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Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

bjsm.bmj.com

401–410 of 556 posts

Re: Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

#401

Some of my peers are deep into running. I don’t get it. Running is sometimes fun for me but most often painful. Then I overheard one of them (the fittest) say to a budding runner that he [should] do mostly easy sessions. Okay what’s easy to him? He said that so slow that it can feel awkward and unnatural. What? Then I searched around and found out about Zone 2 and how you should do most of your work in that zone when…

> And try to not let my groin fall asleep.

I was "forced" into biking a few years ago (had an injury that prevented running) and had the same problem with the groin. I thought it was a natural thing with biking, but it can actually be quite bad for you in the long run, and it's very fixable! Sitting position and saddle makes a huge difference. Ofc position is the cheaper thing to fix, but saddle is easier.

Go to a bike shop and explain the problem and they'll help you find a saddle that fits you, don't go on with getting your groin numbed.

Re: Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

#402

Fortunately, this seems relatively simple to change (compared to other things with this magnitude of impact). It was a transformative experience to go from 40 VO2max to 57 (as reported by Apple Watch, and losing 30lbs on the way) over the past 12 months. The best part about it is that I didn't even have to give up anything - the extra energy I gained from 90-120 minutes of aerobics per day also had the effect of maki…

Even if Vo2 is inaccurate on Apple watch , relative increase in your Vo2 is a positive metric. Kudos to you.

Re: Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

#403

Some of my peers are deep into running. I don’t get it. Running is sometimes fun for me but most often painful. Then I overheard one of them (the fittest) say to a budding runner that he [should] do mostly easy sessions. Okay what’s easy to him? He said that so slow that it can feel awkward and unnatural. What? Then I searched around and found out about Zone 2 and how you should do most of your work in that zone when…

I’ve been doing ultra marathons now for over a decade and the key is slow. Walk a lot at first if you have to. Some key resources getting started are Jeff Galloway and his run walk method. Once you build up to mostly running just mix in a few “strides” a week: pick two workouts and run 5x 30s at a “not quite sprint” speed. That’s it. Anything else you mix in (tempo, intervals, progressions, blah blah blah) is the last 10% and completely optional.

Your zone 2 speed will change over time. I do most of my training in zone 1 now, and that’s like a 9 minute per mile pace. When I started more than 15 years ago a 9 minute mile felt like death. Patience. This takes a lot of time.

Re: Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

#404
post #324

Not sure about this one. When in my fourties I looked in the mirror one day and thought "my god man you have piled on a few pounds lately". I immediately went out and joined a gym for a bit of indoor running So, I went weekly for an hour or two. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My I'm not sure! I was happily running along on my treadmill one day, hreart rate at a constant 125bpm, whe suddenly there was an almighty commotion…

Something similar happened at the gym I went to years ago, although I wasn't there when it happened. The poor guy collapsed while lifting weights. WEIGHTS. I kept reluctantly going for a few days before stopping. Then on the radio I heard about a guy collapsing while running on the treadmill, just like your fellow gymgoer, and it was the last drop in the bucket that kept me from doing any exercise other than slow to…

*prospect of dying

Re: Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

#405
post #348
post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2 hours a day is a ridiculous amount

Not as ridiculous amount as average (and mine) screen time.

Sure, but I get paid for most of my screen time. I can't pay my rent in time spent running.

Re: Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

#406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds ridiculous until you go to Amsterdam see that few wear helmets there. And everyone is cycling. They might be more inclined to cycle because they don’t need to wear a helmet. After years of cycling with helmet you get so used to it and it doesn’t bother you. But how many skip the bike because they never got used to wearing a helmet?

Helmets are also overrated. I've fallen many times and not once I've hit my head. They are probably useful in high speed impacts, but then you are fucked anyways. Gloves are much more useful on a daily basis. Saved my hand many times.

A hit to hands or head has a different lethality.

Re: Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

#407
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"It could easily be made better by including a VO2Max test and a DEXA scan every few years." Frankly, the vast majority of people don't need fancy tests. The thing is, the healthcare system is not about optimizing health or performance. It's mostly about fixing problems and heading off the most common ones in the easiest ways. If the goal was to optimize, it would be relatively easy for a trained individual to examin…

I think you neglect the motivation factor. Hard data that can be quantitatively tracked is motivating for many. Think of the fitness tracker market. It’s huge. For myself, the tests served as a wake-up call in a way that knowing I was 10-15 lbs too pudgy and not the fastest runner was not. At the very least, good medical care provides information. What the individual does with it is up to them.

I get it. But you can get similar data from the old-fashioned way of measuring circumferences, weight, height, pinch test, etc to get body fat percentages, or the VO2 max approximation tests. The other thing to point out, is the only people getting/doing any of these tests are already motivated enough to give a damn.

Yes, medical care should provide information. There are lower tech and cheaper ways to provide actionable information. But like you said, it's up to the individual. Either the will is there or it isn't. If someone knows they would benefit from the visual representation of a scan, they can ask for one. Technically DEXA carries some risk with x-ray exposure if done on a recurring basis.

Re: Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

#408
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your indicators will be different, but your actual O2 uptake should be essentially similar. Any difference should be due to technique (if you've optimized your breathing/rhythm/etc for one but not the other).

This is incorrect. VO2max is influenced mostly by muscle recruitment - different muscle group trained would be a hindrance if anything

"VO2max is influenced mostly by muscle recruitment"

This is incorrect - the primary factor is heart and lung function. Yes, muscle training can play a factor, but is relatively minor compared to that.

Re: Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

#409
post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also value in spending some time in zone 5 [1]: this is where the heart is really trained as a muscle, and where the cardiovascular system is pushed to its limit (the famous vo2max: increasing vo2max is done in zone 5, for ex. with HIIT [2]). Zone 2 is all about giving the mitochondries a chance to get better at providing a steady energy flow over a long time, mainly by optimizing for burning fat as fuel inst…

You’re right, but for someone who doesn’t like running and isn’t a runner, keeping it simple and saying run slow is more helpful.

This is a fair and, as far as I can tell, accurate response. There's a huge difference between new runner strategy and optimized runner strategy. Any optimized fitness/habit plan should be just complex enough that you will maintain it, and that's different for everyone.

Another way to look at this: "ideal" has different definitions depending on whether it's maintainable for any given individual, as well as a definition for "what's the best way to do this if you take willpower out of the equation?"

Re: Cardio fitness is a strong, consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality

#410
post #353

Some of my peers are deep into running. I don’t get it. Running is sometimes fun for me but most often painful. Then I overheard one of them (the fittest) say to a budding runner that he [should] do mostly easy sessions. Okay what’s easy to him? He said that so slow that it can feel awkward and unnatural. What? Then I searched around and found out about Zone 2 and how you should do most of your work in that zone when…

There's also value in spending some time in zone 5 [1]: this is where the heart is really trained as a muscle, and where the cardiovascular system is pushed to its limit (the famous vo2max: increasing vo2max is done in zone 5, for ex. with HIIT [2]). Zone 2 is all about giving the mitochondries a chance to get better at providing a steady energy flow over a long time, mainly by optimizing for burning fat as fuel inst…

Yes. That's why I march quickly with a heavy backpack. That should be zone 2.

Then occupationally I try to do sprints uphill, walk down. Get ready for another uphill sprint. I have been lazy on that unfortunately.

There is also a lot of evidence that sprinting is really good. I mean if you look at the bodies of Olympic sprinters vs Olympic runners, what do you want to develop?

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