Work Out Harder, Not Longer

 

If you're always complaining that you don't have time to exercise, your excuse-making days may now be over. A new study published in the Journal of Physiology suggests that doing short-duration, high-intensity training sessions may be just as effective as longer duration, less intense exercise. Simply put, you can do your workout in just 20 minutes and still see the benefits.

Researchers from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, had seven men exercise for just one minute on a stationary bike at the highest intesity they were capable of. This one-minute burst was followed by a minute of rest, another minute of intense exercise, and so on, until partipants reached 20 minutes total – 10 exercising, 10 resting.

Participants were subjected to muscle biopsies before and after training, and specific attention was paid to the number of mitochondria – the tiny powerhouses in each cell.  "People’s risk of type 2 diabetes is inversely related to the amount of mitochondria in cells," said professor Martin Gibala, the study's lead investigator. "After the high-intensity training, the amount of mitochondria went up to levels that we've seen in traditional endurance training, 4-5 hours per week."

Translated: muscle fitness in just 20 minutes.

Of course interval training is nothing new – elite athletes have been training with intervals for years, but Gibala says the goal here was to prove that anybody – not just the finely tuned athletes – could train with intervals.

"We've been doing interval training research for years now, but the model we've used...is not something people can use in everyday life," said Gibala. "In this study, we used a less-extreme model of interval training using a standard stationary bike. It's a safer and more realistic for the everyday person, and still time efficient."

But, exercise experts say the only downside to short bursts of high-intensity training – by itself – can be a lack of muscle endurance.

"It depends on what benefit you're looking for," said Forrest Pecha, director of athletic training services at Emory University Sports Medicine. "If you're looking to build cardiovascular endurance, interval training only works in conjunction with longer, more sustained workouts."

If, however, you're looking to simply get in shape, and time is your enemy, Pecha says, intervals may be right for you.

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Source: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/16/study-working-out-harder-for-less-time-effective/?hpt=C2

Teenage Sports: Watch Your Muscles & Joints

By Madison Park
CNNhealth.com Writer/Producer

Teenage athletes who play in multiple leagues and participate in sports year-round tend to overuse the same muscles and joints. The overuse could lead to serious injuries such as dislocated shoulders, torn anterior cruciate ligaments and ligaments usually seen more often in adults, said Dr. Thomas DeBerardino, an associate professor of orthopaedics at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

DeBerardino will moderate a session at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, this week about adolescent sports injuries.  Calling the wave of injuries a “silent epidemic,” he said he sees three major areas of injuries- head, neck and knees. Some young players play on year-round schedules and with several teams. “If you’re on multiple teams, that is detrimental to the overall health of their kids’ shoulders and knees,” he said. “It comes down to being overscheduled. Along with being overscheduled, they’re overexposed and potentially injured. “They never have a break. This increases risk of overuse and the adult-type injuries like stress and ligament injuries.”

One example DeBerardino cited is youth baseball. Young pitchers could end up racking high pitch counts in each of their various leagues and increase their risk for elbow and shoulder injuries. His advice to teen athletes is simple: Learn to listen to your body. “Each kid and body is different,” he said.  “Everyone has a different thresh point.  You get an injury if you’re over-fatigued, you’re doing too much and you don’t have enough of a recovery period.  Each parent and person responsible for the kid needs to pay attention.  You don’t have to examine the kid. Ask them if they feel overwhelmed, over-challenged.  When you need a break, you need a break.” And the reality is not every kid is going to be a Zack Greinke.

Source: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/10/a-silent-epidemic-for-teenage-sports-injuries/