I would highly recommend reading up on the Maffetone Method by Dr. Phil Maffetone. In his book he talks about the physiological effects of both aerobic and anaerobic excercise. As an (ex)Ironman triathlete, I realize, after reading his books, how much damage I have done to my body by poor training methods. All of my intense training has caused burnout - adrenal fatigue. Training at anaerobic levels too often led me to be a carbohydrate burning machine - according to Maffetone, I did not allow my body to use fat for energy during workouts, I depended on cokes and gels. Therefore, my sugar cravings became insatiable. After a torn achilles and surgery, my weight sky-rocketed and so did my cravings.
Today I work on only my aerobic "engine" so that I don't cause undue adrenal stress. Training purely aerobically causes several physiological adaptations that anaerobic exercise cannot, appropriate fat-burning being one of them. Another benefit of pure aerobic training is fortifying of the tendons, ligaments, and muscles, and development of the necessary blood vessels to nourish those tissues during exercise. Jumping into anaerobic exercise without the proper development of the aerobic system can also cause injuries because the body has not had time to adapt. There is so much more in Maffetone's books...
There is a time and place for anaerobic exercise, but I won't be doing it any time soon. Hope this helps!
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I would highly recommend reading up on the Maffetone Method by Dr. Phil Maffetone. In his book he talks about the physiological effects of both aerobic and anaerobic excercise. As an (ex)Ironman triathlete, I realize, after reading his books, how much damage I have done to my body by poor training methods. All of my intense training has caused burnout - adrenal fatigue. Training at anaerobic levels too often led me to be a carbohydrate burning machine - according to Maffetone, I did not allow my body to use fat for energy during workouts, I depended on cokes and gels. Therefore, my sugar cravings became insatiable. After a torn achilles and surgery, my weight sky-rocketed and so did my cravings.
Today I work on only my aerobic "engine" so that I don't cause undue adrenal stress. Training purely aerobically causes several physiological adaptations that anaerobic exercise cannot, appropriate fat-burning being one of them. Another benefit of pure aerobic training is fortifying of the tendons, ligaments, and muscles, and development of the necessary blood vessels to nourish those tissues during exercise. Jumping into anaerobic exercise without the proper development of the aerobic system can also cause injuries because the body has not had time to adapt. There is so much more in Maffetone's books...
There is a time and place for anaerobic exercise, but I won't be doing it any time soon. Hope this helps!
March 16, 2009 - 12:17pmThis Comment
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