Are you stuck because of the intensity gap?
Phase 1: The Stimulus
The stimulus is what you do for exercise. The type of exercise we do as we age is a key factor in fat loss, metabolism, and overall wellness. Balance in your fitness practice is also important. Moderate, longer aerobic exercise has a catabolic effect on your body, meaning going for a run or doing a cardio Peloton class sends a message to the body to break down the body’s protein stores, which means eating muscle. But cardiovascular endurance training also uses fat as fuel, and thus supports lower blood pressure, better cholesterol levels, and stronger heart and lungs. In contrast, strength training has an anabolic effect, meaning doing the right type of strength training can increase hormone production, which needs to be a strong consideration as you age.
Hormones significantly influence how our bodies adapt. Both men and women have testosterone and estrogen, along with many other hormones that are key in maintaining lean muscle, healthy metabolism, strong bones, good energy levels, and so many other things that allow us to stay strong, healthy, and age well. Those hormones are affected differently by the different exercises we do. So, as we look at stimulus, especially in those of us over 40, which is when our hormones start to decline more rapidly, we have to look at what type of exercise we are doing and how intense that stimulus is. As you age, your hormone levels drop. Specifically, male testosterone drops on average 3 percent per year after the age of 40. For women, estrogen peaks in the late twenties and drops 50 percent by the age of 50, with an even sharper decline after menopause. Women as young as 30 will see a minimum of 3–5 percent lean muscle loss per year, and along with this, an increase in body fat and a decrease in bone density. So as we age, we need to increase stimulus that also increases our hormone levels.
The right amount and intensity of stimulus isn’t up to you, it’s up to your body. The biggest miss by far when people use the adaptation cycle for training is what I call the “intensity gap.” They believe they’ve got the right amount of intensity from the stimulus, even when the body doesn’t respond. As I mentioned in my last blog when discussing over-trainers and under-trainers, many people don’t get the intended stimulus because there is a gap between what they think they can do and what they can actually do. A study by York University in Toronto took a group of people and put them on a treadmill and asked them to run at a low intensity. Then they were asked to get their heart rate up to 93 percent of max by running at a vigorous pace. Most of the participants thought they were at the 93 percent of max when really they were still well below 75 percent of max heart rate.
The way forward to by learning to understand what your starting point is and how far you can push just right outside that starting point. Let me clear…..without the knowledge of what your intensity gap is, it becomes very challenging to see the body adapt by using fitness as a tool. We all have an intenisty gap, the key is to be aware and then slowly close the gap.
There are so many factors that go into getting a good stimulus and intensity is just one. There is a certain skill level required for strength training and some cardio elements, but you can be certain that even at the most basic level you can find something to do that requires low skill and allows for high intensity. Whatever that is, that is where you want to start.
See you in the gym,
Aaron Leventhal CSCS, PN1