pace, progressively accelerating cardiopulmonary exertion by al sears m.d

[AdamJM]

recently i subscribed to mark hymans newsletters and in one of the emails he recommended a exercise plan by a dr Al Sears which i thought was quite interesting.

Hello,

What did our caveman ancestors know about exercise that we didn't?

After all, they didn't spend hours in the gym doing painfully long aerobic sessions.

But they did have incredible strength, speed and stamina.

If they saw a threatening animal like a saber-toothed tiger or even a hungry dinosaur coming at them...you guessed it, it was time to run, and fast.

So what did our cavemen ancestors know that we don't?

It's something I've talked about repeatedly in my books and blogs and it's the same principle that underlies my dietary recommendations.

What they did was do what their genes had evolved to do -- exert tremendous amounts of energy in a short period of time.

They didn't run for hours on end, starve themselves with ridiculous diets or lift boulders over their heads to build bigger muscles.

Cavemen followed natural cycles of work and rest, or what I call periods of exertion and recovery.

This helped them to build their reserve capacity -- their ability to exert tremendous amounts of energy in a short period of time.

Reserve capacity means your heart has the ability to pump more blood, faster in times of stress.

Reserve capacity for your lungs allows them to deal with high exertion like lifting, carrying, running or going up stairs.

And not only did this help caveman build incredibly strong hearts and lungs, but it also made them lean, fat burning machines, which I'll explain why in a second.

The big takeaway here is that if eating like our ancestors did leads to health and vitality, then it makes sense that we should exercise like our ancestors as well...just as our bodies were designed to do.

And thankfully, by exercising the way our ancestors did, we can not only spend less time exercising -- as little as 12 - 20 minutes per day -- but we can strengthen our hearts and lungs and reduce the risk of heart attacks or developing breathing problems.

You've actually heard of this type of exercise before -- it's called interval training and can have powerful effects in a very short period of time.

A few years ago, Harvard researchers published the Harvard Health Professionals Study.

After studying over 7,000 people they found that the key to preventing heart disease is intensity – NOT long-duration exercise.

What's more interesting is that in another study, researchers found that by doing the right type of interval training, people continued to burn fat for up to 24 hours after the interval training session.

Now, while I do know a lot about interval training and exercise, up until now I haven't had an opportunity to provide you with a detailed program.

But fortunately, I recently came across a special program developed by a doctor down in Florida that, through a few simple yet powerful modifications, takes interval training to the next level.

He has developed a step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to exercise smarter, not harder, by using the principles of interval training.

If you are like me and hate to go the gym, then you'll find the link below very interesting:

==> http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=89261&AdID=500834

Please ignore the marketing hype at the top and read the entire page to understand the science behind this program and why it works.

This unique program is something I highly recommend for those of you who are physically ready to exercise.

However, if are extremely overweight or are in very poor health and are physically immobile, I highly suggest that you pursue a healthy eating plan first and then give exercise a try only when you are ready.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, MD

PS - One thing that I found fascinating was the "Jim Fixx Phenomenon", which showed that the new science from the 1960s about exercising for long durations was a big mistake. You can read more by going to the website below:

==> http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=89261&AdID=500834

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as someone who works out on a regular basis, and who (like alot of other people i suppose) thought that doing long cardio and weightlifting sessions would be the key to gaining a healthy, functional body i figured i'd check it out, especially as it has similarities with the high intensity program(developed by mike mentzer) that i tried a while back and got good results from. so i checked out a few bits on the net and have so far been quite impressed. rather than being a drawn out cardio session it is more focused on small bursts of exercise followed by short breaks, and from the testimonies of the people who have used it seems to have done the job, even if they are only exercising for 10-20mins max a day.

one thing that i noticed was his affirmation of correct breathing, and how it is the key to keeping a healthy body and thus mind.

Why Is Proper Breathing
So Important?
Martial artists, yoga masters and high-level athletes from
around the world have a secret weapon. It’s what Bruce Lee
called “Breath Power.” The ability to control your breathing
patterns to improve strength, stamina and sense of well
being.
Besides delivering oxygen to your muscles during exertion,
breathing is also the foundation for emotional intensity,
physical equilibrium, and a sense of internal power.
Martial artists and high performance athletes of all kinds
know that proper breathing techniques help them get in the
zone, perform better and recover much more quickly. On
top of that, improving your breathing literally helps improve
your ability to develop higher and higher levels of functional
fitness.
Dr. Alison McConnell, a researcher at Birmingham
University, London, UK, says, “In addition to their role
in bringing the air in and out of our lungs, the breathing
muscles (principally the diaphragm, the muscles of the
rib cage and the abdominal muscles) play a vital role in
stabilizing and rotating the upper body.”
So in essence, the quality of your breathing directly affects
your core strength and lays the foundation for optimal
athletic performance!
What Are The Benefits Of Proper Breathing?
Hundreds of studies have proven that proper breathing
techniques before, during and after exercise delivers:
Increased Stamina
Increased Endurance
Better Performance
Quicker Recovery
Enhanced Oxygen Absorption
Increased Muscle Development

Proper breathing provides your body with oxygen for the
correct and efficient functioning of every cell. Without
sufficient oxygen, your muscles cannot perform at their
peak, leaving you weak and listless part way through your
workout.
Additionally, improper breathing inhibits your cells from
metabolizing your food properly. That means all those
nutrients and vitamins you need to build, tone and repair
your muscles will be lost.
Proper breathing, on the other hand, allows your body to
metabolize food efficiently and to rid itself of all the noxious
gaseous by-products of metabolism, especially carbon
dioxide.
Proper breathing soothes the nervous system; calms,
steadies, and clears the mind; improves concentration;
focuses attention; and increases the ability to deal with
complex situations without suffering from stress. Plus,
it tones and trains your diaphragm, rib and abdominal
muscles to improve core strength and stability.

now what ive read seems to make sense, so im gonna give it a shot. i thought id post this just in case anybody else is interested and would like to give it a go as well. it would also be cool to hear if anybody else has tried it and what results they got.

cheers, ad

 

[Gaby]

Hi Ad,

I read Al Sears book and his PACE program. It made a lot of sense! It made me think why no one else have thought of it before. I tried it for awhile and I really liked it.

 

[AdamJM]

ive never been a fan of long cardio sessions, so this really was music to my ears. and the fact that it was developed mainly as a rehabilitation program means that it will be doing my body good rather than beating it into the ground. one thing that i noticed whenever i got into a serious workout routine was that a few months down the line like clockwork i would get struck down with an illness. the last one was the mumps, which was a right pain. i never really grasped the fact that lengthy periods of exercise is most likely the reason why my body couldn't fend off illnesses, despite how obvious it seems.

anyways, cheers for the feedback. im definitely looking forward to trying this out.

 

[theos]

I've done interval training where you start at a walk, go to a jog, then a faster jog, then faster again for about 1 to 2 minute cycles lasting for 20 minutes total. I did notice a fast increase in my endurance and better results as far as weight loss and weight control so I think Hyman's info is quite sound.

I use to work out at the gym quite heavily 5-6 days a week for several years but it was still difficult to lose weight or maintain a reasonable weight for me. I would still gain weight even with all the working out even though I ate "better" but still consumed wheat and dairy etc. Right before I started the diet and detox I was having all kinds of aches and pains and even a heel spur. Since being on the diet I don't gain weight even with exercising very little and I'm smaller than when I was killing myself at the gym. I would like to try this program out just for the cardiovascular benefits.

 

[AdamJM]

that sounds a lot like like my mate who i used to go to the gym with. we were hitting the gym 5-6 days a week, for 1-2 hours a day in the morning, but he was then going to the gym in the evening to do another hour of cardio. although he never had a problem gaining muscle he could never seem to clear his body fat. on the other hand, the problem for me was never losing the weight but putting it on, and i expect all that exercise wasn't really helping to reverse it.

im still in the process of cutting out wheat and dairy. i almost never drink milk, and if i do it usually goats milk or a chocolate bar, and if i ever eat anything with wheat or containing gluten its usually brown rice and the occasional cake. i have begun to notice that when i consume cakes or chocolate that i have joint aches for a day of so following, hopefully it will give the incentive to cut it out completely.