Beleg Cúthalion on 3/7/2012 at 11:25
A bit more than week ago I listened to a presentation of (
http://myrmex-gladiator.blogspot.de/) this guy who trained a couple of Bavarian (sorry, (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franconia) Frankish) sport students in a gladiator experiment done by the university of Regensburg. The last six or so weeks were spent in an archaeological park in Austria where they trained literally all day long (basic strength endurance, basic martial arts and their specific gladiator-type weaponry), starting at 5.30 in the morning. To make things more authentic they just ate Roman stuff like
puls, a porridge based on barley or millet plus white beans and a bit of other stuff since ancient Gladiators were described as barley eaters. They soon noticed that despite the intense training they didn't suffer (much) from muscle soreness and became more alert in general (of course they soon started sleeping during their training pauses during the day).
After the experiment the trainer did some research and noticed that the food was basically alkali-producing (you know, this (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid-base_homeostasis) renal physiology thing, faetal can probably explain it better). So he got the idea that the food was not only better for the body in general (less acid stress for the renals) but also partly compensated the lactic acid produced in the muscles. Well, I have no idea if there is any connection to that, but anyway the food supported the training instead of being an obstacle. Only once they ate meat brought from the local mayor and were all sick the morning afterwards. And these porridges are easy to make, variegate, satisfying and cheaper even if you buy all the ingredients from expensive wholefood shops (at least in Germany, don't know if these things exist notably everywhere else). I've tried it last week and it wasn't bad, however I haven't started any longtime study yet since I was busy in Berlin over the weekend. But I'll keep trying it out and see what happens.
faetal on 3/7/2012 at 12:11
Did they have a control group?
If not, it doesn't really qualify as an experiment.
I don't know a great deal about kidney metabolism, but I'd be surprised if it affected lactic acid build up in the muscles, since that is to do with oxygen debt switching on anaerobic respiration, which releases energy from monosaccharides by partially processing them, creating a build up of lactate until there is enough available oxygen to process the lactate fully, thus clearing it from the muscles.
It looks like acidaemia increases breathing rate and alkalaemia decreases it, due to expulsion of CO2 via the lungs being the quickest way to free up carbonate buffer in the blood, making it available for buffering against low pH, so if anything, a higher pH would decrease the rate of breathing, which would create more oxygen debt in the muscles, leading to greater lactate build up I'd have though, but I'm no physiologist.
If I had to take a wild swing in the dark, I'd say that the food they were eating was probably less processed than contemporary food and this contained a higher ratio of complex nutrients, which take longer to digest and thus deliver a more steady glycaemic load. The net result of that being a drip feed of energy available throughout the period of exercise with lower and fewer insulin spikes, which are good for bursts of energy but not long-term endurance. But again, I am no physiologist.
Vivian on 3/7/2012 at 13:02
Quote Posted by Fafhrd
Endoskeletons are meant for living in water. Evolution just figured a way to make them work with a failure rate low enough to keep animals that have them from going extinct.
Proper ossified endoskeletons are pretty much a terrestrial thing, though, and they work really well. Articular hyaline cartilage (joints etc), however, is necessarily avascular because of it's mechanical environment (being squeezed pretty much 24/7) and it's function (needs to be thin + tough). As it has no real blood supply, the bodies ability to repair joint cartilage is extremely limited. Most of the problems associated with exercise are down to cartilage abrasion due to abnormal loading. And once you damage your joint cartilage, you're pretty fucked. The rest of the skeleton self-repairs very well.
faetal on 3/7/2012 at 13:09
SCIENCE all up in here.
Bakerman on 3/7/2012 at 14:08
Quote Posted by Yakoob
Errr, I think you are looking at the other end of the program, it starts really tame and each chart ups the difficulty.
Oh. Well, that makes sense. So... start from chart 1 at level D, then 1C, etc.? I might have a look for those modern versions you speak of.
Quote Posted by Yakoob
I cant think of any two higher things to prop it on for lying pull ups.
I've used tables/desks before, if there's room to stick your legs underneath them. Just requires a palms-forward grip, but that's good for you anyway :p. Aside from that - if you're doing 5BX and going for a mile run outside, look for railings, bike racks, or even walls that you can hang off. Not to mention trees with low-hanging boughs! Or playgrounds. Swings and monkey bars are particularly useful.
Eshaktaar on 3/7/2012 at 14:59
If you're out of options, put a bath towel on top of a door (to avoid splinters & to prevent it from closing) and use that for pull-ups. Works surprisingly well, just test the stability of your doors beforehand :D
Stitch on 3/7/2012 at 15:10
Fitness demystified:
To lose weight, reign in what you eat. Seriously, it's that simple. Count calories for awhile to gain some awareness as to what you're putting in your body. The goal isn't to totally strip out the gluttonous things you love to eat, but instead to give you the ability to make informed decisions. And yes, weight loss is far more complicated than calories--thirty calories of chocolate isn't the same as thirty calories of carrots, for example--but focusing on calories at least gives you a loose way to break data down and discover where that weight is coming from. It ain't perfect, but it's close enough to work with.
Exercise is good, but if weight loss is the goal then stop stuffing that fat face; it's easier to not eat that pie than it is to work it off. That being said, exercise benefits your body in countless ways, so it's always a good idea (especially as there is obviously more to fitness than weight management). Engage in a cardio activity at least several times a week. At least some weight training is good, too, and if you don't have the gear you can always do pull ups and push ups and the like. In fact, you should do these regardless as they're good for you.
Perhaps most important, though, is this: don't go on diets, don't do crazy-ass two week workouts, don't do any drastic shit in an attempt to fit into that speedo for that August Cancun trip. Make life changes that you can keep up; fitness shouldn't be seen as a temporary measure. Find healthy food that you like to eat and exercise activities that you like to do, but then also include unhealthy food (in moderation) and sitting on your ass (in moderation). It's all about balance.
And know that you're probably never going to have the body of an underwear model, and that's fine--that shit takes a ton of work and odds are good genetics didn't deal you the hand that makes such things realistically attainable. Just focus on you, as fitness is a competition you're having only with yourself.
Stitch on 3/7/2012 at 15:14
Quote Posted by Muzman
It's interesting there's a lot of exercises in these intense routines that were cut from official and education programs (here) years ago because people regularly fuck up their backs doing them (burpees, clapping pushups etc)
I wonder if they've had a bit of a rethink.
This brings up another important point:
always pay attention to your form and for the love of god listen to your body. If something feels wrong it probably is.
Renault on 3/7/2012 at 15:53
Quote Posted by Stitch
To lose weight, reign in what you eat. Seriously, it's that simple.
Agreed for the most part, but once you get a bit older, like in my case 40 something, eating well will only go so far. Sure you can maintain, but to lose weight, you're going to need to exercise in some form. Unless you're stretching yourself way too thin on food and/or starving yourself.
As with anything, it's usually about balance. Cut back a bit on portions, AND walk/run 2-3 times per week.
