As the intensity of a workout increases, so does your LA production. LA is an end product of glucose metabolism (the process that supplies energy for a workout). The good news is that with proper training the cells of your working muscles develop the ability to handle LA. And so, even though LA production is increasing, concentration in your blood remains the same.

Does LA cause muscle soreness? No. However, it is the gateway to better endurance, maximum calorie burn, and higher performance.

Even with trained muscles however, there is a point when LA production overcomes your cells’ ability to deal with it.  The point when LA just overwhelms your system is called your lactate threshold (“LT”).  Muscle burn is generally, but not specifically, associated with this point. Just beyond LT, you have about 30 minutes of sustainable effort left before your glycogen is depleted and lactic acid claims victory (i.e., the workout ends). The further your intensity climbs beyond LT, the less time you have before “hitting the wall”. It makes sense then that a test has been developed to determine precisely when and where your threshold occurs.

As a former professional triathlete, I fully appreciate the “feel-it-out” method, and the reluctance to trust science over personal experience.  Yet, as an exercise physiologist, I have seen the pitfalls of the “feel-it-out” method too.  Overtraining, for example, is what happens when you let your senses dictate your training program.

Get your LT tested. The Denver Athletic Club, of course, offers such a test. The test will yield all seven of your training zones in relation to heart rate, perceived exertion, and pace (i.e., speed on a treadmill, watts on a bike, steps per minute on a step mill, etc.). It will also identify your exact LT (a heart rate window of about 5 beats)!

BLAST into the best version of you! We’ll take you there.

For more info call us at 720.931.6740

Sign up today by sending an email to: blastoff@denverathleticclub.org. You have to be a DAC Member to receive the workouts.

Here’s tomorrow’s workout of the day, titled: Cardio is Core

Workout brought to you by: Wesley Smith, 303.520.7134, cyclo-cross and single speed maniac, body builder, college football player, and veteran DAC Personal Trainer!

Warm Up

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and then follow these 3 steps to complete your 7 minute warm up:

5 minutes at 60% effort

1 minute at 70% effort

1 minute at 80% effort

Main Set

You’ll be switching between 2 stations: a cardio machine and an ab exercise. Complete 5 rounds of the following:

6 minutes at 75% effort

30 ab crunches

Cool Down & Stretch

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and do 5 minutes at 40% effort

Wellness Tip (generated by DAC Wellness Center-720.931.6742): Ditch the pita and dip sliced veggies like vitamin A- and B-rich red bell peppers into your hummus for a healthy snack. Hummus is made of chickpeas, which are a good source of plant-based protein, healthy fat, and an excellent source of fiber.

Tuesday’s Workout: Cardio Character 
Warm Up

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and then follow these 2 steps to complete your 8 minute warm up:

6 minutes at 60% effort

2 minutes at 70% effort

Main Set

Switch to a different cardio machine (e.g., treadmill, elliptical, rower, etc.).

Complete 4 rounds of the following:

3 minutes at 60% effort

3 minutes at 70% effort

3 minutes at 80% effort

Cool Down

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and do 6 minutes at 50% effort

Workout produced by: Lia Schoepke, 217.549.3409, Assistant Fitness Director and DAC Personal Trainer!

TechnoGym Fever

Warm Up

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and then follow these 3 steps to complete your 16 minute warm up:

10 minutes at 50% effort

4 minutes at 85% effort

2 minutes at 70% effort

Main Set

Start with the TechnoGym Leg Press machine (labeled BLAST), and work your way through all 6 BLAST labeled machines.

Choose a weight that allows you to do just 30 reps.

Little to no rest time between machines

Complete 2 rounds

Cool Down

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and do 10 minutes at 50% effort

Workout planned by: Kevin Cox, 303.931.3737, new Personal Trainer at The DAC!

Wellness Tip:  Get off the bus early and walk the rest of the way.

BLAST Training Session at The DAC Fitness Center – no charge – tomorrow at 12:30 pm. RSVP appreciated. We’ll teach you everything you need to know to make future BLAST workouts a big success!Today’s Workout: Stretch Intervals

Warm Up
Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and then follow these 3 steps to complete your 24 minute warm up.

8 minutes at 50% effort
8 minutes at 60% effort
8 minutes at 70% effort

Main Set
Complete 2 rounds of the following:

Stretch for 4 minutes
Go back to the aerobic machine you used for the warm up - 2 minutes at 80% effort
Stretch for 4 minutes
Go back to the aerobic machine you used for the warm up – 3 minutes at 80% effort

Cool Down
Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and do 10 minutes at 30-40% effort

Workout created by: Chris Laird, 720.879.7536, DAC Personal Trainer and Ironman Triathlete!

Wellness Tip: Eating out for lunch? Have the waiter box half of your entree and designate 10 minutes of your lunch break for a quick walk. – Brought to you by Carol Brown, 720.931.6742, Wellness Specialist.

NOTE: Workouts have NOT been customized to address your injuries, health risks, and other limitations. For assistance call 720.931.6740 to schedule an appointment with a Personal Trainer.

Warm Up

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and then follow these 3 steps to complete your 13 minute warm up:

8 minutes at 50% effort

3 minutes at 70% effort

2 minutes at 60% effort

 Main Set

Take no breaks between sets:

 Jump rope 2 minutes

Walk the stairs at The DAC. Go down to the bottom of the stairwell, walk up to the roof, 4 rounds and then come back to the fitness center.

Ball toss – 20 reps. Grab a medicine ball (preferably a soft one). Throw the ball in the air above you, let it hit the ground (don’t catch it!), and then pick it up and throw it again.

 Cool Down

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and do 10 minutes at 30-40% effort

Stretch

10 minutes

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and then follow these 3 steps to complete your 16 minute warm up:

10 minutes at 50% effort

4 minutes at 75% effort

2 minutes at 60% effort

Main Set

Time yourself to see how long it takes to do all 200 reps!

40 reps: Squats (no machine, just standing in place)

40 reps: Pushups (take a break as often as you need to, but keep the clock running)

40 reps: Lunges

40 reps: FreeMotion Row Machine (it’s labeled with a big BLAST logo)

40 reps: Ab crunches (lie on the ground for these abdominal crunches)

Cool Down

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and do 10 minutes at 30-40% effort

Stretch

10 minutes

NOTE: Workouts have NOT been customized to address your injuries, health risks, and other limitations. For assistance, call 720.931.6739 to schedule an appointment with a Personal Trainer. Paper copies of the workout are available in the Fitness Center.

iAerobic

Warm Up

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and then follow these 4 steps to complete your 11 minute warm up:

6 minutes at 50% effort

2 minutes at 70% effort

1 minute at 50% effort

2 minutes at 80% effort

Main Set

Remain on your aerobic machine, or pick another and do the following:

8 minutes at 75% effort

2 minutes at 50% effort

6 minutes at 80% effort

2 minutes at 50% effort

4 minutes at 85% effort

Cool Down

10 minutes at 30-40% effort

Stretch

10 minutes

Workout designed by Anna Sablik, 303.590.8558, Ironman, MTV celebrity trainer, and veteran DAC Personal Trainer! 

Nutrition Tip of the Day – Don’t drink your calories! Instead of apple juice, eat an apple. Besides giving you something to chew on, the fiber will help fill you up.

Warm Up

Select an aerobic machine of your choice, and then follow these 3 steps to complete your 16 minute warm up:

            Step 1              10 minutes at 50% effort

            Step 2              4 minutes at 80-90% effort

            Step 3              2 minutes at 60-70% effort

Main Set

Do the following 3 exercises in order to complete a round. Do 3 rounds total:

                                    Jump rope 3 minutes

            3 rounds          Squats (no machine, just standing in place) 3 minutes

                                    Ab crunches 3 minutes

Cool Down

Select an aerobic machine of your choice and do 10 minutes at 30-40% effort

Stretch

10 minutes