HOW DOES YOUR FITNESS MEASURE UP?

IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HIT A FITNESS PLATEAU DURING LOCKDOWN THESE FOUR NEW FITNESS TESTS WILL HELP YOU ASSESS EXACTLY WHERE YOU’RE ARE. IN JUST A FEW MINUTES, YOU CAN TEST YOUR FITNESS AND GET ON TRACK TO RECORD NEW SUCCESSES.

Benchmarking your fitness and monitoring your progress can be one of the best ways to stay on track with your training. When you assess different aspects of your fitness, it helps you find where to focus your energy, chase new achievements, and keep your motivation at an all-time high.

Dr. Jinger Gottschall, a research scientist and science advisor for the American Council on Exercise, suggests four, simple fitness tests that make it easy to assess your fitness and strength and track your successes.

Follow these directions and in just a few minutes you can assess your cardio fitness, upper and lower body strength, core strength and endurance. You can download the details of each fitness test, guidance on what results you should aim for, and record your progress here:

CARDIOVASCULAR AEROBIC FITNESS

There are many ways to assess cardiovascular fitness, but one of the most straight forward has to be the one-mile walking test. All you need to do is find a one-mile flat walking track or neighborhood route and record the time it takes for you to walk the distance. You can slow down and speed up as you wish, but the goal is to complete the mile as quickly as possible.

Workouts like BODYCOMBAT™ is a great class to build aerobic fitness. And if you really want to take it to the next level, LES MILLS GRIT™ is the ultimate. Find a class today.

UPPER BODY STRENGTH

Research shows the simple push-up is one of the most effective functional training options for the pecs, deltoids, and triceps while also strengthening the muscles of the core. To perform the push-up test, you complete as many push-ups as you can without stopping; either on your knees or your toes. For each full-range repetition, bring your elbows to a 90 degree angle. If you want to lift your push-up game, read all you need to know about push-ups, learn how to become a toe push-up pro in 16 days and find out three common push-up mistakes.

BODYPUMP™ provides great resistance training for your chest, upper back, and shoulders, or try BODYCOMBAT, which builds phenomenal upper body strength without any weights or equipment.  Find a class today or try Les Mills OnDemand for free.

LOWER BODY STRENGTH

The leg wall sit test is a great way to assess lower body strength, specifically in the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. And the single leg version takes into account any difference between your legs. Simply start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your back against a smooth vertical wall. Slowly slide your back down the wall until both your knees and hips are at a 90-degree angle. Lift one leg off the ground and start the timer. When you can no longer keep that leg off the ground, stop the timer. After a period of rest, test your other leg. If you’re keen to build lower body strength, there are two fundamental exercises you need to master – learn all you need to know about the squat and the lunge.

CORE STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE

Research shows that your front, back and side core muscles are all active in a hover or plank position, compared to isolated core exercises such as crunches or oblique twists. For this reason the hover (forearm plank) test is a great way to assess your core strength and endurance. You simply need to stack your shoulders over your elbows and hold your body in a perfectly straight line for as long as possible. If you can hold this basic hover with an unwavering form for over a minute you can consider adding dynamic instability to take core activation to new heights. Find out the difference between the hover and the plank and why the hover is superior.

Get round-the-clock access to LES MILLS workouts at LES MILLS On Demand or find a class near you.

This piece originally appeared at lesmills.com.

DOES DNA REALLY DICTATE YOUR FITNESS RESULTS?

DO GENES INFLUENCE YOUR TRAINING RESULTS? HOW DOES EXERCISE IMPROVE EYESIGHT? WHAT ANTI-AGING SECRET LIES IN OUR BONES? AND, WHAT CAN WEIGHT-LIFTING MONKEYS TELL US ABOUT OUR NERVOUS SYSTEM? ALL IS REVEALED IN THIS MONTH’S RESEARCH ROUNDUP.

TESTING WITH TWINS TELLS US YOU CAN’T PIN PERFORMANCE ON GENETICS

We know there’s no single winning formula for fitness. Some of us can transform strength and fitness with just a few weeks of exercise, others follow the exact same routine and see less dramatic results. Such idiosyncrasies have often been pinned on individual genetics, but a fascinating new study of twins suggests DNA has little influence on our response to exercise. Australian scientists recruited 42 sets of young, healthy, and sedentary twins (30 pairs were identical and 12 fraternal) assessing their endurance and leg strength before starting them on two three-month exercise stints. One stint involved 60 minutes of running or cycling three times a week. The other, 60 minutes of weight training three times a week. At the end of each three-month session, researchers reassessed participants’ aerobic fitness and muscle power. While most participants saw positive gains, the results varied greatly and even identical twins saw remarkably differing outcomes – suggesting results are not genetically-dependent.

What the scientists found particularly interesting was that if one of the participants responded poorly to the endurance training, they seemed to get increased benefit from the strength training, and vice versa. This shows that not everyone reacts to exercise in the same way, but there is an optimal exercise strategy for everyone.

THE ANTI-AGING SECRET THAT LIES IN OUR BONES

Research into bone health and anti-aging provides more evidence that exercise could be key to maintaining muscle and brain health as time ticks by. It all comes down to a magical protein called osteocalcin, which is abundant in our bones. Gerard Karsenty has studied osteocalcin since the 1990s, conducting a series of experiments identifying how osteocalcin reverses age-related ailments. He has also found that osteocalcin increases the ability to produce the molecule ATP, the fuel that allows us to exercise. Regular exercise stimulates the production of more osteocalcin in our bones, which is secreted by osteoblasts (the cells that synthesize bone). “We know that people who are very active tend to have less of a cognitive decline with age than sedentary people,” says Karsenty. “With time, maybe people will be more aware of this connection, and think of their bone health as being just as important as other aspects of staying healthy.”

COULD SQUATS AND STAR JUMPS SLOW VISION LOSS?

Macular degeneration is one of the most prevalent causes of vision loss. It is estimated that about 10 million Americans suffer from the issue, so it’s no surprise that researchers have long been exploring how to alleviate it. Past studies have linked a healthy lifestyle with healthy vision, however, these have been based on self-reporting. Now, for the first time, researchers have hard evidence from the lab – albeit using mice. Scientists from the University of Virginia School of Medicine have found that exercise can reduce the overgrowth of harmful blood vessels in the eyes by up to 45 percent. An important reduction, as when these blood vessels get overgrown and tangled, issues occur such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. While the study didn’t delve into the exact type of exercise that will benefit your vision (directing mice to do anything other than cardio training on a spinning wheel would be difficult), it did highlight that the beneficial effects could be seen after just a very small dose of physical activity. The scientists aren’t certain exactly how exercise is preventing the blood vessel overgrowth, saying there could be a variety of factors at play, including increased blood flow to the eyes.

LIFTING WEIGHTS STRENGTHENS YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM FIRST, THEN YOUR MUSCLES

Thanks to weight lifting monkeys we now have fascinating new insights into how your body responds to resistance exercise. These findings, which come from a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, detail how weight training affects the nervous system. Scientists trained monkeys to pull weighted handles each day, increasing the weight over 12 weeks. On each day they also stimulated both the corticospinal tract and the reticulospinal tract (the two major neural highways descending to the spinal cord) and measured the electrical activity in the arm muscles. They found the corticospinal tract didn’t change during strength training. It was the outputs from the reticulospinal tract that became more powerful. This study highlights the neural mechanisms that contribute to increases in strength when weight training.

CAN YOU CATCH HEART DISEASE FROM A CHAIR?

WE KNOW LONG PERIODS OF SITTING CAN BE DANGEROUS FOR OUR HEALTH – BUT SCIENTISTS NOW SAY IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW WE SIT.

When I was growing up in the 70s, there was an ashtray in each corner of our family living room. In those days everybody smoked; in fact, my mother was advised by her GP to smoke to relieve stress. Visitors smoked, my brothers smoked, it was unusual not to have a social event that wasn’t in a haze of cigarette smoke – so we needed strategically-placed receptacles for people to dispense of their ash.

Eventually, scientists and medical researchers convinced people that smoking is a really bad idea. As a result, I haven’t seen an ashtray in years.

So after reading a recent study on the perils of sitting, I’m now wondering if chairs and sofas will be the next to go. Quite simply, sitting is the new smoking. Even if you’re a regular at the gym, long periods of sitting on a regular basis have been shown to significantly shorten your life.

How can this be? We’ve been sitting for hundreds of thousands of years – how can something so common be so bad?

The answer: it’s the WAY we sit.

To shed light on this, let’s journey back and discover how we rested in previous eras.

Only in the past 10,000 years have humans been able to source food by farming animals and raising crops. Prior to this recent history, humans spent millions of years practicing and evolving a hunter-gatherer approach to food sourcing. From an evolutionary perspective, we’re “designed” to behave in this hunter-gatherer way – like the Hadza people of Tanzania, one of the few remaining populations who still hunt every day and gather vegetables for nourishment.

These days, the Hadza have quite an audience. They are monitored, probed, and generally scrutinized by researchers desperate to discover what distinguishes their lifestyle and its health benefits from a more modern approach. As you would expect, the Hadza have substantially lower rates of “lifestyle” diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, than we see in modern society.

To further our understanding of the ills that come with a modern lifestyle, the Hadza’s sitting patterns were also recently put under the microscope.

One would assume that adopting a hunter-gatherer approach to life would be exhausting. They must spend way more time in active food-finding pursuits compared to us modern-day sloths – and as a result, sit less. But reality does not support this assumption. The Hadza spend plenty of time sitting and resting too. In fact, their sitting duration over the course of a day is almost identical to ours.

The key difference is that the Hadza don’t use chairs; they squat or kneel. These positions require low-grade muscle activation that, despite the low intensity, has a dramatic effect.

A number of investigations have demonstrated that prolonged sitting with little to no muscle activation (like we do daily in chairs) results in the accumulation of triglycerides (fat that circulates in the blood and is a major contributor to heart disease). Whereas interrupting these positions by getting up regularly or staying in a standing position more often can result in a 32 percent reduction in triglycerides.

In fact, the low squat position (sitting your butt on your heels) used by the Hadza generates between 5 and 10 times more muscle activation than sitting in a chair. This muscle activity gently soaks up triglycerides, resulting in less fat circulating in the blood – which lessens the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Now I don’t know about you, but I can’t squat like the Hadza. I feel like my knees are going to explode and my hamstrings cramp like nothing on earth. But as a result of reading these findings, I’ve converted my desk at home (during lockdown) to a standing option. In fact, I’ve written this whole article while standing.

The fact is, exercise is great for warding off the hazards of modern life. But if you’re inactive for long periods during the day, you’re still at high risk of contracting some nasty diseases.

With this in mind, I’m hoping the plush, high-backed office chair will soon disappear like the overflowing ashtrays. Standing desks will be everywhere, and shows on Netflix will come with reminders to do a few burpees at regular intervals.

I know I’m not alone. Check out this interview with Professor David Dunstan, a world authority on the role of sedentary behavior, who shares his fascinating views on tackling chronic diseases through exercise.

OFFERING HUGE DOSES OF FUN AND MOTIVATION, PLUS MYRIAD PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS, GYMS ARE THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR WORKOUT HABITS. WITH LOCKDOWN LIFTING IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD, IS NOW THE TIME THAT WE CAN FINALLY GET BACK TO EXERCISE IN OUR FAVORITE FORMS?

“When can we get back to normal?” It’s been the perennial question of recent months, particularly when it comes to our workouts.

In the wake of a global health pandemic, easing back into our usual fitness routines can pose a range of challenges, as well as uncertainties around which activities are safe to do and when.

But one thing we can say with certainty is that continued physical inactivity will bring catastrophic consequences for our physical and mental health, not to mention that of the economy and environment. In the US alone, chronic diseases that can be prevented by regular exercise are projected to cost US$42 trillion between 2016 and 2030. Meanwhile, a recent McKinsey study found the economic impact of better health among the world’s population could add US$12 trillion to global GDP in 2040 – an 8 percent boost. Investing in this area now could help kickstart our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we’ve previously reported, exercise in pill-form would be hailed as a wonder drug. It truly is the best medicine, with the power to improve everything from general wellbeing to musculoskeletal disease to cardiovascular problems, cancers, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, mental health, anxiety, and depression.

KICKING IT TO COVID

Most pertinently, a new academic paper, by the scientist David C Nieman, suggests regular physical activity should be considered a key tactic for reducing our risk of contracting COVID-19 – akin to physical distancing, washing hands and covering faces. In his article, Nieman points out that regular aerobic exercise increases your immunological fitness. Basically, exercise increases blood flow and mobilizes white blood cells, one of the main defences against harmful microbes.

Regular exercise also guards against obesity, which as Nieman makes clear, “markedly increases the risk for hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, three of the most important underlying conditions for COVID-19”.

Clearly exercise is vital to our planet’s comeback from COVID-19 on a number of levels, so how do we ensure we get more of it?

KEEPING UP THE HABIT

Lockdown has brought great progress in the range of options for people to stay active at home, leading some to question whether we actually still need gyms to service our fitness needs? After all, no one owns the patent to the press up, and there’s no finer treadmill than the great outdoors. So why is it that gym members are on average 14 times more active than non-members? One reason is that our facilities don’t just serve up fitness, they give us motivation. Motivation remains a key ingredient for regular exercise adherence and is the very reason why gyms exist in the first place.

There are many forms of motivation. Among the most powerful motivators are the accountability and sense of connection we get from working out with others. Nowhere is this more evident than in a live group workout.

“Absolutely nothing beats a live class,” says Les Mills Chief Creative Officer Dr Jackie Mills M.D. “There’s always an amazing vibe created in the room, the loud music is pumping, and you’re all working together and pushing each other. The sense of connection and accountability can’t be beaten.”

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Plenty of research shows this sense of connection and accountability pays dividends. Research indicates that when we work out alongside others, we’re far more likely to stick at exercise than if we go it alone. Science shows that we get more enjoyment and satisfaction when we work out in a group. And there’s evidence that when we’re surrounded by the healthy actions of others, it rubs off on us too.

One study published in Obesity Journal indicated that when overweight people spent time with their fit friends they lost more weight, and the more time they spent with these friends, the more weight they lost. This is backed up by another study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine showing that 95 percent of those who follow a weight loss program with a friend complete it, but just 76 percent make it to the end if they go it alone.

There’s also evidence of the Kohler Effect, where we push ourselves harder when working out alongside others. One study compared people planking on their own and with a partner (who had the superior ability). When planking with a more-capable partner, people were clearly more motivated, increasing their plank duration by 24 percent. Another Kansas State University study found that exercising alongside other capable exercisers can increase your workout time and intensity by 200 percent.

RETURN OF THE CLUB

Motivation is a key component of an enduring exercise habit and that’s why it’s so important to get health clubs – and all the things that make them inspiring – back in our lives as soon as is safely possible.

Being among the first public facilities to close and the last to be allowed to reopen, Y’s around the world have been hit hard by COVID-19. Misinformation that COVID-19 can be spread by sweat (it can’t) has stalled their recovery, but clubs are beginning to get back on their feet, bringing members the much-needed gift of motivation. Stringent new hygiene measures have been added to protect members’ safety, with new research supporting the effectiveness of these measures.

Last month, a large-scale academic study by researchers at the University of Oslo (yet to be peer-reviewed) concluded that there is “no threat of increased COVID-19 spread” at fitness facilities, even when intensive training takes place.

Meanwhile, a recent IHRSA briefing for US governors highlighted the benefits of exercise with scientific evidence that shows health clubs pose no higher risk than other public places in transmitting COVID-19 when operating under appropriate guidelines. It noted that “there has not been any evidence of COVID-19 spreading” in any US club to date.

EMBRACING ACTIVE HABITS

The UK government’s Chief Medical Adviser, Chris Whitty, said it best when giving a daily coronavirus briefing on 15 April.

Whitty – who is also England’s Chief Medical Officer – said being physically active was “very important to long-term health” and crucial for keeping people fighting fight during the ongoing pandemic.

“There is no situation, there is no age and no condition where exercise is not a good thing… exercise is one of the best things you can possibly do.”

So as the world adjusts in the wake of a major health pandemic, with lessons learned and safer processes in place, it seems that finally, we can start to get back to normal. And from an exercise perspective, we can reconnect with the miracle cure by working out in the ways we love to best. Find a class today.

This piece originally appeared at lesmills.com.

FOUR LA SALLE ACADEMY LACROSSE ALUM WALK ENTIRE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN 17 HOURS; RAISING MONEY FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES

BOYS HISTORICALLY TREK 45 MILES IN ONE DAY RAISING $3,600 TO SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITIES

What initially started as an idea to stave quarantine boredom quickly inspired a statewide fundraiser to support local small business and charities in need throughout Rhode Island during COVID-19.

La Salle Academy class of 2017 grads, Matthew Bacon, Dylan O’Donnell, Will Messner, and Peter Rouse were stuck at home from college after a three-month lockdown when they mustered up a plan to walk across the entire state of Rhode Island in under 24 hours.

“I can walk the whole state of Rhode Island,” O’Donnell, a 21-year-old Providence College student, said in a challenge to his friends.

After convincing his three fellow hiking buddies to join him on the ambitious quest, Messner, a finance major at Babson College, immediately set up a Go Fund Me page wrangling the support of family and friends.

“We saw how small businesses in our community were struggling as a result of COVID-19 and wanted to come together to make a difference,” said Messner.

The 17-hour, 45-mile expedition began at 4:00 a.m. from Rouse’s house in Wrentham, Massachusetts and finished at 9:30 p.m. in Narragansett, Rhode Island

“Our whole goal was to get our feet in the water,” said Messner.

Will Messner, Peter Rouse, Dylan O’Donnell, and Matthew Bacon taking a snack break.

Charting their course in Apple Maps, the four best friends from high school strategically planned their adventure by soliciting support from their parents who provided water, meals and pain relief along the way.

Right out of the gate, the determined explorers managed to walk 14 miles straight without any breaks. But after mile 20, fatigue started to kick in.

“Once we hit the marathon point, that’s when the pain, cramping, sun poisoning and blistering started,” said Rouse, a 21-year-old student at Villanova University.

The boys documented their day-long journey on the popular social media site, TikTok garnering a following of over 6,000 supporters.

They continued to power through the pain and unforeseen challenges with the help of encouraging text messages and drive-bys from fans throughout the day.

93,000 steps and $3,600 later, the exhausted boys happily celebrated their completed mission among their La Salle friends and family by cooling off in the waters surrounding Narragansett Pier which provided much-needed relief to their sore feet.

We never expected to raise this much money,” said Rouse. “It was a cause that a lot of

people could get behind after seeing their favorite local restaurants struggle in a situation that was completely out of their control,” Rouse continued.

The inspired philanthropists split the proceeds three-ways and generously donated to Cindy’s Diner and Restaurant in Scituate, Bradley Café in Providence, and Luigi’s Restaurant & Gourmet Express in Johnston.

Dylan O’Donnell and Will Messner present $1,000 donation to Cindy’s Restaurant

“I’ve watched these boys grow up over the yeard and they are such impressive     young men, said Ralph Battista, Owner of Luigi’s Restaurant & Gourmet Express.       “I wasn’t surprised that they had completed this challenge,” continued Battista.    “I was  completely overwhelmed when they showed up with a check for $1,000,” he  said.  “I’m used to taking care of them, not the other way around.”

Battista developed a strong bond with the boys over the course of six years when his two sons began playing for the La Salle Academy lacrosse team.

Inspired by their generosity, Battista chose to pay it forward by donating proceeds and nutritious meals to the YMCA of Greater Providence Food & Fitness Program in partnership with the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging. Together,

HAD A BREAK FROM TRAINING? YOU’LL BE AMAZED HOW QUICKLY YOU CAN REGAIN YOUR STRENGTH

WORRIED YOU’VE LOST MUSCLE POWER DURING LOCKDOWN? IN THIS LATEST RESEARCH ROUNDUP WE REVEAL HOW QUICKLY IT CAN COME BACK. WE ALSO COVER THE SKINNY ON COFFEE AND BODY FAT, HOW TO EASE MIGRAINE PAIN, AND A SURPRISING WAY TO BOOST WORK-FROM-HOME PRODUCTIVITY.

DON’T WORRY ABOUT LOSING STRENGTH, MUSCLE MEMORY WORKS WONDERS.

Delving into the molecular makeup of muscles, Swedish researchers have shown that even after a long break from exercise, muscles remember how to strengthen, and previously trained muscles can more speedily regain their power. These findings come from a somewhat bizarre study involving young men and women who had never formally exercised. For 10 weeks they completed increasingly strenuous leg presses and leg extensions – on just one leg! After 10 weeks of single-legged training, scientists biopsied the muscles to assess strength gains and then they then stopped training altogether for 20 weeks. After their 20 week hiatus, they returned to the lab and completed just one strenuous leg workout, this time using both legs. Scientists biopsied the muscles again and found that the previously trained leg was stronger – having retained about 50 percent of its initial strength gains over the 20-week break. The scientists concluded that trained muscle cells are metabolically more ready to strengthen and grow. Learn more about the science of muscle memory.

SCIENTISTS REVEAL THE SKINNY ON DRINKING COFFEE

Women who drink two to three cups of coffee a day are likely to have lower total body fat than those who don’t. These insights come after U.S. researchers studied data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey and found a link between the amount of coffee drunk each day and total body fat percentage and abdominal adiposity (which is the dangerous fat around your middle). Women aged 20-44 who drank two to three cups a day had the lowest level of adiposity – 3.4 percent less than those who didn’t drink coffee. Women aged 45-69 who drank four or more cups had 4.1 percent lower adiposity. In men, the relationship was also apparent, but much less significant. Researchers say there could be bioactive compounds in coffee that may regulate weight and have anti-obesity properties. Interestingly, these compounds can’t be pinned on caffeine – the findings were consistent whether it was caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee that was consumed. Learn more about the link between coffee consumption and body fat.

DOWNWARD DOG OR DOWNING PILLS? WHAT WILL HELP EASE MIGRAINE SUFFERING THE MOST?

Forget putting your head under a pillow in a dark room, research shows sun salutations and stretches can significantly help ease the pain of migraines. These findings come from an Indian study of 114 episodic migraines patients following conventional medical treatments prescribed by their doctor. Half of the study participants also introduced a three-month program of yoga, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques. They did three instructor-led 60-minute sessions a week for the first month and then five solo 60-minute sessions a week for the following two months. Taking the medication prescribed by doctors, all participants saw a reduction in migraine frequency and intensity. But the yoga group, which actually had a higher frequency of migraines at the beginning, suffered fewer and less intense headaches – and ended up taking fewer pills. Learn more about the effects of yoga as an add-on therapy for migraines.

STEP AWAY FROM SATURATED FAT AND BOOST AT-HOME PRODUCTIVITY

If you’re working from home during COVID-19 and it’s already testing your ability to focus, then you don’t want to add certain fatty foods into the mix. A new study suggests that eating just one meal high in saturated fat can cause our concentration levels to falter. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, tested the attention levels of 51 women after they ate either a meal high in saturated fat, or the same meal made with sunflower oil – which is high in unsaturated fat. While both meals were high in fat and potentially problematic – both totalled 930 calories and were designed to mimic various fast-food meals – it was only the saturated fat-heavy meal that caused a loss of cognitive focus. Lead author Annelise Madison says that loss of focus after just one meal was a real eye-opener. “Most prior work looking at the causative effect of the diet has looked over a period of time. And this was just one meal –  it’s pretty remarkable that we saw a difference.” Find out more about how just one fatty meal can sabotage our concentration.