The article goes on to note:
Hidden away in the results of almost any study of exercise programs is the fact that some people do not respond at all, while others respond at an unusually high rate. Averaged, the results may suggest that a certain exercise program reliably will produce certain results — that jogging, say, three times a week for a month will improve VO2max (maximal oxygen capacity) or reduce blood pressure; and for almost any given group of exercisers, those results are likely to hold true. But for outliers, the impacts can be quite different. Their VO2max won’t budge, or it will fall, or it will soar.
The implications of such wide variety in response are huge. In looking at the population as a whole, writes Jamie Timmons, a professor of systems biology at the Royal Veterinary College in London, in a review article published last month in The Journal of Applied Physiology, the findings suggest that “there will be millions of humans that cannot improve their aerobic capacity or their insulin sensitivity, nor reduce their blood pressure” through standard exercise.
So, given that I just got back from a wicked hard interval set on the track, I can safely say that notwithstanding the article above, damn, are my legs beat! We have to factor in that sometimes these studies have limited application to real worl athletes - that even in the face of the study itself, while it is certainly worth reviewing, it really can never hurt, as the Nike ads are famous for stating, to "just do it".
peace out
Johnny Boy
I don't know how convinced I am by that study. I didn't look at it too closely, but 21 weeks of very light exercise doesn't seem like it would be that conclusive. Or maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part since I didn't see much improvement from senior year of high school to freshman year of college. I'd like to think that if I train harder, I'll get better.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Sam. The only way to move forward is to operate under the idea that if you train harder and smarter you will get faster and stronger.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you guys - One of the problems with this study is that the intensity of either group’s workout regiment was pretty low. I don’t mean they should have worked out more times a week, but working out with more effort when they did. There’s a pretty robust pool of literature showing that more intense exercise induces a greater hormonal response which is probably responsible for generating the strength and endurance increases which we expect to come from exercise.
ReplyDeleteSo “the findings suggest that “there will be millions of humans that cannot improve their aerobic capacity or their insulin sensitivity, nor reduce their blood pressure” through standard exercise.” is not really correct. Running faster for distance, sprinting, or lifting heavier weight with less rest is pretty “standard exercise”. All the study suggests is that there are millions of humans who don’t respond to low levels of physical activity.