Relationships generally interest me, but none more so than those where correlation is misunderstood as causation. This logical fallacy, known as false cause, can be especially misleading when navigating the ‘exercise-to-lose-weight’ conundrum.

It was not all that long ago when it was considered naïve by health practitioners to believe that increased activity contributed to fat loss. Louis Newburgh of the University of Michigan determined in 1942 that a 250-pound man would only burn three calories by walking up a flight of stairs. Newburgh calculated that “He will have to climb twenty flights of stairs to rid himself of the energy contained in one slice of bread!” The only thing Newburgh could say of exercise was that it would make that same man hungrier.

Then, during the sixties, nutritionist Jean Mayer, the future president of Tufts University, contradicted that mainstream thinking arguing that a ‘sedentary lifestyle’ was the primary cause of our Nation’s obesity problem. Mayer and other physicians of the time were shocked to learn that obese patients often ate less food than their leaner counterparts. They also observed that obese people were much less active. Mayer therefore concluded (and heavily promoted) that low levels of activity were the cause of obesity.

It surprises me that today’s medical community still believes that inactivity causes obesity. We frequently hear that as an industrialized and modern nation, we are drastically less active, expend significantly fewer calories, and therefore are overweight.

Our advancements as a society have afforded us convenience and accessibility. True, but this is a perfect example of when a correlation does not realize causation!

Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Hunter College, Dr. Herman Pontzer recently put the ‘sedentary lifestyle’ theory to the test. Dr. Pontzer and his colleagues measured the high daily energy expenditure among the Hadza people of Tanzania, one of the few remaining traditional hunter-gatherer populations. Would the Hadza, whose lifestyle is exceptionally non-sedentary, expend more energy than we do?

Unexpectedly, Pontzer and his team found that they don’t expend more energy than us – suggesting that inactivity is not the source of today’s obesity problems. Their findings were published in a study last July.

In a New York Times article (August 24, 2012), Pontzer wrote:

“How can the Hadza be more active than we are without burning more calories? It’s not that their bodies are more efficient, allowing them to do more with less: separate measurements showed that the Hadza burn just as many calories while walking or resting as Westerners do…

We think that the Hadzas’ bodies have adjusted to the higher activity levels required for hunting and gathering by spending less energy elsewhere. Even for very active people, physical activity accounts for only a small portion of daily energy expenditure; most energy is spent behind the scenes on the myriad unseen tasks that keep our cells humming and our support systems working. If the Hadza’s bodies somehow manage to spend less energy in those areas, they could easily accommodate the elevated energy demands of hunting and gathering. And indeed, studies reporting differences in metabolic-hormone profiles between traditional and Western populations support this idea (though more work is needed).”

Asserting that inactivity is not the source of today’s obesity problems, Dr. Pontzer surmises that “the Hadza’s bodies somehow manage to spend less energy” at other times of their daily life in order to compensate for the high “energy demands of hunting and gathering.”

Pontzer is referring to ‘homeostasis’ – the physiological mechanisms that regulate and stabilize all of our biological functions, including energy expenditure. As Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon put it back in the thirties, “Somehow the unstable stuff of which we are composed had learned the trick of maintaining stability”. It is possible that the Hadza slept more in order to maintain an energy balance.

Here’s the kicker folks – most homeostatic regulation is controlled by the release of hormones into the bloodstream. Insulin, a hormone and the primary regulator of how we store fat, is secreted into our bloodstream in response to the carbohydrates in our diets – when our insulin levels are elevated, fat accumulates in our fat cells.

Put simply, insulin can increase the fat our bodies store and decrease the fat we burn, irrespective of our activity levels. Eliminating grains and sugar from our diets is more critical than increasing activity to lose fat because they raise our blood sugar and therefore raise our insulin levels.

While not offering scientific proof, we did however demonstrate in last week’s blog post, The ‘Lose Fat and Get Strong’ Challenge’, the case of Inform Fitness client David Restrepo, who dropped 40 pounds in only eight months and has since maintained his weight. David’s success was attributable to two things: (1) performing the Power-of-10 workout a mere 40 minutes a week at our prescribed level of intensity; and (2) eliminating grains and sugars from 80 percent of his diet. With absolutely no additional cardio, David’s results belie the cardinal rule of conventional weight-loss ‘wisdom,’ that a high level of activity is necessary for sustained fat loss.

It is more likely that by keeping his insulin levels low, David not only decreased the amount of fat he stored, he also increased the amount of fat he mobilized and utilized for fuel (fat burned during his workouts).

We are all different and have different sensitivities to insulin based on aspects of our diet and lifestyle, as well as our genetic predispositions and age. Given the same food and the same amount of carbohydrates, some people will secrete more insulin than others, and that insulin’s exponential effect on our overall level of insulin resistance will vary. In addition, we all have different sensitivities to foods that may or may not stimulate insulin secretion, such as dairy, nuts, diet sodas and coffee.

So we can be fat and sedentary, or fat and active. The hormone insulin and not our activity level is what governs our body-fat percentage. The positive correlations that can be drawn between physical activity and our health, and even our weight, are many! But, it is more than likely that our physical activity levels are not the primary cause of body fat either being stored or burned. The food that we put into our mouths and its effect on the secretion of insulin will determine our state of fatness.

Once again, it’s those darned hormones that are the blame for everything.

If you’re here, you may understand what personal training is, and are leaning towards it as your fitness methodology of choice to get back in shape, lose weight, gain strength or reach some other fitness goal. As well, you may already understand how you go about evaluating personal trainers and personal training facilities.

In this post we’re going to take a slight departure and talk about why I chose the particular personal training method we use at InForm fitness.

As we discussed, or you may be finding out, personal training approaches are almost as unique as the trainers themselves, but our approach at InForm Fitness is far less about being different, and far more about being effective.

The Noblest of Endeavors.

As I’ve stated before, personal trainers serve a highly noble purpose – helping individuals maximize the utility of the most important asset they will ever own – their health and vitality.

Much like the medical field, our aim is to promote health, prevent disease and injury and make our ‘patients’ as healthy as they can be for as long as they are able and willing.

I can’t think of a more important cause to take on than this, or a more worthwhile endeavor an individual can choose. And frankly, that is why I do it.

But from this common root, many approaches to helping clients maintain their health and vitality spring forth.

And here’s where it’s important to understand InForm Fitness’ approach.

InForm Fitness Methodology – Underpinnings

To maximize the utility of an individual’s health and vitality, the InForm Fitness methodology was designed to achieve certain aims.

Unless you’re in the medical field or have an avid interest, the average person does not understand much about the major systems of the human body and how they work – much like automobiles or other complex machines. However, like automobiles, most people don’t need to know anything beyond the basics to keep it running or know what to do when it doesn’t. Fortunately, your personal trainer should understand these systems. We certainly do at InForm Fitness. 

It’s in this understanding, our fitness methodology was put together based on these core underpinnings:

1. The Importance of Muscle: The musculoskeletal system is the foundational system of the body and therefore, at the foundation of human health.
2. Maintaining the Musculoskeletal system: All other bodily systems are there to support the musculoskeletal system.
3. What is needed to build muscle?: Developing muscle mass, and subsequently strength, requires a specific process by which the musculoskeletal system is strengthened and nurtured.
4. What is the best way to build muscle? There is a specific way the body creates muscle mass requiring the right environment and equipment.
5. While gaining muscle mass, injury and/or unnecessary wear and tear must be avoided

Let’s take a look at each of these.

1. The Importance of Muscle: The musculoskeletal system.

Without turning this into a doctoral thesis, we’re going to take a ‘top of the waves’ look at bodily systems.

The musculoskeletal system – our bones, ligaments, tendons, joints, muscles, cartilage etc. – is the foundational system of the body. 

If you think about it, the musculoskeletal system is the thing that gives us shape and structure, allows us to move and react, and protects other bodily systems – think of the relationship between the skull and spinal column and our neurological systems, and the relationship between bone and marrow to our immunological system to name just a few. 

All other bodily systems – respiratory, circulatory, neurological, gastrointestinal and immunological – are all there to support and maintain the musculoskeletal system. In reality, there is a close symbiotic relationship between all these systems.

Through this symbiosis, the more vital the musculoskeletal system, the more vital the other systems and the entire body.

2. Maintaining the musculoskeletal system.

If the musculoskeletal system is a foundational bodily system, muscle mass, and subsequently strength, are barometers of a healthy musculoskeletal system.

If we don’t do anything about it, we naturally lose both muscle mass and strength over time as we age.

Therefore, if we are to maintain optimal health, maintaining and enhancing the musculoskeletal system through increasing both muscle mass and strength as we age are essential to long term whole body health, independence and activity.

And this is the core objective for the InForm Fitness Personal Training methodology – help clients increase muscle mass and strength.

But…. there’s a way to go about it and a way not to go about it.

3. What is needed to build muscle? There is a specific way the body creates muscle mass.

The musculoskeletal system has a highly tuned stimulus/response mechanism built in.

If you stimulate the system in the right way, it will respond in kind – with mass and strength.

To stimulate this system to get the mass and strength outcomes we’re looking for, people need to move heavy weights or objects to ‘stress’ the muscles and bones. In other words, make them work.

If we stress the muscles in the right way, in the right amount, just frequently enough, we will yield the health outcomes we’re looking for.

4. What is the best way to build muscle?

We introduced the idea of moving heavy weights and/or objects to invoke the body’s reaction to ‘stress’. I want to take a moment and clarify ‘heavy’ weights. Heavy is a relative term. We are talking about a). Weights and objects ‘heavy enough’ to stress YOUR specific muscle or set of muscles and b). ‘heavy’ is relative from person to person. What’s heavy to you, and what’s heavy to a professional linebacker may be completely different things.

How much is enough?

So we learned the Inform Fitness Methodology is about stressing the musculoskeletal system in the right amounts to get the response we’re looking for.

But that’s only half of the equation.

The ‘amount’ is just as critical.

With all this talk about weights and stress you may be thinking this sounds hard, even risky.

The Environment

Getting to the point where your stressing muscles to the point of reaction, requires your complete focus. A cool, distraction-free environment is critical to have your full attention on the important work at hand.

Fitness Equipment

As well, you will need some equipment. In most instances, your own body will be the equipment! But other than that most other pieces of equipment are basic and easily available. At InForm, we’ve specially modified our equipment for the precise movement and stress points.

5. While Gaining Muscle Mass, Injury and unnecessary wear and tear must be avoided.

If you’re new to exercise and ‘weight training’, it’s important to understand any type of fitness regimen where you are doing new movements, new activities, exerting yourself in new ways and especially lifting weights does require some understanding of how to do these things properly.

Even something as simple as running can lead to unwanted injury if not done properly.

Weight training is no different. Even if you don’t use a personal trainer, getting an understanding of basic exercise, lifting movements and proper technique will suit you very well.

I also want to take a moment to say do not start any fitness routine, including this one, without consulting with your health care professionals and following their advice.

Weight training does require new movements. However, we want to stress the muscles just enough to get the response we’re looking for. Any more is simply unnecessary. It adds unnecessary wear and tear on the body, especially joints and ligaments and increases a likelihood of injury. Both things that are inconsistent with the health outcomes we’re looking for.

So gaining muscle mass WITHOUT injury and/or unnecessary wear and tear on the body is the optimal exercise state.

The InForm Fitness Methodology

The InForm Fitness Methodology was set to achieve primary health outcomes and avoid health detriments.

It is essentially just enough weight training, very slowly and deliberately, with very strict, proper form, in just the right amounts to stress the muscles to the point of activating the body’s response.

Slow and deliberate movement, in the proper form, provides maximum muscle stress, while minimizing joint stress.

Maximum work with minimum movement!

And no more.

Your body doesn’t actually need any more. Although brief in time, usually no more than 20-30 minute sessions, it is high in intensity. 

Clients, even those experienced in fitness, say it’s the most challenging workout they’ve ever done.

I know this sounds inconsistent with the prevailing fitness wisdom of more is better – go to a gym three to four times a week and do a variety of exercises for at least an hour at a time.

Again, at InForm, we’re interested in effectiveness and fitness outcomes rooted in physiological fact.

The secret to InForm Fitness’ Effectiveness? (Actually there’s two secrets…)

The first secret is ‘failure’. Failure is where clients succeed. At first, this may seem like a paradox.

What I mean by failure, is if we’re doing maximum work there will come a point where you cannot move the weight or object any further no matter how hard you try.

This is known as ‘muscle failure’ and is the point where the musculoskeletal system is stimulated to respond.

Minimal movement yet maximum work.

The second secret to the effectiveness of the InForm Fitness Methodology is rest. While resting, the body is reacting to stimulus created by muscle failure and sets about to send nutrients, proteins and other repair mechanisms to taxed muscles to make them bigger and stronger and ready for the next time there’s ‘stress’.

The right amount of stimulus is important, but so is the right amount of rest so the body is fully repaired and refreshed for the next round of stimulus.

Maintaining an active lifestyle.

Giving your musculoskeletal system the right amount of stimulus and rest is only part of the equation.

While, you don’t actually have to spend hours at a gym to get the stimulus/response you’re looking for, you can if that’s what you like to do.

The point is, make sure you are maintaining an active lifestyle, doing the things you like to do. Walk, run, bike, swim, golf, garden, even go to the gym…whatever it is, use your health and vitality to live life to the fullest!

As you look to evaluate personal training resources and/or fitness regimens, make sure it is in line with what you are trying to accomplish.

To your health,

AZ