|
 By: Alissa Carpio
In my first two Fitness Routine Training articles, I covered 2 of the 3 components of a fitness routine - strength and flexibility. The third and final component is the endurance factor, also referred to as conditioning or cardiovascular. In the NPC, the cardiovascular component comprises 33% of the judging criteria for a fitness routine, so it is extremely important that a competitor address this issue and train properly for it. Improving your endurance for a routine takes a good level of aerobic and anaerobic fitness. If the athlete is well-conditioned in these areas, her routine will be cleaner, sharper, effortless in appearance, and will be easier for the athlete to perform.
To determine how to train for the routine, you have to look at the structure of a fitness routine. The length is usually between 90-120 seconds, depending on the organization. The routine requires the competitor to jump, dance, and tumble using short bursts of energy, then to stop and perform a strength hold, then resume the choreography, and so on, for the remainder of the routine. What makes these routines so difficult is that they require a good deal of anaerobic endurance. To improve your anaerobic endurance, you must first address your aerobic endurance.
Having a good level of cardiovascular fitness allows the body to resynthesize ATP faster, meaning you can exercise longer and harder without reaching your lactic acid threshold because your body is conditioned to recover faster. In a fitness routine, this means your muscles won't start tiring and burning as quickly, making your routine easier to perform and your movements to appear effortless.
To improve your aerobic endurance, choose a moderate/high intensity exercise to perform for 30-45 minutes at a steady, continuous pace. Good options include running, spinning/cycling, elliptical, and stairmaster.
There are many types of anaerobic training you can incorporate into your program to increase your endurance. Most types of cardio can be performed at an anaerobic level. To do this, all you have to do is perform interval-style cardio, taking your "work" intervals to a near-max ability level, and recovering during your "rest" intervals, then repeating for the duration of the cardio session. A good example of this is sprinting a short distance, then jogging back to the start, and repeating for 10-12 times. Another training style would be to run a hill or bleachers, jog back down, and repeat 10-12 times. Many sports are anaerobic in nature, such as tennis, racquetball, and basketball. These will help with your conditioning, as well. Anaerobic cardio sessions are much more difficult and raise your heart rate a lot higher than aerobic training, so the duration of these can be shorter, within the 20-30 minute range. Other ways to increase your anaerobic endurance are through your weightlifting routine. Increase your training intensity by pushing each set to failure, minimizing your rest periods to less than 60 seconds, and incorporating supersets and drop sets into your routine. Finally, circuit training is a great way to condition your body for the demands of a fitness routine.
Once you've addressed the aerobic and anaerobic training issues, and restructured your fitness regimen to increase your endurance in these areas, you can work on routine-specific conditioning. The best way to improve your cardiovascular for the routine is to simply practice, practice, practice! Repeating the series of choreography and moves in the order they occur in your routine will give you the strength and energy requirements, over time, to perform a perfect and flawless routine. There are several ways to go about doing this.
The first way to practice is by dividing your routine into parts - either in thirds or in halves. When you first learn your choreographed routine, you won't be able to perform it from start to finish. You may or may not have all the components perfected individually, but in any case, they all have to be put together for the performance. Practicing the routine in parts allows you to concentrate all your efforts into just a portion of your routine before tiring to the point that you can no longer continue. When I practice my routine, I like to divide it in half, performing the first 60 seconds several times (resting 2-3 minutes between), then performing the second half in the same manner. One trick I learned is to spend more time performing the second half of the routine in a tired state (less recovered); this is how you will feel once you put both halves together. The other practice method is to run your entire routine in full, minus the strength moves. This will build up your conditioning for the dance and choreography segments of the routine. You can add in certain moves as your energy builds up, but don't force anything or you can risk injury. Once both halves of the routine become easier for you, put the whole routine together and start practicing it that way, as you would on the day of the show. I like to run through my routine fresh (after a 10-minute warm-up), rest about 5 minutes, and repeat for 3-6 times, depending on the amount of time I have to practice and the stage of preparation I am in.
 Creating An Exciting Fitness Routine! Designing A Fitness Routine! NPC Fitness Rules And Moves!
Warm-up: 5 minutes moderate intensity elliptical or treadmill Workout: Perform this routine circuit-style, resting no more than 15-30 seconds between sets of exercises. Rest 3-5 minutes, then repeat circuit for a total of 2-3 times. Duration of workout should be 30-60 minutes.
   Squat Hops  Click To Enlarge.
Handstand Pushups (10 reps) Straddle Hold (10 seconds)
 Straddle Hold Pike Hold (10 seconds)
 Pike Hold Click To Enlarge.Plyometric Medicine Ball Pushups (10 reps)
    Plyometric Medicine Ball Pushups Click To Enlarge.Straddle Jumps (10 jumps)
 Straddle Jumps Click To Enlarge.Hanging Straddle Hold (10 seconds) - same as Straddle Press, only done from elevated from dip bars.
 Straddle Press Click To Enlarge.Hanging Pike Hold (10 seconds) - same as Pike Hold, only done from elevated from dip bars. Bodyweight Dips (12 reps) Straight Leg Raise (15 reps)
   Straight Leg Raise Click To Enlarge.
Super Slow Pushups (15 reps)
Since there is so much controversy regarding particular supplements and whether they work or not, my supplement recommendations come in order of importance and in order of effectiveness based on popular research and my own experience. If there is something not on the list you wish to take and can afford to do so, then there is nothing wrong with adding it in to make your preparation and life a little easier.
References
About The Author Alissa Carpio is a 6-time champion in NPC Fitness & Figure contests. She just finished her 2005 spring season and won 1st Place at both NPC Junior USA's and the NPC Pittsburgh, and is currently preparing for NPC Nationals in November. Alissa is also helping several athletes prepare for their first competition through her unique online contest prep services. She offers Fitness & Figure Competitor Workshops to girls in the Washington, DC area. For more information, visit Alissa's site at www.alissa.net.
Recommend this article to a friend by e-mail here! Visitor Reviews Of This Article!
Related Articles
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aerobic Endurance
Sign in for more FREE features and tools!
|
|
Give Us Feedback:
Report A ProblemSite Feedback |
Follow Us:
|
Bodybuilding.com Newsletter
Receive exciting features, |
