Conditioning Research

Yesterday I did what has become my annual 5K run - the BUPA Great Winter Run, here in Edinburgh.  I had not run 5K since the same race last year.  I don't really enjoy running.  Walking is great.  Sprinting too, but running not really.  I think it is a great skill to have but to me it is not really that enjoyable. ( Nor really exercise , but that is a different issue.) Anyway, I got around  in just under 31 minutes which on one level is pretty crap, but I was satisfied with it in that: It is around Arthur's Seat a big hill/mountain in the centre of the city so the first part of the course is up a big incline I have not run like this for a year I was keeping an easy pace, making sure I was not getting out of breath at all The Goody Bag..... Enough of the excuses.  What amused me was the goody bag. I think I did a post like this last year, but again I was amazed at the contents, the bits they gave away with the T Shirt: The crap it contain...

I saw this on Ross's Blog but it is worthy of more exposure.  Alison McWeeny is amazing  ( more here ):

The ebook is getting closer.....Final edit is under way and there are a few more photos to take. 

I saw this reported today in a couple of places - including on grough a UK outdoors website - anyway it is a report of recent research that looks at the impact of exercise on immunity, particularly as medated through natural killer cells (NK). It is reported as saying that moderate exercise is good whereas chronic endurance exercise is a problem. It is not clear where strength training would fit in to this analysis: The major players in this immune regulation are immune cells called Natural Killer (NK) cells which are important weapons in the fight against viral infections. NK cells recognise viral-infected cells as foreign invaders and force them to commit suicide." During moderate exercise the activity of NK cells is enhanced, whereas stressful endurance activities such as marathons can turn down NK cell activity. These changes are tightly regulated by stress hormones and other immune cells," explained Professor Gleeson. There is a clear take-home message from our cu...

Brett Contreras on a more difficult version of the plank.....

I thought this was an interesting story, looking at some of the risks associated with yoga. How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body

Well that heading is just to promote some interest, but to be honest it does have something to do with this post.  I spotted this bit of research reported yesterday, about how muscles get the signal to grow.  Developing and retaining muscle is not just an issue for bodybuilders or athletes, it is essential to health as we grow old. The story in EurekaAlert explains: We take it for granted, but the fact that our muscles grow when we work them makes them rather unique. Now, researchers have identified a key ingredient needed for that bulking up to take place. A factor produced in working muscle fibers apparently tells surrounding muscle stem cell "higher ups" that it's time to multiply and join in, according to a study in the January Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press journal. The research identifies this factor as "serum response factor (Srf)" which  translates the mechanical signal of work into a chemical one. Srf works through a network of genes, including o...