The Quest for More Defined Muscles 1/31/13

Good Thursday morning!! I am still recovering from my upper respiratory infection. But, getting so much better, thanks to my nurse of a sister; “Laura” She hooked me up with the right medicines to clear me up. And now I am on the road to recovery.

Workout of day Light Yoga to open up chest cavity and mild Pilates stretches.

Menu: I only know lunch – a roasted beet salad. Yummy!! Can’t wait.

Dinner:???

I often get asked “ Should I be doing more cardio or weights to get definition?” And So I have written a little article to explain in detail.

The Quest for More Defined Muscles

To build body definition requires a three-pronged approach – strength training, cardiovascular exercise and good nutrition. Skimp on any one of them, and you may not get the results you’re looking for. The key is balance. Too much strength training can work against you too. If you over train with weights and don’t give your body a chance to rest and recover, this will elevate cortisol levels and make it more difficult to build muscle.

After a workout, it’s important to replenish glycogen stores quickly to avoid a post-workout surge in cortisol. There’s some evidence that simple carbohydrates after a workout are best for recovery. They also cause a more rapid insulin surge, which sends more amino acids into cells for building lean body mass. Combine this with a source of lean protein to give muscles the building blocks they need for growth after a workout.

Cardiovascular exercise boosts endurance and heart health while burning calories and fat.  Some fitness gurus believe doing too much cardio breaks down muscle tissue, which can work against you if you’re trying to build muscle definition. Is there any truth to this idea?

Your body’s reaction to Cardiovascular Exercise?

Your body relies on fat, carbs and protein as its three sources of fuel for energy. During low-intensity cardiovascular exercise such as walking, your body uses more fat as fuel. If you increase the intensity of your workout and begin to run, your body uses a higher percentage of carbohydrates as fuel because you are using more “Fast Twitch” fibers. However, the body doesn’t turn to protein as a fuel source except under unusual circumstances.  Your body will always prefer to burn Carbohydrates (both stored and from foods you have eaten) first, then Fats (from foods you have eaten and from your stored fat cells) and as only a last resort Proteins (amino acids from muscle tissue).

A hormone produced by the adrenal cortex called cortisol will break down protein muscle tissue.  These amino acids from the muscle tissues move to the liver and are used to produce glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis. This happens during times of stress to help maintain blood sugar levels. So why would doing too much cardio break

. Your body will normally not use a significant amount of protein for fuel unless your workout lasts more than 90 minutes or if you are not eating enough calories, protein, carbs, and fats. Increased cortisol secretion becomes a problem mainly when glycogen levels, stored carbohydrates in the body, drop. A National Research study backs this up by saying that restricting calories by 50% can raise cortisol by 38%. So getting enough carbohydrates in your diet to maintain glycogen stores puts a brake on muscle breakdown due to the effects of cortisol. If you are doing long cardio sessions and not getting enough calories, protein, fat and carbohydrates, your body will go into starvation mode and produce more cortisol to break down muscle tissue.

References:
Exercise Physiology. Fifth Edition. 2001. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins