J.J. Ellis Personal Trainer

Here is a story about how quickly your body can respond to fitness training

A little while ago one of my friends started a three month fitness program. I have been involved in the fitness industry for more than ten years, and before that I had been playing sport and competing from a young age. During this time, I have seen how my own body responds to fitness training, and also observed countless others respond to fitness training, but I have never seen someone respond as quickly as my friend. 

Four evenings out of seven he would do the 20 minute workout set out for him, and then he would measure his heart rate. He would be puffing and panting at the end of the session, but when he measured his heart rate again in a minute, his heart rate would have reduced. The degree of his fitness is measured by how much his heart rate drops within that minute. When he first started the program, his heart rate would be around 170 beats per minute (BPM) at the completion of the workout, and then when he measured it again in a minute it would be around 152 BPM. However, within a few weeks it was dropping to 136 BPM within a minute of finishing the workout. He was recovering much quicker. But not only this, he was also completing more work during his workouts. 

This response can be attributed to a number of physiological processes going on within the body. Two of these processes are the production of more mitochondria within the cells (these are the energy factories of the cell), and also the growth and strengthening of the fourth ventricle of the heart (this is the ventricle that pumps blood around the body). The combination of consistently doing his workouts, and reducing how often he visited Hungry Jack’s, meant that he dropped 6kgs within 2 months. But the thing that I find most satisfying is the way that he moves now – he has more energy and vigour.