Your body's response to exercise

[Louis]

Apparently some folks don't improve.

Link to NYT story (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/phys-ed-the-workout-enigma/?ref=magazine)

Recently, researchers in Finland made the discovery that some people’s bodies do not respond as expected to weight training, others don’t respond to endurance exercise and, in some lamentable cases, some don’t respond to either. In other words, there are those who just do not become fitter or stronger, no matter what exercise they undertake.

[eddief]

actually, that is a very interesting study. Makes me consider the 2-3000 miles I cycled this year and my last Wed. 45 mile ride still cooked me.

[stephenmarklay]

That is pretty interesting. I guess it is more surprising to me that this is news though.

Is this really the first evidence that some people don't have the same adaptations to exercise as others?

I think that the last paragraph is the most important.

I am going out on a limb that everyone can have a positive adaption to exercise. Sure some may respond very minimally or the with a program that differs from the protocol.

I am a new very much a sceptic now days (must come with age) but I am sure that a much more thorough study is warranted.

Thanks for posting this as like I said it is very interesting. This is why Eddy was Eddy and Lance was Lance and Schwarzenegger was ...

Life is about making the best of what you have and Eddief don't sell yourself short.

EDIT: After reading the abstract of the study I see that the Times report claims a lot more than the study actually indicates. For instance the cross section of people's age was 40-67. The changes are pretty marked during that time of life. At 41 I am still strong and fit but at 67? And would I have the same response to exercise? Doubtful. I wonder if the 67 year old participants would have had a different response at 20? I bet they would have.

[Louis]

The ironic thing is that just yesterday, while out on my Saturday ride, I was thinking to myself "The neat thing about exercise is that all you have to do is keep at it and you will improve." Ever since the time change a while back (and also due to weather and being busy at work) I haven't been able to ride as much as I would like. Nevertheless, I'm not too far off my "peak" for the season (such as it is, which for a variety of reasons came late for me) and it's fun to notice that some of the hills that used to kill me earlier in the year are now not as tough.

It would be a bummer if you were one of those folks who just was not able to improve. I guess we all gravitate to what rewards us in some positive manner, so if we were terrible at aerobic activities we probably wouldn't be cyclists. I would expect nearly everyone here to fall into to the "will improve" category, with varying degrees of eventual performance ability.

[Louis]

For instance the cross section of people's age was 40-67. The changes are pretty marked during that time of life. At 41 I am still strong and fit but at 67? And would I have the same response to exercise? Doubtful.

I sure hope that they would have controlled for something as basic as subject age.

[RPS]

Is this really the first evidence that some people don't have the same adaptations to exercise as others?

No. I've been aware of differences for at least a few years regarding aerobic conditioning, and when it comes to muscular strength it's been known forever.

[ultraman6970]

Your body's response to exercise <-- yes, I get TIRED! :P

[William]

Doing some form of exercise is still better then doing nothing at all.....big gains or not.

The old adage still applies: "Use it or lose it".




William

[Charles M]

Man that's strange... I know the opposite is true and some folks respond almost immediatly to damn near any excersize form (aka:sonsab!tches).