[This is a guest blog by one of our newest interns, Kristen Koltun, a masters sport science student from UNC.]
Myoplasticity is the ability of a muscle to change and adapt. Muscle is very adaptable, but the extent of change is limited by genetics. Any muscle changes are based on the interaction of your energy intake, hormones, recruitment, and load.
Energy intake refers to nutrition. Adequate nutrients and calories must be consumed for any growth process. Special focus should be given to protein intake because muscle is made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. With improper nutrition the body may actually break down muscle for fuel and this would limit any potential muscle growth.
Your hormonal profile during and after exercise can also facilitate muscle growth. Anabolic hormones, those which foster growth and building, increase in response to a single exercise bout and with exercise training.
Recruitment and load refer to the exercises you do. A muscle must be activated in order to adapt. The exercises you choose to do must stress the muscles you are trying to improve. Heavier loads will recruit more muscle fibers and only fibers that are recruited will improve.
Athletic Lab is proud to announce the next step in the evolution of our Scholastic Sport Performance Training: Scholastic Select. Our new Scholastic Select program is designed for athletes who can commit to mandatory training sessions on a regular schedule for a duration of at least 2 months. The Select program will require athletes to attend 3 days of training per week for an 8 week block. The cost will be the same as our normal Scholastic program ($249.95/mo) but because of the required training sessions we will be able to develop a structured training plan and progression that will utilize the latest periodization and training theories for maximum development. This type of training is typically reserved for collegiate and professional athletes. Stay tuned for more details and look out for a Scholastic Select program launch in the next 2 weeks.
School’s coming to a close and we’re changing the schedule of our Scholastic training program to make things more convenient for our high school athletes. Starting June 13th, Scholastic classes will now take place at 10:30 and 3:45 each week day and 11am on Saturday.
[This is a guest blog by one of our newest interns, Kristen Koltun, a masters sport science student from UNC.]
As summer begins, and temperatures continue to rise it is important to understand how the heat can affect you and your ability to exercise. Heat is an added stress on the body and it requires your various systems to work harder than they normally have to. This often makes workouts and exercises harder to complete in hot temperatures compared to cooler days.
Two main concerns with being active in the heat are rises in body temperature and dehydration. When the temperature outdoors is hotter than body temperature, it becomes difficult for the body to cool itself and high humidity can make this situation even worse. Similarly, sweating is greater in hot temperatures. Increased water loss can limit your ability to exercise, as well as pose a health risk. Because of these added risks of exercising in the heat it is smart to take certain precautions. These include wearing light weight clothing, making sure to stay hydrated before, during, and after an exercise bout and to remember to take breaks when necessary.
Athletic Lab will be open but running a skeleton schedule on Monday May 30th in observation of Memorial Day. Please note that we will be offering the following classes throughout the day:
Olympic Development: 8:15
Scholastic Training [Speed]: 9:00
CrossFit / Performance Fitness: 9:00
Scholastic Training [Strength]: 4:00
CrossFit / Performance Fitness: 5:00
We will be open our normal hours on the Friday and Saturday prior to Memorial Day and resume normal hours on the Tuesday following. If you have any questions please ask a staff member.
Being better than you’ve ever been is an indescribable feeling. Knowing that you’ve set an all-time personal best in an athletic or fitness related activity is the reward for your hard and smart work. This is one of the reasons why measurement and benchmarking workouts and performances is one of Athletic Lab’s calling cards. We measure the important things related to fitness and performance and train you to improve them. That way you know with 100% certainty that what we’re doing and the hard work your investing is working.
The US Soccer Women’s National Team (currently ranked #1 in the world by FIFA) trained at Athletic Lab during their recent training camp in Cary. These women are strong and athletic and their work ethic makes it obvious why they’re number one in the world. Here are some pictures of the ladies training at Athletic Lab:
School is coming to a close and summer is almost here. That means athletes have more time to play and train. And Fall sport athletes need to prepare for their sport.
To accomodate our scholastic athletes, we’re now offering a 3 month seasonal discount at a 20% discount off our normal monthly pricing. Scholastic athletes can now enroll for 3 months of unlimited training in our Scholastic sport performance class for just $599.85. This is a great opportunity for athletes who know they can put in 3 solid months of training to be there best.
Just like many medial drugs, the effect of training is dose dependent. You need to at least meet minimum thresholds of dosage to expect to realistically see results from the training. Frequent, regularly recurring doses are necessary to expect to see the results that you want. Regardless of whether you’re training for fitness, speed, strength or weight loss, your training is never done. It is a continual process that is just as much about the process as the destination. Just like taking a medication, the training has to become a regular part of your life, a habit, if you are realistically expecting to see long term sustainable results. If training stops, detraining can occur very quickly and you may lose what you have gained.
Starting tomorrow, we will be incorporating “Team workouts” in to our usual Performance Fitness programming every Tuesday. This will add a new competitive spin on to our Tuesday workouts, build community, and increase each person’s accountability to push themselves. Enjoy!
