7 Minutes of SCIENCE!!

SCIENCE, HO!!!!

I love me some science. Maybe because that's just the in thing nowadays, maybe it's because I work in a profession perceived to be dragging its knuckles and grunting loud noises and I like to break the stereotype, or maybe it's because I'm actually smart.

No one asked you, stock image of laughing business people.

Training is, in large part, a trial-and-error process. Even today, with exercise physiology a rapidly growing field of scientific research, most trainers and fitness buffs rely primarily on personal experience to let us know what works and what doesn't. This is due in part to the fact that some of us are exactly as stubborn and thick-skulled as the aforementioned stereotype suggests, eyeing research like a new form of magic to be feared and distrusted. However, this is also due to the fact that, as a new field, there are a lot of bad studies out there that do little to broaden our understanding of the field.

That's why I love reading the good stuff.

A recent study by the University of Buffalo and published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research looked at the various metabolic differences between traditional methods of cardio, such as walking for long periods of time on the treadmill, and high-intensity interval training, in this case sprinting.

If you're not familiar with high-intensity interval training, let me sum it up for you: Work really hard for a short time. Rest for a short time. Do it again until you're done. (If this thesis-worthy explanation has left you wanting, I'll elaborate in a bit.)

They observed things like VO2 max (a measure of how hard your lungs are working), heart rate, blood lactate levels (a measure of how hard your muscles are working), and total calories burned.

The results? The subjects who performed the interval workouts burned the same amount of calories and trained their cardiorespiratory system just as well, despite spending literally half the time working as the steady state group. Just remember, shorter intervals mean harder intervals; the interval group trained at about 90% of their work capacity during their work intervals, instead of the stead-state group who trained at about 70%. 

Now, what does this mean in practical terms? It means that, scientifically speaking, cardio blows and strength training is awesome. Horray science!

Okay, so maybe a bit more guidance is in order. A great example of high-intensity interval training was provided in a recent article by the New York Times, appropriately titled, "The Scientific 7-Minute Workout". The workout involves simple bodyweight movements, with the only equipment required a chair and a wall, two things most of us have laying around somewhere. The "scientific" part lies in the order of the movements combined with the time intervals.

Since you're continually shifting from upper body exercises to lower body ones, your heart keeps working hard supplying blood to all of the muscle groups instead of just the legs, as would be the case in something like jogging (do not compare the slight motion of your arms in jogging to tricep dips, thank you). 

Here is the workout, as posted in the May 12 issue of The New York Times Magazine:

How do you do it? I'm glad you asked, metaphorical person in my head!

1. Warm up. Follow along with this extremely handsome demonstrator. 

http://youtu.be/7L5KVw2Pwic

2. Go to www.tabatatimer.com and set up the timer in the following manner:

Prepare: 10 sec

Work: 30 sec

Rest: 10 sec

Cycles: 12

Tabatas: 1

You might notice that setting up your workout in this manner results in the workout taking 8 minutes and 10 seconds, not 7 like mentioned in the title. You will ignore this, because shut up.

3. Complete this workout by working as hard as possible during the work time using the exercise provided, and resting during the rest. 

4. Do this workout every other day, on top of your best effort to living an active lifestyle. 

 This simple routine is a fantastic introduction to interval training. It's short, lasting just 7 minutes (you will shut up so help me god) and covers the entire body, using the pace of the strength exercises to train the heart in tandem. If you're sick of running miles in the rain, nursing shin splints and losing muscle instead of fat, you can literally do this right now, using the chair you're sitting on and the wall your computer is plugged into.

There you have it. Detailed instructions for a simple workout you can do at home that is as effective -if not more so- than the traditional methods of "cardio" so many associate with weight loss. It's up to you to build up the motivation to follow through with it.

Now go forth! Lift heavy things, for SCIENCE!!!!!

Strength Training Reduces "Office" Injuries

Despite living in a society that is increasingly sedentary (I have already typed that sentence too many times for my liking) we are plagued with chronic back and neck pain. Which is weird, because most of us associate any musculoskeletal pain with some sort of strenuous physical activity. Or we say we "slept on it wrong", because apparently that's a thing that you can do. So how can someone hurt themselves when they never pick up anything heavier than their purse?

"It's a satchel!" -  Men with purses.

The answer: You're not lifting enough heavy things. Granted, I use that advice to solve problems ranging from back pain to vegetarian lifestyle modifications, but in this case I have SCIENCE to back me up.

According to a study conducted at the University of Copenhagen and published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, women who participated in strength training on a regular basis for 16 weeks significantly decreased their self-reported pain index from the baseline of the study, compared with a control group who presumably ate tacos and watched Netflix for  four months. 

That is pretty impressive by itself, but some of the specifics of the study were surprising even to me. For example, the study not only looked at the effects of strength training, but also the effects of general physical activities like biking to work and parking farther from the store. The second group still significantly decreased their pain over the course of the study, but the group who went to the gym and lifted weights -which puts significantly more stress on the muscles and joints than taking the stairs every once in a while- still reported a greater decrease in pain. Even better, within the strength training group, those who had the greatest training volume (measured by load x total reps over the course of the study) reported a greater decrease in pain than the participants who had the lowest. 

So why does a frequently agonizing trip to the weight room actually help chronic sufferers of back and neck pain? The theory (not my theory, but the theory of those smart enough to have theories) is that strength training may help break down and subsequently reconstruct painful and abnormal muscle tissue, as well as decrease the relative workload of everyday activities by making the muscles stronger. Being hunched over in a chair all day often means that your back and neck muscles are turned off and neglected, and this leads to them withering away and failing to keep the structures they support in line. Strength training not only builds sexy lumps we can show off at the beach, but also teaches us to activate muscles that may not see much action the rest of the day. 

Many, many bad things can still happen in the gym. I myself have been hurt...we'll say three times. However, all three times were the result of me doing something stupid. Strength training, even with heavy weights, is completely safe as long someone follows proper form and has a decent program, perhaps one designed by an extremely handsome and knowledgeable trainer at one of finest facilities in Lexington. I promise the pain you think you feel under a heavy barbell is worth the pain you won't feel in the long run.

Go forth and lift heavy things!

Reference: Pederson, Mogens, Lars Anderson, Marie Jorgensen, Karen Sogaard, and Gisela Sjogaard. "Effect of Specific Resistance Training on Musculoskeletal Pain Symptoms: Dose Response Relationships."Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 27.1 (2013): 229-235. Print.

Justin currently only experiences emotional pain and also writes the blog for LIFT Fitness and Wellness