The View from Atop Your Plateau

One of the most common things I hear as a personal trainer from people around the gym is that their workouts seemed to have stalled or "plateaued", specifically when speaking about cardiovascular training. The problem is simply that the bodies of those who have plateaued have become accustomed to the same workout routine that they have been participating in for weeks, months...sometimes even years! What these people need to understand is not only do they need to change what they do for their cardiovascular workouts, but also how they do it.

World renowned strength and conditioning coach Charles Poliquin has uncovered six major reasons why aerobic (depending on air, or, steady state cardio training) is counterproductive in the gym. Written by Keith Alpert, a respected strength coach from the Boston area, they are:

• Continuous aerobic work plateaus after 8 weeks of training so anything more is counterproductive. From strength coach Michael Boyle: "A 2006 study from McMaster University in Canada illustrated this beyond a shadow of a doubt. The study compared 20 minutes of interval training (30 sec sprint/4 min rest) with 90 to 120 minutes in the “target heart rate zone.” The results showed the same improvement in oxygen utilization. If you could get the same benefit from one hour a week, why run four and a half to six hours a week?"


• Aerobic training worsens power locally and systemically - in other words, it can make you slower. If you are an athlete or a "weekend warrior" who likes to participate in athletic events or team sports that require speed and jumping ability, this is the last thing you want from a cardiovascular training program. Poliquin: "The more lower body aerobic work you do, the more your vertical jump worsens. The more upper body aerobic work you do, the more your medicine ball throws worsen."


• Aerobic training increases oxidative stress which can accelerate aging. Oxidation is a process that forms free radicals in the body. Normally, free radicals can be neutralized by antioxidants, but when there is an excessive build-up of free radicals, then the body cannot neutralize them. This leads to changes in your metabolism which can speed up aging.


• Aerobic training increases adrenal stress which can make you fatter and produce other undesirable health consequences. Too much adrenal stress leads to adrenal fatigue. Symptoms include: tiredness, fearfulness, allergies, frequent influenza, arthritis, anxiety, depression, reduced memory, and difficulties in concentrating, insomnia, feeling worn out and most importantly - with respect to this article - the inability to lose weight after extensive effort.


• Aerobic training increases body fat in stressed individuals by contributing additional stress. If you are already stressed out in your life, this is just like adding to the pile, which will add more body fat, making it harder for you to reach your weight loss or body fat goal.


• Aerobic training worsens testosterone/cortisol ratio, which impedes your ability to add fat burning lean muscle. This in turn hampers weight loss due to the inability to produce lean muscle in the name of increasing calorie expenditure.
  

Alpert asks you to figure out who has more body fat: a sprinter, or a marathoner? Most times than not, the answer is a marathoner (when in actuality the answer is a sprinter!) How is this possible, if sprinters do almost no aerobic work??

Alpert mentions that the reason is rooted in the intense nature of their training. "The higher the intensity (percentage of maximum heart rate), the more calories per minute burned during the workout. In addition (and more important), caloric expenditure is increased for 24-48 hours post workout."

So where to go from here? The answer lies in the benefits of interval training. This type of training alternates between bouts of high intensity exercise (ie. run, sprint, increase in speed or resistance on machines) with low to moderate intensity exercises (ie. walk, speed walk, decrease speed or resistance). The best part is, this should only take you about 20-30 minutes total, and you only have to do it 2 or 3 times a week.

So for those of you who hate coming in on cardio days, engage yourself in some interval training. You'll not only save time, but you'll really feel the burn and reap the benefits it has to offer.