We are now at the business end of the challenge, or at the start of a lifelong routine or ritual. We hope the latter for us and for you. We are trying to encourage a way of thinking – a mindset shift, and promote this way of thinking for everyone.
Running, walking, jumping, crawling, climbing, zig zagging, hanging upside down…..its what we were designed to you. Yes you too!….We are the most advanced species on the planet (that we know of🤪) whom are fortunate enough to be given physiques that can be molded, designed adapted to do anything.
The modern way of living has potentially changed us more into couch potatoes, more so than many of us would like. The advancements in technology, ease of access to fast food (such as Uber Eats, Deliveroo), streaming of tv (Netflix) has made it super easy to be forced into bad habits…without even knowing it. Our fast interconnected lifestyles force us into this daily routine…..and it can just sneak up on you.
We have been exploring the benefits of both walking and running, and more recently doing something you may love – like playing a sport. It comes down to what you enjoy doing, not a case of whether you can or can’t. Enjoyment we believe is understated especially when it comes to activity. How many of us would go to the gym because we want to? – Most of us will go to a gym because we have an objective such as tone up for the summer, build muscles….etc..It can be really hard to sustain this if you don’t enjoy doing it.
The challenge at present is exploring running and walking in great detail. To such a point that the team is going through the challenge right now.
The last few days have involved different calibre walking, running, and some sports. In addition to this, eating, sleeping, and further recovery. This is paramount to ensure we mitigate the risk of injury…..or just burnout in general. Additionally mixing it up means you are testing and trying out different dynamic movements. This helps in developing weaker areas and potentially identifying any potential injury areas that need to be addressed.
Slow is fast
What do we mean by slow is fast??? In order to run faster and longer you need to start with learning to run slower.
When we run and train we work within specific training zones. It is helpful to know the bodies metabolic training zone. As you get more aware of these zones during your training you will have a better idea of your fuel consumption and how to better manage it.
The ‘aerobic’ zone is the lowest and most comfortable zone you can train within. To train aerobically means that you are using fat stores only. The upper aerobic threshold corresponds to your maximum heart rate within this zone. Some running watches (e.g. Garmin) will give you an idea of your ranges so you can monitor them when you are performing your activity. Building cardiac endurance occurs primarily in this zone, building and growing the density of ‘Mitochondria’. Strong aerobic health will also lead to increases your anaerobic threshold.
What are Mitochondria?
Doctors and specialists alike will refer to Mitochondria as the powerful energy cells which exist within the muscle fibres. Mitochondria transform potential energy into motion by converting glycogen and glucose into Adenosine triphosphate, the currency of muscle contraction. Each cardiac muscle has approximately 5000 mitochondria. A bicep muscle has around 200.
Training intensity
Many of us think it is necessary to train at a high intensity in order to achieve results. When we sprint or do high intensity exercises the body instantly burns glucose (sugar). The reality of this is it can only be sustained for a short period of time, as it is impossible to service the muscles with this type of demand for oxygen. What happens….you burn out or flame out.
In order to build aerobic endurance you first need to understand what your maximum aerobic heart rate is. This is the sustained rate that will build and develop your endurance.
The 180 Formula
In 1982 Dr Maffetone developed the 180 formula. This easy formula gives you a base idea of what your aerobic heart rate should be.
- 180 – [
your age] – this will give you a baseline number - Adjust accordingly based on your health profile [Have you been sick, never exercised…get cold and flu multiple times a year …..subtract five]
- For example if you are 39, and have been subject to injury of surgery in the last 12 months, the calculation would be [ 180 – 39 – 5 = 136]
- If you regularly exercise (like 3-4 times a week) – then add five to your age
Remember this is just an indicator and if you are using a heart monitor device when you exercise or run it gives you an idea of where your comfortable zone is and how you can maximise your fat stores instead of relying solely upon smaller glucose stores.
Remember to be the electric car, not the gas guzzler that needs to fill up regularly and often.
GM Report
So as the team highlighted above we are in the business end of whatever challenge you have setup for yourself.
For me personally it is trying to condition myself from being a short, sharp and high intensity athlete into an endurance athlete. I have lived most of my life thinking we were all designed to do different things. If you were a distance runner it was because you were made that way. I was fast and my coaches always said you are lucky to have fast twitch fibres that allow you to run faster than others. Downside being I didn’t get much further than 1km at high intensity before I was out of gas, and literally throwing up on the side of the track….cramping up in all of my legs and arms.
Fast forward 20 years and we know this isn’t the case. Anyone can be anything, it just comes down to the training, conditioning, and yes – some discipline on your part.
In the last 2 weeks I have run over 30km within my aerobic zone, which for me is 136 (low range), 155 aerobic threshold. When I started I was barely walking. It was like an old man shuffle down the street. It was frustrating as hell but I persevered. I must say it was the easiest 10km I have ever run and I felt like I had a lot more in the tank – Why? – because I wasn’t relying on my smaller fuel tank (glucose) but using my fat stores which I have a limitless supply (LOL 😂). Even though I was running 10 minutes km’s I felt like I could do it all over again.
A couple of days later I did it again, and with similar effort I reduced my time to 7 minute km’s. Already for me I was seeing improvement. I had gone from the old man shuffle to what looked like a jog…..progress!
Several days later I ran 13.5km (just under city to surf distance) and I clocked my fastest 10km. The only difference was I pushed into the aerobic threshold for most of my run (155 bpm). I felt comfortable but I knew I was working harder. My fastest km split was 4.27, with an average pace of 5.25 per km.
Important to note this won’t be the same for everyone. The science is sound but the time for noticeable improvements will be different for everyone, and will be dependent on your activity profile, and your history. I train quite regularly doing a variety of different exercises and sports because I enjoy it – it’s part of my routine. Post surgery however it has been a long road back. I have always had a goal which was to get back to running within 18 months. I have beaten that by 6 months – with the help of a great team [Doctors, physios, Personal Trainers]. Remember to have people on your team, people supporting you and giving you good advice. This is important for anything in life – be the dumbest person in the room.
Happy training and all the best from the Titan Team. As always e-mail support@titanidentity as we love to hear more from you, and your stories.
We have just hit spring so we are looking forward to hitting the beach and sharing some amazing pictures with you.
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