Latest news with #exercisephysiology
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Is it OK to exercise less in winter?
Shorter days and colder mornings can make regular exercise even more challenging in winter. The concept of "wintering", popularised by a book of the same name by Katherine May, even champions the benefits that come with slowing down during the colder months. But health and exercise experts say there's not much to support the idea of winter hibernation for your physical health. Mandy Hagstrom is an exercise scientist at the University of New South Wales, on Gadigal land in Sydney. She says we tend to expend less energy (by moving around less because it's unpleasant outside) and intake more energy (think comforting winter dinners) over the colder months. That's why — in her opinion — "it's probably more important to continue [exercising] from just a general health and weight maintenance perspective". However, Dr Hagstrom says "there are definitely benefits to taking times of rest and recovery in your training program". These breaks are usually short term, rather than seasonal, she says. "[Wintering] doesn't go hand in hand with [our] modern lifestyle, but the concept of nurturing yourself through times of stress and adapting exercise accordingly I think is really important." Meredith Woolsey, an exercise physiologist in Adelaide — on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people — says it would be unrealistic to expect to maintain an identical routine across the year. She says the sports people play, their schedules and the number of daylight hours all shift with the seasons. "Do what is going to work for you," Ms Woolsey says. "We just want to make sure we're doing an amount [of exercise] that is going to keep everything working well for you in your life." If your winter routine involves exercising out in the cold, she says it's even more important to do a good warm-up and cool down and to wear appropriate gear so you don't increase the risk of injuring yourself. Conan Shing is a PhD student at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Queensland in Meanjin/Brisbane, and he says the "bare minimum" differs from person to person depending on their fitness and wellbeing goals. "It's important to be consistent because if you don't use it, you do loose it," he says. There are national guidelines, which Mr Shing says can "sound like a lot, but really it's just 30 minutes [of vigorous activity] a day during the work week". The Australian Government's physical activity and exercise guidelines recommend adults between the ages of 18 and 64 are active on most days, with a weekly total of "2.5 to 5 hours of moderate activity or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous activity or an equivalent combination of both". Dr Hagstrom says recent research shows that strength and endurance can be maintained with "minimal dose work" or fewer exercise sessions — provided the intensity is also maintained. It's OK to go through phases of doing less, she says, "but don't do nothing, because you can still maintain and gain with a minimalist approach". If the first sign of cold weather led you to abandon your routine entirely, Dr Hagstrom says you may need to "integrate exercise into other parts of your day". If you no longer feel comfortable running in the evening, consider running on your lunch break or joining a gym, she says. Dr Hagstrom says, a short-term or month-to-month membership that will see you through the coldest and darkest part of the year could be an option. Mr Shing says "not everyone can get a gym membership" and an at-home regimen of exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups and planks is another option. While consistency is important, he says you may need to be prepared to change up your activities, he says. For example, he says this could look like swimming in summer but hitting the treadmill in winter. This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Swing time: experts weigh in on TikTok's kettlebell challenge
We've all seen the headlines around the importance of strength training. But if you're not a regular gym goer, it can feel intimidating to know where to begin. What is the difference between sets and reps? How many should you do? What if you don't want to turn into the Hulk? The latest viral fitness trend of doing 100 kettlebell swings a day for 30 days might seem like a straightforward way in. TikTokers' videos showing them doing the challenge seem to have struck a chord, racking up millions of views, and promising the regime can flatten your stomach, make your glutes stronger and help with back pain. But experts warn people – especially beginners – to treat the trend with caution. While they encourage people of all ages to start strength training, for some, doing 100 kettlebell swings a day might be an 'injury waiting to happen'. Kettlebell training has been shown to increase muscle mass, which makes your bones stronger, and has been shown in some cases to help reduce fat mass as well as improve back and neck pain, Dr Kim Way, an exercise physiologist and lecturer at Deakin University, says. However, those studies have not assessed doing 100 kettlebell swings a day – typically they have examined some form of kettlebell exercises two to three times a week, Way said. 'There's certainly a lot of difference in … the amount of stress that's being placed on the body, in terms of exercising every day versus having some recovery to allow for the body to essentially adapt,' Way said. A/Prof Justin Keogh, an exercise scientist at Bond University, said the health benefits also depended on the weight of kettlebell used. A heavier weight will help increase strength, muscle power and mass, while doing more repetitions with fewer rest periods will improve strength and endurance, may reduce body fat, and can have cardiovascular health benefits, he said. Kettlebell swings can be advantageous because you have to coordinate different upper and lower body segments and it mirrors the movement patterns that are 'more similar to what life throws at us,' Keogh said. Doing 100 kettlebell swings a day carries the risk of 'going a little bit too hard, too early', Keogh says. 'The chance that your hamstrings, lower back, forearms, etc, are going to feel really tight the next three or four days … is pretty high, and then you might not want to do any exercise over those next couple of days.' Keogh encourages people to start strength training carefully and gradually intensify their workouts in order to minimise their chance of what's known as delayed onset muscle soreness, which occurs when muscles that haven't been used to the level of exertion get quite sore for several days post-exercise. Way also agrees 100 kettlebell swings is 'quite a lot of swinging', especially if done every day. 'What I see with trends like this is that you're getting people excited about an exercise, which is great … but exposing people, especially if they haven't had any exposure to an exercise, that's just an injury waiting to happen because you haven't had the time to allow your body to adapt to the muscle stress, and the joint stress, that potentially this exercise will be placing on the system,' they said. Way is also concerned people might not be developing the correct technique. 'While the kettlebell swing might not necessarily look like a super complex movement – and compared to other exercises, it might not be – but even if you've just got a little part that's a bit wrong, it can put yourself into an area of potential injury.' They encourage people to find resources to ensure that they're using the correct technique. Way also advises if a person is new to exercise, they should listen to their body because if they start to fatigue, 'this is where technique can really quickly break down' and make injury more likely. Our genes largely determine the maximum size and strength of our bones, which is what's called 'peak bone mass', but exercise can also influence whether we reach our full bone mass potential by the age of 25-30. People generally begin to lose bone mass from the age of around 40 onwards. Keogh says it's better to begin resistance training earlier because then your muscle and bone mass will reach a higher peak. 'But again, we do know that regardless of the age that you start resistance training, you will get benefits compared to those people who [aren't].' Way says that types of exercise like yoga and pilates, which require us to use our body weight as a form of resistance, are 'a great way' to get into resistance training. However, people should keep in mind that if they use body weight exercises for their main form of resistance training there probably is a 'ceiling effect' once you are strong with your own body weight. Then using external weights – whether at the gym or finding weights at home through using cans of food or filling backpacks – can be helpful to get some resistance. Way emphasises 'it doesn't need to be a lot' – sometimes the big fear people have is that to do weight training they have to emulate bodybuilders online who are training for two or three hours each time. 'It actually can be pretty simple,' Way said. You can just strip it down, allocating five to eight exercises targeting your main muscle groups (your chest muscles, back muscles and leg muscles), and doing two to three sets, anywhere between eight and 15 repetitions. 'When you're trying to get into exercise, the best form of movement is always going to be the one that you enjoy. Resistance training or weight training is definitely a great one, because it gives you a really big host of benefits,' Way says. Natasha May is Guardian Australia's health reporter Antiviral is a fortnightly column that interrogates the evidence behind the health headlines and factchecks popular wellness claims What health trend do you want examined? Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
Times
12-05-2025
- Health
- Times
How to start weight training in midlife
You've bought a set of dumbbells, but do you really know what you should be doing with them? Resistance training is touted as being the most important thing we can do to improve the strength and appearance of a midlife body, protecting it against the inevitable muscular decline that occurs naturally as we age. And yet misconceptions abound about how best to build stronger, healthier muscles. 'Strength training is one of those things that can seem overcomplicated with so many different opinions and advice,' says George Morris, an exercise physiologist and strength and conditioning coach at St Mary's University, Twickenham. In fact, Morris says, the basics are simple. Here's how to get started. As a very rough guide, women starting out from scratch should invest
