Fortius Health

It's cardiovascular health Thursday! Let’s talk about the relationship between aerobic fitness and heat adaptation.

Recall that aerobic fitness is achieved by training in aerobic activities such as running, swimming, cycling, rowing, et cetera. One major advantage of being aerobically fit is that you will be more able to tolerate the heat of a summer day. Let’s discuss just a few reasons why:

1) Aerobic fitness increases total blood volume. This means you can absorb more heat from the environment before your core temperature rises.
2) Total blood volume means you have an extra fluid reserve for perspiration when you need to cool off. When you are hypo-hydrated (AKA dehydrated), you will be unable to shed heat via evaporation.
3) Aerobic fitness improves blood flow, and blood flow is also a major method of cooling off. Many new blood vessels are created to increase the efficiency of circulation, and your increased volume of blood rushes to the superficial layers of your body to release heat into the environment by way of a concentration gradient.
4) People who are aerobically well-trained are often leaner. While fat tissue certainly keeps you warm in the cold, it also keeps you warm in the heat. This is because fat acts as an insulator. With a leaner body composition, there is greater ability to release heat into your environment.

Aerobic training improves not only your tolerance to hot environments, but your ability to be physically active in those hot environments as well. And as you might have guessed, your heat tolerance will be even greater if you train aerobically in a hot environment. Always remember to consume adequate fluid before, during, and after exercising in the heat, stop if you feel ill, and progress gradually.

Comment below to ask about the body’s heat adaptation methods or share your experience!

It’s strength Wednesday! Let’s talk about delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

The microscopic structure of muscle tissue can sometimes be damaged if we exercise excessively or attempt movements that we are not used to. The result is DOMS, a painful condition that commonly occurs the next day or two days following the activity. The pain can sometimes take several days to subside, and it often discourages further exercise. To minimize this happening to you, consider the following:

1) DOMS only occurs if you make a drastic change in your activity level. To avoid it, approach anything new very gradually. Always incrementally increase the load or volume to avoid the DOMS and also avoid potential injuries.
2) DOMS is almost exclusively caused by eccentric contractions. Recall from a previous post that eccentric contractions occur when our muscles contract while lengthening. The damage to the muscle occurs because the microscopic fibers are “holding on” against a change in momentum. Imagine your muscle fibers are like hands, supporting your bodyweight as they hold onto an overhead bar which is jostling around. The damage to the muscle would be similar to hands losing their grip on the bar. Avoid too much volume with heavy lengthening contractions during your workout, and your soreness will decrease. Apply tip #1 for best results.
3) There is little you can do to alleviate the pain – only time can reliably heal you. Mild activity, such as walking, may prevent it from getting worse, however. If the pain is severe, acetaminophen may help temporarily. DOMS is not permanent, however. Again – refer to #1 to prevent it from happening!
4) DOMS does not mean you had a good workout, and a workout without DOMS does not mean you had a bad workout! DOMS simply means you did more than you were accustomed to.

Comment below to ask questions or share your experience with DOMS – hopefully it wasn’t a painful experience!

It's mobility Tuesday! Let’s talk about a tip you can use to overcome squat mobility issues.

If you are trying to perform a squat but find you are held back by your ankle or hip range of motion, you may find it difficult to squat low. While stretching is one solution, it may take time and is not always guaranteed to get you to the depth that you desire.

There is one simple fix to this problem – simply elevate your heels. If you place something below your heels, your ankles no longer need to flex quite as far to achieve the same forward movement of your trunk. It also similarly mitigates hip inflexibility. Alternatively, you can also perform squats with your heels flat but on a decline surface, which achieves the same effect. In using these techniques, you will shift the muscular focus away from the hips and more to the thighs.

Comment below to ask questions or share your experience with squat mobility!