Join My It’s All Heart Fitness Class, May 7th at 8 pm!

 

It’s All Heart 

A Total Body Fitness Class Offered by Bobby Whisnand

 

 What makes this program different? 

Regardless of your abilities, health issues, or exercise experience 

ANYONE & EVERYONE CAN DO IT

What You’ll Get:

• A class specifically designed for those with mobility, balance, energy and joint pain issues
• NO GYM MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED
• Full body workout including resistance, cardiovascular and flexibility
• Options for exercising for 30 minutes or for one hour
• Learn kickboxing, functional movement, and core building moves
• Increase your mobility and reduce joint pain
• One-on-one time with Bobby Whisnand and his trainers
• The classes compliment the It’s All Heart fitness program by Bobby Whisnand

The Next It’s All Heart Class:

• Class starts Wednesday, May 7th at 8:00pm
• Location – Performant Fitness, 4112 Legacy Drive, Frisco TX 75034
• $10 per person/per class
• What to bring: Comfortable clothing that allows for optimum movement, a water bottle, and a towel
• To register or inquire about Bobby’s It’s All Heart classes, email Bobby@BobbyWhisnand.com or call 214.926.2639

 

Can’t attend this class or would like for me to hold a fitness class near you? Call or shoot me an email. Or, try the full It’s All Heart video series here. 

 

Burn, Baby! Burn!: The Truth About Lactic Acid

It seems that almost every conversation about resistance training or anaerobic activity always centers on “The Burn”. I’m talking about that deep burning sensation in your muscles that feels hot or stingy when reaching muscle exhaustion during weight training or short burst energy activities like sprinting. What exactly causes that burning sensation and is it a sign that you’re exercising correctly?

Without getting too technical, that burning sensation is caused by a buildup of lactic acid. When we do exercise for short periods of time (up to 3 minutes), our bodies are in an anaerobic state. Anaerobic means “without oxygen” and means that when we need immediate energy, oxygen is not a readily available source of energy. So, our body relies on another form of quick release energy called glucose. When this happens, glucose is broken down into pyruvate and when we are in anaerobic activity, pyruvate is converted into lactate. When your body has high levels of lactate (lactic acid), there is also an increase in the acidity of the muscle cells themselves which creates that burning sensation. This is exactly why when you are truly in an aerobic state, you do not feel “The Burn”.

Although there are those that believe lactic acid is what causes us to have DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), it has never been proven that this is the case. Muscle soreness is caused by microscopic muscle fiber damage. When you have muscle fiber damage from exercise, your muscles become inflamed and swell which is what causes the soreness you feel from exercise during the next 2-3 days afterwards.

There you have it, the truth on lactic acid. It’s a perfectly natural part of exercise and is the direct result of spent energy during anaerobic activity. So, the next time you hear a conversation pairing that burning sensation with muscle soreness; you can step right in and tell the burning truth.

 

Muscles: Which Kind are Best?

Muscles! Everybody wants them but the means to get them is different for everybody. There are different types of muscle in our bodies and each has a specific job or use. Understanding the different types of muscle in the human body and different types of muscle fiber will help you in determining which types of exercise and how much of each type are right for you.

Let’s start with the different types of muscle:

1. Cardiac Muscle – you guessed it; this is the type of muscle that makes up your heart and is found nowhere else in your body. This muscle is involuntary and never stops working.

2. Smooth Muscle – this muscle is found mostly in your digestive system and is involuntary as well

3. Striated (skeletal) Muscle – this is the muscle that you see on your body which is attached to your skeleton and is voluntary. This type of muscle has two main types of fiber and each type has a specific ability during exercise.

• Fast twitch – this type of striated muscle is for short burst of energy like low repetition strength training and sprinting. If your fitness goal is to add muscle size, this type of fiber is where you need to concentrate; low repetitions (6-8 reps and less) during your strength training is where you need to be with longer rest times (2-3 minutes) between your sets. This fiber puts out a lot of energy in a very short amount of time; this is your strength fiber
• Slow twitch – this fiber is for long periods of energy like high repetition strength training, jogging, running, biking, or any activity which is extended in time; this is your endurance fiber. If you want to tone, shape, and lose body fat, this is the muscle fiber on which you need to concentrate. You would want to do high repetitions (15-20) during your strength training with very short rest periods (30 seconds – 1 minute) between each set. Circuit training with cardiovascular activity is a very good way to work your slow twitch muscle fibers.

I suggest that no matter whom you are or what your fitness goals are, you should work both types of striated muscle fiber to achieve body and muscle balance. However, if your goal was to gain muscle and size, I would concentrate on fast twitch fibers for about 75% of my program. If my goal was to trim up, shape, and tone, I would concentrate on slow twitch fibers for about 75% of my program. Be sure to write down everything you do in exercise especially your resistance exercises, sets, reps, and amount of time between your sets. All of these variables can be manipulated to get you to the body you want; just make sure what you tell your body matches what your body is hearing.