Can an intense workout help you live longer?
LONDON. February 18. KAZINFORM Bombarded with adverts promising a longer, healthier life, BBC News Los Angeles correspondent Peter Bowes goes in search of eternal youth.
Are you a jogger or a weight lifter? Do you run marathons or take part in triathlons. When it comes to breaking a sweat, each to their own. But what kind of exercise is best if you want to live longer? In particular, is shorter and sharper better than longer and duller?
According to Dr Stuart Gray from the University of Aberdeen's musculoskeletal research programme, a key factor in reducing the likelihood of early death from cardiovascular disease could be high intensity exercise.
"The benefits do seem to be quite dramatic," he says.
He admits, though, that many in the medical establishment are still promoting moderate intensity exercise.
Gray's study has shown that short bursts of activity, such as sprinting or pedalling all-out on an exercise bike for as little as 30 seconds, result in the body getting rid of fat in the blood faster than exercising at moderate intensity, such as taking a brisk walk, Kazinform quotes BBC News.
And getting rid of fat in the blood is important as it reduces the chances of suffering a heart attack.
The early morning workout at Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California, puts the claims for high intensity exercise to the test. The gym, owned by husband and wife Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove, bases its classes on the latest research from medical journals.
The Cosgroves treat their gymnasium as a fitness laboratory.
Instead of people learning to exercise either from a trainer at their gym, or a friend, or from a magazine, Alwyn Cosgrove wants to bring the latest research to bear on how we should be exercising.
"The medical database is full of stuff that works. All we are doing is putting it together and trying to make something better," he says.
The metabolic zone class, a 45-minute interval training session, is designed to burn fat. Everyone wears a heart-rate monitor and works at their own pace, according to their body's response to the workout.
"We want to get them up to 85% and above of their maximum heart rate," says Rachel Cosgrove.
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