From: Jason Joel Thompson (jasonjthompson@home.com)
Date: Fri Nov 17 2000 - 12:47:27 MST
Hi Max.
Do you find it challenging to put on/retain muscle mass under caloric
restriction? I'm developing a work-out schedule right now and I would like
to add up to 10lbs, however my caloric intake is not high and I'm not
interested in increasing it. Possible?
Are there ways that I can achieve these results by altering the type of
calories I'm consuming?
Thx.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Max More" <max@maxmore.com>
To: <extropians@extropy.org>
Cc: <max@maxmore.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 10:43 PM
Subject: Re: i do not understand: exercise
> At 08:48 PM 11/15/00, you wrote:
> >There are definite advantages to high heartrate aerobic exercise, say 5
> >times a week for 45 minutes or so. Keep ya from having one of those
dreaded
> >heart attacks :-) As for going for the muscle-bound superman look I am
not
> >so sure of any benefits from that unless you are a leader of some
organization
> >and have to look good in public. I fear that all the extra calories
burned
> >to keep that muscle mass happy may actually reduce your lifespan
slightly.
>
> I would say that 45 minutes of strongly aerobic exercise five times a week
> is excessive. I think you can get virtually the same health benefit from
> around 25 minutes four times a week, with far less free radical formation.
>
> As for building muscle mass -- certainly excessive bodybuilding is not
> optimal for health, especially if the bodybuilder is using steroids in
> their current form to grow muscle tissue without regard to side-effects.
> But I've found that people are relatively unaware of the benefits of
> weight-training as compared to aerobic exercise. It is most definitely not
> all a matter of appearance.
>
> Weight-training/bodybuilding when done sensibly improves glucose
metabolism
> and insulin response, lowers blood sugar (=less glycosylation) and reduces
> risk of diseases (including diabetes), maintains or restores bone mass
> (very important as you age, *especially* for women reaching menopause),
and
> improves the sense of well-being (more than aerobic exercise).
>
> Beyond those benefits, others will be more relative to the individual.
Here
> I would include how healthy, powerful, and vigorous you look. Some of us
> like to sculpt our bodies, others see them as mere vehicles of no
aesthetic
> interest.
>
> Improved physical strength may save your life in some circumstances and is
> useful in many more situations. Given that caloric restriction with good
> nutrition is life-extending, muscle building has the extremely important
> benefit of giving you tissue to burn in an emergency if you don't have the
> fat. I've seen friends lose 30-50 lbs very quickly in hospital. If you're
> calorically restricted and have neither body fat nor muscle tissue, a
> medical emergency could just kill you.
>
> Remember that I'm not recommending two hour workouts daily. That would
> indeed mean unnecessary free radical formation. You can get tremendous
> health benefits from shorter, focused workouts. (Mine are 30-40 minutes,
> including plenty of rest between sets. But when I do a set, I'm working at
> peak capacity.)
>
> Onward!
>
> Max
> ---------------------
>
> Max More,
> max@maxmore.com or more@extropy.org
> www.maxmore.com
> President, Extropy Institute. www.extropy.org
> Senior Content Architect, ManyWorlds Consulting: www.manyworlds.com
>
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