NSCA’s Performance Training Journal: A free publication of the NSCA.
What good does stretching do? ... Intensity key to burning calories ... Research shows older men build and lose muscle protein as fast as young men
By Edmund R. Burke, PhD, CSCS,*D
The medical literature often contains research of interest to the exerciser. I have recently come across the following pieces of research information that should point to the continued benefits of exercise and the need to include it in our daily lifestyle.
What good does stretching do?
This is a question sports physiologists are examining with greater interest, especially since an Australian study published last year in the Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine found that stretching before exercise does not appear to prevent injuries such as strains, sprains or tendinitis. The practice of stretching before and after physical activity is based on tradition, common sense and practical experience, but now exercise scientists are trying to prove the benefits. It’s well documented that stretching plays a role in rehabilitation from injury. It is also widely accepted that stretching improves athletic performance by increasing range of motion, and if this is so, then it seems to follow that greater range of motion means you are less likely to become injured by over-extending your body while competing or working out. Another school of thought holds that since you warm up before you stretch, perhaps it’s the warm-up that provides the benefit. As the research goes on, no one in authority is backing away from the idea that flexibility is one of the key measures of fitness (along with strength and cardiovascular endurance).
Pope R, et. al. (2001). A randomized trial of preexercise stretching for prevention of injury. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 32:271 – 277.
Intensity key to burning calories
We often wonder if aerobic type exercise or resistance training is better for burning calories and fat. Cycling, swimming or an hour in the gym hitting the weights? Heide Byrne, PhD and coworkers from the State of New York, Brockport, NY, studied 61 women, ages 18 – 46 who participated in a study on the effects of exercise on resting metabolic rate (RMR). The women were either aerobically or resistance trained and separated into either highly or moderately trained groups. Tests for body composition, aerobic capacity and BMR showed no significant difference between the aerobically trained or resistance trained groups. But when grouped by intensity, the high intensity trained women tended to have increased resting metabolic rates, regardless of how they exercised. So whether you are lifting weights, running, cycling or swimming, if you are trying to lose weight and burn calories make sure to exercise at a higher intensity.
(2001). International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 11:1 – 14.
Research shows older men build and lose muscle protein as fast as young men
Losing muscle and strength late in life may not be an inevitable consequence of aging, as scientists traditionally have thought, according to a study undertaken by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, TX. Many believe that the decline of muscle as people grow older—called sarcopenia—and the accompanying loss of strength and function occur because muscle proteins begin to break down faster than they can be created and restored. The team studied 48 healthy men—the largest group to date examined on this topic—and tracked the rate at which their bodies created muscle proteins and the rate of muscle protein breakdown. They found that turnover rates were similar in younger and older men. That means that other factors must account for the muscle loss and weakening that come with age. Muscle loss in aging may be linked to many other potential reasons, including older people’s eating habits, the body’s ability to use protein from food, and hormonal changes. Between 1997 and 2000, the researchers recruited 22 healthy seniors with an average age of 70 to participate in the study. They compared them to 26 younger healthy men with an average age of 28. In both old and young participants, the balance between synthesis and breakdown was similar—although the researchers found that muscle protein both was created and broken down a little faster in older people than in the young group.
Volpi E, et. al. (2001). Basal muscle amino acid kinetics and protein synthesis in healthy young and older men. Journal of the American Medical Association 286(10): 1206 – 1212.
About the Author
Edmund R. Burke, PhD, CSCS, is Professor and Director of the Exercise Science Program at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He served as Coordinator of Sports Sciences for the U. S. Cycling Team leading up to the Olympic Games in 1996 and was a staff member for the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Cycling Teams. Dr. Burke is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the NSCA. He has authored or co-authored fifteen books on training, fitness and nutrition.
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