Live A Longer Life By Doing Strength Training.

Hi All, 

Mark here from Alltone Fitness and BNG Boot Camp & Personal Training Greensborugh. Any of you that know me, have heard me constantly going on about the health benefits of strength training. Its great for fat loss, joint health, and the list just goes on and on. Well here's a fantastic one, strength training can actually help you live longer! Wow! That's great news!  Enjoy this nice little article I came across in regards to strength training and living longer. Courtesy of Health.com and written by Don Rauf. 

By Don Rauf

HealthDay Reporter

You probably already know that strength training, such as lifting weights or doing pushups, is good for you, but now new research suggests it may help you live longer, too.

When people 65 and older did strength training twice a week, they lowered their odds of dying from any cause by almost half during a 15-year study.

“The secret to a longer and healthier life may not be available in pill form, but it may look like a barbell,” said lead study author Dr. Jennifer Kraschnewski. She’s an assistant professor of medicine and public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, in Hershey, Pa.

“Strength training can substantially decrease mortality risk, and more importantly, some of our other work demonstrates the impact of strength training on improving functional limitations [in older people],” she added.

The study included data on more than 30,000 adults, all 65 and older. Information was collected from 1997 through 2001 through the U.S. National Health Interview Survey.

Nearly 10 percent of the adults in the study reported strength training at least twice a week. That’s consistent with guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine/American Heart Association (ACSM/AHA). Kraschnewski said this training included muscle-strengthening activities for the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.

While the study didn’t prove cause-and-effect, it found that people who did strength training at least two days a week were 46 percent less likely to die from any cause. And they were 41 percent less likely to die from heart disease, Kraschnewski said. She added that seniors who did at least two days of strength training were also 19 percent less likely to die from cancer compared to those who didn’t do the training.

Responding to the study findings, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Brad Thomas said, “Strength training has been well identified as a means to strengthen our bones and joints, but with this study we have a new benefit of longevity.” Thomas, who was not involved with the study, is an associate professor at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

Previous studies have shown that strength training may improve muscle mass and chronic conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, lower back pain and obesity. Stronger muscles may also result in better stamina, physical function, and balance, according to background information in the study.

ACSM/AHA guidelines also recommend that adults participate in moderate-intensity (such as brisk walking) aerobic activity for 150 minutes each week. That’s 30 minutes a day, five days a week. If you are performing vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (such as jogging or running), the guidelines suggest 75 minutes each week.

Kraschnewski urged older adults who have not been active to talk with a doctor before starting an exercise program.

“In general, there are safe exercises for everyone, but it may require tailoring for your specific conditions,” she said. “Strength training can be done at home and many exercises don’t actually require equipment.”

A few of her suggestions include doing pushups, abdominal crunches and leg squats, all of which use one’s own body weight.

Kraschnewski said resistance bands are another great option for home-based programs. These inexpensive bands or tubes provide resistance when stretched and can be used for strength training exercises in all major muscle groups, she said.

If you feel that you could benefit from additional help, consider joining a gym that offers coaches to help create an exercise regimen, she suggested.

“Typically, two to three exercise sessions a week for 20 to 30 minutes are enough for most people to develop results,” said Kraschnewski. “Our studies have demonstrated older adults can double their strength in just 12 weeks.”

Both Kraschnewski and Thomas said there’s no age cutoff when it comes to getting benefits from aerobic exercise and strength training.

“Older adults have the ability to achieve strength similar to those decades younger by engaging in simple strength training routines,” Kraschnewski said.

The study findings were published recently in the journal Preventive Medicine

Have a Great Week  - Mark Frangiosa 

Cardiovascular Disease - How to reduce your risks.

Hi all, Mark here from Alltone Fitness & BNG Boot Camp in Watsonia. In this week’s blog I have decided to tackle the topic of cardiovascular disease and how we can all reduce our risk factors.

Cardiovascular disease (cvd) is the term used for heart, stroke and blood vessel diseases. CVD is the leading cause of death in Australia, accounting for 38% of all deaths in 2002 claiming the lives of more than one in three Australians. There are a number of different conditions associated with this which include.

Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary Heart Disease, (CHD) is caused by the slow build-up over many years of fatty cholesterol containing deposits in the inner wall of one or more of the hearts arteries.

Heart Attack

Heart Attack occurs when a coronary artery is suddenly blocked by a blood clot and the part of the heart muscle supplied by that artery is damaged because it is starved of oxygen.

Heart failure

Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle has become too weak to pump blood through the body as effectively as normal. This causes blood to dam up behind the heart and fluid to collect in the lunges and other body tissues.

Angina

Angina is temporary chest pain or discomfort, resulting from a reduced blood supply to the heart muscle. It occurs because part of the chest muscle is temporally unable to get enough blood and oxygen to meet its demands

High Blood Pressure

Also known as hypertension, simply means that your blood is pumping with more blood force than normal through your arteries.

Stroke

A stroke occurs when an artery supplying blood to a part of the brain becomes blocked or bursts. As a result, that part of the brain is damaged because it is deprived of its blood supply.

Exercise Considerations and reducing your risks of cardiovascular disease.

If diagnosed with one of the above conditions, it is extremely important you acquire medical clearance from your doctor before commencing personal training,group fitness, boot camp or any fitness related activity.   A recent American Heart Association consensus statement on preventing heart attack and death in patients with coronary disease suggested a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity 3 or 4 times weekly along with an increase in daily lifestyle activities (e.g., walk breaks at work, using stairs, gardening, household activities); 5 to 6 hours a week was suggested for maximum benefits. Increasing physical activity in daily living can be helpful in this regard. Both aerobic and resistance exercises are encouraged at a moderate intensity level.

Sudden stop-and-go or extremely strenuous activities may be beneficial, but are more likely to place undue stress on the heart, especially for those who are normally sedentary. It is recommended to commence with a low intensity program and slowly increase when appropriate. 

 If in doubt about exercising, seek the advice of a fitness professional like a personal trainer in your local area. At Alltone Fitness we offer personal training, boot camp andyoga in the Bundoora, Watsonia, Mill Park and Greensborough area, so feel free to get in touch.

Reducing your risks of CVD.

It goes without saying that being active can significantly reduce the risk of developing CVD. Joining a gym, going for a brisk walk, swimming, group fitness classes, boot camp, or hiring a personal trainer are all fantastic ways to stay fit and active. If there is a history of heart disease in your family, having regular checkups with your doctor is a must. Keeping cholesterol and blood pressure levels in check with your doctor can help pick up early signs of CVD. Diet plays an extremely important role, cut out highly processed foods and include whole foods which are high in fiber and nutrients like fruit and vegetables.

Take a look at your lifestyle factors that could increase your risks, the obvious ones being smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Lastly, high stress levels could be a problem. Take time out and don’t sweat the small stuff. Schedule time out during the day the switch your brain off. A simple 5 minute meditation or breathing exercise could do wanders in reducing stress levels.   

VO2 Max And Everything You Need To Know About It

Hi all,

Mark here from Alltone Fitness and BNG Boot Camp & group fitness bundoora. In this week's blog I will be discussing what is VO2 Max and ways on improving it . VO2 max has been defined as "the highest rate of oxygen consumption attainable during maximal or strenuous exercise". Basically it is a measure of cardiovascular fitness.

As exercise intensity increases so does oxygen consumption. However, a point is reached where exercise intensity can continue to increase without the rise in oxygen consumption. Once we reach the point at which oxygen consumption plateaus we then can define this as an individual's VO2 max or their maximal aerobic capacity. Aerobic power, aerobic capacity and maximal oxygen uptake are all terms used interchangeably with VO2 max. It is usually written measured in millilitres of oxygen per kilo of bodyweight per minute: ml/kg/min. It is mostly shown relative to body weight because oxygen and energy needs differ relative to size.

Training for 30 minutes, 3 times a week over 6 months at 75% of aerobic power can increase VO2 max an average of 15-20% , Recent research suggests that genetics plays a role in how well any one individual responds to cardiovascular endurance training and weight loss. This is why we often can see bigger differences in VO2 max training amongst beginners of the same age and fitness levels.

The extent of which VO2 max can improve with fitness training also depends on the person's starting point. The fitter an individual is to start with, the less potential there is for an increase as they have most likely hit their upper limit earlier on. Resistance training has little effect on VO2 max. even when short rest's are used between sets and exercises.

A large amount of cardiovascular fitness training is needed to reach our upper limit for VO2 max. However, much less is required to maintain it. Runners and swimmers have reduced training volumes by 60% for a period of 15-21 days prior to competition with no reduction in their VO2 max.


We can determine our VO2 max through a number of physical evaluations. These tests can be direct or indirect. Direct testing requires much more sophisticated equipment which is why indirect testing is more widely used in fitness centres. Some are more reliable and accurate than others though none of the indirect methods have the accuracy of direct testing. Some indirect tests to determine VO2 max are the beep test, bike test, ( bike needs to have a test function for this) 2km row test or 12 min treadmill run.

VO2 max decreases with age. The average rate of decline is usually around 1% after the age of 25.
The decline in age-related VO2 max usually can be accounted for by a reduction in maximum heart rate. Some fantastic aerobic exercise exercise to help increase your VO2 max are, bike riding, jogging, swimming or rowing. Remember though, you don't want to spend countless hours riding, running or swimming. 15-20 min of HIIT aerobic training with a ratio of 1:4 or 1:3 would be the way to go! If you have any further questions in regards to today's blog you can email me at info@alltonefitness.com.au

Mark - Alltone Fitness Personal Training 

Back to Basics Chapter 2 - ENERGY SYSTEMS

Hi all

Mark here from Alltone Fitness and BNG Boot Camp Reservoir. With Summer literally around the corner, now is the perfect time to try group personal training bundoora or our personal training mill park. Your first session is only $5 with no contracts or membership fee's. If group fitness bundoora is more for you then try out our heart pumping boot camp northern suburbs for only $2, hurry as spots are limited.

Chapter 2 of our back to basics blog series covers the energy systems of the human body. All human activity from running to sleeping requires energy. The food we eat provides us with the fuel we need to carry out daily activities we participate in. Fats, carbs and proteins are broken down in the body and converted into energy. The breakdown of food to produce energy can occur under two conditions. ANAEROBIC: Without sufficient oxygen present or  AEROBIC: With sufficient oxygen present.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is the basic unit of energy in the body. ATP is energy which has been created in the muscle cell and is the fuel for muscular contractions. As ATP is constantly being used, it needs to continually be produced and resynthesised.There are only limited amounts of ATP stored in muscles, once this store is used up other energy systems must produce ATP. This is acheived via three main energy systems which brings us to the next energy system ready to help out.

Adenosine Triphosphate - Creatine Phosphate (ATP-CP)
Named afetr the two energy molecules involved in the system - ATP-CP. Creatine Phosphate is stored in muscles in small amounts, its role is to provide energy for ATP resynthesis in muscle cells when there isn't enough time to break down fuels such as glucose. There is no oxygen required in this system so it doesn't require a complex series of reactions. This is an important energy sysytem for exercises or sports which involve explosive and high intensity movements such as sprinting and pure strength training. This energy system is only available in short periods of time, usually around 0-10 seconds of max effort. Once this all out effort is to continue for more than 10 seconds then an additional source of energy must be found. This takes  us to the next energy system.

Lactic Acid System.
After creatine phosphate runs out and energy is still required to continue at high intensity, ATP can be supplied via the breakdown of carbs being glucose. This process is called anaerobic glycolysis, this is the breakdown of glycogen to glucose and produces lactic acid as a by product. All the cabs we consume are broken down to glucose, this glucose can be stored in the muscle cells and the liver in the form of glycogen. The lactic acid system energy system can sustain the anaerobic generation of ATP FOR 45-60 seconds at around 90% intensity. If a person is wanting to continue exercising beyond this point they can do so with use of the aerobic energy system.

Aerobic Energy System
This an extremely important energy system because we use it for everyday living. It is the system we use for everyday activities like walking.  Its called the aerobic system as it produces energy in the presence of oxygen. As the duration of exercise increases the muscles use more amounts of oxygen and produce carbon dioxide and water as by products. The breakdown of glucose in the presence of oxygen is called aerobic glycolysis The complete aerobic breakdown of 1 glucose molecule is able to produce a total of 36 ATP molecules.

 So next time your in the gym and feel the fatigue set in, remember that your body is going through a complex process while drawing upon different energy systems in order for you to keep working hard.

I hope you found this informative and useful

Mark - Alltone Fitness www.alltonefitness.com.au

Outdoor Group Fitness Training

Author: Mark Frangiosa 

Hi All

Mark here from Alltone Fitness & Butts n Gutts Boot Camp for this weeks blog.

Before you know it, spring will come around and hopefully we will see an improvement in the weather. Spring is the best time to head outdoors to exercise and dust off those winter cob webs. This weeks blog will cover the benefits of getting fit in the great outdoors... Enjoy! 

Are you an outdoors person? Do you prefer to exercise outside in the great outdoors rather than inside in a gym? What environment motivates you? Today I will be discussing some of the benefits you can experience taking your workouts outside amongst Mother Nature.

As the weather improves,  there's no better time to ditch the 4 walls of your local gym and head out to experience how outdoor group fitness can motivate and push you that little bit further.  Below are some of the differences you can experience taking your exercise routine outside.

Time will go faster when exercising outside. Going for a run in your neighbourhood, taking in the scenery, and exploring what your local parklands have to offer will combat workout boredom.

Using the same machines week in, week out can become demotivating and result in your body hitting a plateau. You will burn more calories exercising outdoors as your body will need to adapt and move in more functional and complex ways. Ditching your gym and joining a boot camp or outdoor group fitness class is a great way to meet like-minded people who help motivate each other to constantly improve.

The biggest advantage of heading outdoors is you can do it whenever you like. No class schedules, no waiting for machines, and my favourite, fresh clean air. This can be empowering and extremely motivating not to mention a lot more cost effective for you. You will be surprised how even a 20 minute high intensity bodyweight workout at your local park will do the trick. Studies have shown that short high intensity workouts are 3 times more effective burning fat that longer endurance workouts.

It is know that your mind responds much better when breathing in fresh clean air. Think of it as organic Prozac, you will have more clarity, and release a lot more of those feel good endorphins afterwards.

I could go on all day about the benefits of getting fit in the great outdoors. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to realise exercising outdoors is simple, cheap, good for your body and mind, and encourages you to meet new people who share the same interests as you.  At Butts n Gutts boot camp we offer outdoor group fitness inGreensborough and boot camps in Bundoora which cater for all ages and fitness levels.  So what are you waiting for?? GET FIT NOW!