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The Truth About Exercise


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This is an hour long show which aired on the BBC last year. The article sums up the findings which I found fascinating. It gives you the science behind High Intensity Training -- about much more than just fat loss. I'd love to get that DNA test mentioned. You can watch the whole show on vimeo.com

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Effects from exercise tend to be dose dependent. I wouldn't expect much results from 12 minutes of exercise per week, only 3 of which were intense, and on just 1 day. Everything I've studied from Exercise Phys. and periodization tells me that's not going to work.

 

And there's no such thing as a "non-responder" to exercise (maybe non-responder to only 3 minutes of exercise!), and giving people another excusable diagnosis is the last thing they need.

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This is an hour long show which aired on the BBC last year. The article sums up the findings which I found fascinating. It gives you the science behind High Intensity Training -- about much more than just fat loss. I'd love to get that DNA test mentioned. You can watch the whole show on vimeo.com

 

I understand the science behind it. And it's all very interesting. But I also think we do not understand everything about exercise. Let's look at weightlifting for example. Conventional science says you need to lift weights and then rest to grow stronger. Yet elite weightlifters often train twice a day every day. If it really was about microtrauma and repairing the muscle through rest, then they'd get weaker. Yet they get stronger..

 

If someone tells you you need to, for whatever reason, squat 1000 lbs in order to save your family. What would you do, squat every day all day or squat twice a week?

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They do lift everyday. Just they rotate what muscle group. Won't be biceps Mon-Fri.

 

They also ingest loads of calories and protein...makes up for it.

 

Weightlifting is nothing. Really, it is just the tool that allows nutrition to be more effective at repairing and growing the body to adapt.

 

I'd imagine the Guy who eats his proper intake, in terms that add up to calories, who only works out for 30mins is stronger and more energetic than the Guy who lifts an hour and gets hardly any of his nutrition.

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They do lift everyday. Just they rotate what muscle group. Won't be biceps Mon-Fri.

 

They also ingest loads of calories and protein...makes up for it.

 

Weightlifting is nothing. Really, it is just the tool that allows nutrition to be more effective at repairing and growing the body to adapt.

 

I'd imagine the Guy who eats his proper intake, in terms that add up to calories, who only works out for 30mins is stronger and more energetic than the Guy who lifts an hour and gets hardly any of his nutrition.

 

Professional weightlifters do not train biceps. I'm talking about guys who do snatches and clean and jerks and stuff. You know, olympic lifts. They do the same lifts over and over again.

 

And this shows you that you do get stronger when you work the same muscles day in day out. Contrary to what you'd think.

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I think it's about what stage you are at in your fitness. Initially you will make big strides and will have to worry about overtraining too (cue 70% of the population that stop going to the gym after the 1st 3 months). Then when big gains aren't made easily, you have to start getting smart and use periodisation. Your body will be able to cope with much more because you will have the basic strength and aerobic endurance covered but you can't just increase weight forever to increase your strength. You will be changing volume or reps or in other sports you might need to work on your agility/weaknesses.

 

It's not the same style of training every day for years and years especially when you specialise and become professional.

 

Not really applicable to most people though

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LOL I never said that they didn't train biceps. Just not Mon-Fri, I.e. everyday. If so they are getting nutrition to make up for it(not surprising as they are sponsored.)

 

It is over-training to work the same muscle constantly, with zero rest. I worked out with an Olypmic style lifter at Gold's years ago, when I injured my ankle on a 600lb squat.

 

He never exactly worked the same muscle daily. Every other day.

 

But Olympic lifters are insane beasts.

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LOL I never said that they didn't train biceps. Just not Mon-Fri, I.e. everyday. If so they are getting nutrition to make up for it(not surprising as they are sponsored.)

 

It is over-training to work the same muscle constantly, with zero rest. I worked out with an Olypmic style lifter at Gold's years ago, when I injured my ankle on a 600lb squat.

 

He never exactly worked the same muscle daily. Every other day.

 

But Olympic lifters are insane beasts.

 

I said Olympic lifters don't train biceps. Wouldn't make sense as it's never a weak point, because the biceps doesn't do all that much in Olympic lifting.

 

They do however do the same movements every day. Think about it: every Olympic lift requires squatting to some degree. Essentially they squat every day, sometimes twice a day. And they still make progress.

 

This old adagium of not training the same mucle two days in a row is blatantly wrong. It does however mean that you probably shouldn't focus on one muscle group to begin with.

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I think it's about what stage you are at in your fitness. Initially you will make big strides and will have to worry about overtraining too (cue 70% of the population that stop going to the gym after the 1st 3 months). Then when big gains aren't made easily, you have to start getting smart and use periodisation. Your body will be able to cope with much more because you will have the basic strength and aerobic endurance covered but you can't just increase weight forever to increase your strength. You will be changing volume or reps or in other sports you might need to work on your agility/weaknesses.

 

It's not the same style of training every day for years and years especially when you specialise and become professional.

 

Not really applicable to most people though

 

Very true. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that we don't know as much as we think we do. Otherwise we would have scientists taking all the gold medals, but it doesn't happen. You know how the personal trainer, who always knows everything, is rarely the best or strongest athlete..

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Yeah I'm wrong here. My apologies.

 

I shouldn't base works by how I am taught.

 

Olympic lifters are genetic freaks after all. Actually training the body everyday does allow for this type of training without over training.

 

Now for anyone else, rest isn't so bad.

 

Yeah, they do tons in a squat like.

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Yeah I'm wrong here. My apologies.

 

I shouldn't base works by how I am taught.

 

Olympic lifters are genetic freaks after all. Actually training the body everyday does allow for this type of training without over training.

 

Now for anyone else, rest isn't so bad.

 

Yeah, they do tons in a squat like.

 

Overtraining obviously exists. But perhaps not to the degree we think. If it really is all about microtrauma and muscles restoring themselves, then how do we explain what happens with these Olympic lifters?

 

As for you and me, we obviously can't jump straight into a program like that. It would pretty much kill us.

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Overtraining obviously exists. But perhaps not to the degree we think. If it really is all about microtrauma and muscles restoring themselves, then how do we explain what happens with these Olympic lifters?

 

As for you and me, we obviously can't jump straight into a program like that. It would pretty much kill us.

 

LOL! Yeah they are genetic freaks. More gods in flesh then anything.

I can't explain it either...you are more knowledge based on this then me. I incorporated how I am into how they are "in my head". Without realizing how insane these guys are.

 

A clean/snatches etc. Those guys put a lot on their legs and back; just seems inhuman.

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Effects from exercise tend to be dose dependent. I wouldn't expect much results from 12 minutes of exercise per week, only 3 of which were intense, and on just 1 day. Everything I've studied from Exercise Phys. and periodization tells me that's not going to work.

 

And there's no such thing as a "non-responder" to exercise (maybe non-responder to only 3 minutes of exercise!), and giving people another excusable diagnosis is the last thing they need.

 

You need to watch the show. Sorry I didn't provide the link earlier. You will question everything you know now!

 

Nothing about weightlifting in the show. It was more about aerobic capacity, nonresponders and how you can eat more dietary fat and not have it show up in your blood. Interesting test mimicking exercising at high altitude and how the brain interprets what you are doing.

 

Watch the show. It's quite entertaining! And you will learn something new.

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You need to watch the show. Sorry I didn't provide the link earlier. You will question everything you know now!

 

Nothing about weightlifting in the show. It was more about aerobic capacity, nonresponders and how you can eat more dietary fat and not have it show up in your blood. Interesting test mimicking exercising at high altitude and how the brain interprets what you are doing.

 

Watch the show. It's quite entertaining! And you will learn something new.

 

Is it about the Tabata protocol?

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Is it about the Tabata protocol?

No, it's about the latest science related to exercise. No specific regime. It aims to get people to move more by reassuring them they don't have to work harder, just smarter.

 

Interesting comparison between the doctor, a waitress and a guy who was a regular gym goer.

 

Set aside an hour when you'd normally watch TV and watch this. Then get back to this thread and let us know what you think.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Whether you're running, swimming, cycling, or hula hooping, we have always been told that doing regular exercise will improve our bodies and is one of the keys to a healthy and happy life. Our one-size-fits-all approach to maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle is very rarely questioned, but with recent advances in genetic testing technology and brain stimulation techniques, scientists are uncovering the new and surprising truths about what exercise is really doing to our bodies, and why we all respond to it differently.

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