The Catalyst

On today's episode of The Catalyst, Chris Cooper explains how you can find your maximum heart rate and use it to achieve optimal results in training.

He also explores intensity levels and heart-rate zones so you understand the importance of each of the five training zones.
 
What can smart training and knowing your limits do for you?

More info at Catalystgym.com.

00:15  - How to find max heart rate.

04:02 - Ramp testing.

05:45 - Metabolic analysis (PNOĒ testing).

07:27 - Why knowing your zones is important.

10:13 - Other options for metabolic analysis.

Interested in heart-rate training but don't know where to start? This is the show for you.

On this episode of the The Catalyst, Chris Cooper provides a concise, informative overview of what heart-rate training is and how you can obtain your max heart rate. Then he goes over each of the five zones, presenting training principles, benefits and advice for success.

For more info, visit Catalyst Gym.

0:26 - Intro to heart-rate training and testing

3:25 - Zone 1

4:42 - Zone 2 

11:09 - Zone 3

13:20 - Zone 4

13:57 - Zone 5

How often do you need to work out?

That's the question Chris Cooper answers today on The Catalyst. 

To provide the complete picture, Chris presents the evolution of the Catalyst Method over the last two decades. The current plan for optimal health and fitness has clients doing strength work and heart-rate training, both under the eyes of a coach and as "homework" on their own when appropriate. 

With that in mind, new clients might receive "six blocks" of exercise per week, or about three hours of training.  As clients progress, they might receive eight blocks (four hours of exercise). Competitive performance clients might train 10-12 hours a week. These are generalizations only.

Here's the key: A coach makes the exact prescription based on the client's needs and goals. The prescription will change whenever it needs to—often every two weeks—so clients get the best results. It's all about training optimally.

0:26 - Catalyst Method history

3:11 - Heart-rate training overview

8:13 - A general prescription for beginners

10:08 - A fitness prescription 

11:24 - A prescription for competitive athletes

11:40 - The coach's role in optimizing training

16:27 - What training blocks should you do where?

What is multimodal training, and how can you utilize it to maximize fitness and results in you or your clients?

In today's episode, Chris Cooper explains and explores the concept of multi-modal training: mixing a variety of different activities and methods in an interval style. This type of training can be used to improve your general fitness and help you access your different energy sources. Rather than train and gain proficiency at one specialized type of activity, this type of training can be used to ensure that you are proficient at any type of exercise.

Chris Cooper also uses this episode to explain the different heart rate zones, their importance in achieving fitness, and how this style of training will help you with monitoring these heart rate zones during workouts.

00:31 Meaning of Multi-Modal interval training

02:34 Importance of incorporating variety in training

03:56 Incorporation of heart rate zones 

09:33 How to monitor and attack HR zone-based workouts

In the world of medical science, there are many widely-recognized "optimal ranges" that indicate health and wellness. But these numbers on doctors' charts require more than an easy one-time solution.

In the last episode of The Catalyst, Chris Cooper explained the importance of ensuring that your "healthspan" lasts as long as your lifespan. In this episode, he expands on the importance of fitness, and how the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum fits into your pursuit of a lengthened healthspan.

In recent years, newly developed pharmaceuticals and technology are being used to bring our metrics to optimal levels. While these might save your life once, they offer nothing to improve your healthspan or quality of living. The key? The pursuit of fitness.

So how can we jump the gap from sickness to wellness to fitness? Chris explains the importance of striving toward the fitness range of the arc and how anyone can do it to earn a longer and better life.

00:31 - Explaining the sickness-wellness-fitness continuum

01:05-  Using metrics and optimal ranges to determine our place on the continuum

02:07 - Using fitness to improve these metrics

06:22 - The dangers of expanding lifespan without improving healthspan

People are living longer now, but additional years will be more enjoyable with a high quality of life. 

At Catalyst, we measure quality of life in “vitality”: your enjoyment of life, your mobility and independence, your resistance to disease and injury, your level of freedom to do the things you want to do, and so on.

Vitality often decreases at a rapid rate as we age, and many people live long after their vitality is gone. But vitality can be preserved if you take action today.

No matter how old you are or what your current fitness level is, we can help you add years to your life and life to your years. We call this "increasing your healthspan": The period of time when you're fully functional. 

The goal: Get the length of your healthspan as close to your lifespan as possible.

1:25 - Healthspan and lifespan

5:17 - Vitality and measurements of healthspan

7:12 - Why are we talking about healthspan now?

9:58 - Kicking ass at 85