Winston Salem HealthWinston Salem Health – Winston Salem Health Care

Almost all  women athletes, once they end competitive play, work on lowering the size of their muscles in different parts of their bodies. As both a softball and soccer player, you’re most likely performing power movements to train your legs.

These power movements probably involve lifting very heavy loads for several repetitions while weight training and performing explosive movements, such as pressing off of your pivot leg when sprinting.

The amount of muscle in the thighs can be decreased, but it might hamper your athletic performance if you are still active in softball and soccer.

As a power athlete, you probably have a bigger proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers (Kind II) than slow-twitch fibers (Kind I), found predominantly in endurance athletes.

Most of your muscle kind won’t change, as the kind of muscle fibers don’t predominantly change over the course of one’s life.

Basically, you’re born with the main type of muscle fiber that you will always have; notwithstanding, a small amount may adapt to changes in your workout regimen. Resistance and endurance training enlarges Kind I fibers, while inactivity causes them to atrophy.

Likewise, training might alter Type II fibers, which come in two varieties – hybrid fibers (Type IIa) and glycolitic fibers (Type IIb).

Weight training converts Kind IIb fibers into bigger Kind IIa fibers. With disuse, Kind IIa fibers revert back to leaner Kind IIb fibers.

If you’re no longer playing or simply have a strong desire to decrease the muscle size in your quadriceps and hamstrings that make up your thighs, consider cutting back on lifting heavy weights while weight training.

As opposed to performing one to four sets for three to five repetitions at a very heavy weight (85 to 100% of your one-lift maximum, which is the most you can lift for only one repetition, after which, you can’t repeat the exercise), start doing three sets for 15 to 20 repetitions at a low weight (approximately 50 to 70% of your one-lift maximum).

Below are some leg exercises to incorporate in the training

• squats

• leg press

• leg curls

• leg extensions

• seated and standing calf raises

• adductor

• abductor

Another choice to lessen the size of your thigh muscles is to introduce distance running into your training regimen, since you do not have or aren’t prone to any joint pain in your legs.

This activity can transform the size and structure of your legs. This is because distance runners adapt to this form of endurance training by developing leaner muscular legs (even though the muscle kind will predominantly remain the same).

You could consider beginning with one mile and then build up to five to ten miles during a training session.

People could be genetically predisposed to have strong leg muscles in their thighs. This mightn’t only apply to you, but also could be a reason for your athletic success.

Although your legs may not look traditionally feminine, it’s important to recognize their beauty in performing strong, powerful moves when scoring a goal or running to home.

Since it sounds as if you’re still active in softball and soccer, you may come to terms with your priority – to stay competitive in these sports, to play at a more leisurely level, or to stop for the time being.

Your option will determine whether, how much, and for how long you can transform the muscle mass in the thighs.

The bottom line will be determining whether it’s more important to you to have strong muscles that serve you athletically, or smaller muscles and less athletic prowess (or power).

If you desire both, and you cannot change what is in the genes, then you could be able to change how you view your powerful, capable body.

According to exercise physiologist Irv Rubenstein, Ph.D., strength training combined with three 30-minute cardio sessions each week will give cardiovascular benefits without muscle loss.

Cardiovascular

To sustain muscle gains, Dr. Rubenstein suggests using the rowing machine or doing interval training for the aerobic portion of your exercise regimen.

An example of interval training is using the stationary bike for 30 minutes, with one-minute high intensity “sprints” every 5 minutes.

These exercises integrate resistance with cardiovascular endurance, ultimately protecting lean muscle mass.

Running is not advised as a cardiovascular exercise because it can decrease muscle size due to the large energy demands.

In addition, it is not suggested that cardio be done on the same day as strength training.

Studies demonstrate that more muscle growth happens on resistance training-only days in comparison to cardio and resistance training on the same day.

If cardio and strength training have to be done on the same day, lift first, when physical strength, mental focus, and energy supply are at their peak.

Weight training

To maximize muscle growth, a 3-day lifting cycle is favored, with 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions with a heavy weight. Splitting workouts to cover certain body parts on different days might also aid muscle growth.

An example of this would be – chest, shoulders, and triceps on one day; lower body for another day; and, back, trapezius (upper shoulders/upper back area), and biceps on yet another day.

Resting is critical to muscle repair and growth so there need not be more than three consecutive days of overall exercise (strength training or cardio) followed by a rest day.

An ideal exercise schedule would look like the following

Day 1 – chest, shoulders, and triceps weight training

Day 2 – back, trapezius, and biceps resistance training

Day 3 – 30 minutes of rowing

Day 4 – REST

Day 5 – 30-minute bicycle interval with sprints

Day 6 – lower body strength training

Day 7 – REST

Nutrition

If the goal is overall muscle gain, eating a high-calorie diet builds and maintains muscle mass.

At a minimum, your husband needs to eat three moderate to large-size meals of approximately 500 to 700 calories each a day, with three snacks throughout the day consisting of 200 to 400 calories each.

Meals and snacks need to contain protein, carbohydrate, and fat and be spaced 3 to 4 hours apart. Select protein from animal sources at meals often, specifically for the meal after any workout.

A snack needs to be consumed approximately 1 to 2 hours before a workout. Calories are not to be curtailed on rest days.

Here’s a sample consuming plan for both workout and non-workout days

Breakfast – 2 scrambled eggs, 1 slice of cheese, 2 slices of whole grain toast, 1 cup of juice

Morning Snack – . cup of trail mix (mixture of nuts/seeds and dried fruit)

Lunch – 3 ounces of roast beef, 1 tablespoon of mayo on a roll with lettuce and tomato, 1 cup of fruit yogurt

Afternoon Snack – 1 protein bar (approximately 200 – 300 calories total)

Dinner – 6 ounces of chicken (i.e., 2 breasts), 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of tossed salad with 2 tablespoons of salad dressing

Evening Snack – 1 cup of 4 percent cottage cheese, 1 slice of toast, 1 banana

Overall, some cardiovascular exercise is good for the heart, but too much will inhibit a man’s efforts to gain muscle mass.

During the first few days at a higher altitude with thinner air that contains less atmospheric oxygen, one’s body will respond as follows

• breathing rate (ventilation) increases

• blood pH decreases, becoming more acidic

• muscle pH also decreases and becomes more acidic

• use of carbohydrates as an energy source increases

• use of fat as an energy source decreases

These changes lead to a slight increase in basal metabolic rate (BMR), the amount of energy needed to keep your body working correctly at rest for 24 hours.

Research studying this phenomena have found between a 6 to 28 percent increase in overall BMR in women and men at high altitudes.

With time, the increase in BMR lowers, but doesn’t return completely to baseline, so metabolism is slightly elevated at higher altitudes.

With this said, it seems that someone can expend many more calories while exercising at high altitudes; notwithstanding, this is not necessarily the case.

There isn’t a enormous difference in the amount of calories utilized at a higher altitude during exercise even though it might feel as though a person is working much harder.

The few extra calories someone will use will be a result of increased breathing to get more oxygen into the body, which means increased work by the rib cage and other muscles involved in ventilation.

So even though ventilation increases and oxygen delivery is enhanced, it does not necessarily mean a person is expending more energy while exercising.

Here are some factors that do influence the number of calories a person expends in general

Genetics

A number of individuals are born with high metabolisms (the rate at which one’s body uses calories) and others are born with low metabolisms. the main culprit of these phenomena is the thyroid gland.

A number of individuals produce more thyroxin (the hormone that is secreted from the thyroid) than others.

Thyroxin is responsible for metabolism, so when a person’s body produces a high-normal amount of thyroxin, she / he will utilize calories more rapidly.

If a person’s body produces a low-normal amount of thyroxin, the person will utilize calories more little by little.

NOTE – if thyroxin is out of normal range in either direction, it is dangerous and needs medical attention.

Gender

Generally, men have greater muscle mass than women. Since muscle requires more calories to maintain, men tend to have 10 to 15% faster metabolisms than women. In like fashion, men have a lower body fat percentage than women.

Age

Metabolic rate is higher in childhood than in adulthood. Children are growing and need more calories to fulfill their bodies’ requirements. After the age of 20 years, metabolism drops 2 percent per decade.

Brain Power

The brain is only 2 percent of the body’s weight, but accounts for more than 20 percent of total calories used.

Also, the length of time per day spent awake affects the amount of calories utilized. We expend more calories when we’re awake than when we’re asleep.

Fever

For every increase of 0.5.C (32.9.F) in body temperature, BMR increases by approximately 7 percent. For  instance, when someone has a fever of 42.C (107.6.F), he / she would’ve an increase in metabolic rate of 50 percent.

The reason for this is that chemical reactions in the body occur more quickly at higher temperatures.

Medications

A few medications, such as anti-depressants, can slow down metabolic processes and lead to weight gain.

During exercise, the following factors influence calorie expenditure

Cardiovascular Activity Intensity

The intensity of aerobic exercise has the greatest impact on calorie usage during exercise. As exercise intensity increases, the greater the caloric expenditure during and after exercise.

Intensity refers to the rate of exertion during exercise, which may be measured by VO2 max (oxygen consumption), heart rate, or perceived exertion.

Here’s an example of cardiovascular activity intensity – running on a treadmill at 6.5 mph is more intense than running at 5.5 mph, so increasing speed can impact intensity.

Notwithstanding, two people can be running at 5.5 mph, but when one runs on an incline, that activity would be more intense.

Cardiovascular Exercise Duration

The length of time per exercise session not only impacts the volume of calories utilized during exercise, but also the volume of calories to be utilized after exercise.

The longer the bout of physical activity, the more calories will be expended right after it’s over, a.k.a. the ‘after-burn.’

Intermittent versus Single Bouts of Exercise

Several studies have concluded that intermittent aerobic exercise expends more calories overall than continuous exercise.

Individuals used more calories during two, 25-minute sessions when compared to a continuous 50-minute bout of the same exercise.

This occurs for two reasons – first, the body has to work harder at rest to move from an anaerobic state, using glucose and other simple and complex carbohydrates during the first few minutes of exercise, to an aerobic state, which relies on fat as its primary energy source during more sustained activity.

This will happen twice in intermittent exercise bouts versus once in a continuous bout. Additionally, there’s more ‘after-burn’ of calories in intermittent fitness sessions versus one continuous session.

Strength Training

The intensity of resistance training also influences calories utilized. Heavier lifting (3 sets, 8 exercises, 3 to 8 reps at 80 to 90% of 1RM) will use more calories during and right after than lighter resistance training (4 sets, 8 exercises, 15 reps at 50% of 1RM).

1RM refers to the weight of one repetition at maximal strength. For example, if a person’s 1RM of a squat is 100 pounds, then heavy lifting would be doing 3 sets of 3 to 8 reps of squats at 80 to 90 lbs. Lighter lifting weights would be squatting 50 lbs for 4 sets of 15 reps.

Fitness Level

People who are more fit expend fewer calories during and right after exercise than individuals who are less fit.

This occurs because individuals who have been exercising more consistently have faster recovery time in breathing and heart rate, and repair muscle more rapidly.

Overall, metabolism increases slightly at higher altitudes with some greater caloric expenditure, but this difference is insignificant, since metabolism is influenced to a bigger degree by the above eleven factors.

Upping your running mileage creates physiologic changes that support endurance. As you increase mileage, your legs build up more muscle mass to tolerate the increased work they need to do.

When you feel sore after a run, it indicates that a small amount of injury occurred to certain muscle groups. Our bodies respond by repairing the area of injury and building more muscle mass.

This increases endurance and overall strength. Muscle mass is enhanced in a few ways via these physiologic adaptations

Increased capillaries

Capillaries, the body’s smallest blood vessels, bring oxygen and fuels in, and waste products, like carbon dioxide, out of the cells. Longer runs increase the volume of capillaries per muscle fiber, bettering this delivery and removal system.

More myobglobin

Myoglobin carries oxygen from the cell membrane of the muscle cell to the mitochondria for energy production. Increasing running mileage results in higher myoglobin content in muscle fibers, with more oxygen delivered to those fibers.

Mighty mitochondria

Mitochondria, the aerobic energy centers in your cells, increase in number and size in your muscle fibers as you increase your runs. Enzymes in the mitochondria speed up aerobic energy production, increasing enzyme activity and assisting maintain a faster pace while running.

Glycogen storage

Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrate. As your mileage increases, more stored glycogen is used. Glycogen depletion stimulates muscles to store more glycogen.

As you can see, these physiologic changes, so of an increase in running mileage, support your leg muscles in becoming larger and stronger.

You do not have to worry about your leg muscles growing exponentially with each added mile in the run because the hormone estrogen avoids muscles from getting too large or too bulky.

Rather, your leg muscles will become lean mean running machines! In addition to these physiologic changes, your body also uses fat as an energy source at a higher rate than carbohydrates and glycogen. the type of muscle fibers in the legs is also transformed.

Slow-twitch fibers in muscle help in endurance because they have a higher proportion of the adaptations listed above.

Longer runs give your fast-twitch muscle fibers, typically reserved for sprinting or power actions, more of the characteristics of slow twitch fibers. Also, feel good about your new pants size. Your legs will take you where you want to go!

Hypoxic training is a method of training that lowers the availability of oxygen to the body.

Some individuals , including many athletes, believe that it can lead to physiological changes that allow the blood to carry more oxygen and thereby improve physical endurance.

The question is – does this theory hold water? Because of the inconclusive nature of the studies done so far, the answer to that question is still up in the air.

What scientists do know is that constant exposure to low levels of oxygen can do more harm than good to the body. It can cause  chronic stress, detraining, and edema (fluid buildup in the lungs and brain).

In some cases, blood can thicken too much, raising the risk of death due to blood clotting.

A number of athletes, however, have found that intermittent hypoxic training in combination with regular training has improved their level of performance.

Others feel that sleeping or living at high altitudes (or simulated high-altitude environments) and training at low altitudes increases their endurance.

This is known as the LHTL (Live High Train Low) method and is supposed to counteract the effects of detraining while enhancing performance by an typicalof 2 to 3%.

Heading for the hills is not the only way to achieve the effects of hypoxic training.

As you mentioned, there are now a lot of ways to simulate high altitude training, such as breathing intermittently with a nitrogen mask, sleeping in a nitrogen tent, living or sleeping in a barometric chamber, and living in a nitrogen house.

Nitrogen replaces a proportion of the oxygen in the air in many of these methods, leading to oxygen deprivation and thus creating a hypoxic environment.

Notwithstanding, all of these tools come with disadvantages and might not work for everybody, so it’s best to speak with a healthcare provider when you’re thinking of using them.

First, let us just acknowledge that it’s excellent that you are working out, regardless of the time of day. You may notice that numerous fitness facilities on campus and in the community have replied to your need by staying open late or even 24 hours a day.

From a physiological standpoint, working out at night is no different than working out during the day if that is what your schedule dictates.

Just remember to hydrate before, during, and after your routine. It’s also best to eat a little before you train – a piece of fruit or a power bar will do the trick.

When you find yourself hungry after your workout, your body may recover better with some sustenance as well.

For tips on eating and working out, see Is it better to eat before or after exercise?

When attempting to determine which time of day is best for your workout, consider the following

• Working out at night may disrupt sleep for some individuals. If you’ve noticed a change in your sleep habits, try to shift your workout earlier in the evening. If possible, avoid any “workout drink” that may be caffeinated or full of sugar.

• Though research is mixed and ever-evolving, some evidence shows that people who workout in the morning are better able to stick to their routine. Nevertheless, when another time of day works well for you, keep it up and do what feels best.

• When you’re exercising at night, whether in a park or other public space, or commuting between home and a fitness facility, pay additional attention to your safety and think about finding a workout partner (safety in numbers).

As far as feeling tired during the middle of the day, that could be related to not getting enough sleep at night.

The advised amount of sleep per night falls between 6 to 10 hours for most individuals.

When your nighttime exercise routine is fairly new to you, it may take your body a little time to adjust.

A lot of individuals who exercise consistently actually report experiencing more energy from their athletic endeavors.

As mentioned above, nutrition and hydration have a large impact on our bodies, particularly our energy levels.

If your diet is deficient in any nutrients or high in sugars that can send your blood sugar (and energy levels) on a roller coaster, you may want to consider how to balance your meals and snacks.

Lastly, you could find that squeezing in a 20 to 30 minute power nap during the day could help, not only to keep you refreshed, but to also allow for more energy while you train.

Just because you cannot be on your feet doesn’t mean you should be sitting on your butt all the time.

Truly, studies have shown that exercising can help certain injuries heal faster, if it is done properly and without too much weight.

Nevertheless, since excess weight or repetition can lead to reinjury, these exercises should always be done below the close supervision of a healthcare provider or medical professional.

In addition to the exercises listed in the Alice archives (see Exercise for the physically challenged and Weight loss recommendations for someone with limited to no mobility), you can also attempt Pilates or Yoga.

These exercises may be easy on your foot and can improve your posture, flexibility, and balance.

To begin, you could find a class and let the instructor know about your injury or get your hands on a video or DVD and fast-forward past any parts that involve any fancy (or basic) footwork.

When your cast is waterproof, swimming and water aerobics will give you a excellent workout without straining your foot. It is also a good excuse to take a look at the pool boy,  or rather, the pull-buoy.

This is a piece of foam or other soft substance that goes between your thighs while you’re in the pool, permitting your lower body to float and making your upper body do all of the work.

As you may have already noticed, working out at the health club may help you with workin’ it in the sack.

In addition to increasing aerobic capabilities and muscle strength, exercise has also been linked to a high-revving sex drive. All three of these effects are certainly beneficial under the sheets.

Besides possibly enhancing your self-image, which is beautiful sexy in itself, exercise also leads to the release of certain chemicals known as endorphins.

The release of endorphins is thought to lead to a subsequent release of hormones that pump up a person’s sex drive.

Even low-intensity activities, such as yoga or tantra, may do a little somethin’ somethin’ by increasing blood flow to the genitals and increasing arousal.

Exercise may also offer a lift to some men who experience erectile dysfunction (ED), which can be caused by poor blood flow to the genital region, including the penis.

Working out gets the heart pumping and improves circulation so that all parts of the body get theirs – their share of blood, that is.

What’s more, a relationship has been shown between a man’s bulging waistline and a higher risk of ED due to underlying heart conditions.

All of this means that exercise is doubly beneficial because it can help with weight loss to get both the ticker and the pecker back in shape.

Women, no need to feel left out – being physically active might also increase blood flow to the vagina and clitoris, and make a low libido a thing of the past.

With all the other well-known health benefits of exercise, is not it excellent to see how all that sweat can turn into something so sexy?

Burning calories doesn’t have to be an uphill battle, though walking up a hill with a 15 degree slope will cause you to use a third more energy than walking on a level surface!

Both terrain variation and swinging of the arms will increase caloric expenditure during a walk. Terrain variation is particularly helpful.

Walking downhill actually uses about the same amount of energy as walking on a flat surface, unless it is unsteady terrain.

Working to keep your balance will burn more energy, unless the surface makes you so unsteady that you’ve to walk significantly more gradually.

So varying terrain may be very healthy, just remember to wear ankle-supporting shoes, namely when walking along unpaved paths or trails.

Arm-swinging will also increase calorie-burning, lends power to your walking, and assists with balance.

Swinging the arms can burn 5 to 10 percent more calories than walking without arm-swinging. Here are some tips to maximize this benefit and minimize injury

• Be cautious not to clench your fists, as this can interfere with circulation

• Bend elbows at 90 degrees and keep arms close to the body

• With each step, the arm opposite your forward foot swings straight out rather than diagonally

• Make sure to keep the arm coming forward low – it should not go above breastbone

• Arm “pumping” and other more exaggerated arm movements aren’t necessarily helpful in the propelling or calorie-burning department.

Intensity and duration of exercise are mutually exclusive. It’s hard to stay active at the highest intensity for a long period of time. Nearly all times, exercise is either at a higher intensity for a shorter period of time, or at a lower intensity for a longer period of time.

A benefit of walking at a faster pace is that it helps improve cardiovascular function andlevel of fitness. In time, a person who trains at higher levels of intensity can slowly increase his or her exercise time, building up endurance.

A advantage of walking at a slower pace is that it permits a individuals to stroll for a longer duration before becoming tired, which assists to build up endurance.

In time, a individuals can slowly and gradually increase the intensity (speed up his or her walking), improving his or her level of fitness. Improvements in fitness occur by increasing the body’s use of oxygen (a.k.a., oxygen consumption).

Whether the intensity is high and duration is short, or the intensity is low and duration is long, relatively the same amount of oxygen is utilized and the same number of calories is expended.

One mode of exercise is no better than another – for intensity or duration. What really counts is to be consistent in any activity you choose to do.

Mixing it up – some days going for intensity – shorter, faster walks; some days going for endurance – longer, slower walks – can keep you on your toes (pun intended).

It can also make your exercise routine more fascinating, fit into any schedule, and keep you and your buddy satisfied and happy.