Overdrive, a Sports Supplement
June 10, 2010
Overdrive is a Sports Supplement produced by the company Pharmanex and provides a blend of B-vitamins, antioxidants, mineral cofactors, proteolytic enzymes and unique electrolytes to enhance energy metabolism during exercise and normal post-exercise muscle recovery.
Overdrive, as a supplement to complement my own training has been very interesting and over the week I have noticed a very marked difference in the way my body feels during and post-exercise.
After doing predominantly Pilates over the past few months, I know for a fact that I would have less Type IIA/B muscle fibres in my body, but I found that I was mentally and physically able to push all the weights that were mapped out in the designed circuits and also able to push the lactate threshold training for metabolic conditioning, all in one day.
28th May 2010 Training Program:
Lactate Threshold Training: 15 minutes
15 sets of Deadlifts at 40kg x 8 reps & 10x Press Ups off the bar on the minute.
Circuit: 13 minutes
Gecko Crawls, Swiss Ball Jacknifes, Eccentric Chin Ups, Renegade Rows, Cleans, Squat Presses, Arnold Presses, Pull Ups, Bench Push/Pulls, Bike, Rower, BOSU Planks.
During the workouts, I felt drained after the first 10 minutes, but as I felt the shift into the second and third gears, my mental confidence just grew and I was able to push it out a bit more. With that in confidence, arousal levels peaked with a little bit more with me powering out on the rower.
With 2 tablets before and 2 during and 2 post exercise. There is a significant tightness around the gluteus maximus muscles and in the back, but only when I move it to a certain range of motion.
It is day two now post workout, 29th May and still feeling fine. Should be able to go a for a workout of some sort later on.
Day Three post workout and still not feeling any soreness at all. There is a tightness in the muscle when moving into certain ranges of movement, but there is significantly no soreness or D.O.M.S. at all. This is truly amazing. I am expecting to be feeling like I have been hit by a bus, but there is no reason to whinge or moan.
Verdict: Highly recommend this product to anyone who is terrified of D.O.M.S. or moans about being sore from training. Or also for those who love training so much that they would need to recover very quickly and stay exercising every couple of days. With supplementation of Overdrive, you will see a significant increase in strength and stamina levels, not to mention accelerated recovery from high intensity workouts.
Bjorn Voon
Benefits of Interval Training
March 20, 2010
Exercise less with interval training March 3, 2010
Cycling and running are two common ways to undertake interval training but rowing and swimming may also work. People who complain they have no time to exercise may soon need another excuse. Some experts say intense exercise sessions could help people squeeze an entire week’s workout into less than an hour. Those regimens – also called interval training – were originally developed for Olympic athletes and thought to be too strenuous for normal people.
But in recent years, studies in older people and those with health problems suggest many more people might be able to handle it. If true, that could revolutionise how health authorities advise people to exercise – and save millions of people hours in the gym every week.
It is also a smarter way to exercise, experts say. “High-intensity interval training is twice as effective as normal exercise,” said Jan Helgerud, an exercise expert at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. “This is like finding a new pill that works twice as well … we should immediately throw out the old way of exercising.”
Studies on intense training have been published in sports medicine journals and have largely been based on young, healthy people. Experts say more studies are needed on how older and less fit populations handle this type of exercise before it can be recommended more widely.
Intense interval training means working very hard for a few minutes, with rest periods between sets. Experts have mostly tested people running or biking, but other sports like rowing or swimming should also work. Helgerud recommends people try four sessions lasting four minutes each, with three minutes of recovery time in between.
Unless you’re an elite athlete, it shouldn’t be an all-out effort. “You should be a little out of breath, but you shouldn’t have the obvious feeling of exhaustion,” Helgerud said. The Australian health department recommends about 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days. Those guidelines target a mostly sedentary section of the population and are intended to help with weight control and heart health, not boosting fitness levels, increasing strength or endurance. Some experts have cautioned that ordinary people shouldn’t substitute their regular exercise routine for intense training.
“There isn’t enough evidence to say people should do one or the other,” said Gary O’Donovan, a sports and exercise expert at the University of Exeter. “Any bout of exercise has the potential to improve your blood pressure or lower your cholesterol, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be intense.” Still, O’Donovan said more intense exercise would probably produce better benefits. Helgerud says the time people spend in the gym could be slashed dramatically if they did interval training instead. He said officials have been too afraid of recommending intense training for fear it would be too much for some people. “I’m much more afraid of people not exercising at all,” he said. “Inactivity is what’s killing us.” When compared to people on a normal exercise routine, like jogging, research has shown those doing interval training can double their endurance, improve their oxygen use and strength by more than 10 per cent and their speed by at least 5 per cent.
Even studies in the elderly and in heart patients found they had better oxygen use and fitness after doing interval training. Still, experts advise people to consult a doctor before starting any fitness program.
For Adamson Nicholls, a 36-year-old Londoner and martial arts enthusiast, interval training is a way to boost his endurance so he can outlast sparring opponents. “It’s a shortcut to explosive fitness,” he said, adding the training resulted in snappier and heavier punches. Using interval training, Nicholls got into top shape last year in about six weeks with weekly 45-minute sessions. He estimates the same level would have taken about three months via regular training. Experts say that’s because intense bursts of activity are precisely what the body needs to build stronger muscles.
Traditional workouts lasting an hour or more simply don’t push the body enough. “A lot of the (benefits) from exercise are due to a stress response,” said Stephen Bailey, a sports sciences expert at the University of Exeter. “If you disturb your muscles, there’s an imbalance created and your body will start signaling pathways that result in adjustments.” Bailey said intense bursts of exercise help the body to convert one type of muscle fibre into another type that uses oxygen more efficiently and is capable of exercising a lot longer.
Even though interval training only takes a few minutes, its effects last for hours. “You’ve exercised at such a high intensity that you’re going to create a massive disturbance in your muscles,” Bailey said. That creates a higher metabolism for several hours afterward, which the body will bring down by burning fat and carbohydrates. “This is definitely the way forward to save time on your exercise,” Nicholls said. “The results are worth it.”
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Interval training is not a new concept. It has been around for ages. It is highly effective and will promote strength and cardiovascular fitness if the programs are designed accordingly.
I use concepts of interval training all the time with my clients and it is the most effective and quickest way to shift weight and improve fitness.
Long gone are the long hours in the gym working out to burn off that cake or beer. In is the more fast and effective way to get everything in in under one hour.
Save yourself some time. Get in, get out, get worked.
Interval Based WorkoutsTry them out.
