Highest For the Longest
March 21st 2007 15:05
The central question in exercise is not whether various forms of exercise are effective,but which are most effective in regard to overall and long term fitness. Fitness in turn is an almost totally idiomatic valuation.Trying to compare the fitness level of those engaged in different activities is useless. Moving out of one's comfort zone into another type of activity is a sure way to understand that fitness is relative term.
For the out of shape beginner there is nothing that will not yield results. I see them treading out the miles on the treadmills at the gym and I know that at their level of fitness this is an excellent activity. Moreover, pick the most pathetic, ineffective fitness activity the gym has to offer and it can help the sedentary and obese immensely. I have what I call the "couch index". Any fitness activity rates highly when compared to sitting on the couch. When I am asked what I think of some device or faddish contrivance I always think of the couch index. If a person who has been doing nothing but sitting begins to exercise using this or that silly thing or system, they are doing themselves some good. Everything gets a higher rating on the couch index than sitting on the couch.
At some point,however, many exercise modes hit the wall. The reality is that running is a young person's activity and the likelihood that you can get yourself to do it plummets as the years go by. I admire running magazines which try to guide aging runners into their twilight years. I think they are fighting an uphill battle. A New York Times article recently gave it imprimatur to the affirmation that aerobics is dead. (Does Jane Fonda do it anymore?) I think the death of aerobics is a little hyperbolic, but of all the baby boomers who did it in the 80s I doubt that many are left.
I return to the concept that the best exercise is that which promotes the highest level of fitness for the longest time. That is where weight training comes in. It has the distinct advantage of allowing an aging person to continue to improve far into his/her seniority. Someone who applies sound training principles and seeks to improve can continue to do so far into life. As I continue to harp in my posts, adhering to short intervals between sets can easily create an aerobic deficit and over time expand the heart and lungs. Flexibility and endurance for the normal tasks of life are also enhanced by working with weights. In addition, these improvements are capable of being made by those who have started weight training late in life. The gym seems to see more and more seniors who are there to improve the quality of their lives through weights.
If you are a coucher who has wondered onto this blog, let me impeach you to do something and fast. Pick wisely though and you will be a happier person and a weight trainer. Your servant, as always.
For the out of shape beginner there is nothing that will not yield results. I see them treading out the miles on the treadmills at the gym and I know that at their level of fitness this is an excellent activity. Moreover, pick the most pathetic, ineffective fitness activity the gym has to offer and it can help the sedentary and obese immensely. I have what I call the "couch index". Any fitness activity rates highly when compared to sitting on the couch. When I am asked what I think of some device or faddish contrivance I always think of the couch index. If a person who has been doing nothing but sitting begins to exercise using this or that silly thing or system, they are doing themselves some good. Everything gets a higher rating on the couch index than sitting on the couch.
At some point,however, many exercise modes hit the wall. The reality is that running is a young person's activity and the likelihood that you can get yourself to do it plummets as the years go by. I admire running magazines which try to guide aging runners into their twilight years. I think they are fighting an uphill battle. A New York Times article recently gave it imprimatur to the affirmation that aerobics is dead. (Does Jane Fonda do it anymore?) I think the death of aerobics is a little hyperbolic, but of all the baby boomers who did it in the 80s I doubt that many are left.
I return to the concept that the best exercise is that which promotes the highest level of fitness for the longest time. That is where weight training comes in. It has the distinct advantage of allowing an aging person to continue to improve far into his/her seniority. Someone who applies sound training principles and seeks to improve can continue to do so far into life. As I continue to harp in my posts, adhering to short intervals between sets can easily create an aerobic deficit and over time expand the heart and lungs. Flexibility and endurance for the normal tasks of life are also enhanced by working with weights. In addition, these improvements are capable of being made by those who have started weight training late in life. The gym seems to see more and more seniors who are there to improve the quality of their lives through weights.
If you are a coucher who has wondered onto this blog, let me impeach you to do something and fast. Pick wisely though and you will be a happier person and a weight trainer. Your servant, as always.
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