Let us chat about some effective workout methods to attain the exercise high. In this two-part blog post series, we will start with cardiovascular training before moving on to resistance training.
Each method can be used on its own, but we’ll also look into ways to combine them in your workouts, which will make you feel your best! The goal of this post is to teach you what you need to know to get the most out of your exercise training, but to not make it more complicated than it has to be. Most of all, let’s make it fun.
Cardiovascular Training
The first major category of exercise is cardiovascular training. “Cardio” is a great way to experience the Exercise High, and is a popular method to destress, feel good, or just escape from our everyday duties and responsibilities.
You may be familiar with the term runner’s high. It describes the intense state of euphoria experienced by runners during their run (as opposed to the term Exercise High, which primarily focuses on creating lasting positive mental effects following your workout). To learns about how you can recreate it, read my blog on the runner’s high intensity formula. Runners frequently describe it as a state where the spirit feels free, when you seem to be flying about two feet about your physical self. This demonstrates the power of cardiovascular training: it has the potential to create this amazing feeling both during and after your workout.
I initially noticed the mental benefits of a runner’s high after my regular soccer practices when I was a teenage boy. The deep feelings of euphoria and the related shift to a more positive perspective gave me greater self-confidence, and helped me to better navigate my way through the chaotic territory of life of a teenager. As I mentioned at the beginning of the book, I was quite a shy kid, always worried about social situations.
However, the positive effects of exercise never failed to temporarily erase my social anxieties. After being exposed to exercise euphoria on a more regular basis, I was suddenly able to do things that I never could before. I started sharing my personal opinion without overthinking it beforehand and worrying about it afterward. I talked to girls, and I became more successful playing soccer. I was a more confident, controlled, and overall happier teenager.
My Experience Now
Now I am in my late twenties and the euphoria experience has become even more meaningful than during my teenage years. I find that once the rush comes on, wonderful feelings of power and invincibility begin to gradually overcome me. Often, I can’t help but smile from the awareness that going on this run will be one of the best decisions of my day. All of my life’s stressors and pains seem to disappear.
Sometimes this mood lasts for the rest of the day, and other times these effects translate into the coming few days. Life’s hurdles start to appear like minor obstacles that are easy to overcome. I start to see the positive side of problems, a side that I was so often blind to because of my anxious ways of thinking. I am able to stay focused much more easily, and my energy levels seem to have significantly surpassed my peers. It has helped me to more easily overcome obstacles, enhance my mood, and decrease my stress and anxiety level, all while living through what should objectively be the most stressful time of my life.
What Is Cardiovascular Training?
Cardiovascular training refers to any form of training with the purpose of increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of this network composed of your heart, your blood, as well as any vasculature (i.e. your cardiovascular system). This system’s primary purpose is to transfer nutrients (such as oxygen and other helpful substances) to their destination (such as your muscles and organs) via your bloodstream to produce expendable energy and to keep your cells working properly.
The more efficiently this system operates, the better its capability to keep your other bodily systems healthy. For example, the better your cardiovascular system is able to pump blood toward your kidneys, the more efficiently your blood will be cleared of waste products. Furthermore, the stronger your heart is, the more capable it is of circulating blood throughout your body, and the faster oxygen reaches your muscular system, resulting in greater energy levels and better day-to-day functioning.
So, how can exercise strengthen our cardiovascular system? Well, as you may remember from earlier in this book, your body is excellent at adapting to the environment you expose it to. Your cardiovascular system is no exception to that rule. The greater the energy required by your muscles to perform their necessary actions, the greater the force with which your heart pumps to meet those requirements. As you repeatedly engage in activities that progressively strengthen your heart (cardiovascular training), your heart will become stronger and pump more efficiently over time.
Bodily Adaptations
Have you ever noticed how activities that you have to perform on a regular basis appear to become easier after a while? The same principle applies here. Your body recognizes the increased demand and responds by performing the adaptations necessary to make this activity as efficient as possible for you in the future (by making your heart stronger). It just so happens that taking part in activities that strengthen your heart results in more substantial experiences of the Exercise High. So if we can challenge our cardiovascular system sufficiently, we can experience greater post-workout pleasures.
You might be wondering, So, why are most people walking on treadmills instead of jogging or running and properly challenging themselves to bring about the positive effects of exercise? The truth, in part, is that society has made us believe that “aerobics” is the best way to strengthen our cardiovascular system.
Additionally, aerobics is much easier to sell to the general population, who often attempt to take the path of least resistance, and do whatever is easiest that they think can still bring them the results they want to achieve. Furthermore, the sheer amount of misinformation on the internet confuses people, so they stick with what they see on TV or what their friends are doing. This combination of misinformation and confusion keeps people adhering to faulty exercise programs for longer, which means greater profit for the big guys and a more frustrated you.
Running
If there is one method of exercising we are naturally meant to perform, it is to run. Running helped our ancestors survive by allowing them to chase our supper, flee from predators, and save precious time when we needed to get somewhere fast. It is why our gluteal muscle group is so large, and why our thighs can increase our stride length by rapidly extending our legs with explosive power by taking biomechanical advantage of our flexible kneecaps.
As you may have noticed from your own experience, running can also help dissipate feelings of anxiety and worry, while at the same time provide you with an opportunity to grab some fresh air and sunshine, and perhaps be surrounded by friends and companions (or maybe your dog, cat, or pet alligator). So how can we recreate the mind-altering feelings of running during, as well as following our run? There are many different ways.
Just as you should do with the other methods of exercising described in this book, take into consideration all of the information provided to you when designing your running program. The exact parameters on how long you should run for will depend on your physical conditioning. By following the concepts discussed in the previous chapter, you can get started today. Below you can find some additional information to improve your experience as it relates to running.
Running Tips
Whether you are new to exercising or you have been active your whole life, everyone can benefit from the positive mental effects from a good running session. You may want to run on a flat surface initially to help fine-tune your running intensities. Dress appropriately for the weather and ensure that you have no significant distractions during the run (e.g. traffic lights, phone calls, busy sidewalks, etc.).
Experiment for yourself to see what works best for you. Make sure you are adequately hydrated and that you have supplied your body with sufficient rest. You could have a carbohydrate-rich snack before your run for some extra energy, and time your run according to your biological prime time (more about this later). Push yourself past your comfort zone, but not too far past to avoid feeling overly exhausted.
Cardiovascular Workout Methods
There are many other cardiovascular workout methods that can yield the same feel-good results as running. And even if running is your preferred mode of cardio exercise, it’s still fun—and a good idea—to occasionally mix in other exercises. Remember, cardiovascular training is any method of training that elevates your heart rate. In theory, strength training could be a great cardiovascular workout method (HIRT, in particular). Just be sure to follow the principles and concepts laid out earlier in this book in order to maximize the benefits and to stay safe. Examples of other cardiovascular workout methods you can try include:
Cardiovascular Training Methods | |
Running | Dancing |
Cycling | Soccer |
Swimming | Basketball |
Rowing | Squash |
Stair climbing | Tennis |
Hiking | Volleyball |
Cross country skiing | Figure skating |