[Sportsandrec] Here comes the science

[Thornbury, Kelly]

Ok, here comes the science...I think I'll start most of my posts with this "new" catch phrase...Opinions please?!? 

 

First, your body burns most of its calories (typically over 70%) during rest and normal daily activities, and less than 30% during exercise sessions (yes, this varies for everyone, but the point is that you burn way more between workouts). 

 

Second, lean body tissue (muscle, organs, and the like) are the "metabolically active" tissues that burn fat. Muscle is the most metabolically active tissues of the body, so, yes, the more muscle you have, the more you will burn. However, adding 1 kg of muscle (2.2 pounds), only increases your resting calorie expenditure about 24 calories a day. According to the American Collage of Sports Medicine, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (the two leaders in research in this area), the increase in metabolic activity by adding muscle is negligible best. 

 

Also, because resistance training is an anaerobic activity (does not require oxygen for its energy substrates), you do not burn as many calories as you would with an aerobic activity. To burn energy substrates, you need oxygen. There is a direct relationship to the amount of oxygen your body takes in and the number of calories you burn, approximately 4.8 calories for every 1 liter of oxygen consumed (this varies slightly between calories burned from fats, proteins, and carbohydrates). An intense session of resistance training will only burn on average about 150 calories or so, because of the energy substrates you are using (again this depends on the individual, but the point is that it is much less than that of aerobic activities). 

 

The idea with the light weight on the bar and the bands actually is a protocol for building power, and not so much strength (the science will get a little thick here). Imagine strength as being the amount of weight you can lift (we'll say 1 rep max here), and power is how fast you can lift that weight. If you lift a certain weight and it takes 4 seconds, then you lift the same weight again but this time in two seconds, your strength is the same, but your power is twice as much for that second lift. Strength and power are related, but are two different measurements. So, the best way to increase strength and power is to do a variety of workouts, some focusing on pushing lighter weights with faster repetitions (be mindful of safety here), and some focusing on heavy weights. As an example, elite shot putters will train with shots which are both heavier (to develop strength) and lighter (to develop speed) than competition shots. These athletes tend to see the greatest gains. 

 

Also, the main hormone for muscle hypertrophy (even for women) is testosterone. Maximum testosterone release stimulation comes from pushing heavy weights (85-95% of your 1 rep max), using multi-joint exercises with large muscle groups (squats, deadlifts, cleans, and bench press for example). Women can also push heavier weights without fear of "bulking up" because they generally do not produce as much testosterone (there are a few exceptions, but the average exercise enthusiast shouldn't worry). Also for women, pushing the heavier weights helps to reduce the risks of osteoporosis, so don't be afraid to resistance train heavier once in a while. 

 

No, pushing heavy (85-95%) weight year round is not the best way to make maximum gains in strength. The body does need time to recover, both between workouts and in a "periodized" fashion (working a couple of weeks with lighter weights and more reps, then heavier weights and fewer reps). A whole other topic for a whole other post. 

 

Ah, grappling and wrestling for weight loss.my favorite for maximum calorie burn. Cross-country skiing may actually burn more, because it is sustainable over a longer time, and wrestling can be a series of quick "highs and lows" in exertion. It's a toss up, and the line is really too blurred to argue. 

 

Here comes the crusher JS, running in place is running in place; regardless of the outside temps, the calories are roughly the same. Its water weight again, replaced by that next cup of java. As for the sauna wrestling rooms we grew up with, those are going the way of the dinosaur and the VHS. New research is showing that they are doing more harm than good, but us wrestlers will continue to use them because at weigh-ins it's the numbers on the scale that count.that's why we hope to have a couple of hours between that and competition to rehydrate. 

 

I could write pages and pages.

 

Take home message: Your workout protocol should reflect your goals; be it weight loss, strength and power, endurance, or bulking up. What ever the goal, variety, rest, overload (working harder than your body is used to working), and progression (systematically increasing the intensity) are key to improvements. 

 

J.S., you are as much as a riot in person as you are on the list, glad to have finely met. 

 

K. Thorny