Photos, top to bottom: iStockphoto; Thinkstock
Give Your Muscles a Break Howlong does it take for your muscles to fully recover from intensive training? A recent study to assess the effects of exercise-induced muscle damage found that both subjective soreness and biomarkers for muscle damage were significantly elevated for at least 72 hours following plyometric exercise. Likewise, the ability of the affected
Quick Tip
muscles to generate power was reduced during the same period, and there was a statistically significant reduction in athletic performance. THE TAKEAWAY Lack of progress is some- times due to overtraining, and this study seems to support designing a program that gives you at least three days between specific body-part workouts.
Depressed? Then get to the gym and bust your butt. According to new research by the British Psychological Society, you get a significantly greater mood boost with vigorous exer- cise than with less strenuous workouts. The scientists studied moods of the subjects before, during and after the workouts and found that only the intense exercisers had considerably elevated moods 20 minutes after the workout. THE TAKEAWAY It’s not just about looking good. This and other studies confirm that exercise can help relieve symptoms of depression.
INTENSE EXERCISE IS AHAPPY PILL
KNEE REHAB: If you’re trying to heal bad knees, try moving backward on the treadmill or elliptical machine. Exercise scientists found that backward cardio helped improve leg strength and aerobic capacity while plac- ing less strain on
injured tissue. Source: American College of Sports Medicine
[ research shows ]
BothWorlds: IntervalWeight Training
“I feel awesome!” A great workout does wondersfor your mood.
This type of workout can burn fat and build muscle at the same time. Here’s how to do it: After a brief warm-up, use a weight you can lift for 10 reps, then reduce the weight by half and continue until your muscles begin to burn. Stop, rest 15 seconds, then take the weight up to 75% of your original weight for another 5–10 reps. Immediately reduce the weight by half again and rep out until you hit muscle failure. THE TAKEAWAY Weight inter- vals are far easier to do on machines since you have to vary the poundage quickly, so stick to them for intervals.
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