Should you eat protein before exercise, or after?

"Eating protein after exercising may help rev up the body's muscle-making machinery, in both young and older men alike, a small study suggests.

The study of 48 men - half in their twenties and the other half in their seventies -- found that in both age groups, consuming a protein drink after exercise led to a greater increase in muscle protein, compared with downing the drink after a period of rest.

What's more, muscle protein increased at nearly the same rate in young and elderly men, the researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

That suggests that, contrary to some researchers' speculation, older age may not impair the way the body digests and absorbs protein from food, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Luc JC van Loon of Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

The study has a number of limitations. Besides its small size, it did not look at actual muscle mass changes over time -- but only short-term changes in participants' muscle-fiber proteins after the protein drink. So it is not clear what kinds of gains older or younger adults might see from having their protein post-workout.

Still, the findings do suggest that exercising before consuming protein may help the body put those nutrients to greater muscle-building use, according to van Loon's team.

And for older adults, they write, exercise should "clearly" be considered as a way to boost muscle-protein buildup in response to food -- and, by extension, to support healthy aging.

The study included 24 older men with an average age of 74 and 24 young men with an average age of 21, none of whom regularly exercised.

The researchers randomly assigned the men to one of two groups; in one, the men rested for 90 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of exercise -- pedaling a stationary bike and performing light strengthening exercises. In the other group, the men spent those additional 30 minutes relaxing.

Afterward, men in both groups downed a drink containing 20 grams of protein, then had their blood levels of various amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) repeatedly measured. The researchers also took a small sample of tissue from each man's thigh muscle, right before the protein drink and 6 hours afterward, to measure changes in the amounts of protein in the muscle.

Overall, van Loon and his colleagues found, muscle protein increased to a greater extent in the exercise group versus the inactive group, and both older and younger men showed similar benefits.

It's well known that muscle mass tends to wane as people age, and some researchers have proposed that one reason may be that in older people, the body's muscle-protein production responds less efficiently to protein from food, and also to exercise.

However, the current findings suggest that this may not be the case.

"Effective dietary approaches are needed to prevent and/or attenuate the age-related loss of muscle mass," van Loon and his colleagues write.

Based on these findings, they conclude, it's possible that having protein after exercise allows for greater use of food-derived protein for muscle building, in young and old alike."

Article reprinted from Yahoo! Health

Boot camps the newest fitness programs on Treasure Coast, around country

Fit City Bootcamp is Scottsdale and Phoenix's premier fitness Bootcamp! Please visit our site for more information on bootcamp classes in Scottsdale and Phoenix or to inquire about personal training in Scottsdale and/or Phoenix.

""Drop and give me 20!"

If you're familiar with the phrase, you likely survived military basic training or got on the wrong side of your high school gym teacher.

Or, you've joined the latest fitness craze: boot camps.

The military-style exercises featured in boot camp workouts are becoming popular with those who seek camaraderie and quick results. Offered by fitness centers across the Treasure Coast — and the country — boot camp workouts take their name from exercises used to get new military recruits in shape for the rigors of combat.

They are not for the faint of heart.

The workouts are intense, typically lasting between 20 and 40 minutes, and can burn hundreds of calories per hour,.

"Most of the people are burning between 500 and 700 calories," Bonnie Pfiester, co-owner of Longevity Fitness in Vero Beach said. "It depends on how much the person weighs, their heart rate and fitness level."

These workouts are a far cry from the days of Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda. They often still incorporate music, but that's where the similarities end.

"Training has gotten a lot more purposeful and intense because today's consumer not only wants to feel in shape, they also want to see that they are in shape and know the work is paying off," Pfiester said.

Today's boot campers grunt and groan their way through regimens that can include jumping jacks, running, push-ups, squats and sit-ups. Each program establishes its own routine.

Vero Beach resident Robb Falana, 39, said he joined a boot camp class at Longevity Fitness because, along with the cardiovascular and muscle-toning benefits, he enjoys the camaraderie of being in a class setting and having the encouragement of others.

"I'm one of those people who just cannot work out by myself," Falana said. "I get bored easily, but in boot camp you're focused and there's somebody telling you that you need to do something in a certain amount of time."

There is no one age group or "type" of participant. Pfiester said people as young as 16 and as old as 74 have been through Longevity's boot camps.

Boot camp training first made the list of top national fitness trends in 2009, according to a study by the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that provides fitness certification, education and training to fitness professionals and consumers. The number of gyms and other facilities on the Treasure Coast offering the workouts has increased and even includes one local government."

Article reprinted from TCPalm.com.

Have low back pain? Exercise more, not less.

Article courtesy of the University of Alberta

http://www.rso.ualberta.ca/news.cfm?story=91707

by Bev Betkowski

"(Jun 8, 2009) - Edmonton-People with lower back pain are better off exercising more, not less.

A University of Alberta study of 240 men and women with chronic lower-back pain showed that those who exercised four days a week had a better quality of life, 28 per cent less pain and 36 per cent less disability, while those who hit the gym only two or three days a week did not show the same level of change.

"While it could be assumed that someone with back pain should not be exercising frequently, our findings show that working with weights four days a week provides the greatest amount of pain relief and quality of life," said Robert Kell, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of exercise physiology at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus.

About 80 per cent of North Americans suffer from lower back pain.

Kell presented some of the findings May 30 at the American College of Sports Medicine conference in Seattle, Wash.

In the study, groups of 60 men and women with chronically sore lower backs each exercised with weights in two, three or four-day weekly programs, or not at all. Their progress was measured over 16 weeks. The level of pain decreased by 28 per cent in programs that included exercise four days a week, by 18 per cent three days a week and by 14 per cent two days a week. The quality of life, defined as general physical and mental well-being, rose by 28 per cent, 22 per cent and 16 per cent respectively."

Note: While exercise may benefit most individuals with low back pain, not all equipment is recommended for use. For example, machines such as the leg press or bicycle can add tremendous amounts of stress onto the lumbar spine and is not recommended. It is advised that individuals should consult a physician and/or qualified fitness professional before beginning any exercise program. Any questions? Please email me.