Endurance

by Jamie V.

Training to build cardiovascular endurance can be a complicated endeavor. Knowing how long and at when intensity to maintain during a workout can be difficult to decipher, especially for beginners. Knowing that building endurance can be done a variety of ways will help hasten results and increase endurance capacity. A recent study on the Training Effects on Endurance Capacity (Comparison Between Continuous and Interval Training) found a strong positive correlation between interval training and endurance capacity in comparison to continuous training (increasing the intensity of a cardiovascular workout until exhaustion). After 15 weeks of training (3x/week), subjects training with intervals (10s. on and 20s. off x10 sets) showed a greater increase in endurance capacity versus those who did continuous training (working incrementally till exhaustion). In a short amount of time, the results were great…true X Gym style!

Feeling Better

by Mike G.

If you’ve ever felt better after a workout, congratulations, you’re human. Part of being human is experiencing a mood lift after exercise, mainly caused by neurogenesis and the release of endorphins. Often, studies of these occurrences and their relation to exercise are examined through running or some type of cardiovascular training (as opposed to simply lifting weights), but a recent study has revealed that resistance training can improve your mood too. Conducted by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the researchers used the Subjective Exercise Experience Scale in order to survey the subjects’ self-perception of well being and attitude. Women, especially, were found to have a significant increase in positive well-being after one, single, bout of weight exercises, meaning that the affects were immediate. What does this mean? If you want to feel good, put down the drugs, and pick up the weights!

JSCR, Vol 3, Number 9