about three months. The aerobic enzymes that metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins double.

It is important to develop your strength and speed systems, but if you want to continue past about two minutes of high intensity workouts, you need to have your aerobic systems developed.
« Last Edit: July 19, 2010, 03:49:17 pm by jim-ratliff »
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