HEALTH
LIFTING AGAINST THE CLOCK
by Jason Shaad
How to maximize the benefits of your workout time
At 5:16 a.m. Kristen Robben waits alone in the dark parking lot outside the Student Recreation Fitness Center. When an employee unlocks the door at 5:30 a.m., Robben is the first person to walk in. She pulls her brown hair back in a ponytail and heads for a treadmill. It's workout time.
Robben, Victoria senior, is an early bird. She burns calories before the sun rises because, between her classes and her job as a physical therapist, she doesn't have much time to spare.
Neither do a lot of students. Most of us want to look like a superstar without sacrificing partying like one. We want the most bang for our temporal buck.
If you've only got half an hour to spare a few days a week, here are a few ways to make the most of your workout.
Cardio consideration
Playing basketball or ultimate frisbee may sound like more fun, but running allows you to burn the most calories in the shortest amount of time, says Elizabeth Stewart, an exercise physiologist and a researcher at the University's Energy Balance Lab.
"Sports are more intermittent and skill driven," she says. "You'll get a better workout if you go run for 30 minutes."
But don't give up a sport right away, says Brian Tabor, Springfield, Mo., junior and personal trainer at Lawrence Athletic Club, 3201 Mesa Way. It's most important to do cardio exercises you enjoy so that you'll continue to do them, he says.
Do the big lifts
Often people focus on isolated muscles when they weight train, Tabor says.
"I always see guys working their biceps in front of the mirror," he says. "But guys can make their routine a lot better by getting more big muscle movements."
If you've only got time for one or two types of lifts, Tabor recommends full body lifts that require you to use a wide range of muscles at once. Olympic lifts like hang cleans and push presses, which involve hefting a barbell from the ground to your waist or your waist to above your head, will exercise your lower body as well as your upper body and are probably the most time-efficient exercises, Tabor says.
Superset
Rather than standing around chatting between exercise sets, alternate core body lifts with stability exercises, says Andrea Hudy, associate director of strength and conditioning for the men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball teams. Each
set of core body lifts, like the bench press or hang cleans, should be followed by stability exercises like sit-ups. That way you let your core muscles rest for about a minute between sets without sacrificing exercise time. After the sit-ups, do another set of core lifts.
"Super-setting is the most effective way to get through a workout, especially if you're constrained by time," Hudy says.
Get your timing down
Your body reaches its physiological peak between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Stewart , a physiologist, says. During this time, your metabolism is at an increased level and your body should be warmed up but not tired.
So if you've got the luxury of exercising in the afternoon, take advantage of your body's prime condition.
But if you would rather avoid the masses already heeding that advice, Stewart recommends working out early. "I'm a huge proponent of the morning," she says. "Nothing is in your way. You don't have to beat the lunch rush, and you have a positive mindset for the rest of the day."
Simple steps
If the only time you're not sitting at a desk or behind a computer is when you're walking to your next class, don't sweat it. Actually do.
Pick a route to your next class that involves a steep hill or stairs. Walking fast uphill produces almost the same cardiovascular benefits as jogging on a flat surface, Stewart says.
"It only takes five minutes and it's the quickest, most efficient thing to do," she says.
For people on the flat track from class to class, Stewart recommends buying a walking odometer. This watch-like device will count the number of steps you take during the day. For your daily hike to class to really make a physiological difference, you should take somewhere between 10,000 and 12,000 steps, Stewart says.
"People who have them are often amazed at how little they walk each day," she says.
Walking odometers can cost as little as $20 or as much as $100.You should be able to find them at most health and fitness stores.
The physiological benefits of exercise don't actually manifest themselves until you hit the sac. Your body builds muscle tissue while you sleep, so if you're sacrificing an adequate night's rest in order to hit the gym, you may not see the full fruit of your labors,
Catch enough zzzs
Tabor says.
Between seven and eight hours is adequate rest for most college students, he says. And if you can catch a nap in the early afternoon, all the better.
Keep a routine
Howeveryou maximizeyourworkout time, make sure you stay consistent. Exercising at inconsistent times or doing different workout routines every week is easier to neglect than a fitness plan that you treat like a habit.
An established routine will also cut back on excuses not to exercise, which will also keep you on good terms with former KU athletic director Bob Frederick.
"I just don't accept the excuse that people say they don't have enough time," says Frederick, interim chair of the health, sport and exercise science department."You can always find time to work out. It will make you more productive and efficient."
RHYTHM: YOU'VE GOT MORE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK
Sidney Baker views the body as a work of music. Everything has its own rhythm, he says. Your breath, heart rate, brain waves — everything dances to its own beat.
This rhythm can help people manage their fitness, says Baker, a medical doctor and the author of The Circadian Prescription: Get in Step with Your Body's Natural Rhythms to Maximize Energy, Vitality, and Longevity.
At the core of Baker's book is the concept of circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm involves changes in everything, from your metabolism to your body temperature, during a 24-hour cycle which corresponds to your sleep/wake cycle. Basically, your body chemistry changes slightly at different times of day. When your rhythm is disturbed, you can feel off — think jet lag. But you can take advantage of your body's natural fluctuations to improve your health, Baker says.
The body processes proteins best in the morning and processes carbohydrates best at night, he says. And, finally, exercise at the same time each day or, if you're training for an athletic event, exercise at the time you expect to compete. Your body's inner rhythms will adjust themselves to your workout, which will improve your productivity during exercise, Baker says.
03. 16.2006 JAYPLAY <08
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