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Bouncing Back....

Saturday, 12 July 2014 00:10

By Jason Gootman and Will Kirousis

Let’s get nerdy for a moment and look at three definitions.

Metabolism: The sum of the chemical and physical changes occurring in tissue, consisting of anabolism (those reactions that convert small molecules into large), and catabolism (those reactions that convert large molecules into small).

Catabolism: A series of degradative chemical reactions that break down complex molecules into smaller units, and in most cases releasing energy in the process....

Anabolism: A succession of chemical reactions that construct or synthesize molecules from smaller components, usually requiring energy in the process.

When you swim, ride, run and do other workouts, you are in a catabolic state. That is, you break your body down in order to complete the workout. Thankfully, when you sleep and rest, you are in an anabolic state and you build yourself back up. So every triathlete goes through a regular, daily dance between catabolism and anabolism. But not every triathlete is equally anabolic. Some triathletes build themselves back up better than others. These triathletes improve at a greater rate and avoid injuries and other recovery-related problems much better than triathletes who don’t do as good a job of going anabolic. Triathletes who are good at catabolism (working out), but not as good at anabolism tend to be injured often and get stuck in plateaus where they don’t improve. READ MORE