According to Decatur Athletic Club trainer Tina Ames, the current Big Thing is so popular because, “it’s very easy to implement base training into a routine, whether you’re already in shape or just getting started at the gym.”

What’s attractive to her clients, says Ames, is the clear-cut aspect of the basic principle – that of exercising steadily at a lower intensity rather than in quick, furious bursts. This idea is appealing on a number of different levels, both mental and physical.

Some Pseudo Scientific Stuff

Here’s what happens:

Your personal aerobic system uses the heart, lungs, and body circuitry to deliver oxygenated blood to various muscle groups during activity. This network is also partly responsible for the production of adenosine triphosphate, a compound you may remember from eighth-grade science as ATP, important as the springboard for light, heat, and energy.

WHO: Everybody and their brother and their cousin Geraldine, too. Plus, if they live in Australia, sometimes their Aunt Matilda.

WHAT: Aerobic Base Training.

WHEN: Now — assuming you don’t live in Australia, but rather right here in the prairie capital of the world. It’s a perfect excuse to enjoy the scenery in leisurely fashion. The leaves are turning. The weather’s downright autumnal.

WHERE: We just went over that.

WHY: Because it’s GOOD for you.

Progressive training stimulates adaptation by the processes responsible for delivering the Big O around the body. At Mind & Body we never miss a chance to repeat that the simple things are often very important. Therefore, a public service reminder: Oxygen = Good.

Slowing down a little can maximize your body’s appreciation of this most essential element in the periodic table. Competitive or not, runners, bikers, walkers, swimmers, football players, and squash enthusiasts alike can take this concept to heart. If you push yourself too harshly all the time, active blood-oxygen levels are depleted and muscle groups don’t get the revving they require.

This Mostly Concludes the Science Portion of Our Show

Something about the idea of slow and easy is at fundamental odds with human nature, however. Sprinters like to sprint; bikers like to bike fast. We don’t want to feel like we’re “wasting” time, but we’re doing ourselves a personal disservice if we neglect the underpinnings. The circulatory system’s efficiency is the foundation upon which fitness anchors, and is wholly dependent on how much attention a person pays directly to it.

Constantly pushing the body to peak performance can be detrimental as far as injury and psychological outlook. According to Ames, too-frequent anaerobic stress, which occurs when the body is pushed to its limit, also can serve to knock the metabolism offline. A triathlete herself, she enjoys the break offered by a stint of base training.

“I find it more pleasurable to change things up,” Ames says. “It’s less mental strain. My times have also improved, which might seem surprising until you really think about it.”

The theory is a person who trains at a moderate pace for thirty miles a week will have more basic punch than she logging twenty miles at a swifter clip.

Stepping down the intensity a notch or two can bring relief in several ways.

“A client with a mileage problem kept really hitting her workouts hard and was hurting herself over and over,” Ames says. “Those kinds of setbacks can be devastating for people, and they give up on staying with it.”

They decided to concentrate on augmenting the woman’s aerobic base. Since this is accomplished over a considerable length of time, she didn’t have to feel as if she wasn’t pushing hard enough. Jogging at a slower pace but farther than she’d been going lessened the trauma to her injury-prone body. It also helped strengthen her leg musculature to stave off future strain.

In the thoroughbred racing industry, building a horse up to best possible performance is accomplished through the time-honored training axiom of “long, slow gallops.” In the human world this is sometimes translated as “LSD” — Long Slow Distance.

Concentrating specifically on building your foundation makes all future, more strenuous endeavors that much easier. A solid aerobic base serves as an energy reservoir when your pool is otherwise drained.

Implementation for YOUR Life, Australian or Otherwise

Ames assigns clients a ceiling heart rate they’re not to exceed, around 60 to 75 percent of their maximum. For most people, this is 180 minus their age. For those at a higher fitness level she might add a few beats per minute. The standard rule of thumb is that you should be able to jog or bike and keep a conversation going – even if it’s only with yourself – without undue difficulty.

Distances covered and length of time one spends establishing or maintaining a base will vary widely according to your starting level. Marathoners often spend three to four months base training out of a year, ensuring that they maintain optimum circulation and endurance.

Generally speaking, a person just getting back into shape will want to invest more attention on the groundwork. More advanced individuals can take breaks from their established routine to plug back in some more moderate workouts.

Zachary Shields writes in the mornings and matches kids with Big Brothers/Big Sisters in the afternoons. Of his unsold novels, the third is far and away our favorite.