The more you know about how your system works, the better you will understand what you need to train and why it’s important. I find this helps a lot when I’m trying to follow a program and I’m scheduled a workout that’s not my favorite.  (Note: The workouts you like least are probably the ones addressing your weaknesses and the most important to complete.)

For example, these cyclocross and criterium workouts* are brutal. Of all the workouts I’ve ever done, these are the ones that make me cringe the most, so I find myself focusing my mind on the systems these intervals improve and the successes I’ve enjoyed because I followed through. That’s usually enough to get me started and keep me committed to completing the workout. (*Seriously, these efforts hurt and if you’re new to the sport, approach with caution.)

The article below is a link found on the Rightway page and reading it will help you understand what’s happening when you move through the various aerobic and anaerobic zones.

From PersonalTrainerToday.com

Paying Your Oxygen Debt!

Why do some people breath more deeply and more rapid than others during and after exercise performance? Why does the heart rate increase? The answers to these questions lie in how much oxygen you owe your muscles and how much oxygen you possess. If the balance of your debt is greater than the balance of your reserves, the muscles must first demand these reserves as a down payment. It is only through increased respiration and accelerated heart rate that your oxygen payment in full is transacted. Let’s take a closer look at the variables that dictate supply and demand of oxygen to working, or in some cases ‘already worked’, muscles.

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