Wednesday, July 7, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Fit For
Sisters
Andrew Loscutoff
Columnist
Intensity builds
muscle power
Exercise has a distinct
effect depending on how it9s
applied. Effects are specific
and pronounced. No body
adapts the same to the same
exercise. However, exer-
cise can be modified toward
the desired outcomes.
This is the law of specific-
ity referred to in exercise
science.
If such a law were to
be thoughtfully applied to
someone who is undergoing
the muscular deterioration
of age, there are some ways
one might be able to cir-
cumnavigate and improve.
If you are undertaking long
periods of low-key exercise,
your body adapts to this. If
you don9t apply force and
speed to an aspect of your
training, you will not main-
tain these attributes
Researchers applied this
principle and a hypothesis
that in eight weeks they
might be able to measurably
improve an elder9s muscular
power. The training method
they used was maximal
power intervals on a sta-
tionary bike 4 commonly
thought of as HIIT (High
Intensity Interval Training)
or <sprinting.=
They tested a few met-
rics, including thigh mus-
culature, maximal oxygen
uptake, and functional tests
like how fast the subject
could do the sit-to-stand test
and incline walk at 15-per-
cent slope. They trained with
bouts of four-second, all-out
sprints with 30 seconds of
recovery between. These
sessions were only 15 min-
utes in length. The period
lasted for eight weeks.
It9s reported that they
increased their thigh
thickness by 12 percent.
Improvements to max
power and O2 uptake were
also revealed. The research
proved that muscular power
training is effective for any
age.
Think about the typi-
cal cyclist. They train at an
endurance jaunt for hours.
They get very efficient,
but hardly ever actually
push into a higher level of
power. This cyclist (or any
recreational exerciser) is
missing out on these key
benefits. They would stand
to make large improve-
ments if they were to adopt
some sprints into their
training.
15
What does this look like?
It9s not just pushing a little
harder for a few seconds.
It9s standing up, leaning
in, and letting it fly. You
have to push and power as
hard as you can. Try doing
several reps during a run
or ride, and take plenty of
rest between the segments.
Five seconds, by one min-
ute would be a great way to
start.
Try going for a normal
bike ride, run, or gym ses-
sion and add in a small bout
of sprinting, powering, or
higher-intensity efforts to
keep muscles powerful.
Check with a health profes-
sional before making signif-
icant changes to your exer-
cise regimen.
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Cloverdale Fire District hosted its awards ceremony last weekend. Among those honored were: John
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it) 25 years of service; Cory Stengel, 30 years of service; Matt Cyrus, 40 years of service; and Captain
Jeremy Hall, Firefighter of the year. Other awards: Volunteer of the Year, Marcus Peck; EMT of the Year,
Turner Stutzman; Rookie of the Year, Cameron Quistgard; and Resident Student of the Year, Trenton Mason.
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