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How to Maximize Exercise Performance

Have you felt the pain of summer? That is the pain during and after intense exercise. Summer can be filled with hours of fulfillment while biking, swimming, running and hiking, just to list a few. However, if you haven't prepared your body for these activities, you may not be able to "indulge" in the exercises you like.

Most of us recognize there are many parts of the body that work harder with exertion. One of the most obvious is our muscles. During exercise, the muscles are forced to work harder than at rest. Consequently, they produce more waste products that need to be removed. Some of these waste products are lactic acid (hydrogen ions) and phosphate. The increase in lactic acid is often responsible for immediate training discomfort in active training muscles. Phosphate may also contribute to muscle soreness and fatigue. Active muscle also requires more nutrients to function optimally. Muscles need oxygen and carbohydrates to produce energy for action. Buildup of fluid in muscles may also contribute to increasing soreness and fatigue with exercise.

Avoiding injury and pain is key to improving exercise performance. Exercise-induced muscle damage can be cause by unaccustomed exercise which results in a temporary decrease in muscle force production, and increased muscle soreness and swelling. This can have a negative effect on subsequent exercise performance. Most of us have experienced this at least once in our lifetimes. Old injuries may also hamper optimal exercise performance.

Many different strategies have been devised to maximize muscle performance during exercise and avoid muscle injury. All of us have heard of carbohydrate loading to increase fuel to muscles. Ingestion of protein before and after exercise appears to reduce exercise-induced muscle damage. Stretching and massage may reduce muscle soreness, but there is limited evidence of performance benefits. Myo-Med cream has been designed to take its ingredients where they are needed for cell wall repair. This cell wall reinforcement may allow muscle cells to stay intact longer during exercise where they might otherwise break down. This decrease in muscle cell damage may also decrease inflammation and pain associated with exercise-induced muscle damage.

Athletes who have used the cream report it is most helpful when used before and after exercise. They report the cream is great for managing previous muscle injuries that usually decrease their performance. They also report it is also helpful for speeding the healing of injuries. One pitcher reported she threw more pitches than she ever had in 36 hours, with no pain. Another pitcher said it helped to maintain mobility in her shoulder. The athletic training department at a university reported that Myo-Med keeps their athletes in the game whether they use it for chronic or acute injury. Professional athletes have used this cream with reports of improved endurance without resultant pain.

The options above may help treat and prevent injuries so maximal exercise performance is possible. Best wishes for an awesome summer of personal bests.

Copyright © 2008 Lisa Hill, M.D., A Myo-Med Info Article. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reprint this article on your website without alteration if you include this copyright statement and leave the hyperlinks live and in place.

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