My body looks like I never exercise…

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Did you ever feel like all that exercise you are doing just does not seem to be working?  Well, you are not necessarily wrong.  Some of us, no matter who much endurance training or weight lifting we do, will never see a real change in our body strength.

Drs. Karavita and Hakkinen (University of Jyvaskyla, Finland) led a research study,  published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, involving 175 sedentary adults (89 m, 86 f, age 40-67).  The study regimen involved 21 week program of jogging/walking and/or weightlifting.  The endurance or strength training involved two sessions weekly; the combined program was four times a week.  The subjects’ fitness (peak oxygen uptake)  and strength (bicycle ergometer test and maximum isometric bilateral leg extension force[MVC]) were assessed at the beginning and end of the course.  The results indicated peak oxygen uptake improvements of 42 percent to a reduction of 8% for those in the combined strength and endurance training and MVC changes of 87% to -12%.  Those in either the strength or endurance training demonstrated similar results.

This research was substantiated by Dr. J. Timmons (Royal Veterinary College, London) in his article in the Journal of Applied Physiology. His work examined genetics in various subjects (29 genes of interest) in various muscles.  No, the genes were not associated with muscle response, but the ability to develop new blood vessels in their muscles.  (No studies were performed to see IF there was an increase in vascular tissue.)  The researchers found that aerobic capacity is about 50% affected by our genetic makeup and 50% by other factors (diet, exercise, how and when genes are activated).

So, where does this leave us?  Back to our other data.  We need to eat our green vegetables and fruit. And, while our exercise may not make our physique mimic Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (of yore) or render us capable of running triathalons, it does make us healthier and happier (check out my blog entries from 8 and 19 October).

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28 thoughts on “My body looks like I never exercise…”

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    1. china wholesaler buy I hope it works for you. You DO notice that I still advocate exercising. There are plenty of critical benefits it DOES provide. (You can search my blog for “exerc”) to see how many times I advocate same. Take care.

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