Redefining the Burn

 

 

I recently read a very interesting article on a piece of research that seems to be changing the way we view the “burn”. You know, that hot acidy feeling in the muscle caused by intense exercise, the burn that was previously thought to be the effect of a waste by-product produced from burning sugars in the muscle (lactic acid).

This research is starting to show that this burning sensation is actually caused by the release of myokines, a metabolic signalling molecule whose role is to instruct the body to release fat from storage (body fat) and also tell muscle tissue to burn it off. It seems to be an automatic response from our bodies in times of high energy demand, to dump body fat as an additional form of energy to sugars. When you train light you burn a higher ratio of fats, when you train hard you burn a higher ratio of carbohydrates, and when you train like an animal and feel the burn your body is basically trying burn high ratio of both.

These myokines also have an amazing anti-inflammatory response, which makes sense as your body is trying to be as efficient as possible at repairing itself. When the body gets pushed hard, these molecules help muscle repair by reducing inflammation. It’s like your body releasing molecules that can both cook and clean. Well that’s my take on it anyway; correct me if I’m wrong.

It really should be noted as to how powerful an anti-inflammatory tool these molecules are said to be, more powerful than anything found in any fruit or vegetable, making this the real anti-aging and recovery tool. Reducing inflammation is the most potent way of improving your body in my opinion.  The only way it can be undone is by over-training, so this is why we recommend only training 3 times a week, intensely!

See you in training to produce some Myokines, to put a few extra years on your life and keep you far far away from a doctors ward.

Cheating “correctly”.

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The Underground is not a network or puritans, we are outstanding everyday people training our hearts out to become more today than we were yesterday.

We enjoy life, the Underground is there to be enjoyed. But we also enjoy food. Yes, the bad stuff has to be limited to get to where we need to go but a complete shut down of the tasty stuff isn’t good for the soul, and the soul is important. Why are we here on earth if not for enjoyment?

Eat clean, train hard, and when the time comes flip 180 and eat what you want. You won’t be destroying all your hard work, just taking a tiny step back in a long journey forward. Don’t feel guilty, you’re just living life. Guilt leads to stress, which releases cortisol. Eating sugary foods can take you back an allowed step, but stressing about it is a one two punch.

Elevated stress lead to elevated cortisol levels, which when combined with the insulin elevated by the sugar can play havoc on your system burning muscle and storing fat. Take some joy from the food you treat yourself to. Joy leads to endorphins which shows amazing health benefits including increased recovery.

A good sugar boost is also a good thing every now and then to reset insulin sensitivity. If you get too good at something (even burning fat) it’s effects can weaken as your body gets more efficient at it.

So, to recap, eat clean, train Underground 3 times a week (like a monster) and enjoy the finer stuff when it comes along.

And be happy with it! For that’s why we’re here.