Concept2 Training Guide
Weight Training - Terry O'Neill's Hour Of Pain
<< Level ThreeCircuit One >>The cause of pain during exercise is the build up of lactic acid in the working muscles. Lactic acid is the end product of glycolisis, which is the process by which high intensity work can be carried out in the absence of oxygen. A small amount of lactic acid can be resynthesised to glycogen in the absence of oxygen by the reversal of glycolisis. For the remainder to be oxidised requires an abundance of oxygen but if the exercise intensity is high then there is an oxygen debt and the lactate starts to accumulate in the working muscles.
The build up of lactic acid reduces the efficiency of the muscle and eventually contractions will cease completely. The build up of lactic acid in the muscles and carbon dioxide in the blood makes this session quite unpleasant.
There are two good reasons why you need to go through this process. Firstly, working at this intensity increases enzyme activity in the muscles, which acts as a buffer and slows down the accumulation process. Secondly, you develop a tolerance to lactic acid accumulation so you are able to perform at a higher level of efficiency.
The Exercises
The following circuit is designed to fulfil two purposes. It develops muscular endurance and lactate tolerance within the muscle whilst working the cardiovascular system. If you have an hour to fill with a non-rowing workout then this is the one for you. All you need is a 20kg weights bar, a bench and an area where you can run 30m.
The hour is broken into three 20 minute blocks that run consecutively with no breaks between them.
