Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fitness. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Why do you exercise?
Really, ask yourself this question. Is it because you want to lose weight? So you can eat whatever you want? So you don't feel bad about eating something? Because that's what you were told to do? If you answered yes to any of these questions (and I'm in the "yes" boat), I think these may not be the best motivators. I've lately been trying to change my mindset on why I do certain things. Why I eat healthy. Why I sleep. Why I spend time at the gym. Why I pick up new hobbies. Quite honestly the motivator behind most of these has been "to lose weight". Sure there are other motivators like it makes me feel good, but the main one has ALWAYS been "to lose weight". Well I'm stopping that cycle. Stopping it right in it's tracks. I'm going to yoga tonight to make myself feel better, to help with my knee, and try to flush out the cold I've had. I'm going to spend time with my good friend Brooke, to meet more people, and to see if I can push myself to hold that last pose longer. I'm going to my other gym before yoga because I wanna see how strong I can get my arms. I want to be able to climb outside and go on some awesome camping trips this summer. I'm working my legs so that they can stay strong for two days of snowboarding straight. These will be my motivators of why I'm active. Toning my body up is just a consequence- an awesome consequence. I'm sick of my weight controlling EVERYTHING in my life. I want to be fit so that I can enjoy everything this life has to offer-- and to keep up.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Women, running into trouble
By
John KieferPublished: November 7, 2011
Women: Running into Trouble
When I look at the fat guy in the gym wasting his time on forearm curls to lose weight, I don’t feel sympathy. The big tough guy getting stapled to the bench by 365 pounds, when just a second ago he couldn’t even handle 315 pounds — nope, no sympathy there either. The girl who spends thirty minutes bouncing between the yes-no machines (abductor and adductor machines), who is going to have trouble walking the next day — I can’t muster even an iota of pathos. Nobody told them to do these things. But then I watch my friend, Jessica, running on the treadmill, day after day, year after year, running like a madwoman and going nowhere. Her body seems to get softer with every mile and the softer she gets the more she runs. I do feel pity for her because everybody, everywhere has convinced her that running is the way to stay slim and toned.
There’s a Jessica in every gym and spotting one is easy. The woman that runs for an hour or more every day on the treadmill, who every month or so sets a new distance or time goal. Maybe the goal encompasses the treadmill workouts; maybe it will be her fifth fund-raising marathon; or maybe she’s competing with runners in Finland via Nike®. The goal doesn’t matter, because years of seeing her on the treadmill exposes the results: she’s still — I’m not going to sugar coat this — fat. Or worse, she’s fatter.
I tried to rescue my Jessica from the clutches of the cardio contingent, but to no avail until a month ago when she called to tell me that a blood test had confirmed her doctor’s suspicion: she had hypothyroidism — her body no longer made enough thyroid hormone. Her metabolism slowed to a snail’s pace and the fat was accumulating. Now she had a culprit to blame, it wasn’t the cardio causing her problems, it was her body rebelling. When Jessica asked my advice, I told her to do two things: schedule a second test for two weeks later and until then, stop all the goddamn running.
Don’t assume I’m picking on women or making fun. There are men out there who do the same, thinking cardio wipes away the gut resulting from regular weekend beer binges, but they are, in comparison, rare. I am targeting women for three very good reasons:
They are often intensely recruited for fund-raisers like Team-In-Training, lured by the promise of slim, trim health resulting from the month of cardio training leading to a marathon in addition to helping the charity in question
Some physique coaches prescribe 20-plus hours per week of pre-contest cardio for women (that’s a part-time job)
Steady-state endurance activities like this devastate a woman’s metabolism. It will devastate a man’s too, but in different ways.
There’s not much I hate in the fitness world — well, that’s not true, I hate most things about its present state, but at the top of the list is over-prescribed cardio. I’m not talking about walking or even appropriate HIIT cardio, but the running, cycling, stair climbing or elliptical variety done for hours at or above 65 percent of max heart rate, actually anaerobic threshold is a better measure, but not practical for day-to-day use.
Trashing steady-state cardio is nothing new and the better of the physique gurus figured this out a long time ago, but even then, they only apply the no-steady-state-cardio rule to contest preparation. The non-cardio coaches fail to state the most detrimental effect, one that applies specifically to women and is a primary reason many first-time or second-time figure and bikini competitors explode in weight when returning to their normal diet. It’s the same reason the Jessicas of the world run for hours per week with negative results. Studies demonstrate beyond any doubt that in women, cardio chronically shuts down the production of the thyroid hormone, T3.1-11
T3 is the body’s preeminent regulator of metabolism by throttling the efficiency of cells.12-19 T3 acts in various ways to increase heat production.20-21 As I pointed out, in Logic Does Not Apply: A Calorie Is A Calorie, this is one reason using static equations to perform calorie-in, calorie-out weight loss calculations doesn’t work—well, that’s why it’s stupid, actually. When T3 levels are normal, the body burns enough energy to stay warm and muscles function at moderate efficiency. Too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) and the body becomes inefficient making weight gain almost impossible. Too little T3 (hypothyroidism) and the body accumulates body fat with ease, almost regardless of physical activity level.
Women unknowingly put themselves into the hypothyroid condition because they perform so much steady-state cardio. In the quest to lose body fat, T3 levels can grant success or a miserable failure because of how it influences other fat-regulating hormones.22-31 In addition, women get all the other negative effects, which I’ll get to. Don’t be surprised or aghast. It’s a simple, sensible adaption of the body, especially a body equipped to bear the full brunt of reproducing.
Think about it this way: the body is a responsive, adaptive machine evolved for survival. If running on a regular basis, the body senses excessive energy expenditure and adjusts to compensate. Remember, no matter what dreamy nonsense we invent about how we hope the body works, its endgame is always survival. Start wasting energy running and the body reacts by slowing the metabolism to conserve energy. Decreasing energy output is biologically savvy for the body: survive longer while doing this stressful, useless activity — as the body views it. Decreasing T3 production, increases efficiency and adjusts metabolism to preserves energy quickly.
Nothing exemplifies this increasing efficiency better than how the body starts burning fuel. Training at a consistently plus-65 percent heart rate adapts the body to save as much body fat as possible. That’s right, after regular training, fat cells stop releasing fat during moderate-intensity activities like they once did.32-33 Energy from body fat stores decreases by a whopping 30 percent. 34-35 To this end, the body even sets into motion a series of reactions that make it difficult for muscle to burn fat at all.36-41 Instead of burning body fat, the body is taking extraordinary measures to hold on to it. Still believe cardio is the fast track to fat loss?
But wait. By acting now, you too can lose muscle mass. That’s right. No more muscle because too much steady-state cardio triggers the loss of muscle.42-45 This seems to be a two-fold mechanism, with heightened and sustained cortisol levels triggering muscle loss,46-56 which upregulates myostatin, a potent destroyer of muscle tissue.57 Oh yeah — say good bye to bone density too — it declines with the muscle mass and strength.58-64 And long-term health? Out the window as well. The percentage of muscle mass is an independent indicator of health.65 Lose muscle, lose bone, lose health—all in this nifty little package.
When sewn together, these phenomena coordinate a symphony of fat gain for most female competitors post-figure contest. After a month—or three—of cardio surpassing the 20 hours-per-week mark, fat-burning is at an astonishing low, and fat cells await an onslaught of calories to store.66-72 The worst thing imaginable in this state would be to eat whatever you wanted as much as you wanted. The combination of elevated insulin and cortisol would not only make you fat, but creates new fat cells so that you can become fatter than ever.73-80
I won’t name names, but I have seen amazing displays of gluttony from the smallest, trimmest women. Entire pizzas disappear leaving only the flotsam of toppings that fell during the feeding frenzy; appetizer, meal, cocktails, dessert—a paltry 4000 calories at The Cheesecake Factory vanish as the wait staff delivers each. A clean plate for each return to the buffet — hell with that, the only thing they’re taking to the food bar is a spoon and they’re not coming back. There are no leftovers; there are no crumbs. Some women catch it in time and stop the devastation, but others quickly swell and realize that the supposed off-season look has become their every-season look. And guess what they do to fix it: cardio for an hour every morning and another in the evening to hasten things…
The “cardio craze” — and it is a form of insanity — is on my hit list and I’m determined to kill it. I don’t know what else I can say. There are better ways to lose fat, be sexy and skinny for life, better ways to prepare for the stage. Women, you need to get off the damn treadmill; I don’t care what you’re preparing for. Stop thinking a bikini-body is at the end of the next marathon or on the other side of that stage. It’s not if you use steady-state cardio to get there — quite the opposite. The show may be over, the finish line might be crossed, but the damage to your metabolism is just starting.
Don’t want to stop running, fine. At the very least stop complaining about how the fat won’t come off the hips and thighs or the ass. You’re keeping it there.
What about Jessica, my friend who’s dilemma spawned this article? Luckily she took my suggestion and cut the cardio. Two weeks later, her T3 count was normal. Who would have guessed?
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John KieferPublished: November 7, 2011
Women: Running into Trouble
When I look at the fat guy in the gym wasting his time on forearm curls to lose weight, I don’t feel sympathy. The big tough guy getting stapled to the bench by 365 pounds, when just a second ago he couldn’t even handle 315 pounds — nope, no sympathy there either. The girl who spends thirty minutes bouncing between the yes-no machines (abductor and adductor machines), who is going to have trouble walking the next day — I can’t muster even an iota of pathos. Nobody told them to do these things. But then I watch my friend, Jessica, running on the treadmill, day after day, year after year, running like a madwoman and going nowhere. Her body seems to get softer with every mile and the softer she gets the more she runs. I do feel pity for her because everybody, everywhere has convinced her that running is the way to stay slim and toned.
There’s a Jessica in every gym and spotting one is easy. The woman that runs for an hour or more every day on the treadmill, who every month or so sets a new distance or time goal. Maybe the goal encompasses the treadmill workouts; maybe it will be her fifth fund-raising marathon; or maybe she’s competing with runners in Finland via Nike®. The goal doesn’t matter, because years of seeing her on the treadmill exposes the results: she’s still — I’m not going to sugar coat this — fat. Or worse, she’s fatter.
I tried to rescue my Jessica from the clutches of the cardio contingent, but to no avail until a month ago when she called to tell me that a blood test had confirmed her doctor’s suspicion: she had hypothyroidism — her body no longer made enough thyroid hormone. Her metabolism slowed to a snail’s pace and the fat was accumulating. Now she had a culprit to blame, it wasn’t the cardio causing her problems, it was her body rebelling. When Jessica asked my advice, I told her to do two things: schedule a second test for two weeks later and until then, stop all the goddamn running.
Don’t assume I’m picking on women or making fun. There are men out there who do the same, thinking cardio wipes away the gut resulting from regular weekend beer binges, but they are, in comparison, rare. I am targeting women for three very good reasons:
They are often intensely recruited for fund-raisers like Team-In-Training, lured by the promise of slim, trim health resulting from the month of cardio training leading to a marathon in addition to helping the charity in question
Some physique coaches prescribe 20-plus hours per week of pre-contest cardio for women (that’s a part-time job)
Steady-state endurance activities like this devastate a woman’s metabolism. It will devastate a man’s too, but in different ways.
There’s not much I hate in the fitness world — well, that’s not true, I hate most things about its present state, but at the top of the list is over-prescribed cardio. I’m not talking about walking or even appropriate HIIT cardio, but the running, cycling, stair climbing or elliptical variety done for hours at or above 65 percent of max heart rate, actually anaerobic threshold is a better measure, but not practical for day-to-day use.
Trashing steady-state cardio is nothing new and the better of the physique gurus figured this out a long time ago, but even then, they only apply the no-steady-state-cardio rule to contest preparation. The non-cardio coaches fail to state the most detrimental effect, one that applies specifically to women and is a primary reason many first-time or second-time figure and bikini competitors explode in weight when returning to their normal diet. It’s the same reason the Jessicas of the world run for hours per week with negative results. Studies demonstrate beyond any doubt that in women, cardio chronically shuts down the production of the thyroid hormone, T3.1-11
T3 is the body’s preeminent regulator of metabolism by throttling the efficiency of cells.12-19 T3 acts in various ways to increase heat production.20-21 As I pointed out, in Logic Does Not Apply: A Calorie Is A Calorie, this is one reason using static equations to perform calorie-in, calorie-out weight loss calculations doesn’t work—well, that’s why it’s stupid, actually. When T3 levels are normal, the body burns enough energy to stay warm and muscles function at moderate efficiency. Too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) and the body becomes inefficient making weight gain almost impossible. Too little T3 (hypothyroidism) and the body accumulates body fat with ease, almost regardless of physical activity level.
Women unknowingly put themselves into the hypothyroid condition because they perform so much steady-state cardio. In the quest to lose body fat, T3 levels can grant success or a miserable failure because of how it influences other fat-regulating hormones.22-31 In addition, women get all the other negative effects, which I’ll get to. Don’t be surprised or aghast. It’s a simple, sensible adaption of the body, especially a body equipped to bear the full brunt of reproducing.
Think about it this way: the body is a responsive, adaptive machine evolved for survival. If running on a regular basis, the body senses excessive energy expenditure and adjusts to compensate. Remember, no matter what dreamy nonsense we invent about how we hope the body works, its endgame is always survival. Start wasting energy running and the body reacts by slowing the metabolism to conserve energy. Decreasing energy output is biologically savvy for the body: survive longer while doing this stressful, useless activity — as the body views it. Decreasing T3 production, increases efficiency and adjusts metabolism to preserves energy quickly.
Nothing exemplifies this increasing efficiency better than how the body starts burning fuel. Training at a consistently plus-65 percent heart rate adapts the body to save as much body fat as possible. That’s right, after regular training, fat cells stop releasing fat during moderate-intensity activities like they once did.32-33 Energy from body fat stores decreases by a whopping 30 percent. 34-35 To this end, the body even sets into motion a series of reactions that make it difficult for muscle to burn fat at all.36-41 Instead of burning body fat, the body is taking extraordinary measures to hold on to it. Still believe cardio is the fast track to fat loss?
But wait. By acting now, you too can lose muscle mass. That’s right. No more muscle because too much steady-state cardio triggers the loss of muscle.42-45 This seems to be a two-fold mechanism, with heightened and sustained cortisol levels triggering muscle loss,46-56 which upregulates myostatin, a potent destroyer of muscle tissue.57 Oh yeah — say good bye to bone density too — it declines with the muscle mass and strength.58-64 And long-term health? Out the window as well. The percentage of muscle mass is an independent indicator of health.65 Lose muscle, lose bone, lose health—all in this nifty little package.
When sewn together, these phenomena coordinate a symphony of fat gain for most female competitors post-figure contest. After a month—or three—of cardio surpassing the 20 hours-per-week mark, fat-burning is at an astonishing low, and fat cells await an onslaught of calories to store.66-72 The worst thing imaginable in this state would be to eat whatever you wanted as much as you wanted. The combination of elevated insulin and cortisol would not only make you fat, but creates new fat cells so that you can become fatter than ever.73-80
I won’t name names, but I have seen amazing displays of gluttony from the smallest, trimmest women. Entire pizzas disappear leaving only the flotsam of toppings that fell during the feeding frenzy; appetizer, meal, cocktails, dessert—a paltry 4000 calories at The Cheesecake Factory vanish as the wait staff delivers each. A clean plate for each return to the buffet — hell with that, the only thing they’re taking to the food bar is a spoon and they’re not coming back. There are no leftovers; there are no crumbs. Some women catch it in time and stop the devastation, but others quickly swell and realize that the supposed off-season look has become their every-season look. And guess what they do to fix it: cardio for an hour every morning and another in the evening to hasten things…
The “cardio craze” — and it is a form of insanity — is on my hit list and I’m determined to kill it. I don’t know what else I can say. There are better ways to lose fat, be sexy and skinny for life, better ways to prepare for the stage. Women, you need to get off the damn treadmill; I don’t care what you’re preparing for. Stop thinking a bikini-body is at the end of the next marathon or on the other side of that stage. It’s not if you use steady-state cardio to get there — quite the opposite. The show may be over, the finish line might be crossed, but the damage to your metabolism is just starting.
Don’t want to stop running, fine. At the very least stop complaining about how the fat won’t come off the hips and thighs or the ass. You’re keeping it there.
What about Jessica, my friend who’s dilemma spawned this article? Luckily she took my suggestion and cut the cardio. Two weeks later, her T3 count was normal. Who would have guessed?
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Bikram Yoga
As a yoga enthusiast, I've tried quite a few different forms of yoga, but my newest adventure has been with BIKRAM YOGA in particular. I've had a pretty wicked (alright, maybe I'm just a baby) knee injury from snowboarding, and have been itching to get into something that will help my injury heal. A local bikram studio offers a new studen special of just $39.00 a month for unlimited classes. This is exactly what my knee needs right now. I've done my first session and have already seen great results, was able to achieve more than I thought, and have a revised sense of "wellness". I still will continue to work upper body, but can now engage some muscles I haven't been able to use for the last two weeks and see about getting my body back on track to continue training. Before I began Bikram, I did my normal research of something I'm unfamiliar in, here's what I found:
Wikipedia says:
Bikram Yoga's goal is general health and Bikram Choudhury says that the heated studio helps deeper stretching and injury prevention, while reducing stress and tension. Bikram claims that his system stimulates and restores health to every muscle, joint, and organ of the body. Bikram's Yoga claims to increase circulation to all organs in the body, and that this helps in the prevention of heart disease and organ failure. According to Choudhury, many people only use up to 50 percent of their lung capacity and thus the lungs must be stretched in order to withstand holding more oxygen. In a 2007 interview, Choudhury stated that when one is practicing pranayama she or he will eventually be able to enhance oxygen conversion and absorption, as well as improve blood circulation, as in many other forms of cardiovascular activity.
Choudhury claims that blood circulation is affected immensely during Bikram Yoga because of two processes called extension and compression. These two dynamics are said to work together to deliver fresh blood to every joint, muscle, and organ within the body. While performing a specific asana (pose), the practitioner stretches or compresses a certain part of the body, thus cutting off circulation temporarily. This restriction of circulation is believed to cause the heart to pump more blood in reaction to the shortage. The pumping of excess, fresh blood is called extension. Once the asana is complete and the individual comes out of the posture, it is claimed that the new oxygenated blood is able to rejuvenate the arteries that were being compressed. Many of the postures massage the lymphatic system and aid in lymphatic drainage, assisting to eliminate infection, bacteria, and toxins. Other styles of yoga also promote this theory (cf: B.K.S. Iyengar's "squeeze and soak" analogy regarding the effects of deep twists on the internal organs).
Benefits
Weight loss: the amount of calories burned per session varies from person to person, but estimates range between 500 and 1250 depending upon intensity of practice and other factors.
This seems a little bare on the benefits right?! Right. Hooray for calories burned, but I really care about what other benefits I'm getting, here's more of what I found.
BENEFITS:
Reshapes your body
Restores flexibility
Tones, strengthens, and lengthens your muscles
Strengthens your spine
Improves circulation
Reduces risk of sports injury
Achieves relief from pain
Reduces your weight – lose pounds by balancing your metabolism
Raises energy level
Diminishes the effects of stress
Increases balance, coordination, focus and discipline
Clears your mind
Calms your soul
Ensures healthy and balanced functioning of the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous, digestive, elimination, respiratory, endocrine, and mental systems of the body
BENEFITS OF THE HEAT:
Warms the muscles for greater flexibility
Helps achieve a deeper stretch
Flushes toxins from the body
Improves efficiency of the immune system
Creates a cardiovascular workout
Burns calories
Builds endurance
Yep, pretty sure I need all of this in my life. On a personal note, I'll be doing about 5 bikram sessions a week for the next four weeks, and I'll continue to work on my goal of climbing, and training for the Spartan. (which means before bikram I'll be at the gym, and when I'm not at bikram, I'll be snowboarding) I've decided that my social life may become a little bare, however the benefits my BODY, MIND, AND SOUL will be gaining far outweigh the late nights out and feeling less than 100%.
Wikipedia says:
Bikram Yoga's goal is general health and Bikram Choudhury says that the heated studio helps deeper stretching and injury prevention, while reducing stress and tension. Bikram claims that his system stimulates and restores health to every muscle, joint, and organ of the body. Bikram's Yoga claims to increase circulation to all organs in the body, and that this helps in the prevention of heart disease and organ failure. According to Choudhury, many people only use up to 50 percent of their lung capacity and thus the lungs must be stretched in order to withstand holding more oxygen. In a 2007 interview, Choudhury stated that when one is practicing pranayama she or he will eventually be able to enhance oxygen conversion and absorption, as well as improve blood circulation, as in many other forms of cardiovascular activity.
Choudhury claims that blood circulation is affected immensely during Bikram Yoga because of two processes called extension and compression. These two dynamics are said to work together to deliver fresh blood to every joint, muscle, and organ within the body. While performing a specific asana (pose), the practitioner stretches or compresses a certain part of the body, thus cutting off circulation temporarily. This restriction of circulation is believed to cause the heart to pump more blood in reaction to the shortage. The pumping of excess, fresh blood is called extension. Once the asana is complete and the individual comes out of the posture, it is claimed that the new oxygenated blood is able to rejuvenate the arteries that were being compressed. Many of the postures massage the lymphatic system and aid in lymphatic drainage, assisting to eliminate infection, bacteria, and toxins. Other styles of yoga also promote this theory (cf: B.K.S. Iyengar's "squeeze and soak" analogy regarding the effects of deep twists on the internal organs).
Benefits
Weight loss: the amount of calories burned per session varies from person to person, but estimates range between 500 and 1250 depending upon intensity of practice and other factors.
This seems a little bare on the benefits right?! Right. Hooray for calories burned, but I really care about what other benefits I'm getting, here's more of what I found.
BENEFITS:
Reshapes your body
Restores flexibility
Tones, strengthens, and lengthens your muscles
Strengthens your spine
Improves circulation
Reduces risk of sports injury
Achieves relief from pain
Reduces your weight – lose pounds by balancing your metabolism
Raises energy level
Diminishes the effects of stress
Increases balance, coordination, focus and discipline
Clears your mind
Calms your soul
Ensures healthy and balanced functioning of the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous, digestive, elimination, respiratory, endocrine, and mental systems of the body
BENEFITS OF THE HEAT:
Warms the muscles for greater flexibility
Helps achieve a deeper stretch
Flushes toxins from the body
Improves efficiency of the immune system
Creates a cardiovascular workout
Burns calories
Builds endurance
Yep, pretty sure I need all of this in my life. On a personal note, I'll be doing about 5 bikram sessions a week for the next four weeks, and I'll continue to work on my goal of climbing, and training for the Spartan. (which means before bikram I'll be at the gym, and when I'm not at bikram, I'll be snowboarding) I've decided that my social life may become a little bare, however the benefits my BODY, MIND, AND SOUL will be gaining far outweigh the late nights out and feeling less than 100%.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
How to Counter The Many Negatives of Aerobic Training
Came across this article the other day, thought I'd share, to my own person regime I'll be adding creatine, anti-oxidents and Omega-3's to my diet, and making sure to focus more on anaerobic training. I have six months to train for the Spartan Race, and to get ready for outdoors climbing!
How to Counter The Many Negatives of Aerobic Training
original article can be found here
by Charles Poliquin11/8/2011 4:35:40 PM
Aerobic training has many negative health effects, and being as more than 45,000 people ran the New York City Marathon on Sunday, this topic is more important than ever. Aerobic training stresses the adrenals, chronically raises cortisol, may lower testosterone, may hinder reproduction, can shrink reproductive organs, causes oxidative stress, and results in persistent inflammation. It lowers peak power output, makes you slower, and leads to a catabolic state in the body if you perform it regularly without any resistance training.
Research scientists and athletic coaches have begun to express concern about the negative health effects of aerobic training, particularly for aerobic endurance athletes who put themselves under high daily physiological stress for prolonged periods. In fact, they’ve started to look for strategies to minimize the many negatives of aerobic training, and luckily there are some things that work! Adding strength training to an aerobic program, practicing martial arts, and supplementing with specific antioxidants and nutrients can actually do wonders to counteract the negatives of aerobic exercise. Of course, it would be easier to just stop the aerobic exercise and substitute it with strength and anaerobic system training for better results and fewer negative health effects. But, since doctors and health professionals continue to recommend aerobic exercise, and even Apolo Ohno has taken up endurance running and competed in the New York City Marathon, this trend towards aerobic exercise doesn’t seem to be diminishing. And there are still some common misconceptions about aerobic exercise, as you can see by reading the comments to my recent article, The (Many) Negative Effects of Aerobic Training, about why aerobic training is bad.
In this article, I will address the confusing aspects of the negatives of aerobic training, and provide some simple things aerobic endurance trainees can do to minimize the negative health effects and improve performance. Coaches and trainers who work with elite aerobic athletes should take note because these are research-proven ways to better performance and wellness for your athletes.
Short Review of the Bad News About Aerobic TrainingLong-term aerobic training, both at an elite level and at a recreational intensity, has been shown to lead to chronic inflammation and elevated cortisol. Chronic inflammation is bad because it results in premature aging of tissues and has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. For the recreational population that may perform anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes of aerobic training a few days a week, aerobic training typically leads to elevated cortisol, lower androgen hormones, increased inflammation, and does little to help with fat or weight loss. “The effect of regular aerobic exercise on body fat is negligible,” writes researcher Stephen H. Boutcher in his article “High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss.” ?
Aerobic training doesn’t help with fat loss because it creates a hormonal environment that degrades muscle, spikes cortisol, and even though you’re burning calories, the deficit is rarely enough to offset the catabolic hormonal environment. Plus, if you’re doing aerobic training on exercise machines, you may suffer from lower insulin sensitivity from exposure to “dirty electricity” or the electromagnetic frequency bands that are generated by cardio machines and other forms of electrical power. The situation is slightly different for elite or long distance aerobic endurance athletes. Research shows they suffer from an even greater catabolic hormonal state with significantly high cortisol levels from the intense physiological stress of training. They also have lower testosterone and androgens. High cortisol and exposure to inflammatory biomarkers has researchers and coaches concerned about the residual health effects for endurance athletes and they have started to look for ways to counter the negatives. Body Fat and Elite Aerobic AthletesElite aerobic athletes do tend to have lower body fat compared to the rest of the population, but research shows that anaerobic athletes such as sprinters have even lower body fat than long distance runners. This is because they have more muscle, which helps burn fat, and because they do sprints that also burn fat. Also, studies show endurance athletes who perform strength training as part of the program have lower body fat than those who don’t. Benefits of Aerobic Training for Sedentary PeopleThere are some benefits of aerobic exercise for sedentary people and specific populations, but there are also negatives that can be avoided if you just choose a different mode of exercise—strength and anaerobic system training. The key here is that it is better to do aerobic training than to do absolutely nothing and be sedentary. So, if you only have two options, of being sedentary and not moving, or doing 30 minutes of aerobic training, by all means, do the aerobic training. But, you’ll get better results if you do strength training instead, or in addition to the aerobic training.To review, the bad news about aerobic training is that it doesn’t help the everyday person lose fat; it elevates cortisol, lowers androgens, degrades muscle, lowers power, and increases inflammation if done for a prolonged period. Now for the good news! Take Antioxidants to Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative StressGet as many antioxidants in your diet as possible to fight inflammation and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when the body produces free radicals in response to the oxygen-rich environment created by increased respiration that goes with aerobic training. The free radicals need to be neutralized; otherwise, they damage cells and cause premature aging, which leads to chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been termed “the silent killer” and is caused by a lot of “unhealthy” behaviors, such as having a diet high in trans fats or gluten, and being sedentary. People are often surprised to hear that a “healthy” behavior such as aerobic exercise can cause chronic inflammation, but it does. Research performed on rats has shown that the negative effects of intense aerobic training can be mitigated by taking antioxidants, specifically vitamin E, selenium, and zinc. A study in the journal Free Radical Research found that vitamin E has a protective effect against oxidative stress in rats that performed intense aerobic swimming. In contrast, the control group rats that did not receive the vitamin E supplement had decreased size of the reproductive organs (testes and accessory sex organs), lower testosterone and related androgen markers, and inflammation and dysfunction of the reproductive organs. Researchers suggest that vitamin E elevates scavenger enzyme activity and gets rid of free radicals, effectively detoxifying the reproductive system of oxidative chemicals. Take note that the rats performed intense amounts of aerobic swimming—three hours a day, five days a week for four weeks, which is in line with what someone might perform running-wise to prepare for a marathon. And, elite aerobic athletes do this quantity of exercise regularly for many years. A second study using zinc and selenium for the antioxidants supports these findings. The same intense aerobic exercise protocol was used and the rats who received no supplement had the same harmful effects on their reproductive systems, and they were also found to be significantly less fertile due to the low testosterone and fewer fertile sperm. Their cortisol was also very high. Researchers suggest the antioxidants had a strong stimulatory effect on production of sperm and the androgen hormones, supporting fertility. Zinc and selenium also fought the free radical attack, effectively lowering the inflammatory response. A 2001 Sports Medicine review of antioxidant use to counter oxidative stress from aerobic training supports the use of antioxidants, of which vitamin E is most commonly tested and most effective. Antioxidant mixtures of beta carotene and the vitamins C and E also appear to be protective. Results from human studies haven’t been as conclusive as those performed on rats because with animal studies the experiment can be more closely controlled and the animals are forced to complete very intense long duration aerobic exercise, whereas with humans there are more unknown factors. Also, diet, genetic disposition, and exercise history can result in a significant variation in the inflammatory effects of aerobic exercise. For aerobic athletes, the potential for protection from antioxidant supplementation is “tremendous” and “consumption of a diet rich in different antioxidants is a prudent course of action,” conclude researchers from the 2001 Sports Medicine review. In addition to the nutrients already mentioned, it is possible magnesium, probiotics, gotu kola, and vitamin D will also help counter oxidative stress from training. Eating fruits high in antioxidants, such as berries, particularly raspberries, strawberries, and tart cherries is recommended because they have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in athletes. Perform Strength Training Everybody should perform strength training. Naturally, the type and protocol of the training will vary according to goals, age, and health complications, but everyone will benefit from exercises that improve strength, especially endurance athletes and aerobic devotees. Researchers have suggested that because strength training lowers chronic inflammation and provides protection against oxidative stress, it is an ideal solution for coaches and athletes who are concerned about free radical-mediated damage from exercise. This means that simply adding strength training to an aerobic exercise program may counter many of the negatives of aerobicsOne recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared the inflammatory response of two resistance training protocols after six weeks. Both a hypertrophy and strength protocol were effective at reducing oxidative stress and lowering inflammatory biomarkers over pre-training levels. Researchers found that both protocols resulted in lower inflammation, and they suggest that endurance athletes perform resistance training rather than supplement with antioxidants to decrease oxidative stress.Aerobic Athletes Will Lose Body Fat & Improve Performance by Strength TrainingAnother new study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports shows how adding a strength protocol into aerobic training programs will improve performance and lead to a better body composition for elite aerobic athletes. The study didn’t directly test for oxidative stress or cortisol but it measured body fat, muscle cross sectional area, and short- and long-term endurance capacity in two groups of elite aerobic cyclists: an aerobic-only group that just performed their normal training and an aerobic/strength group that performed normal training with a strength program for 16 weeks. Researchers found that the aerobic/strength group decreased body fat significantly by an average of two percent from 12 to 10 percent, while body fat remained unchanged in the aerobic-only group. Other significant improvements in the aerobics/strength group that weren’t seen in the aerobics-only group were increased quadriceps strengths by 12 percent, better performance in a 45-minute time trial, and slightly better performance in a 5-minute time trial. There were no negative effects of strength training for the aerobic/strength group, such as increased body weight or hypertrophy—both common concerns because elite aerobic athletes mistakenly believe that gaining strength will make them slower. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research provides potent evidence for never doing aerobic training without also performing strength training. The article is a review of all previously published evidence on the effects of combining aerobic and strength training. The study found that adding strength training to aerobic programs increased performance, strength, and power. In contrast, the main negative was that aerobic training alone compromised power output. It’s especially critical that athletes in sports such as basketball, football, tennis, ice hockey, and volleyball be able to produce peak power, meaning they should never do aerobic training. Rather, interval sprints are ideal for conditioning and will produce less oxidative stress and a better hormonal response. Sprints have been shown to raise growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1, and produce a favorable testosterone to cortisol ratio. Obviously, if you plan to run 26 miles in a marathon, sprint training alone will not be effective. Instead, add strength training to your regular aerobic training and you’ll have a better hormonal response, and less body fat, according to the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research review mentioned above. Aerobic athletes who added strength training to their programs lost body fat, while aerobic training alone did not lead to fat loss. Practice Judo or Martial ArtsStart practicing judo or a similar martial art to increase antioxidant capacity and decrease oxidative stress. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that practicing judo can increase resting antioxidant levels that counteract the oxidative stress produced during strenuous exercise. Researchers compared the effects of a mixed exercise protocol that included an all-out sprint Wingate test followed by 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at 60 percent of maximal aerobic power in judokas and sedentary subjects. Both groups had similarly elevated free radical levels after the exercise test, but the judokas had much greater total antioxidant status at all time points before and after the test than the sedentary group. The judokas’ elevated antioxidant levels indicate a protective effect against the oxidative stress of aerobic exercise. This is the same positive health effect that strength training provides for aerobic trainees, and it’s likely that yoga or other martial arts, such as tae kwon do, will also elevate antioxidants to counteract the many negatives of aerobic training. Such practices may also lower cortisol if they have a calming effect on the body Take Creatine to Lower Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Take creatine to lower inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative stress from aerobic training. There are all kinds of benefits from supplementing with creatine because it is the first energy source called on by the body—it’s been shown to increase work capacity and power, elevate protein synthesis after strength training, improve skill execution when tired, and lower oxidative stress from aerobic training. Recent research shows creatine can inhibit oxidative stress markers following acute aerobic exercise in rats. A study in Amino Acids found that giving creatine to rats that performed moderate aerobic exercise raised antioxidant levels in the blood, which resulted in lower oxidative stress and less lipid peroxidation than a control group that got no creatine. A second study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology tested different inflammatory biomarkers and found similarly protective effects from creatine supplementation after aerobic exercise. In both cases, researchers think that creatine increased antioxidant capacity that was able to scavenge the free radicals. Although these studies showed creatine to be effective to counter the inflammatory response of acute training, it is applicable to the longer term negative effects of aerobic training as well. Evidence into the role of creatine on chronic inflammation without aerobic training supports this. One study in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that adding creatine to the diet of rats resulted in greater blood antioxidant content and lower inflammatory biomarkers than a control group that did not consume additional creatine. Supplement With Omega-3s to Reduce Inflammation Omega-3s are a well accepted supplement to fight inflammation from many sources, and they have been shown to significantly lower oxidative stress markers from aerobic endurance exercise. There are at least 40 studies in the last two years supporting the protective effect of omega-3s on oxidative stress. In fact, the New York City Marathon organizers should give all runners a bottle of omega-3s to combat the damage they are doing to their bodies by running 26 miles. A 2009 study in Lipids in Health and Disease measured the effect of omega-3 supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers in men with a history of performing aerobic training. Researchers note that the oxidative stress caused by training can overwhelm the body’s available antioxidant defenses and damage tissues—especially reproductive organs. The subjects in this study were males who exercised at least three days a week for 30 minutes. They were given a total of 4000 mg of omega-3s daily for six weeks, while continuing to perform their regular aerobic exercise. The group that took the omega-3s had lower resting levels of inflammation after six weeks than a control group that did not supplement. Researchers suggest the protective effects of the omega-3s may have been greater if participants had regularly done more intense aerobic training—in this study their training wasn’t monitored, it just had to be three days a week for thirty minutes.
Top Five Ways To Protect Yourself From the Negatives of Aerobic Training1) Do strength and anaerobic training instead. 2) Do strength training in addition to your aerobic training. 3) Get lots of antioxidants: vitamin E, selenium, zinc, red raspberries, tart cherries, etc. 4) Take creatine.5) Take omega-3s.References:Sen, Chandan. Antioxidants in Exercise Nutrition. Sports Medicine. 2001. 31(13), 891-908. Michigan, A., Johnson, T., et al. Review of the Relationship between C-Reactive Protein and Exercise. Molecular Diagnosis and Therapy. October 2011. 15(5), 265-275.
Manna, I., Jana, K., Samanta, P. Intensive Swimming Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress and Reproductive Dysfunction in Male Wistar Rats: Protective Role of Alpha-Tocopherol Succinate. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology. April 2004. 29(2), 172-185.
Cakir-Atabek, H., Demir, S., Pinarbassili, R., Bunduz, N. Effects of Different Resistance Training Intensity on Indices of Oxidative Stress. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. September 2010. 24(9), 2491-2498.
Walsh, N., Gleeson, M., et al. Position Statement. Part One: Immune Function and Exercise. Exercise Immunology Review. 2011. 17, 6-63
Wilson, J., Marin, P., et al. Concurrent Training: A Meta Analysis Examining Interference of Aerobic and Resistance Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. October 2011. Published Ahead of Print.
Boutcher, Stephen H. High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss. Journal of Obesity. 2011. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobes/2011/868305/
Shojaei, E., Farajoy, A., et al. Effect of Moderate Aerobic Cycling on Some Systemic Inflammatory Markers in Healthy Active Collegiate Men. International Journal of General Medicine. January 2011. 24(2), 79-84.
Jana, K., Samanta, P., Manna, I., Ghosh, P., Singh, N., Khetan, R., Ray, B. Protective Effect of Sodium Selenite and Zinc Sulfate on Intensive Swimming-Induced Testicular Gamatogenic and Steroidogenic Disorders in Mature Male Rats. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. October 2008. 33(5), 903-914.
Marzatico, F., Pansarasa, O., et al. Blood Free Radical Antioxidant Enzymes and Lipid Peroxides Following Long-Distance and Lactacidemic Performances in Highly Trained and Aerobic and Sprint athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 1997. 37, 235-239.
Packer, L. Oxidants, Antioxidant Nutrients, and the Athlete. Journal of Sports Science. June 1997. 15(3), 353-363.
Martarelli, D., Verdenelli, M., et al. Effect of a Probiotic Intake on Oxidant and Antioxidant Parameters in Plasma of Athletes During Intense Exercise Training. Current Microbiology. June 2011. 62(6), 1689-1696.
Skoluda, N., Dettenborn, L., et al. Elevated Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Endurance Athletes. Psychoneuroendocrinology. September 2011. Published Ahead of Print.
Gleeson, Michael. Immune Function in Sport and Exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology. February 2007. 103(2), 693-699.
Bloomer, R., Larson, D., et al. Effect of Eicosapentaenoic and Docosahexaenoic Acid on Resting and Exercise-Induced Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Cross-Over Study. Lipids in Health and Disease. August 2009. 8(36).
Oostenbrug, G., Mensink, R., et al. Exercise Performance, Red Blood Cell Deformability, and Lipid Peroxidation: Effects of Fish Oil and Vitamin E. Journal of Applied Physiology. 1997. 83(3), 746-752.
Deminice, R., Portari, V., et al. Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Homocysteine Levels and Lipid Peroxidation in Rats. The British Journal of Nutrition. 2009. 102, 110-116.
Deminice, R., Vannucchi, H., et al. Creatine Supplementation Reduces Increased Homocysteine Concentration Induced by Acute Exercise in Rats. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2011. 111, 2663-2670.
Deminice, R., Jordao, A. Creatine Supplementation Reduces Oxidative Stress Biomarkers After Acute Exercise in Rats. Amino Acids. October 2011. Published ahead of Print.
Abed, K., Rebai, H., Bloomer, R., Trabelsi, K., Masmoudi, L., Zbidi, A., Sahnoun, Z., Hakim, A., Tabka, Z. Antioxidant Status and Oxidative Stress at Rest and in Response to Acute Exercise in Judokas and Sedentary Men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. August 2011. 25(9), 2400-2409.
Taixeira, V., Valente, H., Casal, S., Marques, F., Moreira, P. Antioxidant Status, Oxidative Stress and Damage in Elite Trained Kayakers and Canoeists and Sedentary Controls. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. October 2009. 19(5), 443-456. Ghosh, D., Das, U., et al. Protective Effect of Provitamin D in Cyclophosphamide Induced Testicular Gametogenic and Steroidogenic Disorders: a Correlative Approach to Oxidative Stress. Free Radical Research. 2002. 36(11), 1209-1218. Aagaard, P., Andersen, J., et al. Effects of Resistance Training on Endurance Capacity and Muscle Fiber Composition in Young Top-Level Cyclists. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. March 2011. Published Ahead of Print.
Martarelli, D., Verdenelli, M., et al. Effect of a Probiotic Intake on Oxidant and Antioxidant Parameters in Plasma of Athletes During Intense Exercise Training. Current Microbiology. June 2011. 62(
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How to Counter The Many Negatives of Aerobic Training
original article can be found here
by Charles Poliquin11/8/2011 4:35:40 PM
Aerobic training has many negative health effects, and being as more than 45,000 people ran the New York City Marathon on Sunday, this topic is more important than ever. Aerobic training stresses the adrenals, chronically raises cortisol, may lower testosterone, may hinder reproduction, can shrink reproductive organs, causes oxidative stress, and results in persistent inflammation. It lowers peak power output, makes you slower, and leads to a catabolic state in the body if you perform it regularly without any resistance training.
Research scientists and athletic coaches have begun to express concern about the negative health effects of aerobic training, particularly for aerobic endurance athletes who put themselves under high daily physiological stress for prolonged periods. In fact, they’ve started to look for strategies to minimize the many negatives of aerobic training, and luckily there are some things that work! Adding strength training to an aerobic program, practicing martial arts, and supplementing with specific antioxidants and nutrients can actually do wonders to counteract the negatives of aerobic exercise. Of course, it would be easier to just stop the aerobic exercise and substitute it with strength and anaerobic system training for better results and fewer negative health effects. But, since doctors and health professionals continue to recommend aerobic exercise, and even Apolo Ohno has taken up endurance running and competed in the New York City Marathon, this trend towards aerobic exercise doesn’t seem to be diminishing. And there are still some common misconceptions about aerobic exercise, as you can see by reading the comments to my recent article, The (Many) Negative Effects of Aerobic Training, about why aerobic training is bad.
In this article, I will address the confusing aspects of the negatives of aerobic training, and provide some simple things aerobic endurance trainees can do to minimize the negative health effects and improve performance. Coaches and trainers who work with elite aerobic athletes should take note because these are research-proven ways to better performance and wellness for your athletes.
Short Review of the Bad News About Aerobic TrainingLong-term aerobic training, both at an elite level and at a recreational intensity, has been shown to lead to chronic inflammation and elevated cortisol. Chronic inflammation is bad because it results in premature aging of tissues and has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. For the recreational population that may perform anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes of aerobic training a few days a week, aerobic training typically leads to elevated cortisol, lower androgen hormones, increased inflammation, and does little to help with fat or weight loss. “The effect of regular aerobic exercise on body fat is negligible,” writes researcher Stephen H. Boutcher in his article “High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss.” ?
Aerobic training doesn’t help with fat loss because it creates a hormonal environment that degrades muscle, spikes cortisol, and even though you’re burning calories, the deficit is rarely enough to offset the catabolic hormonal environment. Plus, if you’re doing aerobic training on exercise machines, you may suffer from lower insulin sensitivity from exposure to “dirty electricity” or the electromagnetic frequency bands that are generated by cardio machines and other forms of electrical power. The situation is slightly different for elite or long distance aerobic endurance athletes. Research shows they suffer from an even greater catabolic hormonal state with significantly high cortisol levels from the intense physiological stress of training. They also have lower testosterone and androgens. High cortisol and exposure to inflammatory biomarkers has researchers and coaches concerned about the residual health effects for endurance athletes and they have started to look for ways to counter the negatives. Body Fat and Elite Aerobic AthletesElite aerobic athletes do tend to have lower body fat compared to the rest of the population, but research shows that anaerobic athletes such as sprinters have even lower body fat than long distance runners. This is because they have more muscle, which helps burn fat, and because they do sprints that also burn fat. Also, studies show endurance athletes who perform strength training as part of the program have lower body fat than those who don’t. Benefits of Aerobic Training for Sedentary PeopleThere are some benefits of aerobic exercise for sedentary people and specific populations, but there are also negatives that can be avoided if you just choose a different mode of exercise—strength and anaerobic system training. The key here is that it is better to do aerobic training than to do absolutely nothing and be sedentary. So, if you only have two options, of being sedentary and not moving, or doing 30 minutes of aerobic training, by all means, do the aerobic training. But, you’ll get better results if you do strength training instead, or in addition to the aerobic training.To review, the bad news about aerobic training is that it doesn’t help the everyday person lose fat; it elevates cortisol, lowers androgens, degrades muscle, lowers power, and increases inflammation if done for a prolonged period. Now for the good news! Take Antioxidants to Reduce Inflammation and Oxidative StressGet as many antioxidants in your diet as possible to fight inflammation and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when the body produces free radicals in response to the oxygen-rich environment created by increased respiration that goes with aerobic training. The free radicals need to be neutralized; otherwise, they damage cells and cause premature aging, which leads to chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been termed “the silent killer” and is caused by a lot of “unhealthy” behaviors, such as having a diet high in trans fats or gluten, and being sedentary. People are often surprised to hear that a “healthy” behavior such as aerobic exercise can cause chronic inflammation, but it does. Research performed on rats has shown that the negative effects of intense aerobic training can be mitigated by taking antioxidants, specifically vitamin E, selenium, and zinc. A study in the journal Free Radical Research found that vitamin E has a protective effect against oxidative stress in rats that performed intense aerobic swimming. In contrast, the control group rats that did not receive the vitamin E supplement had decreased size of the reproductive organs (testes and accessory sex organs), lower testosterone and related androgen markers, and inflammation and dysfunction of the reproductive organs. Researchers suggest that vitamin E elevates scavenger enzyme activity and gets rid of free radicals, effectively detoxifying the reproductive system of oxidative chemicals. Take note that the rats performed intense amounts of aerobic swimming—three hours a day, five days a week for four weeks, which is in line with what someone might perform running-wise to prepare for a marathon. And, elite aerobic athletes do this quantity of exercise regularly for many years. A second study using zinc and selenium for the antioxidants supports these findings. The same intense aerobic exercise protocol was used and the rats who received no supplement had the same harmful effects on their reproductive systems, and they were also found to be significantly less fertile due to the low testosterone and fewer fertile sperm. Their cortisol was also very high. Researchers suggest the antioxidants had a strong stimulatory effect on production of sperm and the androgen hormones, supporting fertility. Zinc and selenium also fought the free radical attack, effectively lowering the inflammatory response. A 2001 Sports Medicine review of antioxidant use to counter oxidative stress from aerobic training supports the use of antioxidants, of which vitamin E is most commonly tested and most effective. Antioxidant mixtures of beta carotene and the vitamins C and E also appear to be protective. Results from human studies haven’t been as conclusive as those performed on rats because with animal studies the experiment can be more closely controlled and the animals are forced to complete very intense long duration aerobic exercise, whereas with humans there are more unknown factors. Also, diet, genetic disposition, and exercise history can result in a significant variation in the inflammatory effects of aerobic exercise. For aerobic athletes, the potential for protection from antioxidant supplementation is “tremendous” and “consumption of a diet rich in different antioxidants is a prudent course of action,” conclude researchers from the 2001 Sports Medicine review. In addition to the nutrients already mentioned, it is possible magnesium, probiotics, gotu kola, and vitamin D will also help counter oxidative stress from training. Eating fruits high in antioxidants, such as berries, particularly raspberries, strawberries, and tart cherries is recommended because they have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in athletes. Perform Strength Training Everybody should perform strength training. Naturally, the type and protocol of the training will vary according to goals, age, and health complications, but everyone will benefit from exercises that improve strength, especially endurance athletes and aerobic devotees. Researchers have suggested that because strength training lowers chronic inflammation and provides protection against oxidative stress, it is an ideal solution for coaches and athletes who are concerned about free radical-mediated damage from exercise. This means that simply adding strength training to an aerobic exercise program may counter many of the negatives of aerobicsOne recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared the inflammatory response of two resistance training protocols after six weeks. Both a hypertrophy and strength protocol were effective at reducing oxidative stress and lowering inflammatory biomarkers over pre-training levels. Researchers found that both protocols resulted in lower inflammation, and they suggest that endurance athletes perform resistance training rather than supplement with antioxidants to decrease oxidative stress.Aerobic Athletes Will Lose Body Fat & Improve Performance by Strength TrainingAnother new study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports shows how adding a strength protocol into aerobic training programs will improve performance and lead to a better body composition for elite aerobic athletes. The study didn’t directly test for oxidative stress or cortisol but it measured body fat, muscle cross sectional area, and short- and long-term endurance capacity in two groups of elite aerobic cyclists: an aerobic-only group that just performed their normal training and an aerobic/strength group that performed normal training with a strength program for 16 weeks. Researchers found that the aerobic/strength group decreased body fat significantly by an average of two percent from 12 to 10 percent, while body fat remained unchanged in the aerobic-only group. Other significant improvements in the aerobics/strength group that weren’t seen in the aerobics-only group were increased quadriceps strengths by 12 percent, better performance in a 45-minute time trial, and slightly better performance in a 5-minute time trial. There were no negative effects of strength training for the aerobic/strength group, such as increased body weight or hypertrophy—both common concerns because elite aerobic athletes mistakenly believe that gaining strength will make them slower. A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research provides potent evidence for never doing aerobic training without also performing strength training. The article is a review of all previously published evidence on the effects of combining aerobic and strength training. The study found that adding strength training to aerobic programs increased performance, strength, and power. In contrast, the main negative was that aerobic training alone compromised power output. It’s especially critical that athletes in sports such as basketball, football, tennis, ice hockey, and volleyball be able to produce peak power, meaning they should never do aerobic training. Rather, interval sprints are ideal for conditioning and will produce less oxidative stress and a better hormonal response. Sprints have been shown to raise growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1, and produce a favorable testosterone to cortisol ratio. Obviously, if you plan to run 26 miles in a marathon, sprint training alone will not be effective. Instead, add strength training to your regular aerobic training and you’ll have a better hormonal response, and less body fat, according to the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research review mentioned above. Aerobic athletes who added strength training to their programs lost body fat, while aerobic training alone did not lead to fat loss. Practice Judo or Martial ArtsStart practicing judo or a similar martial art to increase antioxidant capacity and decrease oxidative stress. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that practicing judo can increase resting antioxidant levels that counteract the oxidative stress produced during strenuous exercise. Researchers compared the effects of a mixed exercise protocol that included an all-out sprint Wingate test followed by 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at 60 percent of maximal aerobic power in judokas and sedentary subjects. Both groups had similarly elevated free radical levels after the exercise test, but the judokas had much greater total antioxidant status at all time points before and after the test than the sedentary group. The judokas’ elevated antioxidant levels indicate a protective effect against the oxidative stress of aerobic exercise. This is the same positive health effect that strength training provides for aerobic trainees, and it’s likely that yoga or other martial arts, such as tae kwon do, will also elevate antioxidants to counteract the many negatives of aerobic training. Such practices may also lower cortisol if they have a calming effect on the body Take Creatine to Lower Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Take creatine to lower inflammatory biomarkers and oxidative stress from aerobic training. There are all kinds of benefits from supplementing with creatine because it is the first energy source called on by the body—it’s been shown to increase work capacity and power, elevate protein synthesis after strength training, improve skill execution when tired, and lower oxidative stress from aerobic training. Recent research shows creatine can inhibit oxidative stress markers following acute aerobic exercise in rats. A study in Amino Acids found that giving creatine to rats that performed moderate aerobic exercise raised antioxidant levels in the blood, which resulted in lower oxidative stress and less lipid peroxidation than a control group that got no creatine. A second study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology tested different inflammatory biomarkers and found similarly protective effects from creatine supplementation after aerobic exercise. In both cases, researchers think that creatine increased antioxidant capacity that was able to scavenge the free radicals. Although these studies showed creatine to be effective to counter the inflammatory response of acute training, it is applicable to the longer term negative effects of aerobic training as well. Evidence into the role of creatine on chronic inflammation without aerobic training supports this. One study in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that adding creatine to the diet of rats resulted in greater blood antioxidant content and lower inflammatory biomarkers than a control group that did not consume additional creatine. Supplement With Omega-3s to Reduce Inflammation Omega-3s are a well accepted supplement to fight inflammation from many sources, and they have been shown to significantly lower oxidative stress markers from aerobic endurance exercise. There are at least 40 studies in the last two years supporting the protective effect of omega-3s on oxidative stress. In fact, the New York City Marathon organizers should give all runners a bottle of omega-3s to combat the damage they are doing to their bodies by running 26 miles. A 2009 study in Lipids in Health and Disease measured the effect of omega-3 supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers in men with a history of performing aerobic training. Researchers note that the oxidative stress caused by training can overwhelm the body’s available antioxidant defenses and damage tissues—especially reproductive organs. The subjects in this study were males who exercised at least three days a week for 30 minutes. They were given a total of 4000 mg of omega-3s daily for six weeks, while continuing to perform their regular aerobic exercise. The group that took the omega-3s had lower resting levels of inflammation after six weeks than a control group that did not supplement. Researchers suggest the protective effects of the omega-3s may have been greater if participants had regularly done more intense aerobic training—in this study their training wasn’t monitored, it just had to be three days a week for thirty minutes.
Top Five Ways To Protect Yourself From the Negatives of Aerobic Training1) Do strength and anaerobic training instead. 2) Do strength training in addition to your aerobic training. 3) Get lots of antioxidants: vitamin E, selenium, zinc, red raspberries, tart cherries, etc. 4) Take creatine.5) Take omega-3s.References:Sen, Chandan. Antioxidants in Exercise Nutrition. Sports Medicine. 2001. 31(13), 891-908. Michigan, A., Johnson, T., et al. Review of the Relationship between C-Reactive Protein and Exercise. Molecular Diagnosis and Therapy. October 2011. 15(5), 265-275.
Manna, I., Jana, K., Samanta, P. Intensive Swimming Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress and Reproductive Dysfunction in Male Wistar Rats: Protective Role of Alpha-Tocopherol Succinate. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology. April 2004. 29(2), 172-185.
Cakir-Atabek, H., Demir, S., Pinarbassili, R., Bunduz, N. Effects of Different Resistance Training Intensity on Indices of Oxidative Stress. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. September 2010. 24(9), 2491-2498.
Walsh, N., Gleeson, M., et al. Position Statement. Part One: Immune Function and Exercise. Exercise Immunology Review. 2011. 17, 6-63
Wilson, J., Marin, P., et al. Concurrent Training: A Meta Analysis Examining Interference of Aerobic and Resistance Exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. October 2011. Published Ahead of Print.
Boutcher, Stephen H. High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise and Fat Loss. Journal of Obesity. 2011. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobes/2011/868305/
Shojaei, E., Farajoy, A., et al. Effect of Moderate Aerobic Cycling on Some Systemic Inflammatory Markers in Healthy Active Collegiate Men. International Journal of General Medicine. January 2011. 24(2), 79-84.
Jana, K., Samanta, P., Manna, I., Ghosh, P., Singh, N., Khetan, R., Ray, B. Protective Effect of Sodium Selenite and Zinc Sulfate on Intensive Swimming-Induced Testicular Gamatogenic and Steroidogenic Disorders in Mature Male Rats. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. October 2008. 33(5), 903-914.
Marzatico, F., Pansarasa, O., et al. Blood Free Radical Antioxidant Enzymes and Lipid Peroxides Following Long-Distance and Lactacidemic Performances in Highly Trained and Aerobic and Sprint athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 1997. 37, 235-239.
Packer, L. Oxidants, Antioxidant Nutrients, and the Athlete. Journal of Sports Science. June 1997. 15(3), 353-363.
Martarelli, D., Verdenelli, M., et al. Effect of a Probiotic Intake on Oxidant and Antioxidant Parameters in Plasma of Athletes During Intense Exercise Training. Current Microbiology. June 2011. 62(6), 1689-1696.
Skoluda, N., Dettenborn, L., et al. Elevated Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Endurance Athletes. Psychoneuroendocrinology. September 2011. Published Ahead of Print.
Gleeson, Michael. Immune Function in Sport and Exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology. February 2007. 103(2), 693-699.
Bloomer, R., Larson, D., et al. Effect of Eicosapentaenoic and Docosahexaenoic Acid on Resting and Exercise-Induced Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers: A Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Cross-Over Study. Lipids in Health and Disease. August 2009. 8(36).
Oostenbrug, G., Mensink, R., et al. Exercise Performance, Red Blood Cell Deformability, and Lipid Peroxidation: Effects of Fish Oil and Vitamin E. Journal of Applied Physiology. 1997. 83(3), 746-752.
Deminice, R., Portari, V., et al. Effects of Creatine Supplementation on Homocysteine Levels and Lipid Peroxidation in Rats. The British Journal of Nutrition. 2009. 102, 110-116.
Deminice, R., Vannucchi, H., et al. Creatine Supplementation Reduces Increased Homocysteine Concentration Induced by Acute Exercise in Rats. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2011. 111, 2663-2670.
Deminice, R., Jordao, A. Creatine Supplementation Reduces Oxidative Stress Biomarkers After Acute Exercise in Rats. Amino Acids. October 2011. Published ahead of Print.
Abed, K., Rebai, H., Bloomer, R., Trabelsi, K., Masmoudi, L., Zbidi, A., Sahnoun, Z., Hakim, A., Tabka, Z. Antioxidant Status and Oxidative Stress at Rest and in Response to Acute Exercise in Judokas and Sedentary Men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. August 2011. 25(9), 2400-2409.
Taixeira, V., Valente, H., Casal, S., Marques, F., Moreira, P. Antioxidant Status, Oxidative Stress and Damage in Elite Trained Kayakers and Canoeists and Sedentary Controls. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. October 2009. 19(5), 443-456. Ghosh, D., Das, U., et al. Protective Effect of Provitamin D in Cyclophosphamide Induced Testicular Gametogenic and Steroidogenic Disorders: a Correlative Approach to Oxidative Stress. Free Radical Research. 2002. 36(11), 1209-1218. Aagaard, P., Andersen, J., et al. Effects of Resistance Training on Endurance Capacity and Muscle Fiber Composition in Young Top-Level Cyclists. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. March 2011. Published Ahead of Print.
Martarelli, D., Verdenelli, M., et al. Effect of a Probiotic Intake on Oxidant and Antioxidant Parameters in Plasma of Athletes During Intense Exercise Training. Current Microbiology. June 2011. 62(
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Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Nutrition Tracker
One key to my success with maintaining a healthy body is being conscious of what I'm putting into it, and the calories that I'm burning. I discovered an amazing website that is *FREE*, that has so many valuable tools! It starts off by figuring out how many calories you should be consuming a day to either lose weight, maintain, or gain. It takes into account your age, weight, and sex to compute your daily consumption. There is a calorie intake tracker with every food you can imagine, there is also a fitness tracker that tracks what you've done-- not just exercising but everyday events such as child care, cleaning, soccer, and many many more. There are also articles on nutrition, exercise, and ways to be healthy. One of my favorite things is to log what I did at the gym that morning and watch how many calories I burned! It also keeps track of your weight for you, your BMI, AND measurements! This is really my favorite website and want am grateful to have such a great tool at my fingertips!
www.thedailyplate.com
www.thedailyplate.com
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