Category Archives: Exercise

QOTD: James Fisher On Optimal Resistance Training Technique

Posted on March 25, 2013 | Comments Off on QOTD: James Fisher On Optimal Resistance Training Technique

We recommend that appreciably the same muscular strength and endurance adaptations can be attained by performing a single set of ~8-12 repetitions to momentary muscular failure, at a repetition duration that maintains muscular tension throughout the entire range of motion, for most major muscle groups once or twice each week. All resistance types (e.g. free-weights, resistance machines, bodyweight, etc.) show potential for increases in strength, with no significant difference between them, although resistance machines appear to pose a lower risk of injury.

—Fisher, James, et al. Evidence-based resistance training recommendations. Medicina Sportiva, 15 (2011): 147-162.

exercise for weight loss and management, dumbbells

If you’re not familiar with weight training, a personal trainer is an great idea

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Heart-Healthy Lifestyle Also Cuts Cancer Risk By Half

Posted on March 19, 2013 | 1 comment

…according to a report in MedPageToday.

I'm still not convinced that severe sodium restriction is necessary or even possible for most people

I’m still not convinced that severe sodium restriction is necessary or even possible for most people

The American Heart Association has published guidelines aiming to reduce premature death and illness caused by cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, high blood pressure, and strokes.

The guidelines focus on seven factors critical to cardiovascular health:

  • smoking
  • blood sugar
  • blood pressure
  • physical activity
  • total cholesterol
  • body mass index (BMI)
  • ideal diet

Using data from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities study (almost two decades’ follow-up), researchers found that those who maintained goals for six or seven of the American Heart Association critical factors had a 51% lower risk of cancer compared with those meeting no goals.

For detailed information about the specific goals, click here.

As you might expect, I was curious about what the American Heart Association considered a heart-healthy diet.  I quote the AHA summary:

The recommendation for the definition of the dietary goals and metric, therefore, is as follows: “In the context of a diet that is appropriate in energy balance, pursuing an overall dietary pattern that is consistent with a DASH [Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension]-type eating plan, including but not limited to:

  • Fruits and vegetables: ≥ 4.5 cups per day
  • Fish: ≥ two 3.5-oz servings per week (preferably oily fish)
  • Fiber-rich whole grains (≥ 1.1 g of fiber per 10 g of carbohydrate): ≥ three 1-oz-equivalent servings per day
  • Sodium: < 1500 mg per day
  • Sugar-sweetened beverages: ≤ 450 kcal (36 oz) per week

Intake goals are expressed for a 2000-kcal diet and should be scaled accordingly for other levels of caloric intake. For example, ≤ 450 calories per week represents only up to one quarter of discretionary calories (as recommended) coming from any types of sugar intake for a 2000-kcal diet.

Diet recommendations are more complicated than that; read the full report for details.  Only 5% of study participants ate the “ideal diet.”  The Mediterranean diet easily meets four out of five of those diet goals; you’d have to be extremely careful to reach the sodium goal on most any diet.

Cardiovascular diseases and cancer are among the top causes of death in Western societies.  Adhering to the guidelines above may kill two birds with one stone.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Posted in Cancer, Coronary Heart Disease, Diet-Heart Hypothesis, Exercise, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure

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High-Intensity Interval Training: A Primer and the Science Behind It

Posted on March 15, 2013 | Comments Off on High-Intensity Interval Training: A Primer and the Science Behind It
A treadmill is one of many ways to do high-intensity interval training. Tabata's classic study used a stationary bicycle.

A treadmill is one of many ways to do high-intensity interval training. Tabata’s classic study used a stationary bicycle.

I found a free article by Martin Gibala,Ph.D., a major researcher into high-intensity interval training (HIIT).  He prefers to abbreviate it as HIT.

I don’t like to exercise, so I’ve been incorporating HIIT into my workouts for over a year.  It’s helped me maintain my level of fitness to that required of U.S. Army soldiers, without being a exercise fanatic.

So what’s HIIT?  Gibala’s definition:

High-intensity interval training is characterized by repeated sessions of relatively brief, intermittent exercise, often performed with an “all out” effort or at an intensity close to that which elicits peak oxygen uptake (i.e., ≥90% of VO2peak).

HIIT involves short sessions of very intense exercise about three times per week, for as little as 15 minutes.  That’s total time, not 15 minutes per session!  Yet you see a significant fitness improvement.  Be aware: the brief exercise bouts should be exhausting.

The Gibala article has all the scientific journal references you’d want, plus a suggested HIIT program for an absolute beginner.

One final quote from Dr. Gibala:

It is unlikely that high-intensity interval training produces all of the benefits normally associated with traditional endurance training. The best approach to fitness is a varied strategy that incorporates strength, endurance and speed sessions as well as flexibility exercises and proper nutrition. But for people who are pressed for time, high-intensity intervals are an extremely efficient way to train. Even if you have the time, adding an interval session to your current program will likely provide new and different adaptations. The bottom line is that — provided you are able and willing (physically and mentally) to put up with the discomfort of high-intensity interval training — you can likely get away with a lower training volume and less total exercise time.

Read the rest.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS:  Why won’t Gibala give some credit to Izumi Tabata who did a pioneering study on HIIT in 1996?

PPS:  Gibala narrated this stationary bike HIIT video.

h/t Tony Boutagy

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Does a Low-Carb High-Fat Diet Impair Performance of High-Level Endurance Athletes?

Posted on March 14, 2013 | Comments Off on Does a Low-Carb High-Fat Diet Impair Performance of High-Level Endurance Athletes?

…Dr. Jeff Volek would probably say no. On the other hand, personal  trainer Alan Aragon says yes.  Read about their recent debate at Alan’s blog, they you decide.

Here’s and excerpt from an invited editorial at Journal of Applied Physiology:

“…it seems that we are near to closing the door on one application of this dietary protocol [high-fat, low-carb eating (aka “fat adaptation”) for optimal sports performance]. Scientists may remain interested in the body’s response to different dietary stimuli and may hunt for the mechanisms that underpin the observed changes in metabolism and function. However, those at the coal-face of sports nutrition can delete fat loading and high-fat diets from their list of genuine ergogenic aids for conventional endurance and ultra-endurance sports.”

 

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Exercise Isn’t Supposed To Be Fun

Posted on March 7, 2013 | Comments Off on Exercise Isn’t Supposed To Be Fun

MP900049602Melanie Thomassian’s recent blog post on physical activity reminded me of a Ken Hutchins essay called “Exercise vs Recreation.”

One of the key take-away points of the essay for me is that exercise isn’t supposed to be fun.  Ken wrote, “Do not try to make exercise enjoyable.”  Getting your teeth cleaned isn’t supposed to be fun, either.

Once I got that through my thick skull, it made it easier for me to slog through my  twice weekly workouts.  Another excerpt:

We accept that both exercise and recreation are important in the overall scheme of fitness, and they overlap to a great degree.  But to reap maximum benefits of both or either they must first be well-defined and then be segregated in practice.

Read the whole thing.

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I’m Still As Fit As a U.S. Army Soldier

Posted on February 23, 2013 | Comments Off on I’m Still As Fit As a U.S. Army Soldier
"Good job, maggot!"

“Good job, maggot!”

I took the Army Physical Fitness Test last week, and passed.  I’m only working out for 35 minutes twice a week, with a combination of weight training and high intensity interval training on a stationary bicycle.  (The weight training is much like this program.)

U.S. soldiers, at least those in the Army, have to pass a physical fitness test twice a year.  I wondered how I, at 58-years-old, stacked up so I self-administered the three fitness components.  I didn’t run in army boots, nor carry a rifle or backpack!  Soldiers need to score a minimum of 60 points on each exercise.

The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) performance requirements are adjusted for age and sex.

My Results

  • two-mile run: 19 minutes, 20 seconds (65 points)
  • consecutive military sit-ups: 41 (75 points)
  • consecutive push-ups: 32 (76 points)

Compared to my performance in August 2012, my run took 102 seconds longer, I increased my sit-ups by 9, and my push-ups held steady.

I purposefully “held back” on running because I remembered how bad I felt after the run last August.  Even this time I had a little hamstring strain.  Nevertheless, I suspect my aerobic endurance is truly less now since I’m riding the stationary bike instead of running the treadmill.  The bike exercise is more enjoyable.  My knees will thank me over the long-run.

I’m satisfied with this level of fitness.  It’s a good base for some strenuous hiking I’ll be doing over the next few months.  With a little luck, I’ll be hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim with my son’s Boy Scout troop in May.

—Steve

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Gretchen Reynolds Argues That Four Workouts a Week May Be Better Than Six

Posted on February 16, 2013 | 2 comments

I wonder if two is just as good as four.  Details at the New York Times.

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Are Two Days of Exercise a Week as Good as Six?

Posted on February 14, 2013 | Comments Off on Are Two Days of Exercise a Week as Good as Six?
exercise for weight loss and management, dumbbells

If you’re not familiar with weight training, a personal trainer is an great idea

Weight Maven Beth Mazur  found evidence in favor of the fewer days, at least in post-menopausal women.

I don’t like to exercise.  Sometimes I find excuses to avoid even my twice weekly 40-minute workouts.

You may well have good reasons to exercise every day.  Maybe you’re a competitive athlete or enjoy exercise.  If you just want the health benefits of exercise, I’m increasingly convinced that twice a week is enough.

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Prolonged Sitting Is the New Trans Fat: Avoid It

Posted on February 14, 2013 | Comments Off on Prolonged Sitting Is the New Trans Fat: Avoid It

Within the last couple months I read somewhere that the adverse health effects of sitting all day long are not counteracted by an hour of vigorous exercise.  If true, that’s disappointing to many of us.

I think this is the research report that got the buzz going.

The investigators suggest you’re better off with four hours of standing and two hours of walking.  Easy peasy, right?

Some caveats.  It’s a very short-term small study of young adults (18 initially but three dropped out).  The “prolonged sitting” regime lasted 14 hours.   The health focus of the study was limited to insulin levels, insulin sensitivity, blood sugar levels, and blood lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides.

Where did I read, “Sitting is the new saturated fat”?

The investigators conclude…

One hour of daily physical exercise cannot compensate the negative effects of inactivity on insulin level and plasma lipids if the rest of the day is spent sitting. Reducing inactivity by increasing the time spent walking/standing is more effective than one hour of physical exercise, when energy expenditure is kept constant.

The Washington Post in July, 2011, had an article along the same lines (h/t Beth Mazur).

—Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference:  Duvivier BMFM, Schaper NC, Bremers MA, van Crombrugge G, Menheere PPCA, et al. (2013) Minimal Intensity Physical Activity (Standing and Walking) of Longer Duration Improves Insulin Action and Plasma Lipids More than Shorter Periods of Moderate to Vigorous Exercise (Cycling) in Sedentary Subjects When Energy Expenditure Is Comparable. PLoS ONE 8(2): e55542. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055542

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Resistance Versus Aerobic Training

Posted on January 15, 2013 | 1 comment

iStock_000007725919XSmall

Resistance or weight training may be just as effective as, or even superior to, aerobic training in terms of overall health promotion.  Plus, it’s less time-consuming according to a 2010 review by Stuart Phillips and Richard Winett.

I don’t like to exercise but I want the health benefits.  So I look for ways to get it done quickly and safely.

Here’s a quote:

A central tenet of this review is that the dogmatic dichotomy of resistance training as being muscle and strength building with little or no value in promoting cardiometabolic health and aerobic training as endurance promoting and cardioprotective, respectively, largely is incorrect.

Over the last few years (decade?), a new exercise model has emerged.  It’s simply intense resistance training for 15–20 minutes twice a week.  It’s not fun, but you’re done and can move on to other things you enjoy.  None of this three to five hours a week of exercise some recommend.  We have no consensus on whether the new model is as healthy as the old.

More tidbits from Phillips and Winett:

  • they hypothesize that resistance training (RT) leads to improved physical function, fewer falls, lower risk for disability, and potentially longer life span
  • only 10–15% of middle-aged or older adults in the U.S. practice RT whereas 35% engage in aerobic training (AT) or physical activity to meet minimal guidelines
  • they propose RT protocols that are brief, simple, and feasible
  • twice weekly training may be all that’s necessary
  • RT has a beneficial effect on LDL cholesterol and tends to increase HDL cholesterol, comparable to effects seen with AT
  • blood pressure reductions with RT are comparable to those seen with AT (6 mmHg systolic, almost 5 mmHg diastolic)
  • RT improves glucose regulation and insulin activity in those with diabetes and prediabetes
  • effort is a key component of the RT stimulus: voluntary fatigue is the goal (referred to as “momentary muscular failure” in some of my other posts)
  • “In intrinsic RT, the focus and goal are to target and fatigue muscle groups.  A wide range of repetitions and time under tension can be used to achieve such a goal.  Resistance simply is a vehicle to produce fatigue and only is adjusted when fatigue is not reached within the designated number of repetitions and time under tension.”

Our thesis is that an intrinsically oriented (i.e., guided by a high degree of effort intrinsic to each subject) program with at minimum of one set with 10–15 multiple muscle group exercises (e.g., leg press, chest press, pulldown, overhead press) executed with good form would be highly effective from a public health perspective.

The authors cite 60 other sources to support their contentions.

These ideas are the foundation of time-efficient resistance training of the sort promoted by Dr. Doug McGuff, Skyler Tanner, Fred Hahn, Chris Highcock, James Steele II, and Jonathan Bailor, to name a few.

Only a minority will ever exercise as much as the public health authorities recommend.  This new training model has real potential to help the rest of us.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference:  Phillips, Stuart and Winett, Richard.  Uncomplicated resistance training and health-related outcomes: Evidence for a public health mandate.  Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2010, vol. 9 (#4), pages 208-213.

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