My sport is better than your sport - one pt 4 weight training enthusiasts

[CF-OC_gal]

Here is an excerpt of an article discussing the lifestyle and training factors that lead to increased aging due if your preference is endurance training.

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: Endurance training is antithetical to anti-aging. So it amazes me when guys in their 40s and 50s who are training for a marathon or Ironman suggest that doing so will keep them young. It won’t. You may feel like a stud now with your shaved legs and your magic marker biceps tattoos, but endurance training speeds up the aging process almost as fast as watching TV, drinking sodas and eating potato chips. Actually, in some cases, it speeds it up even faster.

I know, I know, you’ve been told that exercise is the great panacea -- the fountain of youth -- and that the more you do, the greater the benefits will accrue. Well, science has started to prove that concept wrong, and I suspect the evidence in support of my thesis will accumulate exponentially now that the first generation of Frank Shorter "psychophants" has started dropping. There is a middle ground where there's a perfect balance of diet and exercise that will lead to the longest, most productive and "youthful" existence possible. But it certainly isn't found in endurance training. That said, I do think there are ways (some legal, some not) to mitigate the damage and extract the healthiest life possible if you do choose to train long and hard.
First, if I may, a little history lesson:

Read the full article here.

So what do you think, are there holes in his argument? I find it curious that someone who has achieved such a high performance level in an endurance sport can turn around and say how counter positive it is.

[.V.]

Interesting article Brat. Thanks for sharing.

I gather from the article that instead of a 38 year old weight training, triathlete wannabe, I should aspire to be a 40 year old, serious weight training, sprinting, old guy on TRT. : Woohoo, the future looks bright and strong with more rest.

Seriously though, there is food for thought in that article. Perhaps those of us who advocate higher fat and less carbs in the diet feel better on these kinds of foods for a reason? I know when I'm on the lower carb, higher fat phases of my eating dicipline I do feel better and more energetic. But in all honesty, the training bricks for triathlon are much harder to get through during these same phases.

[Lady C]

I knew I hated the endurance and would rather do the weights, maybe my body knows something I don't.

Right Welch. Maybe I should try that (more fat, less carbs) and see if I recover faster too.

[.V.]

Lady C, I thought you'd tried that already and it didn't work as well for you?

I was always called a caveman, maybe that's why it works better for me?

But there is another aspect to it too that isn't mentioned in the article. Insulin is THE MOST ANABOLIC hormone in the human body. Way more so than testosterone. I'd think it to be completely impossible to develop a natural physique on par with that of MostMuscle or Todd without the carbs to get the insulin spikes.

And of course the biggest of the big, not only do they rely on UG lab substances to help out...slin is widely used. Hmmm, I wonder if that's a contrubuting factor to the increased incindence of heart disease and early deaths among some of them?

Up until recently, I was a high-rep volume bodyweight-only exercise and longer-distance running fitness dude. It served me well. But as of late, I have flipped to lower rep weight-training, playing around with the Oly lifts and track distances for my running and I believe, once I tweak it, that it will serve me well too.

The program has got to match the personality and our personalities sometimes change over time. I personally think it is all good provided that we show up and do it with passion.

The only person who can knock or take shots at a training method is one who has done it.

[Maxgain]

That article is so beautiful I cried a little.

However I still think it does not put me off the hook for 20 minute runs no matter what I read into it.

[Maxgain]

Originally Posted by a_welch503

. Insulin is THE MOST ANABOLIC hormone in the human body. Way more so than testosterone. I'd think it to be completely impossible to develop a natural physique on par with that of MostMuscle or Todd without the carbs to get the insulin spikes.

However if you recall my last avatar imajor anabolism has occured in his body however it is the testosterone and others that distinguishes Todd et al from him.

[.V.]

Originally Posted by Maxgain

However if you recall my last avatar imajor anabolism has occured in his body however it is the testosterone and others that distinguishes Todd et al from him.

Very true. But I think the hard work has a bit more to do with it than just testosterone.

Another thing, no the article doesn't get ous out of our 20 minute runs or 15 minutes of HIIT or whatever other cardio we do. I think it's referring to real endurance training. Ever seen what a real triathlete or even 1/2 IM competitor goes through? My little 15-20 mile bike rides and 3-4 mile runs never came close to what they do. Among people who are into real endurance, a 15 mile run is an easy training day.

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by Maxgain

That article is so beautiful I cried a little.

LMAO!

Tabata this and that, HIIT , sprints and 5k races are really quite fine. :

You know what rude awakening I'm discovering too? Eating lots of vegetables makes your skin glow! Not the exercise and fresh air... it's eating those darn high volumes of fresh weeds !

P.S. - don't forget the natural growth hormone when talking about progress.