Latest news with #exercisephysiology
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The 10-minute home workout that beats a long gym session
Some workouts feel like an act of defiance. There are days when the world doesn't want you to take any time for yourself, when it wants all of you, every atom: in meetings, supermarkets, traffic jams, dropping children off at football practice, delivering relatives you don't even like to dental hygienist appointments they probably don't even need. This is where the 10-minute workout rides to the rescue. The good news is that short bursts of exercise can be extremely effective and, depending on your goals, better than more protracted sessions. A review of the evidence carried out in the United States found that 10 minutes of exercise can be beneficial across measures including longevity: 'Physical activity accumulated in bouts that are 10 minutes is associated with favourable health-related outcomes, including all-cause mortality.' Meanwhile a Norwegian study found that two short bursts of resistance could be more effective than a single long session. The study looked at women who trained regularly and found they felt the long session was more enjoyable and valid but, in reality, shorter, more intense workouts enabled them to achieve more. Andrew Scott, an exercise physiologist and senior lecturer at Portsmouth University, says: 'People can get the same fitness benefit from shorter sessions as longer, purposeful exercise.' In other words, even walking up the stairs counts. It doesn't have to be an activity defined as a workout at all. For strength training, in the past I used the kind of workouts bodybuilders recommended. These were very much the War and Peace of resistance training and seemed to take up most of my teen Saturdays. Totally unnecessary says, Scott: 'It doesn't have be multiple sets of the same exercise, one good quality set per exercise, especially for resistance training novices, can be at least as beneficial.' For heart and lung health, multiple short sessions can also be at least as good as a single longer bursts of movement. 'Three 10-minute bursts of brisk walking, as opposed to a single walk of 30 minutes, deliver the same, if not more benefits for body composition and glucose control,' Scott notes. There is a trade-off between intensity and duration – so if you are sufficiently healthy and able, you can give your body 10 minutes of serious, strenuous exercise, deliver Aunt Virginia to the dentist, and still reap the kind of rewards you'd expect from a much more time-consuming workout. This is a 10-minute whole-body workout that does pretty much everything you need. It's been designed by Samuel Quinn, the personal training lead at Nuffield Health gym group. He says: 'There is a combination of exercises that will increase cardiovascular fitness whilst burning body fat, improve upper body, lower body and core strength, whilst improving explosiveness and power. This will also help to improve mobility, stability and balance.' He has carefully divided the work between strength and cardio. 'Of the 10 exercises, four are cardio focused and six are strength-based, however many will benefit both. This workout is to be performed two to three times per week and is perfect for building strength and cardiovascular fitness whilst improving mobility and athletic performance.' Best for: Cardiovascular fitness, full-body strength, mobility, core control. This is an 'animal move', so I get into character a little and really pad around. Supporting your weight on all fours is exhausting, in a good way. Start on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees hovering off the floor. Keep your back flat and core engaged. Move your right hand and left foot forward, followed by the other side, taking three steps forward. Then, reverse three steps back to the start. Keep hips level and avoid swaying. Best for: Lower body power, cardiovascular fitness, agility. This plyometric movement builds strength and explosive power in the legs while enhancing agility, balance, and cardio fitness. Jumping also strengthens the bones. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower into a deep squat, keeping knees aligned with toes and chest upright. Drive through your heels to jump explosively upwards, swinging your arms to aid lift. Land softly, immediately returning to the squat position to absorb impact. Repeat fluidly for one minute. Focus on controlled, balanced landings to protect knees and hips. Best for: Lower abdominal strength, core control. This controlled movement isolates the lower abdominals, improves trunk stability, and strengthens the hip flexors. It's a safer alternative to traditional sit-ups, reducing strain on the neck and lower back. Lie on your back with arms at your sides, knees bent. Lift your feet and bring your knees toward your chest. Contract your abs to curl your hips and lower back off the ground, raising your legs vertically. Pause at the top, maintaining tension in your core, then lower slowly without letting your feet touch the floor. Repeat for one minute. Best for: Upper body strength, shoulder mobility, core stability. This exercise builds strength, balance, and body control, while improving shoulder and wrist mobility. Start lying face down with feet against a wall. Push up into a plank, then walk your feet up the wall while moving your hands closer toward it. Continue walking up until your torso is vertical, with core engaged and hips stacked over shoulders. Hold the handstand position briefly, then carefully reverse the movement, walking hands and feet back down. Best for: Single-leg strength, lower body power, balance. This explosive move builds unilateral strength, improves balance, and increases lower-body power while boosting heart rate. I tend to sway the shoulders with this one – the balance element is so important as we age. Start in a split squat with one foot forward and one behind, both knees bent. Lower down, then explode upwards, switching legs in mid-air to land with the opposite foot forward. Keep your chest up and core tight. Absorb the landing by immediately bending both knees into another split squat. Continue alternating legs for one minute. Best for: Core strength, upper body stability, rotational control. This exercise strengthens the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. I find this a test of balance and mobility – both easy to neglect. Start in a high plank position with hands under shoulders, feet hip-width apart. Perform a controlled press-up, then rotate your body into a side plank, extending your top arm to the ceiling. Return to plank, complete another press-up, then rotate to the other side. Keep hips lifted and abs engaged to prevent sagging. Continue alternating sides. Best for: Full-body mobility, cardiovascular fitness, core and shoulder strength. This functional, ground-based movement improves shoulder stability, hip mobility, and core control, while raising heart rate. It's excellent for enhancing total-body coordination and dynamic mobility. Start on all fours in a quadruped position with knees lifted off the floor. Rotate your torso and kick your right leg through underneath you so the side of the leg lightly touches the floor. Keep both hands grounded. Pull the leg back and repeat on the other side, moving fluidly from one kick to the next. Best for: Core strength, spinal stability, posture control. This isometric core drill builds deep abdominal strength, improves posture, and teaches proper trunk bracing, crucial for protecting the spine during heavy lifting and dynamic, overhead athletic movements. Holds are underestimated; this will kick in in no time. Lie flat on your back with arms overhead and legs extended. Engage your abs to lift your shoulders, arms, and legs off the floor, keeping your lower back pressed into the ground. Hold this position, creating a 'hollow' curve through your midsection. Maintain steady breathing and constant muscle tension throughout your body. Avoid arching your lower back. Best for: Single-leg strength, hip mobility, balance, core stability. This side-to-side lower body exercise builds strength in the glutes, quads, and adductors (the ones on the inside of your thighs) while enhancing hip mobility and improving balance – ideal for multidirectional sports and injury prevention. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Step your right foot out to the side, keeping both feet facing forward. Shift your weight over your right hip, bending your right knee while keeping your left leg straight. Push through your right heel to return to standing. Repeat on the other side. Maintain a tall chest and engaged core throughout. Best for: Lower body power, cardiovascular conditioning, explosive strength. This plyometric drill builds lower body power, particularly in the glutes, hamstrings, and quads, while also improving explosive force production, coordination, and overall athletic speed and agility. This feels very school sports day and comes in handy for dodging puddles. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart in an athletic stance. Lower into a quarter squat, swinging your arms back for momentum. Explosively jump forward, swinging your arms through as you leap. Land softly on both feet, absorbing the impact by bending your knees and pushing your hips back. Reset your stance before repeating. Focus on maximum distance with controlled, stable landings. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Is it OK to exercise less in winter?
Shorter days and colder mornings can make regular exercise even more challenging in winter. The concept of "wintering", popularised by a book of the same name by Katherine May, even champions the benefits that come with slowing down during the colder months. But health and exercise experts say there's not much to support the idea of winter hibernation for your physical health. Mandy Hagstrom is an exercise scientist at the University of New South Wales, on Gadigal land in Sydney. She says we tend to expend less energy (by moving around less because it's unpleasant outside) and intake more energy (think comforting winter dinners) over the colder months. That's why — in her opinion — "it's probably more important to continue [exercising] from just a general health and weight maintenance perspective". However, Dr Hagstrom says "there are definitely benefits to taking times of rest and recovery in your training program". These breaks are usually short term, rather than seasonal, she says. "[Wintering] doesn't go hand in hand with [our] modern lifestyle, but the concept of nurturing yourself through times of stress and adapting exercise accordingly I think is really important." Meredith Woolsey, an exercise physiologist in Adelaide — on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people — says it would be unrealistic to expect to maintain an identical routine across the year. She says the sports people play, their schedules and the number of daylight hours all shift with the seasons. "Do what is going to work for you," Ms Woolsey says. "We just want to make sure we're doing an amount [of exercise] that is going to keep everything working well for you in your life." If your winter routine involves exercising out in the cold, she says it's even more important to do a good warm-up and cool down and to wear appropriate gear so you don't increase the risk of injuring yourself. Conan Shing is a PhD student at the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Queensland in Meanjin/Brisbane, and he says the "bare minimum" differs from person to person depending on their fitness and wellbeing goals. "It's important to be consistent because if you don't use it, you do loose it," he says. There are national guidelines, which Mr Shing says can "sound like a lot, but really it's just 30 minutes [of vigorous activity] a day during the work week". The Australian Government's physical activity and exercise guidelines recommend adults between the ages of 18 and 64 are active on most days, with a weekly total of "2.5 to 5 hours of moderate activity or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous activity or an equivalent combination of both". Dr Hagstrom says recent research shows that strength and endurance can be maintained with "minimal dose work" or fewer exercise sessions — provided the intensity is also maintained. It's OK to go through phases of doing less, she says, "but don't do nothing, because you can still maintain and gain with a minimalist approach". If the first sign of cold weather led you to abandon your routine entirely, Dr Hagstrom says you may need to "integrate exercise into other parts of your day". If you no longer feel comfortable running in the evening, consider running on your lunch break or joining a gym, she says. Dr Hagstrom says, a short-term or month-to-month membership that will see you through the coldest and darkest part of the year could be an option. Mr Shing says "not everyone can get a gym membership" and an at-home regimen of exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups and planks is another option. While consistency is important, he says you may need to be prepared to change up your activities, he says. For example, he says this could look like swimming in summer but hitting the treadmill in winter. This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Swing time: experts weigh in on TikTok's kettlebell challenge
We've all seen the headlines around the importance of strength training. But if you're not a regular gym goer, it can feel intimidating to know where to begin. What is the difference between sets and reps? How many should you do? What if you don't want to turn into the Hulk? The latest viral fitness trend of doing 100 kettlebell swings a day for 30 days might seem like a straightforward way in. TikTokers' videos showing them doing the challenge seem to have struck a chord, racking up millions of views, and promising the regime can flatten your stomach, make your glutes stronger and help with back pain. But experts warn people – especially beginners – to treat the trend with caution. While they encourage people of all ages to start strength training, for some, doing 100 kettlebell swings a day might be an 'injury waiting to happen'. Kettlebell training has been shown to increase muscle mass, which makes your bones stronger, and has been shown in some cases to help reduce fat mass as well as improve back and neck pain, Dr Kim Way, an exercise physiologist and lecturer at Deakin University, says. However, those studies have not assessed doing 100 kettlebell swings a day – typically they have examined some form of kettlebell exercises two to three times a week, Way said. 'There's certainly a lot of difference in … the amount of stress that's being placed on the body, in terms of exercising every day versus having some recovery to allow for the body to essentially adapt,' Way said. A/Prof Justin Keogh, an exercise scientist at Bond University, said the health benefits also depended on the weight of kettlebell used. A heavier weight will help increase strength, muscle power and mass, while doing more repetitions with fewer rest periods will improve strength and endurance, may reduce body fat, and can have cardiovascular health benefits, he said. Kettlebell swings can be advantageous because you have to coordinate different upper and lower body segments and it mirrors the movement patterns that are 'more similar to what life throws at us,' Keogh said. Doing 100 kettlebell swings a day carries the risk of 'going a little bit too hard, too early', Keogh says. 'The chance that your hamstrings, lower back, forearms, etc, are going to feel really tight the next three or four days … is pretty high, and then you might not want to do any exercise over those next couple of days.' Keogh encourages people to start strength training carefully and gradually intensify their workouts in order to minimise their chance of what's known as delayed onset muscle soreness, which occurs when muscles that haven't been used to the level of exertion get quite sore for several days post-exercise. Way also agrees 100 kettlebell swings is 'quite a lot of swinging', especially if done every day. 'What I see with trends like this is that you're getting people excited about an exercise, which is great … but exposing people, especially if they haven't had any exposure to an exercise, that's just an injury waiting to happen because you haven't had the time to allow your body to adapt to the muscle stress, and the joint stress, that potentially this exercise will be placing on the system,' they said. Way is also concerned people might not be developing the correct technique. 'While the kettlebell swing might not necessarily look like a super complex movement – and compared to other exercises, it might not be – but even if you've just got a little part that's a bit wrong, it can put yourself into an area of potential injury.' They encourage people to find resources to ensure that they're using the correct technique. Way also advises if a person is new to exercise, they should listen to their body because if they start to fatigue, 'this is where technique can really quickly break down' and make injury more likely. Our genes largely determine the maximum size and strength of our bones, which is what's called 'peak bone mass', but exercise can also influence whether we reach our full bone mass potential by the age of 25-30. People generally begin to lose bone mass from the age of around 40 onwards. Keogh says it's better to begin resistance training earlier because then your muscle and bone mass will reach a higher peak. 'But again, we do know that regardless of the age that you start resistance training, you will get benefits compared to those people who [aren't].' Way says that types of exercise like yoga and pilates, which require us to use our body weight as a form of resistance, are 'a great way' to get into resistance training. However, people should keep in mind that if they use body weight exercises for their main form of resistance training there probably is a 'ceiling effect' once you are strong with your own body weight. Then using external weights – whether at the gym or finding weights at home through using cans of food or filling backpacks – can be helpful to get some resistance. Way emphasises 'it doesn't need to be a lot' – sometimes the big fear people have is that to do weight training they have to emulate bodybuilders online who are training for two or three hours each time. 'It actually can be pretty simple,' Way said. You can just strip it down, allocating five to eight exercises targeting your main muscle groups (your chest muscles, back muscles and leg muscles), and doing two to three sets, anywhere between eight and 15 repetitions. 'When you're trying to get into exercise, the best form of movement is always going to be the one that you enjoy. Resistance training or weight training is definitely a great one, because it gives you a really big host of benefits,' Way says. Natasha May is Guardian Australia's health reporter Antiviral is a fortnightly column that interrogates the evidence behind the health headlines and factchecks popular wellness claims What health trend do you want examined? Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
Times
12-05-2025
- Health
- Times
How to start weight training in midlife
You've bought a set of dumbbells, but do you really know what you should be doing with them? Resistance training is touted as being the most important thing we can do to improve the strength and appearance of a midlife body, protecting it against the inevitable muscular decline that occurs naturally as we age. And yet misconceptions abound about how best to build stronger, healthier muscles. 'Strength training is one of those things that can seem overcomplicated with so many different opinions and advice,' says George Morris, an exercise physiologist and strength and conditioning coach at St Mary's University, Twickenham. In fact, Morris says, the basics are simple. Here's how to get started. As a very rough guide, women starting out from scratch should invest
