Intensity

Intensity can be described as the rate at which work is being done. Or at least thats they way I like to think of it. Lets look at this on a scale.

Lets take the Bench Press of 135lbs at 3 sets of 10. If we say that the first set takes you 50 seconds to complete, the second takes you 55 and the third takes you 59, your total work time is 164 seconds. Lets also say rest for the first set is 1 min, the second set also one minute, you have a rest period of 2 minutes. Since the final set rest period is usually determined on how quickly you move from this exercise to the next, overall workout intensity is easily changed by this final set rest period. For this purpose lets say 3 minutes in between exercises.

Exercise Bench Press has 164 seconds of work and 300 seconds of rest. this is a ratio of about 1:2. While this ratio really means nothing to the general trainee, it is used to demonstrate the point of time as a determining factor of intensity. Time is the easiest way to change intensity of a workout.

Changing the weight and using the same ratio also increases intensity to a degree. It makes it hard and more work is done, however the rate of work being done does not change unless the time it takes to complete the entire exercise does.

Most people that are involved in determining the tempo of each exercise's rep scheme look at intensity as breaking each part of the rep down to a number as well. We can use this number to determine time under tension, another variable of intensity.

Lets say that the concentric (muscle shortening or contracting) phase of the bench press (the push off the chest) takes you 2 seconds, the pause or isometric (tension between load and muscle are equal) at the top is 2 seconds and the eccentric (or lengthening, negative) phase is 2 seconds, this rep has a tempo of 2:2:2. Most people do not need to worry about this variable at all, as total work is more important for beginners than rep tempo. But we will still look as this tempo as a 6 second rep. 10 reps with 6 seconds are approximately, thats right: 60 seconds.

In training, we look at altering each workout's intensity to change the goal and outcome of each, meaning that variable intensities create different muscle responses. Intensity is a great way to shock the system, either going from and extreme high or an extreme low. Keeping intensity too high for too long will actually have a negative impact because extremely high intensity creates certain chemicals in the body to increase and create a severely acidic state that will break down muscle tissue instead of build it. We call this catabolism. Staying in this catabolic state for too long leads to over-reaching, then over-training. More on those later.

For those that do a lot of cardiovascular training, the best way to gauge intensity is heart rate. There are scales of measurement out there that determine workout intensity, but the good ones are never on the side of a piece of equipment. Those fat burning zones on the treadmill, yeah, just plain silly. Use a heart rate monitor.

For those that do not have a heart rate monitor or are just into walking or jogging you can use the talk test and the perceived exertion scale. I used to use this a lot when training for triathlons. Each workout during the week was at a different intensity and length. Here is a copy of that scale*:

* Level 1: I'm watching TV and eating bon-bons
* Level 2: I'm comfortable and could maintain this pace all day long
* Level 3: I'm still comfortable, but am breathing a bit harder
* Level 4: I'm sweating a little, but feel good and can carry on a conversation effortlessly

* Level 5: I'm just above comfortable, am sweating more and can still talk easily
* Level 6: I can still talk, but am slightly breathless
* Level 7: I can still talk, but I don't really want to. I'm sweating like a pig
* Level 8: I can grunt in response to your questions and can only keep this pace for a short time period

* Level 9: I am probably going to die
* Level 10: I am dead

An easy way to derive your workouts using intensity as a modifier is too have different days of the week that use different intensities. Long, slow workouts are usually not that intense. If you train long and slow all the time, you will perform long and slow. Maybe good for the boudoir, but not for athletics. Say one workout is long and slow, one is medium length and a little faster, then the final day is short sprints. You can also alter resistance training in the same manner.

Writing this one was intense! I'm off to eat bon-bons on the couch and enjoy a Racer 5 IPA.




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