Have you ever wondered what's really going on when you're doing those dreaded stomach crunches? University researchers currently are studying which exercises will maximize your workout.
The Exercise Physiology Laboratory provides exercise testing facilities for a broad range of scientific studies. Located in the University's General Clinical Research Center at University Medical Center, the exercise lab plays a vital role in supporting multidisciplinary GCRC research involving exercise physiology, body composition, regional distribution of body fat, metabolism, strength, balance and function.
"There are about 15 to 20 GCRC Exercise Physiology Laboratories nationwide, but we are the only exercise physiology lab that is physically located on the GCRC," lab director Arthur Weltman said.
Currently, the lab performs all the exercise testing for investigators who have an exercise physiology component as part of their study.
One such study involved a new exercise approach called "the Spark," which uses short workout intervals to maintain cardiovascular health, strength and flexibility.
According to University exercise physiologist Glenn Gaesser, following the Spark approach simply requires "short increments of exercise, such as 10 minutes, about 15 times a week in order to improve cardiovascular health and prevent loss of muscle over time."
Gaesser and co-author Karla Dougherty first introduced the Spark approach to exercise in their book, "The Spark: The Revolutionary Three-Week Fitness Plan That Changes Everything You Know About Exercise, Weight Control, and Health." The book was first released in hardback last January and will be released in soft cover this January, "just in time for all the New Year's resolutions," Gaesser said.
In "The Spark," the authors claim that quick, vigorous bursts of exercise performed for a duration of 10 minutes at least 15 times a week bring the same total health and fitness benefits as a solid hour in the gym three days a week. Gaesser states that results can be measured in just a few weeks. "This is a concrete, thoroughly documented, scientifically and medically sound guarantee," he said. Gaesser continues to study the benefits of exercise at the University.
"The Spark is a metaphor for getting someone's metabolism up and running," he said. "There are three basic types of exercise including aerobic that would be brisk or power walking _ strengthening that would be hand-held weights, pushups and sit-ups __ and stretching and flexibility exercises." During each 10-minute session, it is important to "mix the exercises as you see fit and focus most on whatever you are weakest in," Gaesser said.
The Spark program comprises seven to 10 aerobic sessions, two to four strength-training sessions and two to four flexibility sessions per week.
Gaesser explains that Sparking works because the body begins burning fat during the first minute of exercise. Gaesser also stresses that the body does not need to break into a sweat in order to get a good workout.
Sparking offers an alternative to the time-consuming traditional fitness formula. Intense workouts for 20 minutes to an hour three to five days a week, lifting weights on opposite days and one hour of stretching each week.
"Although this [traditional] program may work for some, many people don't have time" for grueling fitness regimens, Gaesser said.
"When the Spark study began two years ago, I thought it would be best for people who do not have time to exercise or claim they don't, such as adults in their middle ages" who work 40 hours a week, Gaesser said. The program could be useful for college students who also have trouble making time for exercise.
According to Gaesser, the two major benefits are improved cardiovascular health and the prevention of loss of muscle over time.
"Within a few weeks people start to feel better in their overall health and attitude," Gaesser said. "The benefits come from the result of exercise itself, it does not matter whether a person is fit or unfit."
Gasser and Dougherty claim the Spark exercise program also may lower blood pressure and symptoms of stress and depression.
In addition to presenting an exercise regimen, Gaesser's book offers ways to improve attitudes about food providing a high-fiber, high-energy food plan. His diet strategy relies on research suggesting foods rich in complex carbohydrates such as bagels, pretzels and pasta, as well as beans, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, help people slim down and lower serious health risks.
"The biggest and most noticeable improvements come in the first month," Gaesser said. "After that, it is about maintaining fitness, which can become harder to do as one grows older."
Studies at the exercise physiology lab helped Gaesser to create the Spark method. In addition, the lab has helped many other University scientists to understand more about how exercise affects the body.
"Typically, the lab performs about 2,400 procedures per year, with each study taking one to five years to complete," Weltman said. "Graduate students help conduct research in the lab and undergraduates get paid to participate in tests."
Components of the exercise testing include metabolic rate and biochemistry during exercise, bedside basal and resting metabolism. The body composition tests involve underwater weighing, air displacement and total body water. The lab's 10 beds are useful in analysis of CAT scans and MRI measurements in order to determine bone mineral density, muscle mass and regional distribution of body fat.
The ultimate goal of exercise studies is to ensure that people get the most benefit from the exercises they do. Through their work at the exercise physiology lab, Gaesser and other University scientists are helping people exercise smarter.
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