There are three (3) metabolic pathways in which your body transfers energy: (1) Phosphogenic (anaerobic); (2) Glycolytic (anaerobic); and, (3) Oxidative (aerobic). The workouts I will provide you with will challenge each of these pathways and you will see vast improvements. While preparing for the Academy, it is important that you push yourself to your limits, but it is equally important that you recognize your limitations. Only you know how physically active you have been up to this point. I have no way of knowing that information. As a result, you will have to gauge some of these workouts based off of your prior physical activity to determine if you need to “scale” the workout (which is an easy way of saying lessening the duration, load, or difficulty). It is crucial that you not only challenge yourself, but also that you challenge yourself where your weaknesses exist. For example, if you are an excellent distance runner but have just never been much of a “gym rat,” you are probably in excellent aerobic shape. It is not uncommon for someone who is in excellent aerobic shape (the Oxidative pathway) to be deficient in anaerobic (Phosphogenic and Glycolytic) areas.
Here are some quick, easy-reference examples of the three metabolic pathways:
So, now that you have some basic understanding of these metabolic pathways, hopefully these workouts will make sense to you when completing them. This is how this will work. I will send you six workouts at a time. You know your schedule better than I do. If you do these workouts and incorporate a rest day, you should be in good physical condition. If you feel like you aren’t getting a good workout in, then you probably need to push yourself harder, go heavier, or increase the duration. If you can’t complete the workout, then go as long and as hard as you can, then try to beat yourself the next time around. If you have a question on what a movement in one of these workouts should look like, go to YouTube and see if you can find a video. If YouTube doesn’t have a video of someone properly performing the movement, you can probably just google it and find it on another site. The information is out there; sometimes you just have to look for it to find it.
There is another thing I want you to google and do some independent research on: “Rhabdomyolysis.” It’s a $10 million word, but it is crucial that you understand the risks involved. If you have lived a sedentary lifestyle, you have to be very careful when embarking on a new fitness journey. It is better to start out slower in a workout program now and be prepared for the Academy, than it is to get here and suffer from this disorder. To give you a brief understanding, all I will tell you is that if you start feeling extremely run-down, and your urine changes to an extremely dark color, you need to get to the Emergency Room as soon as possible. Again, there is no reason you should have to worry about this, as long as you listen to what your body is telling you, and shut down a workout when you know something isn’t right. You need to ensure that you are drinking plenty of water, but also be careful not to flush all of your electrolytes out with just water. Get some sort of electrolyte-infused supplement for your water, so you will stay hydrated. Muscle fatigue and DOMS (Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness) do not always mean you have rhabdo. These are normal reactions to increasing the intensity level of your fitness regimen. Coke-colored urine is never normal. Do not confuse the two. This website provides some additional information that might be worth your while to read. http://www.athleteinme.com/ArticleView.aspx?id=241
