Pop-sci: Best anti-ageing exercise is high intensity interval training

Open access paper: Enhanced Protein Translation Underlies Improved Metabolic and Physical Adaptations to Different Exercise Training Modes in Young and Old Humans

Which is a fucking mouthful compared to this Ben Hur is an epic.

So they want old people to do high intensity interval training?

Sounds dangerous.

It's a cunning plan.

This is what I've been doing for my diabetes, I do a HIIT rowing routine and cycling

Does it work?

Yep

Cool. I should start doing some, before I get diabetic.

Does cycling to work count?

Can't hurt, providing the air you're breathing isn't too polluted (there was a study recently which claimed cycling in some cities was bad for your health). But depending on how you do it, it may not be HIIT.

ETA: One of the things I love about living in a rural area is that the air is actually clean.

I came across 3 stories of men who smashed themselves up in cycling accidents in November-December last year. One went over a Labrador dog, one went over a kangaroo and the third one collected a pedestrian and woke up in a trauma hospital with no idea how he got there.

Well, that's definitely high intensity.

I'm thinking I need a good kayak. Plenty of places to use it around here, and could paddle it hard for a few minutes, then ease off for a few. Rinse* and repeat.

*Or maybe not, if I don't capsize the kayak.

Does cycling to work count?

You need to really push yourself as hard as you can to elevate your heart rate for a minute at a time, then slow down for another minute and repeat for around 10 mins. I do it on a rowing machine at the work gym 2 min warmup, then 10 mins HIIT routine 3 times a week. East to fit into lunch breaks.

The regime for this paper was 10 minute warmup, 4 minutes flat out, 3 minutes easy, repeat that lot 4 times, followed by 5 minutes cooling down. So a forty minute total (10 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 5).

http://www.cell.com/cms/attachment/2086567008/2074217490/mmc1.pdf

That's a lot more than the ones I've seen (most are 20 mins tops)

High-intensity interval training consisted of 3 days per week of intervals on an electronically braked cycle ergometer
(Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and 2 days per week on motorized treadmill walking (Tuesday and Thursday).
The interval protocol was a 10-minute warm-up followed by 4 cycles of 4-minute high intervals (> 90%) with 3-
minute rest (pedaling at no load) then a 5-minute cool down. The time per session at high intensity was 16 minutes.
The treadmill protocol was a self-selected walking pace (2-4 mph) with a 10-minute warm-up, 45 minutes at incline
at 70% VO2 peak then a 5-minute cool down.

No wonder the old buggers got fit (if they survived).

Yeah that's pretty brutal

This is what I based mine on:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37249021

That bit about the hand grip exercises is fascinating.

Come to think of it, would rowing effectively emulate hand grip exercises? Your hands have to hang onto the oars pretty well if you don't want to go arse up, and its a cyclic load.

I would have thought so. 2 for one deal.