Conditioning Research

Acute cardiovascular response in anabolic androgenic steroid users performing maximal treadmill exercise testing . chronic administration of high doses of Anabolic Androgeic Steroids (355.4 +/- 59.47 mg.wk) lead to hemodynamic and metabolic response impairment. In conclusion, the chronotropic significant incompetence in the current study was reflected by an exaggerated hemodynamic response to exercise. Furthermore, the findings suggest that nonusers of AAS showed increases in VO2max when compared to the AAS group. Therefore, this study provides a contraindication to AAS use, especially in those at increased risk of cardiovascular events. So, they make you more prone to heart attacks plus they stop you improving your VO2mx.

here is one for the HIT boys: "only 30 min of eccentric exercise per week for eight weeks was sufficient to improve health risk factors". A Weekly Bout of Eccentric Exercise Is Sufficient To Induce Health-Promoting Effects Abstract PURPOSE:: The effects of chronic eccentric-only versus concentric-only exercise on muscle physiology and blood biochemistry were investigated. METHODS:: Twenty women performed on an isokinetic dynamometer a concentric (n = 10, age 21.0+/-0.4 years, body fat 22.0+/-0.9%) or an eccentric (n = 10, age 20.0+/-0.3 years, body fat 23.2+/-0.7%) exercise session using the knee extensors of both lower limbs once a week for eight subsequent weeks. Muscle function (isometric, concentric and eccentric peak torque, range of movement and soreness) was evaluated before, immediately after and 48h postexercise in each one of the eight training weeks. Body fat, resting energy expenditure (REE), lipid and carbohydrate oxidation rate as well as blood chemistry measur...

This raised a smile ( more here ) This is certainly true in the fitness / health world. Especially among the blogs. It made me think of something I read on the Moynihan Institute recently which was riffing on how divorced this subculture is from the rest of the world. The things we obsess about are just off the radar to most people: Are you a member of the fitness glitterati? 05/11/10 Chances are that if you reading this that you are a member of the fitness glitterati. It’s kind of like being a new ager. New agers never admit to being new age or even liking things of a new age nature. Their lives are simply so intertwined with new age mumbo jumbo that they can’t distinguish otherwise. It’s called denial. You most likely fancy yourself as a regular guy that just likes to train and doesn’t want to deal with all the bullshit that goes on in modern day gyms. This may be true but this is the standard prerequisite to becoming a member of the fitness glitterati. I realized that I was in...

mc points to this video - competitive rope climbing ( full article here )

Andy Bolton pulling 432.5 kg

Krav Maga sessions usually start with skipping, so I though I'd point to some resources on skipping: Here is a basic intro But the master - as usual is Ross. Check out these videos and the articles here and here .

I've pointed to research in the past on the effect of different types of exercise on cell aging, as measured by telomere length( for example - Marathons make your muscles old ). As usual, things are quite complex . Anyway, there is some new research just published that Vigorous physical activity appears to protect those experiencing high stress by buffering its relationship with telomere length. Chronic psychological stress is responsible for a range of health problems, but it seems that it even has an effect at a cellular level right in the DNA. Exercise however can reduce its negative impacts: In the study, 62 post-menopausal women – many of whom were caring for spouses or parents with dementia -- reported at the end of each day over three days the number of minutes of vigorous physical activity in which they had engaged. Vigorous activity in the study was defined as "increased heart rate and/or sweating.'' They also reported separately their perceptions of life ...