| Fitness refers to your heart, and the harder you | | | | very fit and help to prevent injuries.Each sport |
| exercise, the more fit you become. But every time you | | | | stresses specific muscle groups. Cycling stresses the |
| exercise vigorously your muscles are injured, and the | | | | upper legs, while rowing stresses your back and upper |
| harder you exercise, the longer it takes for your | | | | body. If you cycle and row on the same day, you |
| muscles to heal. Muscle biopsies done the day after a | | | | stress your upper legs and upper body on the same |
| person exercises vigorously show bleeding into the | | | | day. To reduce your chances of injuring yourself, you |
| muscles and disruption of the Z-bands that hold muscle | | | | should take the next day off, or at least exercise at a |
| filaments together. You are not supposed to exercise | | | | very low intensity. If you cycle on Monday and row on |
| vigorously again until the muscle soreness | | | | Tuesday, you allow your muscles 48 hours to recover |
| disappears.Most competitive athletes set up training | | | | from each sport. Pick two sports that use different |
| programs so they exercise vigorously enough on one | | | | muscle groups and do them on alternate days. You |
| day to make their muscles feel sore for the next day | | | | can then exercise more intensely in each sport and |
| or two and then after the soreness disappears, they | | | | achieve a higher level of fitness.Dr. Gabe Mirkin has |
| exercise vigorously again. You can use the same | | | | been a radio talk show host for 25 years and |
| principle in your exercise program to achieve a higher | | | | practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is |
| level of fitness. You can exercise vigorously on one | | | | board certified in four specialties, including sports |
| day and easy on the next few days or until the | | | | medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and |
| soreness disappears, OR you can train in two or three | | | | health reports at weekly newsletter on fitness, health, |
| sports. This is called cross-training, and it can make you | | | | and nutrition. |