Skewed views of science

via Bret Contreras.

Good stuff....somethings are true whether or not you like it!

Strength Training makes you a more efficient walker

This is really one for the Hillfit side of things.

Search pubmed for "walking economy" and you find some interesting things.  Walking economy is defined as "The rate of O2 consumed per distance covered during walking, which is related to ambulatory biomechanics and cardiac burden. "   

So we are thinking about how much oxygen it takes to walk a distance, which of course is related to the  amount of energy that you need to burn to cover that distance.  It is about the efficiency of your gait.  We are back to walking as a skill.  The more skilled you are at walking, the more efficient you will be, the less energy each step will take.

You can get more efficient by practising walking....obviously and skill conditioning is always important, but you can also improve walking economy by getting stronger!  Stronger muscles are more efficient.   You can appreciate that weak, flaccid muscles will waste energy in movement....

Maximal strength training improves walking performance in peripheral arterial disease patients

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients have reduced muscle strength and impaired walking ability. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of maximal strength training (MST) on walking economy and walking performance in PAD patients. Ten patients with mild to moderate-severe claudication, classified as Fontaine stage II PAD and with functional limitations from intermittent claudication were recruited and went through an 8-week control period followed by an 8-week, three times a week, MST period. The patients performed four sets of five repetitions dynamic leg press with emphasis on maximal mobilization of force in the concentric action and with a progressive adjusted intensity corresponding to 85-90% of one repetition maximum (1 RM). After the MST period, leg press 1 RM significantly increased by 35.0 ± 10.8 kg (31.3%). Dynamic rate of force development, measured on a force plate installed on the leg press, increased by 1424 ± 1217 N/s (102.7%). The strength improvements led to a significant increase in walking economy of 9.7% when walking horizontally, and to a significant increase in walking performance of 13.6% measured on an incremental treadmill test to exhaustion. No changes were apparent after the control period. No changes in body mass or peak oxygen uptake were observed. MST increases strength in Fontaine stage II PAD patients and leads to improved walking economy. These results suggest that application of MST could accompany aerobic endurance training as a part of the treatment of PAD patients with mild to moderate-severe claudication.

walking straddle planche

wow

Sleep through your TV to prevent fat gain?

We often read, and I have often pointed to, reports which stress the importance of sleep to health in general, but also to weight maintenance.    We also read of the dangers of sitting down too much -  our sedentary life is totally unnatural and stressful.

I just read this post, where a researcher brings those 2 ideas together - instead of watching your TV...take a nap.  Sleep through the programmes!  Sleep is better than just sitting....

Dr Buman’s work focuses on the relationship between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep and health, and his talk was on a new cross-sectional study which examined the potential health impact of replacing time spent sitting down (e.g. sedentary behaviour) with light activity, moderate-to-vigorous activity, or even sleep.

Not surprisingly, he found that replacing sitting time with moderate or vigorous physical activity provides the biggest health benefit.  However, his analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey suggests that simply replacing your sitting time with light activity (e.g. standing or walking), or even sleep could result in significant health benefits

Here is a video where Dr Matt Buman of Arizona State University describes his new study which suggests that if people simply replaced their time sitting with time being active, or even with sleep, they would likely reduce their health risk.

When Sir Chris Hoy met Danny MacAskill

what an ultra does....

I have great admiration for ultra runners.  I follow a number of them via twitter and facebook and each year get excited when the West Highland Way Race is happening.   Still, I am not convinced that they are healthy!

Extensive inflammatory cell infiltration in human skeletal muscle in response to an ultra-endurance exercise bout in experienced athletes.

In conclusion, a low-intensity but very prolonged single endurance exercise bout can generate a strong inflammatory cell infiltration in skeletal muscle of well-trained experienced ultra-endurance athletes, and the amplitude of the local reaction is not proportional to the systemic inflammatory response.

Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?

....is the name of an excellent book....by Alex Hutchinson

but also the subject of this study that indicates that cardio before weights might not be as bad as we tend to think.   Then again....is there any such thing as cardio?

Aerobic exercise does not compromise muscle hypertrophy response to short-term resistance training.
AbstractThis study tested the hypothesis that chronic aerobic and resistance exercise (AE+RE) would elicit greater muscle hypertrophy than resistance exercise only (RE). Ten men (25±4 yrs) performed 5 wks unilateral knee extensor AE+RE. The opposing limb was subjected to RE. AE completed 6 hrs prior to RE, consisted of ~45 min one-legged cycle ergometry. RE comprised 4 x 7 maximal concentric-eccentric knee extensions. Various indices of in vivo knee extensor function were measured before and after training. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessed m. quadricep femoris (QF) cross-sectional area (CSA), volume, and signal intensity (SI). Biopsies obtained from m. vastus lateralis determined fiber CSA, enzyme levels and gene expression of myostatin, atrogin-1, MuRF-1, PGC-1α and VEGF. Increases (P < 0.05) in isometric strength and peak power, respectively were comparable in AE+RE (9 and 29%) and RE (11 and 24%). AE+RE showed greater increase (14%; P < 0.05) in QF volume than RE (8%). Muscle fiber CSA increased 17% after AE+RE (P < 0.05) and 9% after RE (P > 0.05). QF SI increased (12%; P < 0.05) after AE+RE, but not RE. Neither AE+RE nor RE showed altered mRNA-levels. Citrate Synthase activity increased (P < 0.05) after AE+RE. The results suggest that the increased aerobic capacity shown with AE+RE, was accompanied by a more robust increase in muscle size compared with RE. While this response was not carried over to greater improvement in muscle function, it remains that intense AE can be executed prior to RE without compromising performance outcome.

I still find it interesting that James Steele's review paper is clear that all of the metabolic, molecular and cardiovascular impacts of "cardio"  can be gained with less time investment, more efficiently, from proper resistance training.