The Case for Musicians and Dancers to Exercise- VO2

Exercise physiologists define VO2 max as your maximal rate of oxygen consumption. VO2 simply means the volume of oxygen taken in when you perform activities. It is a measure of your capacity to generate the energy required for endurance activities and is one of the most important factors determining your ability to exercise for longer than three to four minutes. (How long is a typical show?…you do the math.)

The higher your VO2 max threshold, the better you will be able to perform activities without feeling winded; which means better form, better quality of sound, and better execution. For VO2 max improvement to occur though, training runs should be conducted at a heart rate intensity of at least 70 percent of VO2 max. What does all this mean to us?…

First we need to figure out where our Heart Rate should be at when we are running or exercising. So:

• 1) subtract 220 - your age (as an example we will do an 18 year old =202)
• 2) check your resting heart rate; feel with 2 fingers at the neck or wrist and count the pulses for 15 seconds, multiply by 4 to get beats per minute (lets say this example BPM is = 72, which is the national average…Lance Armstrong is at 38!)
• 3) Subtract the number in 1 from the number in 2 (ours is 202-72=130)
• 4) Multiply that number by 0.7 to get the 70% or more intensity we are looking for (ours is 130*.7=91)
• 5) Now add that number 91 back to the resting heart rate to get our Training Heart Rate (91+72=163)

So, 163 is the intensity rate you need to run at in this example, for 20-60 minutes when you are trying to exercise to get stronger for this musical sport activity. Remember that when you exercise you can go above that intensity too, but being near or 163 plus ~ 10-20 more is the level that will benefit you the most if you are 18 years old and have a resting pulse of 72 BPM. We can go higher while working out for short bursts which is also helpful, but we will get into interval training later. Now calculate your own and get moving!

Also consider….Fatigue and Gender
Researchers have identified several gender-specific differences in muscular fatigue related to muscle mass, energy utilization and neuromuscular activation. A female is more ‘fatigue resistance’ during submaximal sporting and exercise activities, meaning they can cruise at a mild/moderate level for a longer period of time. Males display greater glycolytic capacities for energy usage, meaning they have increased short-term power and strength production, but cannot sustain it for very long.

What does this mean? Females may need less rest between sets and possibly fewer recovery days between intense training sessions, but need to work on sprinting and high strength/power exercises more often. Men on the other hand need to train for longer bouts of moderate exercise to increase stamina, so greater distances for cardiovascular endurance is more appropriate for their training regiment.

Just remember…The greater the Specificity of training for a given sport or activity, the greater the improvement in performance.

And just for those of you with detailed oriented personalities that want to know physiologically what is going on when we train as above:

Respiratory Adaptations From Aerobic Training

• Slight increase in Total lung Capacity
• Increased pulmonary diffusion during maximal exercise from increased circulation and increased ventilation and from more alveoli involved during maximal exercise
• Slight decrease in Residual Lung Volume
• Increased Tidal Volume at maximal exercise levels
• Decreased respiratory rate and pulmonary ventilation at rest and at submaximal exercise because of greater pulmonary efficiency
• Increased respiratory rate and pulmonary ventilation at maximal exercise levels from increased tidal volume

Cardiovascular Adaptations From Aerobic Training

• Decreased resting blood pressure
• Increased capillarization of trained muscles = less muscle tension (KNOTS)
• Increased blood flow to the muscles during maximal exercise meaning:
• greater opening of existing capillaries in trained muscles
• more effective blood redistribution
• increased blood volume in the body
• decreased blood viscosity & increased oxygen delivery