RE: A few Aquajockotic musings
Hi, Robin! Please do not think that you have to be at a "goal weight" to do anything you want to do in terms of muscle conditioning!
There is a lot of misunderstanding, and misinformation, about the distinction between muscle strength and muscle endurance. The distinction is far more one of performance capacity, and types of muscle fibers recruited, than it is muscle appearance or the bulk of the muscle. Muscle strength is defined as the absolute AMOUNT of weight you can lift in one repetition, where as muscle endurance is defined as the NUMBER OF REPETITIONS you can complete with a submaximal weightload.
The muscles are composed of two kinds of muscle fibers: fast-twitch fibers, which are recruited when lifting extremely heavy loads and which fire quickly (and burn out quickly!); and slow-twitch fibers, which are recruited when lifting submaximal weightloads in more repetitions over a longer period of time. (Further, fast twitch fibers are subdivided into Fast Twitch I and Fast Twitch II fibers; those distinctions elude me for the nonce.) Slow twitch fibers are generally recruited first in any lift, and then fast twitch fibers after if needed.
It should be noted that most power-lifters, who lift very heavy weightloads are NOT overly "bulky"; they are strong but their substantial muscle mass is extremely dense. Body builders, on the other hand, go for the muscle "pump" by completing enough reps to infuse the muscles with blood and puff them up. Muscle strength and muscle hypertrophy are not synonymous.
Further, what one sees as muscle "cut" is usually far more a function of the subcutaneous fat stores - or, more accurately, the LACK of muscle fat stores - overlying the muscles that it is the result of light-weight-high-rep work.
So what does this mean for you? IMHO, strength rotations do more both for your strength AND your endurance than do endurance rotations; in fact, there have been studies that document that strength training assists in endurance training (both muscle conditioning and cardiovascular aerobic conditioning), BUT endurance training does NOT assist in strength training. Further, a good strength rotation coupled with increased intensity in your cardiovascular training (and stronger muscles will enable you to increase your cardio performance) will, again IMHO, will assist in burning UNNECESSARY fat stores more effectively by burning more energy during the workout session, elevating the metabolism in the hours after the workout (which strength training does longer than cardio work) AND by building more metabolically active lean tissue.
WHEW! I didn't know I had it in me! Lunch hour's over!
Hope this helps -
Annette
