95 out of every 100 people will experience the dreaded age-related metabolic decline. Research now shows that, on average, folks experience a 2-4% decline in their resting metabolic rate with each passing decade after the age of 25. Add to this metabolic decline a 5lb loss of muscle mass with every decade and getting older is a depressing proposition.
When it comes to metabolism and preserving the key to youth (muscle), intense exercise is key. With intense exercise you get to keep that muscle mass as you progressively overload muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments and fuel that metabolism.
Without it, muscles take the shape of pipe-cleaners as you say good-bye to your youth, strength, lean muscle and metabolic rate.
What is intense exercise? Strength training would be a biggie. But there are many forms. For example:
• Interval Running, Climbing, Cycling, and Rowing
• Resistance Circuits
• Body Weight Circuits
• Rope Jumping (Skipping)
• Running Hills
• Burpees, Jumping Jacks, and Other Plyometrics
• Medicine Ball Tosses and Rotations
• Kettlebell Exercises
• Tyre Flipping, Fireman Carries, Farmers Walking and Other Strongman Activities
In a nutshell any type of exercise that you perform near your maximum effort levels and how far your heart rate qualifies. For each of us we will have a different tolerance. For the golden year athlete flipping tyres may seem a little overboard. But taking walks interspersed with increases in walking speed may not be a bad idea. Anything that takes you into the realm of ‘harder effort’.
Now, when you do an intense bout of exercise, you overload your muscles. This overload helps stimulate protein turnover, protein building, and gains in lean mass (or at least lean mass preservation).
But what about the cardiovascular system?
Well, with all those muscles doing so much work, the cardiovascular system MUST respond by pumping blood faster and delivering a lot of oxygen to your working muscles. So you definitely get a cardiovascular benefit from doing intense exercise.
In addition, your metabolic rate also benefits from the increased oxygen consumption. You see, the more muscle you have and the more exercise you do, the more oxygen your body will need. As oxygen generates 5kcal per litre consumed, a high oxygen demand means that your body is burning a ton of calories.
So why is this so beneficial? You should be breathing harder during this exercise. That is your body trrying to get rid of the carbon dioxide that is being produced at such a high rate.
The key though is found after you exercise.
If your exercise is intense enough, your oxygen demand remains elevated for well after the exercise session. With low intensity cardio, you only benefit from a few minutes of additional oxygen demand (and metabolic activity). However, with high intensity activity, the oxygen demand can remain high for anywhere from 6 hours to 48 hours, depending on the intensity and duration of the exercise session.
And remember, a bigger oxygen demand means more calories burned. So it’s only your high intensity activity that boosts your metabolism 24-7.
Now, the right question to ask would be this – why is oxygen consumption (and calorie burn) elevated after exercise?
Well, after an intense workout, it’s necessary for the body to metabolize additional fuel, replenish energy stores, and reload the depleted oxygen stores in the muscle and blood. Further, oxygen consumption (and metabolism) is boosted due to:
• Higher body temperature
• Increased activity of the heart and respiratory muscles
• Elevated levels of hormones that increase metabolic activity
• Energy absorbing pathways and the conversion of things like lactate into glucose or amino acids
• Recovery of muscle damage
So, with intense exercise, more oxygen is being consumed (and energy being used) during the exercise, after the exercise, and pretty much all day long.
Interestingly, you burn a lot of fat too, during this post-exercise period. During high intensity exercise, the rate of fat breakdown is high. However, fatty acid entry into the bloodstream is blocked. The good news – upon termination of exercise, this block on fatty acid release subsides and the fats overflow into circulation for eventual oxidation during the recovery period.
How cool – we’re burning tons of fat even after we leave the gym!
Don’t be afraid of intense exercise – shoot for 30 minutes in total per week of intense exercise amongst other more low intensity exercise. Your body will thank you eternally.
John Lark M.A CSCS is a Personal Trainer in Dublin, Ireland. Visit his web site at http://www.john-lark.com for your free subscription to his monthly bulletin
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