<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The other day I told you about how after not being able to improve my running time at all for months and months, I then started a new programme and knocked 10 minutes off my half marathon time. All by walking in my training instead of running.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then we also looked at how this would affect your general client who wants to be healthier and perhaps lose a few pounds of fat.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">If you missed that one, definitely go back there before reading this one, <a href="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/how-i-knocked-10-minutes-off-my-half-marathon-time-in-just-4-weeks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">just click here to go and check it out now.</a></span>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Today I am going to show you the 6 steps you need to implement to improve your client’s metabolic profile and hopefully help them get even better results, whether its being able to improve their running, lose a few pounds, and/or have more energy.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So let’s talk about Dr Phili Maffetone….</span>  </p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2><b>The Maffetone Method (MAF Method)</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://philmaffetone.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dr Philip Maffetone</a> wrote a book called the Maffetone Method in 2000. It explains the science and how to train a for a more efficient and healthy metabolic profile using your aerobic and anaerobic systems in a certain way. Just like you would train your muscles in a certain way, 5 days a week working 1 body part per session for example, here we will look at Maffetone’s recommendations for training your cardiovascular system. </span>  </p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2><b>6 Steps To Improving Your Client’s Metabolic Profile </b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maffetone obviously goes into far more detail in his book however I will simplify this and share with you 6 steps to consider.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Step 1 - Build Your Client’s Aerobic Base - Why &amp; How? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Step 2 - Developing Your Client’s Anaerobic System - Why &amp; How? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Step 3 - The 180 Formula - What is it? How do I calculate my clients?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Step 4 - The MAF Test - What is it? How do I use it for my client?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Step 5 - Write A Plan - Always a good idea right? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Step 6 - Taking Benchmarks - Using a HR monitor and/ or RPE</span>  </p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2><b>Step 1 - Build Your Client’s Aerobic Base - Why &amp; How? </b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A big missing part of most peoples metabolic profile is their </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">aerobic base. </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was the part I was missing back in 2006 when Simon tested my metabolic system AND the reason for him recommending that I walk instead of run for a few weeks. The idea behind this being to condition my fat zone, my lower HR and therefore my aerobic function.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After doing this I was eventually able to run and utilise this energy source because I had developed my bodies ability to tap into it. This also resulted in a low of body fat, being able to run faster without my HR going as high as it had previously. </span>  </p>
<h3><b>Health Benefits Of Building Your Aerobic Base</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maffetone explains the health benefits in physiological terms... </span>  </p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aerobic muscle fibres are very resistant to injury. It is more commonly anaerobic muscle fibres that are damaged.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Joint support comes from aerobic fibres.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Better aerobic development = less risk of dehydration</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fast burn takes place in aerobic fibres  </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aerobic muscles provide endurance for all physical activities not just sport</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aerobic speed - the ability to work harder/faster with the same or less energy can develop</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aerobic development improves circulation &amp; cardiovascular (CV) function</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Increase blood circulation helps nearby anaerobic muscles fibres work better or additional power is required</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Antioxidant activity takes place in aerobic muscles - necessary for optimal health </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">High levels of aerobic function almost assure you won’t ‘overtrain’ </span></li>
</ul>
<p><b><i>Overtraining</i></b><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> occurs when an athlete performs more training than his or her body can recover from. Eventually, this leads to a decline in performance. </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">(</span><a href="https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/service/sports-medicine/conditions/overtraining-burnout"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/service/sports-medicine/conditions/overtraining-burnout</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">  )</span>  </p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2><b>Step 2 - Developing Your Client’s Anaerobic System - How? </b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ok, so how do we develop our clients aerobic base?</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Well, we need to take measurements of Maximum HR and body fat (BF) as benchmarks to understand if someone is utilising their aerobic energy system and burning, or using, their fat source.</span>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This a key reason why we, as personal trainers, are taught how to take body fat measurements. Not for simply for aesthetics but BF is a good indicator of how healthy you are in terms of using your stored energy. See Step 6 for the simplest measurement for BF.</span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><b>Building Your Client’s Base</b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Exercising above a certain HR is anaerobic and below that HR is aerobic. What we want to learn is; </span>   <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Are you training your body to burn more fat or sugar?”</span></i>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Counting the calories you burn doesn't tell you which calories you are burning, ie fat or sugar. So what we need is a calculation that determines how, using our HR, for example, we can be more accurate with understanding which training zone we are in during our training. </span>  </p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2><b>Step 3 - The 180 Formula - What is it? How do I calculate my clients?</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also during your personal training course, I am confident you will have come across the 220 less your age as a measurement for max HR, right? Well, Maffetone developed in the 1980’s, which he found to be a far more accurate formula. Maffetone states “</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 180 Formula is based on each individual's general health and fitness level and was derived from clinical trials and from gas analyser results”. </span></i>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 180 Formula takes into account stresses and contributing factors to the elevating or lowering of the training HR. </span>   <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The regular 220 model relies on estimated max HR and training to a % of that based on subjective evidence.” </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maffetone states. He explains that only 1 in 3 actually fit into this equation. </span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 180 Formula works like this:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Subtract your client’s age from 180</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then modify the number by selecting the category that best matches their health and fitness profile:</span></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If they are recovering from a major illness (heart disease, an operation, hospital stay) or if they are on any medication, subtract an </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">additional 10</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If they haven’t exercised before, have exercised irregularly, exercising with an injury, have regressed in competition, get more than 2 colds or cases or flu per year, have allergies or asthma, subtract an </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">additional 5</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If they have exercised regularly (4-5 times weekly) for up to 2 years without any of the above.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Just use 180-age.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If they are a competitive athlete and have been training for more than 2 years without any of the above and made progress in competition without injury. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Add 5.</span></li>
</ol>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If unsure between 2 categories use the lower score. Example, a 30yr old client who hasn’t exercised before then your maximum HR would be;</span>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">180 - 30 - 5 = 145</span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now you have their maximum HR we can start to calculate ranges. 10 beats below their max would be aerobic - ie max HR is 145 their aerobic training zone would be 135-145.</span>  </p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Please note when first using this method there is a good chance your client will find training in this zone feels very easy. This could indicate that they have been overtraining. Over time as their aerobic system improves, they will have to work harder to maintain the same HR. So don’t panic, the metabolic system is dynamic to their present training/lifestyle and can be developed and they will need to go faster to achieve the same rate of perceived exertion or RPE. It's down to use to advise and educate.</span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>Step 4 - The MAF Test - What is it? How do I use it for my client?</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Maximum Aerobic Function or MAF Test is to simply choose a running, cycle route, treadmill (pretty much a cardiovascular training that you can measure and time). Then for the example let’s say your clients chosen MAF test is a 2 mile run around the village, run that measured distance, to time and measure their HR during it. The idea is each time they perform the MAF test, say every 4 weeks (recommended), you always time it and measure their HR. The goal would be to gradually do the same route quicker at the same HR. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Another way to use the MAF test might be to cycle a 30-minute route at their max HR (after an easy cycling warm-up) then ideally the time to complete the route should decrease. </span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>Step 5 - Write A Plan - Always a good idea right? </b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Take your client's waist to hip ratio, monitor their resting HR, calculate their maximum HR, design a periodised plan of building their aerobic base first over several weeks, re-monitor/measure then adjust accordingly. Re-assess and re-evaluate, adjust and repeat.</span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><b>Step 6 - Taking Benchmarks - Using a HR monitor and/ or RPE</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now I am sure many of you will have fat callipers but here we will be using waist to hip ratio since it's very simple and yet offers more information about whether your client’s body fat content is heavily influenced by diet. </span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Waist to hip ratio = waist measurement divided by hip measurement </span>  </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A ratio above 0.9 in men or 0.8 in women may indicate a significant proportion of body fat comes from excess carbohydrates, especially refined.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Now if you want to tap into nutritional subjects please go to the experts at BTN Academy, where they run course and train nutrition coaches to advise you far more bespoke than I can in this blog. </span>   <span style="font-weight: 400;">However, most importantly the waist-hip ratio is useful for evaluating whether your client’s aerobic system is developing properly. Again once every 4 weeks take this measurement to analyse your clients' results.</span>  </p>
<h3> </h3>
<h3><b>Summary </b></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So to summarise, with the industry obsessed with HIIIT, intervals, sweat and endorphins, it is really our job to ensure our clients aren’t, in fact, STORING body fat due to ‘overtraining’. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s educate and support them in learning how to test and measure results with a method, that might surprise them but, that we can convince them to try because they trust us.   </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Try out these 6 steps and maybe even <a href="https://philmaffetone.com/maf-app/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">download the MAF app, which you can find through his website.</a></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter">
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<hr /><br /><!-- /wp:separator -->

<!-- wp:heading -->
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Help Runners Reduce Their Risk Injury &amp; Improve Their Performance</h2>
<!-- /wp:heading -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.biomechanicseducation.com/product/running-biomechanics-workshops/#tab-description">Check out the Running Biomechanics Workshop Now - Click here</a></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:image {"id":13709} -->
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img class="wp-image-13709" src="https://biomechanicseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Running-Biomechanics-Biomechanics-Education-1-1024x512.png" alt="" /></figure>
<!-- /wp:image -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>&nbsp;</p>
</figure>
</div>