Exercise intensity is the greatest predictor of fitness

Those of you who follow my posts know that I believe the most important factor in getting fitness results is the workout intensity, not how frequently you workout or for how long.

Here is a repost of a short article by Mike Boyle, one of the leading fitness trainers and fitness researchers in the industry. Occasionally I agree with his positions.

Article by Mike Boyle....
"It's amazing how much marketing affects truth in fitness.

I remember when machine training was all the rage because it was thought to be safer and more effective.

The problem with this "truth" is that it was a lie or at least a misconception promoted by the manufactures of machines and often backed up by industry-funded research.

Nautilus was advertised as a 12-machine, 12-minute trip to the Promised Land. Today it's Curves.

Tomorrow, who knows?

The Cooper Clinic told us that aerobic exercise was going to change our lives. Suddenly everyone was a runner.

I think the real beneficiaries of the aerobic training boom were the doctors and physical therapists who made millions caring for all those who were injured on the road to the Promised Land.

The aerobic training boom made us aware of things like plantar fasciitis, iliotibial band syndrome, and patella-femoral dysfunction. It gave us RICE (rest, ice, compression, and
elevation) and made sports medicine a household word.

Next came the group exercise phenomenon, the aerobics shoe, and aerobics classes. More marketing, more injuries. More money for the doctors and PT's.

Some of these ideas were well-intentioned attempts at wellness promotion, others flat out lies propagated to make money. In either case, we still don't get it. The truth is that exercise needs to be smart and safe. but it also needs to be hard if possible.

Very little in life was ever achieved without hard work. Fitness is clearly not the exception. Some doctors try to say gardening qualifies as exercise.

Ask yourself this question. "How is kneeling in dirt exercise?"

Others say walking is great exercise. The truth is that something is always better than nothing, but why aim so low?

The reality is that we should be exercising as hard as we are physically able. In fact, the medical professionals themselves said that in 2002 but the information got little coverage.

The New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 346:852-854 March 14, 2002) published a study and an editorial titled "Survival of the Fittest" that said "...the peak estimated exercise capacity achieved during the test (graded exercise treadmill) was the strongest predictor of the risk of death among patients with cardiovascular disease and among patients without cardiovascular disease."

The study went on to say, "Greater fitness results in longer survival." The study said nothing about duration or frequency, it only mentioned performance. The people that lived the longest were not the ones that exercised the most frequently. They were the ones who lasted the longest on the treadmill test.

The key variable that related to life expectancy was fitness, not total time or number of days per week. Those that were able to exercise the hardest lived the longest.

Think about that next time you take a walk or work in the garden. If that is all you can do, fine. However, healthy people need hard work."

End of article.

Post your thoughts to the comments section.

Be well,

Paul

Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
http://www.activepersonalfitness.com/
267.626.7478
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."

A must-read for parents of young athletes

This is a re-post of a Mike Boyle article. Mike Boyle is one of the world's leaders in developing workout programs for athletes including several NHL, MLB and Olympic athletes.

He received a question from someone about how to structure an off-season workout for a 9-year old hockey player. This is the response.

"Step 1- play another sport. Lacrosse is highly recommended as it has similar skills to hockey although baseball is fine. This does not mean another sport in addition to hockey. Summer is the off season.

Step 2- Cancel all hockey camp registrations except 1 week. Pick your favorite that has the largest number of your friends attending and go to that one. Ideally look for a camp that only has you on the ice once a day. No need to get blisters. You won’t get better in a week anyway.

Step 3- Cancel any summer hockey leagues you are scheduled for. The best players in the world never play summer hockey and, they never have.
The only conceivable exception would be a weekly skill session lasting one hour. Another exception would be "play". If ice is available and the kids can play, let them. Please remember play means NO COACHES or COACHING.

Step 4- Reread steps 1-3. Acknowledge that the key problem in youth sports is applying adult values to children’s activities.

Step 5- Go to the nearest bike shop. Get nice bikes for everyone in the family

Step 6- Ride the bikes, not in a race. For fun. Maybe put a few hockey cards in the spokes to make noise.

Step 7- Head to Walmart and buy fishing rods.

Step 8- Take the fishing rods to the nearest lake and fish.
Now That is an off-season plan for any nine year old.

Step 9- repeat steps 5-8 while continually rereading steps 1-3"

My comment......Finally a reasonable message to parents who are over training their kids at a young age. Children need true off-seasons and variety so that they physically develop into their bodies. Regular exercise including supervised weight lifting is encouraged but that is all part of a well rounded active lifestyle including bike riding and, gasp, fishing. Thank you Mike.

Be well,

Paul

Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
267.626.7478
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."