Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Maximum Aerobic Power Sample PDF
Maximum Aerobic Power Sample PDF
Breese
Maximum
Aerobic The Ultimate
Performance Program
Power
for Everyday Athletes
Who Want to Build
Training
a Powerful Aerobic
Engine and Forge
a Heart of Elastic Steel
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical,
photocopy, recording, scanning, or other, - except for brief quotations in critical
reviews or articles, without prior written permission of the publisher.
|5
Our Mission:
To help people
over 30 lose weight,
get stronger,
and live better.
At Strength Matters, we believe there
is a better way for people over 30 to do
health and fitness—a more intelligent,
more sustainable, and long-term
approach that allows us to live life to
the fullest means, well into our senior
years.
We’re obsessively passionate
about fitness, and our mission is to
help people over thirty achieve their
maximum athletic potential without
sacrificing their health.
We specialize in helping people over
30 live a fulfilling and athletic lifestyle.
We believe that health and fitness
for everyday athletes over thirty is
one of the least understood and least
transparent aspects of the fitness
industry.
We see that as an opportunity and
our gift.
We’re excited to share our passion
with you and simplify fitness for
everyone over thirty through our
education, resources, and community.
Life’s better as an everyday athlete.
Welcome to Strength Matters.
James Breese
Strength Matters Founder
Everyday Athlete
|7
8 | Maximum Aerobic Power Training
I Am
The Everyday
Athlete
I
n the U.S.A. and U.K., every time I hear and see it.
approximately 60% of all So that leaves a remaining
adults aged 18–64 are 20% of all adults who regularly
considered completely exercise to an adequate degree.
sedentary. They do no intended But what does adequate mean?
exercise, have completely
This differs slightly from
inactive jobs, and spend more
one government organization
than 14 hours each day sitting
to another, but generally, it’s
on various types of chairs
(couches, office chairs, car considered 30 minutes of brisk
seats, etc.). walking or jogging per day and
some regular resistance training
According to the World to help with strength and bone
Health Organization statistics, density. I would strongly argue
a further 20% of all adults do a that this IS NOT adequate
little bit of daily movement but exercise and would question this
not enough to maintain health. from a professional standpoint.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on
this statistic. This means that My personal and professional
80% of the U.S.A and U.K. adult experience would guesstimate
population DO NOT do enough that less than 10% of the U.K.
daily activity to maintain health. and U.S.A. adult population
are doing adequate exercise to
80 freaking percent. maintain optimal health. That is
It’s a statistic that astounds me sad to me. Truly sad.
Everyday athlete
/ˈɛvrɪdeɪ,ɛvrɪˈdeɪ /ˈaθliːt/
A person who prioritizes a healthy, physically, and mentally
active lifestyle in order to live life to the fullest.
|9
To me, that means that order to live life to the fullest. our family, and the world at
less than 10% of the adult Everyday athletes make the large.
population can physically most of what they have, and
Everyday athletes take
enjoy everything the world has they never settle for less than
an active role in personal
to offer. Less than 10% of the the life they are capable of
development. We are behind
adult population partake in living. It means being truly
the wheel of our life, taking
anything they wish to and are alive and awake to life – not
asleep in life’s waiting room or advantage of our unique
able to do it whenever, however
on the couch. and powerful potential as a
they want. In my humble
person. We do things in life
opinion, this needs to change, Physical activity is part that motivate and inspire
and as a collective group of of the everyday athletes others to do something
everyday athletes, we have a DNA. It’s not something they motivating and inspiring
responsibility to encourage think that they MUST do. in theirs. We maximize our
others to step up to join our Physical activity is part of capacity to experience what
humble society. their day-to-day life. It makes life has to offer around us.
To join the 10%. them who they are. It defines This, in turn, expands our
them. As everyday athletes,
consciousness and results in
we continually reach out for
even more opportunities to
Introducing the newer, richer, and deeper
have a broader range of life
Everyday Athlete life-changing experiences.
experiences.
It means using those
experiences as a means for
An everyday athlete is personal growth and pushing
someone who prioritizes
“Life begins at the end of
our boundaries mentally,
a healthy, physically and physically, and intellectually for your comfort zone.”
mentally active lifestyle in the betterment of ourselves, — Neale Donald Walsch
| 11
The key to life as an “I don’t want to get to offer. From strength training
everyday athlete is to open the end of my life and find to running. From biking to
your mind and stretch that I have just lived the skiing. From team sports to
beyond your comfort zone. If length of it. I want to have individual events. Everyday
you’re not being challenged athletes embrace it all. They’re
lived the width of it as well.”
or intentionally pushing prepared for anything that
— Diane Ackerman
yourself beyond the realm life throws their way. They
of things that are familiar to welcome the challenge.
you, then the experiences Everyday athletes are not
you’re having are no longer limited to the confines of a Everyday athletes look
changing you. Anything you gym. They see the gym as beyond the hype and hyperbole
do that limits your ability to a tool for maximizing life’s of the fitness industry. They
experience the breadth of life experiences. They live for life seek substance. They seek
reduces your ability to live outside the gym, just as much the truth. They seek clarity.
life to the fullest. If the point as they live for life inside it. Everyday athletes seek
of living life to the fullest is Everyday athletes are not performance, but not at
to maximize your capacity bound to any one tool, activity, the sacrifice of health and
for taking advantage of what or methodology. They believe longevity. Everyday athletes
life has to offer you, then in fundamental principles for know they’re in it for the long
this involves maximizing the health. They aim to experience game. Health comes first for
length of your life as well. everything that life has to all everyday athletes.
| 13
Introduction To The
Maximum Aerobic
Power Program
14 | Maximum Aerobic Power Training
I
t will improve your strength
The Maximum Aerobic Power levels and work capacity whilst
Training program is designed simultaneously building your
aerobic engine. By the end of the
to help the intermediate and program, you will leave in the best
physical condition of your life – if you
advanced everyday athlete build stick to the plan. It will give you an
a powerful aerobic engine and insight into how we combine strength
training and aerobic training without
forge a heart of elastic steel. sacrificing any of your strength gains.
tested with our intermediate and For that, you need grit, an iron will, and
advanced training clients who a lot of determination – and of course,
to be strong and mobile enough. I
want to take their athleticism to can’t emphasize more strongly. You
need a baseline level of strength and
the next level. mobility before even attempting this
program. Strength is a skill. Aerobic
training is a skill. Combining both in a
workable plan is an art form.
Having already established an
excellent baseline of strength and
movement, you need to think smart
and practice well. Your goal in this
training plan is not to get injured
during training. As a result, it’s
been developed in three phases. Do
not skip any phase. Each phase is
designed to be layered on top of the
other and prepares you for the next
phase.
We lay the foundations every
week for the following week. Trust
the process and the rest will follow. I
wish you the best of luck and all the
enjoyment in the world.
Yours in health,
James Breese,
Strength Matters Founder
Everyday Athlete
| 15
“This is
the first time
I’ve really felt part of
a fitness tribe”
— John Withinshaw, trail runner.
Train Anywhere.
Achieve More.
We remove the shackles of working
out in one location. Train anywhere,
with the equipment that’s available to
you. Your coach goes with you in your
pocket and adapts accordingly 24/7.
You’ll be amazed at how much more
you can achieve when working with
a Strength Matters coach. Start your
coaching journey today.
Visit www.strengthmatters.com
Athleticism
and the Strength
Matters Hierarchy of
Athletic Development
I
t was a Sunday morning, the sun was
It was late September, out, and my girlfriend at the time, Vickie,
back in 2016. I was living asked if I wanted to go for a run and then
grab a coffee with her and her sister. I
in Melbourne, Australia, immediately said yes. I didn’t think anything
and it was the start of of it. It’s something I always USED to do.
But this time around, I hadn’t been for a
spring. The weather was run in a long time. In fact, a VERY long time.
Six long years to be exact.
turning, and the days Running had always been a part of my
were starting to get life. Growing up in the mountains in Wales,
playing soccer, rugby, and cricket was
longer. Little did I know something that had always been a part of my
at the time that this was life. I didn’t think anything of it. But this time,
I was 34 years old. I hadn’t run for close to
the month that would six years because I had gone deep into the
change my whole life and traditional powerlifting, strength-only style
workouts that my mentors, friends, peers, and
business forever. colleagues were advocating.
| 19
Another Embarrassing regrets in life. Demoralized and
Moment of Discovery embarrassed, and with my
For those of you unfamiliar
ego shot to pieces, I wasn’t
with cricket, there is a long-
deterred. In fact, it motivated
A few weeks later, around standing rivalry between
me beyond belief, and I began
mid to late October, another England and Australia. We’re
to self-reflect and try to work
chance conversation led me to the old enemies. So, for a
out logically what was going
consider a return to cricket—a “Pom” as the Aussies like to
on. Now, I hadn’t played for a
dream of mine that had been call us, turning up to play with
number of years, so I was rusty.
dashed due to a shoulder the Australians is kind of a
It was similar to the running
injury. I had been running for big deal, particularly when I
experience, but it was more than
a few weeks now, and I was had a reputation coming into
that. Much more.
feeling good. I thought, why practice, one perpetuated by
not? So, I went to the Tuesday a friend who I had played with It came down to the simple
night practice session, a for many, many years. fact that I was no longer
mere six years after I had last athletic. I thought I was in my
Once again, it was
played, which coincidentally training, but I wasn’t.
another moment of sheer
was when I became serious embarrassment. It was like I I was strong but lacked any
about weight training and had never played the game in cardiovascular fitness. I was
stopped running. my life. I couldn’t hit or catch stiff and immobile. I wasn’t
Looking back, I have no idea the ball, and my bowling was agile, and my balance and
why I stopped playing cricket. all over the place. Much to co-ordination was all over the
It was such a big part of my the Aussies delight, the fast place. I was decidedly un-
life growing up. Thankfully, it bowlers kept bowling short at athletic. I needed to become
is once again a big part of my me, and it kept hitting me. I athletic again. I began to
life. I can’t explain it, but what woke up the next day, and I was research everything I could
I do know is that I’ll never be black and blue from the bruises. about how to turn an aging
able to get that time back. It I hurt all over and felt like I had athlete back into a lean, mean
may just be one of my few been run over by a bus. fighting machine.
| 21
The list just grew
and grew. And
that’s how the
Strength Matters
Hierarchy of Athletic
Development was
created. It was
designed to provide
order, logic, and
structure to the
ten components
of complete
athleticism.
| 23
The hierarchy of
Balanced Fitness athletic development
and Athleticism
Layer 2 is foundational
strength and aerobic capacity.
Once we have our Layer 1
base, we start to layer it with
basic strength and aerobic
capacity work. This becomes
the springboard to make the
leap to Layer 2.
Layer 3 is the sexy layer. It’s
an advanced athlete territory.
It’s the layer everyone wants
to jump to. It includes power,
speed, agility, and anaerobic
work (HIIT), but it’s also the
layer that comes with the
most risk. If you’re deficient
in any of the components in
Layer 1 and Layer 2, it will
show up here. This means that
| 25
Fast forward three years, training, and strength training rid of the pain.
and I’m fitter, stronger, and alone, was the answer. The
The list could go on, but
more mobile than I ever was worrying thing was that I had
these are the things that I
before. I’m back to feeling like ignored the warning signs. I
think back on now. What was
an athlete again, but it wasn’t had just carried on, as usual,
I doing? I personally focused
an easy path. It’s taken a lot thinking these things were
on Layer 3 work. For six years,
of hard work, and trial and normal when lifting heavy
I did all power work and not
error. It’s given me hope. It’s weights:
much else. Speed, agility,
given me the ability to ski and 1. I couldn’t walk up a flight of and aerobic work were non-
snowboard, days and weeks stairs without getting out of existent. Mobility, stability, and
at a time. It’s given me the breath. balance were an afterthought.
ability to play cricket again at a
2. My body fat % continued to And in terms of strength, I
competitive standard.
increase, and I didn’t care. never went over 5 reps. Where
Before that run in was the muscular endurance
Melbourne, I thought I 3. Getting out of bed in the and strength endurance work?
was physically athletic. I morning was becoming I wasn’t as elite as I thought
foolishly didn’t consider that I harder because I was I was. I came back to earth
possessed any weaknesses. becoming more stiff and with a big thud. And I’m so
I foolishly didn’t consider rigid. I assumed this was glad that I did; otherwise, I
the key components that old age. think my forties, fifties, and
comprised complete 4. I had to see a chiropractor sixties would have been very
athleticism and balanced or physical therapist far sad times for my aging athletic
fitness. I thought strength more regularly, just to get development.
| 27
Maximum
Aerobic
Power
Training