VO2max

The monthly newsletter of RunCoachJason.com

Jason Karp, professional coach, consultant, freelance writer

May, 2007

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In this issue:

The 3 Players of Distance Running

Coach Jason to Speak to Albuquerque Road Runners

Running For Carbs

VO2 Plateau

Weight Loss Strategies

In Press

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The 3 Players of Distance Running

Interested in becoming a better runner or coach?  In my popular CD collection, The 3 Players of Distance Running, you’ll get all the info you could ever want on VO2max, lactate threshold, and running economy, including specific workouts to help you reach your running goals!  Each CD contains a PowerPoint slide presentation that will show you how to test and train each of these physiological variables.  Purchase any CD for $9.95, any 2 CDs for $17.95, or the whole set for just $23.95 (plus $2.95 shipping).  Just go to http://www.runcoachjason.com/merchandise or e-mail jason@runcoachjason.com.

 

And don’t forget you can still purchase my customized 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon training programs for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.  Just e-mail jason@runcoachjason.com.

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Coach Jason to Speak to Albuquerque Road Runners

For those of you in the Albuquerque area this month, I will be speaking to the Albuquerque Road Runners Club on May 2, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whole Foods Market on Wyoming Boulevard in northeast Albuquerque.  My presentation on Lactate Threshold: Best O2 Bang for Your Buck will be packed with cutting-edge information on training for runners.  For those interested in more scientific information about becoming a better runner, my popular CD collection, The 3 Players of Distance Running, which offers special information and training advice for VO2max, lactate threshold, and running economy, will be available for purchase at the meeting. 

 

Founded in 1985, the Albuquerque Road Runners is Albuquerque’s oldest and largest open running club.  For more information, go to http://www.aroadrun.org.

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Running For Carbs

It has been known since the late 1960s that the ability to perform endurance exercise is strongly influenced by the amount of pre-exercise glycogen stored in skeletal muscles, with muscle glycogen depletion becoming the decisive factor limiting prolonged exercise.  One major reason why marathoners do long training runs is to deplete muscle glycogen.  In the presence of ingested carbohydrate following the long run, the skeletal muscles respond rather elegantly to the “empty tank” by synthesizing and storing more glycogen and thus increasing endurance for the future.

 

Many studies have shown that ingesting carbohydrates immediately after a workout maximizes muscle glycogen synthesis, which has led to the long-standing position of physiologists and sports nutritionists that immediate post-workout ingestion is the best recovery and training strategy for optimal performance.  However, recent molecular evidence suggests that the opposite strategy—holding out on the muscles by delaying the consumption of carbohydrates—may be even more beneficial.  By “starving” the muscles of carbohydrates, they may respond by synthesizing even more glycogen when carbohydrates are finally introduced.  Low muscle glycogen content has been shown to enhance the transcription of genes involved in protein synthesis.  Think of this strategy as creating a threat to the muscles’ survival: when you threaten the survival of muscles by depriving them of their preferred fuel, a strong signal is sent to make more of that fuel to combat the threat.  The downside to training in a low-glycogen state, however, is that it's hard to maintain a high intensity since high-intensity running is dependent on carbohydrates for fuel.  A lot more research needs to be done in this area, but if you’re going to try training with low muscle glycogen, make sure you consume lots of carbs before your marathon, so you “train low, race high.”

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VO2 Plateau

It has traditionally been believed that VO2 increases linearly with increasing exercise intensity and reaches a plateau at near maximal workloads.  VO2max is often defined by its plateau despite an increase in workload.  However, many researchers have not observed such a plateau in all subjects.  This inconsistency in observing a plateau in VO2 has led to the suggestion that a VO2 plateau should not be used as a requirement for defining VO2max.  Whether or not VO2 plateaus is important, because it brings into question whether VO2max is really a valid measure of the limit of the cardiorespiratory system’s ability to transport oxygen from the air to the tissues.  To test whether VO2 really plateaus, a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that the VO2 attained during exercise at a 30% higher intensity than that achieved during a VO2max test didn’t elicit a higher VO2max, supporting the contention that VO2max does represent the limit of the cardiorespiratory system to supply oxygen to the working muscles.    

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Weight Loss Strategies

If you’re trying to lose weight, lifting weights can help you preserve muscle mass.  A study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared three weight loss strategies: diet plus strength training, diet plus aerobic training, and diet only.  After eight weeks, all three groups lost the same average amount of weight—20 pounds—and had the same decrease in resting metabolic rate.  The strength training group lost significantly less fat-free mass than the other two groups and the aerobic exercise group increased VO2max more than the other two groups.  Bottom line: there are many ways to lose weight, but weight training is best for preserving muscle mass, aerobic training is best for increasing cardiovascular fitness, and resting metabolic rate decreases when you’re losing weight regardless of strategy.

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In Press...

Ever wonder how many miles you should run to maximize your performance?  “Miles to Go Before I Sleep”: How Much Mileage is Enough?, my article that explores the question of how much mileage is necessary to maximize VO2max and other variables related to performance, appears in the May, 2007 issue of Running Times.

 

Hey! Back Off! Tapering for the Marathon, my article that describes the physiology of tapering and gives advice for the best tapering strategies, appears in the May/June, 2007 issue of Marathon & Beyond.

 

Have you ever wanted a V-tapered back that would make women swoon?  Have you ever wanted to wear a backless dress but didn’t feel you had the back for it?  Beautiful Back, Part 4 of my Better Body series that describes how to get the back you’ve always dreamed of, along with a back training program, appears in the May, 2007 issue of Ultra-Fit magazine.

 

The Top 3 Marathon Workouts, my article that describes the three most important workouts to prepare for a marathon, appears in the May/June, 2007 issue of Washington Running Report.

 

The Top Three Cardio Workouts, my article on the top three fitness-inducing, fat-burning cardio workouts, appears in the Spring, 2007 issue of Duke City Fit.

 

My Fitness News contributions on detraining and fitness, carbohydrates and immune function, and how strength improves appear in the May, 2007 issue of Oxygen magazine.

 

Toning Your Trouble Spots, my article that describes specific exercises for developing your butt and abs so you can look good in your bikini this summer, appears in the June, 2007 issue of Marie Claire, on newsstands in May.

 

My Fitness News contributions on training to burn more fat, exercise and your bones, and how to get awesome abs appear in the June, 2007 issue of Oxygen magazine, on newsstands in May.

 

Also look for my advice on breaking through plateaus so you can run longer in the May, 2007 issue of Marie Claire and on cross training in the June, 2007 issue of Runner’s World, on newsstands in May.   

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To view past newsletters, go to http://www.runcoachjason.com/newsletter.

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©2007 Jason Karp.