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Mission Statement: To Create Balance In Your Life With A Strong Body And A Sound Mind.
Threshold Fitness was designed to teach the proper steps in order to reach the highest possible Anaerobic Threshold (conditioning level). Matt Eyde is here to pass along the simple tips needed to attain your fitness goals. There are no gimmicks or wonder tonics. It entails hard work, and if you are willing to pay the price (that is the physical price), then you will be able to carry this simple technique with you for the rest of your years. As you journey through the Threshold Fitness web site, Matt will explain, through concept and testimonial, how to achieve a strong body, which will lead to a sound mind. Without one, you can't have the other. The key to life is balance. With the proper fitness regimen, you will achieve the most efficient body. It is the secret to reaching your highest possible potential in every aspect of life.
1. ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD CONCEPT
The most important truth regarding peak fitness. It refers to the body working at high intensity or anaerobically. Anaerobic means without oxygen. When the body is not using oxygen, it is burning sugars (glucose). When you burn glucose in the body, there is a by-product that builds up in the muscles called lactic acid, which forces momentary muscle failure. The higher the intensity level before the body hits the wall (or burns sugars), the higher the Anaerobic Threshold or conditioning level. Which brings me to the bottom line. LEAN. The leaner the body is, it becomes a natural body fat burner because the body has to work harder to maintain its lean mass. Metabolism is directly related. If the body has a high Anaerobic Threshold, it will have a fast metabolism. Many have had the misconception that eating five times a day leads to a fast metabolism. It is true that the metabolism speeds up during digestion, but it slows back down once digestion is done. It is 100% more effective to have a high Anaerobic Threshold, so that the body's metabolism is increased all the time. This is the benefit of weight training.
Another good example of Anaerobic Threshold is sprinting. When at a full sprint, a person can only maintain maximum speed for so long until their body shuts down. A great comparison is between a track athlete and a sedentary person (who sits behind his/her desk all day). If they were to race around a track for one lap, the track athlete would make it in about 40-50 seconds (can maintain a high intensity for a long period of time without reaching momentary muscle failure). The sedentary person would make it about a hundred meters before their body would shut down because his/her body would start burning sugars almost immediately. In order to attain great fitness shape, one of the most important things to keep in mind is Anaerobic Threshold.
2. PROPRIOCEPTIVE RESISTANCE FITNESS
The key is to keep it free. Proprioceptive defined is: of, relating to, or being stimuli arising within the organism-(feedback). If the body is working with free-weights or cables, it has to use it's neuro-muscular response (proprioception) to maintain balance, which in turn recruits more fibers, strengthens joints and tendons. Using machines is not effective because they lock the body in position, so it doesn't have to rely on stability. Yes, the muscles will work to an extent, but the tendons and joints will lack, and less fibers will be recruited.
One tip that Matt always stresses is that core muscles should not exercise just for the purpose of core, or stability for the purpose of stability. Core muscles can be strengthened and stability can be maintained by doing regular free-weight integrated exercise. For example: A Squat with dumbbells forces the body to maintain stability and work core muscles, while working a multi-joint exercise at the same time (two birds with one stone). The body works back extension, hip extension, knee extension, and plantar flexion all at once. Another effective example of proprioception is standing on one leg. The foot will move side to side in order to keep the body from falling over. The brain sends split second impulses to the muscles in the lower leg to maintain balance.
3. REP-RANGE OR PERIODIZATION:
Rep range is very important in order to develop the desired look. Its all about aesthetics. The body can take on any desired look. The key is taking advantage of the proper tricks and tools in order to achieve it's result. Periodization is broken down into categories, and weight is directly related to each category. For example: 1-5 Reps is designed for Power Lifters because it focuses on absolute or explosive strength. Heavy loads are applied to a small amount of reps to work a fast twitch muscle fiber. The look: An Olympic Power Lifter. It is more of a block-type tissue but it is very strong and explosive. 6-8 Reps is designed for sports-specific. Football players. A play lasts about 3-4 seconds, so they must have the strength and power to be physical, but they must also have a little more endurance in order to last throughout the play and furthermore, the game. 8-12 Reps is designed for hypertrophy or bodybuilding. Body-builders must maintain a heavier weight in order to maintain size, but they must have more reps so they can develop symmetry and proportion. 12-15-25 Reps is endurance, stamina, lean. The closer the body reaches 15-25 reps, the more of a defined, lean tissue. The body can still build muscle in this rep-range, but it will be a slower process.
4. ROTATION OF EXERCISE:
Mixing up different ranges of motion and movements will emphasize different areas of the muscle. For example: A dip on the edge of a bench will work the tricep; however, it will work more of the lateral head of the tricep, because the hand is pronated and the elbows are closer to the body. A dumbbell overhead exercise will work emphasis on the long head of the tricep, because the elbow is over the head. When the arm is over the head the long head of the tricep is stretched, because the long head's origin is in the scapula. Working a muscle from a stretched point puts more emphasis on that area because it has to recruit more fibers in order to perform. In both cases, a dip and a dumbbell overhead, the tricep is engaged as a whole, but emphasis is different because of the position of the arm. The same is true regarding a walk lunge and a lunge kickback. In these cases the emphasis has to do with force of motion and range of motion. With the walk lunge, the range of motion is the progression forward. Therefore, the force of motion comes from active hip extension, which puts emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings. In the case of the lunge kickback, the force of motion has to do with knee extension, so it puts more emphasis on the quads.
5. TRAIN LIKE AN ATHLETE
Training like an athlete promises the highest Anaerobic Threshold. It doesn't matter what age you are or what your fitness level is when you first start. If you train properly and with high intensity you will reach your full potential. Where walking and hiking may have been a strenuous activity in the past, they will hardly elevate your heart rate past resting when you have an athlete's conditioning level.
6. STRONG BODY-SOUND MIND
The Threshold Fitness motto. Without one, you can't have the other. There are many other benefits involved in exercise other than keeping in shape. Exercise can make a monumental difference in the quality of life and it's healthy human balance. When exercise is incorporated in daily life, the body functions much more efficiently. When it exercises with weights it receives more blood flow and nutrients to the extremities, which will in turn push toxins out of the body, give the skin a healthy tone, also leading to better mental focus and sharpness. The body thrives on fresh oxygenated blood to repeatedly replenish the body. The more the body balances it=s mental and physical stimulus, the more productive it will be at work, home, and the gym, etc.
All living tissue acclimates to the stimulus put upon it. It is exactly like Natural Selection, or living things adapting to environmental changes. If the body is consistently pushed to levels higher than it is used to, it will eventually rise to meet these levels.
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