Tag Archive for: stamina

Sprint Interval Training

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Keeping with the theme of using interesting training techniques from the last Memos on HIIT training, this next study took it one step further. The objective was to see how fast subjects could get fitter using a sprint interval training program.

I think I need to define some terms here. When we talk about getting fit, there are different types of fitness. There can be tests of strength like lifting the most amount of weight in a bench press. There can be tests of stamina such as how many push-ups a person can do. But when exercise physiologists talk about fitness in the classic sense, they mean how much oxygen your body can use at maximal levels. It’s called max VO2.

To test whether or not someone could become fitter in as little as two weeks and continue to increase their fitness level through the six weeks of a training program, researchers recruited a group of 18 sedentary men with an average age of 23; five subjects dropped out over the course of the study. The reason the researchers chose this particular research topic was because prior research had shown that the initial gain in fitness was not increased further with continued training.

While prior research had used 30 seconds of sprinting with four minutes of easy moving, the researchers chose 15-second intervals on a bike with two minutes of easy pedaling and rest before the next interval. After a physical including an ECG, the subjects were allowed to practice the sprint/rest cycle twice before the actual program began. There were three cycles of workouts that went like this: they began with the max VO2 test to determine the resistance in the sprints. Then in succeeding workouts scheduled every two days, the number of intervals per session began at 10 sprints, then two sessions at 12 repetitions, a session of 14 sprints, and finishing with eight sprints. Then the cycle repeated.

What did they find? Were they fitter? You bet they were, but I’ll save the details for Saturday.

Insiders, I’ve changed the conference call date from June 12 to June 19. Being an Insider allows you to get details that would be too time consuming in Memos. For example, I’m researching omega-3 supplementation in light of all the recent studies questioning its use. I want to find out what’s going on, and I’ll talk about it a week from Wednesday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 56(5):876-884, May 2024.

Aging Stressor: The Muscular System

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Sarcopenia is the number one issue that impacts muscles—that’s the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength that comes with age. It can begin as early as the 20s in some and accelerates once we pass 60; it’s thought to be primarily due to the genetics of aging. There’s also little question that a sedentary lifestyle contributes to muscle loss. Losing muscle mass impacts not just strength, but also stamina, posture, balance, and the ability to move your body.

There are several types of muscle fibers, but they all appear to become slow-twitch fibers as we age. And they get smaller. However, and this is important, they don’t ever seem to go away completely. Strength training has been shown to be effective even for people who are 100 years old; they get stronger, which helps deal with all those issues I mentioned before. The research hasn’t demonstrated that muscles will get larger, but most studies end at three to six months, which is too soon to really judge results; it’s probably going to take more than six months to gain back what we lost over many decades.

The key to dealing with sarcopenia is strength training—the earlier in life the better, but it’s never too late. Strength training can encompass many approaches from doing squats by standing up from sitting in a chair (using a walker if balance is an issue), push-ups and other calisthenics, and weight training using bands, tubes, machines, and free weights.

There are hundreds of programs and thousands of exercises to help build strength using every modality. I think it should all begin with an evaluation by a healthcare professional to test posture and balance, as well as strength. The next step is to see a physical therapist who can evaluate your limitations and put together a plan to get you started safely; it’s hard to keep your positive attitude if you get hurt right away and need to pause. Once you get approval and a plan to train, then getting muscles prepared is important. Calisthenics, which include chair exercises for those with arthritis, are a good place to begin.

Final memo before Christmas on Tuesday with one more place to attack when we’re aging with a vengeance.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

What Do Tests Tell Us?

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Based on last week’s push-up challenge, many of you have emailed me to let me know how you did. No matter how many or how few push-ups you did, it’s a start that can help you increase your muscular strength and stamina. All you have to do is to continue to do them as part of your exercise plan.

You may have seen an article in the Washington Post that examined another test associated with increased mortality. The idea is that you’re supposed to start by standing and then lower yourself to a sitting position on the floor with your legs crossed; then rise again. You start with 10 points and deduct one point every time you have to use your hands, arms, or sides of your legs while getting up or down. The fewer the points, the higher your risk of dying sooner.

I’m a dead man if that’s the case. I couldn’t get down because my knee couldn’t handle the stress, hands or no hands; Paula has two bad knees, so she’s out of luck, too. If you can’t get down, you can’t get up.

Maybe you couldn’t do any full push-ups. Are you toast as well?

Understand what the tests mean. If you have strength, you’ll have better balance. If you’re flexible, that helps with core strength and also balance. Stamina indicates you have aerobic fitness. These all speak to your quality of life as well as your cardiovascular fitness, and those are associated with living longer. The simple tests provide a snapshot of where you stand in relation to other people 50 and older. If these tests don’t play to your strengths, there are other tests to assess your strength, flexibility, and balance; don’t give up until you’ve tried those.

Want to live longer? Make fitness a part of your everyday life. Maybe you’ll live longer, maybe not, but you’ll have a better quality of life in however days you live.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet