by Vrushabh Sikarwar (Elevatte Fitness)
For the final week of Keeping Dancers Dancing, we will be exploring what it takes to perform workouts and exercises.
We function as a result of consuming energy via food, and water, and expending energy through tasks, activities, fidgeting etc. What I am coming to say is that when we workout we are basically expending energy. Most of the current literature differentiates our bodies’ energy systems into three parts. Now I’m not going to bore you with too many details, so I’ll give you a simplified version. A car uses petrol or diesel as fuel,and the car’s movement is its energy expenditure. Now if you want to go quick and fast, the engine will fire up a certain cylinder. If you want cruise control, the engine will fire up a different cylinder. And if you want to stay somewhere in the middle, it will make use of the 3rd cylinder. To achieve a certain outcome, there needs to be enough fuel and a relevant pathway.
As humans, these three pathways for us in terms of exercise and training can be broken down into duration and nature of tasks being carried out.
First is the ATP-PC system that lasts for 0-10s and is synonymous with producing high levels of force in a short amount of time. (Think) 1 Rep Max Compound Lifts, Jumps, Sprints, Heavy Strength Training. Next is the Glycolytic system that lasts for 10-was 90/120s and is associated with high energy output demand work in a relatively short period of time. (Think) HIIT, not most of what is on youtube by bloggers, but actual interval training, Moderate intensity weightlifting, hypertrophy workouts, 400-1200m running etc. This is also what most dance routines / choreographies fall under.Last, is the oxidative system which helps us accomplish low intensity tasks, over longer periods of time. (Think) Marathons, low intensity cardio etc.
To maximise performance it is important to ensure that over the course of our training programmes we do exercise and workout with varying intensities, men activities to continually upgrade our energy systems and ready to fire when needed. Hence when we hear terms like strength, hypertrophy and endurance it is important to understand that they are different points along a continuum. They are also different skills and physical capabilities to work on individually.
When planning your next workout, break down the “What Should I Do” this way:
What do I need to address? – This forms your “core work”
What do I need to maintain? – This form your “maintenance work”
What can help me? – This forms your “accessory” work.
Now I could throw some random percentages at you to divide this into but really that is for you to decide for yourself – what percent of your total workouts constitutes the core workout for the day/week/month and what percent constitutes the other parts for the same time period.
After this, look at exercise selection and reps x sets from an energy demands point of view. If your dance involves jumping, like ballet, add some plyometric exercises to address that. If you are more of a hip-hop, jazz funk dancer, use more moderate intensity work. The permutations and combinations can be endless.
I hope these four weeks have got you thinking about physical fitness from a different lens and also provided you with some insight as to how you can create your own workout programme that is the best for you. Until next time, keep dancing and stay healthy.
