EXERCISE SCIENCE
Complex issue: There’s a Chinese philosophy which maintains that there’s an ideal training time for each muscle group
JIM GAVIN Professor of Applied Human Sciences, Concordia University – Canada
The best answer I can give to this question is: ‘it depends.’ Humans are both complex and adaptive. We have diverse
patterns and personalities, and we’re constantly adjusting to shifting life conditions. Time is only one factor to consider in relation to exercising – and it’s not necessarily the dominant one. As personal validation, I dislike evening exercise, yet that’s when my aikido classes are. Will I give up my beloved aikido because of its timing? Never. For people who have a particular practice or sport, time is not the pivotal factor. Let’s consider personality. My research shows that we
gravitate toward activities that mirror our psychology. If you’re extroverted and a thrill-seeker, you want to be social and stimulated. Your biological clock may urge you to exercise at 2.00pm, but friends you ‘play’ with aren’t around then, and the exercise world at that time looks like a treadmill. So you’ll need to apologise to your internal clock and exercise when the racquet court – and your preferred partner – are available. Here’s another thought: exercise has many faces. No matter
what, I cannot get myself to reliably tie on my running shoes at 6.00am, but I do exercise in the morning. I do yoga and, in the summer, I eagerly leap into the lake for a half-hour swim. However, I don’t think I’ve ever pumped iron before breakfast. Some movement forms feel better to us at different times of day, and these can slide in seamlessly at appropriate moments. Final comment: is your life schedule predictable and totally
under your control? If so, you’re in a distinct minority. It’s increasingly a 24/7 world that we have to navigate as best we can. Embrace diversity and broaden your defi nition of exercise.
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JAN DE JONG CEO, Vital Balance Group – Netherlands
The ideal training time is different for each muscle group. According to the Chinese Organ Clock philosophy, each muscle is
associated with an internal organ in the body, and each organ has a circadian rhythm that includes daily phases of elevated activity (ideal training time) and recuperation (unfavourable training time). While muscles are improved by physical activity and sports, the state of organ function is therefore co- responsible for muscle health. This is valuable information when it comes to drawing up a
personalised training schedule, as it means there are ideal times to train each muscle group. For example, avoid isolated training of hamstrings and biceps femoris between 5.00pm and 7.00pm (recovery phase of connected large intestines), and focus on training abdominal and quadriceps muscles between 1.00pm and 3.00pm (optimal time for small intestine). If a person has muscular problems, this may be due to
anomalous stress or injury, but it might also be related to hidden problems with the organ associated with that muscle group. Muscle regions identifi ed as problematic therefore need to be trained gently and at the right times: if function-impaired muscles are stressed by inappropriate training, then (besides unsatisfactory training results) negative repercussions in the associated organ system cannot be ruled out. Of course, it isn’t always possible to train at the ideal time
for each individual muscle. In this case, when working out at less favourable training times, the training should support the muscle’s recuperation through stretching and light, steady work designed primarily to stimulate metabolic exchange. ●
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital April 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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