700 AEROBIC WORKOUT BENEFITS FOR THE BASEBALL PLAYERbluebasebar.gif (4146 bytes)

Getting oxygen to the body's tissues is the basis of fitness. Having a healthy heart and healthy lungs enable oxygen to be delivered to the muscles easily. This is also the basis to measure fitness. You are out of shape if your body's demand for energy surpasses the ability to supply it. The purpose of an aerobic workout is to increase your maximum oxygen intake
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Baseball players like other athletes require the basis of a good aerobic program to perform basic tasks involved in the sport. The physiological objective of an aerobics program is to increase strength and flexibility that is required when throwing, fielding, running and hitting.

The human body is amazing when you think about how it functions. We are consciously aware of the foods we eat and when the body has to dispose of the waste products. The process of breaking down the food and supplying our bodies with energy derived from the foods we eat is a very complicated process. Of all the energy our body derives from the food it takes in, 60 percent is used to perform all of the bodies daily functions. 20 percent more is used to perform daily tasks and the final 20 percent is left for aerobic activities that we perform daily.

In order for any athlete to perform well, they must be physically fit to insure they will have the 20 percent to draw on. If this is not the case, their body will absorb it for other functions.

Your muscles burn fuel in different stages. First it will burn the chemical substance in the muscles made exclusively from carbohydrates and fats. This process is actually an anaerobic form because it does not need oxygen for its metabolism. When this chemical (adenosine triphosphate) is depleted your muscles draw energy from glycogen. This form of energy is stored in limited amounts in the muscles and liver. When the muscles are depleted of glycogen it draws on energy metabolized by stored fats and carbohydrates, this is an anaerobic reaction.

All activity requires energy that the body produces by burning food in the presence of oxygen.

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