Can You explain energy systems?

Nate has been asking some really interesting questions about how the body fuels itself.

He asked for a breakdown of the bodies energy systems, so here's what I told him:

"You have 3 energy systems.

Aerobic

Anaerobic

And the horrible middle child glycolitic (which has changed its name a few times as more evidence is discovered)

Aerobic is ALWAYS running and relies on oxygen being around.

Anaerobic is a few seconds, uses ATP that is already within the cells.

The Aerobic system then steps up to replenish that ATP

And the weird middle child that is dominant when going flat out after the Anaerobic system runs out of juice and before the Aerobic system can catch it up.

Glycolitic system kind of runs on Lactic Acid and hate as its fuel source.

ATP is the currency of energy. It's what the cells need to operate.

We break down glucose and create ATP through some mind blowingly complex biochemistry.

Fun side bar, one of my school buddies memorised the entirety of the Krebs cycle just to piss off our A-Level Biology teacher who we called "Clang"

So, in short injest food, digest it to glucose.

Glucose can be used immediately, most of the time we convert it to Glycogen and store in the muscles and liver for when we need it in a hurry.

Excess glucose can also be shunted into the fat cells.

Using glycogen to create atp is best done through the Aerobic system and is our normal operating mode.

Anaerobic makes ATP from glycogen and creatine

Glycolitic production is nuts but if you're using it, you'll be blowing out our arse too hard at the time to care anyhow!!

So, TL:DR

Fill the glycogen stores and we're all rosy in the garden.

When to fill them?

Either fill the tank before a journey

Or top it up as you go along

Either way, you get there!"

Now, outside of "for interest" how useful is this info?

To most people most of the time it isn't particularly useful.

I spent quite a while reading up and learning about this stuff because I thought it'd make me a better coach, and I'm not sure it has.

As I said in the reply to Nate, we need fuel, and wether fuel up in one sitting or across many sittings is a personal choice.

Our training can be adjusted to better access the various energy systems.

Be that anaerobic, aerobic or gylcolytic.

Of the three, the glycolytic tend to be the least trainable with short term gains being the norm.

Developing the Aerobic and Anaerobic works bets for most people most of the time.

And as the aerobic system is ALWAYS running, and has the job of refuelling the other two systems, it's a really good idea to have this well developed.

I'l talk more about aerobic fitness in another newsletter, because there's more to understand there than simply going for a run or a bike ride.

But it is important to understand that just because an exercise raises your heart rate for a bit, it may not actually be aerobic developement.

Anyhow, more on that next edition.

I'll see you there....

Regards

Dave Hedges

www.davehedges.net

Have you ever seen a boxer with a small back?

Have you ever seen a boxer with a small back?

I just sent that as a part of a conversation with an online client, a former kickboxer who now plays rugby.

Even before this conversation, the thought has lived in my head for years, but I'm not sure I've ever talked about it.

But recently over on YouTube, Eddie Hall, the famous strongman had the "Karate Nerd" Jessie Enkamp on his channel.

As they chatted in the gym, Eddie commented that every fighter he'd had in always blew his mind with how strong their back was, how much weight they could handle on pulling exercises.

When we consider fighters, Boxers etc, we see they punch and do pushups. Yet, they always develop impressive backs.

How?

And why then do bodybuilders need so many different back exercises?

The really short answer is: Scapula.

If there's one bone in the body that gets me excited, it's the scapula, the humble shoulder blade.

It is truly the key to the upper body.

And the thing that fighters, climbers, kettlebell sports guys and gymnasts do that bodybuilders don't is move their scapula, a lot!

There's a really common cue in fitness training: "Shoulders back and down"

This cue is excellent in the right context and awful in the wrong context.

Should your goal be to hoist the most amount of weight, especially in a gym setting, then it works.

But for most folks it's merely a start point, it's setting the shoulder ready to move.

We pull the shoulder blade back and down, to initiate the press, then as the arm move, the scapula also starts to move.

And that scapula, that wee triangle shaped bone that sits on or upper back has 19 muscles that connect to it.

It IS your back and your shoulder.

Almost all your back muscles are there to help the scapula do it's job, and that job is to give the shoulder it's power.

Any motion of the arm is backed up with motion of the scapula and it's 19 pulleys.

On this list, I have a range of folks, some are boxers and fighters, some kettlebell sports, the rest a huge variety of folks from amateur athletes to casual fitness enthusiasts.

It doesn't matter who you actually are and what you're training for, what matters is we move our shoulder blades and we ensure that we're not holding them tight and immobile,

Use simple shoulder rotations (see Basic Joint Mobility)

Use straight arm lifts, such as windmills, get ups, scap push up and pull ups, band pull aparts in every angle possible

Swing clubs, maces, kettlebells and bulgarian bags

Do Halo's with weight plates

And on the basic exercises, Presses, Rows etc

There are some lifts (bench press) where the shoulder blade doesn't move, but on everything else, feel it join in the movement.

And if you do, your shoulder will feel generally better, stronger and more mobile, and your back development will take off!

Let's face it, no one respects a small back!!

Chat soon.

Dave

Regards

Dave Hedges

www.DaveHedges.net

Why I Don't Talk About Obesity & Fat Loss

It’s a thing that I have steered away from my entire career.

Yet, I am a fitness professional, a personal trainer, a coach

Why is this?

Well, a colleague of mine recently shared an image that may explain it:

And in case that doesn’t show up, here’s a link to it that allows you to zoom in on:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296290/obesity-map-full-hi-res.pdf

Now, if your first thought is “Oh my god! That is so confusing!!”

Then you would be 100% right.

As far as I am concerned, the fitness industry, that I am part of, is about building capacity.

It’s building strength, mobility and endurance

It’s developing performance

It’s putting “money in the bank” for when we get older

And part of that is keeping our body composition under control.

But the thing is, if you’re the kind of person to exercise and train with frequency, with regularity, then this mindset will carry over to your other habits.

Your eating, your sleep, your socialisation, your stress management and so on.

Most of which is found in one small area of the above map.

So really what the fitness industry does is help a small subset of people lose body fat, by exercising and building muscle and therefore capacity, while changing eating habits to ensure a calorie deficit.

It doesn’t help those people elsewhere on the map.

So here’s a little thought for you all.

If you’re a person who has committed to developing their capacity, to build strength, mobility and endurance, then all you would have to do is adjust your food, sleep and stress management and you ought to see a change in body composition.

But never look at a person who can’t make that commitment without taking into account the uphill struggle they may be facing.

And do look at the online bollocks that is everywhere that minimises fat loss into “eat less, move more” or even worse, uses fearmongering and shame to try sell their wares.

As fond as I am of saying “Simple, not Easy”

Don’t every think I am minimising.

Simplicity is only available after gaining a deep understanding of complexity.

And anyone who can and does make real information sound simple, they are the coaches, trainers and professionals to follow.

These people know it’s not easy, they know making change, especially deep change, is extremely hard, but they will offer up the simple steps

There may be several thousand steps and it make take years to take them all, but each individual step will be simple and will move you forward from the last step.

And the charlatans?

Well, they’ll tell you it is easy, convince you it is easy and then they’ll run with your money while you are on a hiding to nothing.

Regards

Dave Hedges

www.DaveHedges.net