Blog

By Dr. Payton Busker, PT, DPT 

Over the last couple of weeks, we have been diving into how to achieve 3 different goals using Evlo:

Goal 1: Feel Better, Get Stronger

Goal 2: Increase Muscle Definition 

Goal 3: Cross Training with Evlo 

Last week, we explored all things “Feel Better, Get Stronger”. Click here to review that post!

Next up: INCREASE MUSCLE DEFINITION. 

If you’ve been an Evlo member for some time now and have noticed a decrease in joint pain and overall stress levels, you might be ready to tackle goal number 2. 

We believe that developing significant muscle definition primarily occurs in the absence of significant stress response and pain within the body. This is because building (and maintaining) muscle tissue is metabolically expensive. If your body and brain do not feel safe and protected, they will have a hard time allocating energy for muscle growth and maintenance. 

This is one of the reasons we emphasize sticking...

Today, let’s talk about running. Running has been glorified in the fitness industry, and to be honest, I think it's over-glorified. I know this is a hot topic, and I don’t mean to offend anyone. I’ll try to meet you runners half-way with this podcast as much as I can. 

Today, I’ll talk about how to incorporate strength into your running routine if you don’t want to give up running, why I prefer walking to running from a mechanical and nervous system standpoint, why running to burn calories isn’t effective, and how running can affect your central nervous system, and potentially delay muscle growth. 

I want to start by saying that I have a certain bias against running. I’m not a huge fan of running. I think there are smarter ways to move your body that are less repetitive, and more beneficial to your cardiovascular system and muscular system. I’ll explain why in this podcast. However, I will say that I totally understand that...

Now that we've covered both HIIT and steady-state cardio, let's go over the main differences between the two.

The difference between steady-state and HIIT is that a HIIT workout is where the individual exerts their max effort , which can't be sustained for a long time. Whereas steady-state cardio is a low-to-moderate effort that can be maintained for a longer period of time.

During HIIT, your heart rate is close to its max, maybe around 160 bpm, depending on who you are, and sustained for a brief amount of time, maybe 15-30 seconds. 

After that brief, intense bout, you recover for a short period of time and repeat. HIIT is pretty brutal, but the good part is, it's brief and time-effective. It has benefits, as I talked about in the last podcast. But it's not for everyone. If you are new to exercise, have cranky joints, hormone imbalances, etc., HIIT might not be your exercise of choice until you get those things under control. 

Additionally, if you HATE that type of...

Today I want to piggyback on last week's blog post about HIIT and dive into steady-state cardio. If you haven't read either of last weeks' blog posts, I'd highly recommend you read it because it has excellent information about the mitochondria, blood sugar, and how too much HIIT can harm you.

Over the next week, I will break down the difference between steady-state and HIIT cardio, the positives, and negatives of both, and provide a general framework of how you can incorporate both into your training. 

First, I want to talk about how the body adapts to exercise. It's essential to understand every individual's body will react differently, and that will determine if they are getting positive or negative results from their training. 

Adaptation is ultimately what we are looking for in our training. We want our muscles to be stronger, our heart to pump more effectively, and to be less out of breath when we walk up a flight of stairs. Exercise, in the proper dosages for your...