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40 Years of Aerobics

It was 40 years ago this month
Dr. Cooper told the folks to run.
It's been going in and out of style
Especially if you can't run a mile ...

Dr. Kenneth Cooper's Aerobics, one of the most important books in the history of fitness publishing, came out in March 1968. I have mixed feelings about the anniversary. If you've read The New Rules of Lifting or The New Rules of Lifting for Women, you know I take umbrage with this passage, which appears in the book's first chapter:

"I'll state my position early. The best exercises are running, swimming, cycling, walking, stationary running, handball, basketball and squash, and in just about that order. Isometrics, weight lifting and calisthenics, though good as far as they go, don't even make the list, despite the fact that most exercise books are based on one of these three."

A similarly disputable argument appears in the introduction, written by Richard Bohannon, former surgeon general of the U.S. Air Force:

Longevity does not depend on the strength and tone of the muscles of the arms, legs, or abdominal wall. According to our present understanding of the matter, it is much more likely, in the absence of organic disease elsewhere, to depend on the capability of the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems to withstand the stresses of modern living.

That was probably a good guess for 1968, and elsewhere in the introduction Dr. Bohannon is much more generous and expansive in his consideration that all types of exercise -- including those that maintain or improve joint mobility -- are valuable.

But it's wrong.

This study, published in 2007, suggests that three types of exercise are almost equally important for longevity:

Cross-sectional and longitudinal data demonstrate that cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with functional capacity and independence; strength and, importantly, power are related to performance and activities of daily living; and balance-mobility in combination with power are important factors in preventing falls. ... An appropriate recommendation for older adults includes moderately vigorous cardiorespiratory activities (e.g., brisk walking), strength and (or) power training for maintenance of muscle mass and specific muscle-group performance, as well as "balance-mobility practice" and flexibility (stretching) exercise as needed.

I've cited studies in my books, and probably on MPF as well, showing that strength is correlated with longevity in men and women. The correlation between cardiovascular fitness and longevity is probably stronger, but it's pretty clear that muscular fitness matters for those seeking a longer, healthier life.

That said, this Japanese study suggests that all of us may be looking in the wrong places for correlates to longevity:

A partial association was found between impaired physical fitness at the age of 80 years and increased mortality in the 4 years thereafter. Mortality due to all causes was related only to stepping rate, and mortality due to pneumonia was related to leg extensor strength. Mortality due to [cardiovascular diseases] or cancers was not associated with physical fitness.

How about that? "Stepping rate," the one measure related to cardiovascular fitness, wasn't actually linked to a reduction in cardiovascular disease, although it was associated with a reduction in death from all causes combined. And why was strength linked to fewer deaths from pneumonia, of all things? And why wasn't cardio fitness associated with lower death rates from a disease that attacks the lungs?

(If you want to confuse yourself even more, ponder this: The same research group in Japan found that "chewing ability," of all things, was correlated with muscular fitness and strength in the elderly people they studied.)

The main problem many of us have with aerobics, which jumps out at me when I read the original Aerobics, is the idea that there is only one path to fitness and longevity, one measure that matters, and that's how often and how well you perform endurance exercise. We now know that "fitness" is more than just cardiovascular fitness.

The secondary problem we have is the way endurance exercise has been prescribed as a panacea for weight loss, which it surely isn't (as Alwyn Cosgrove likes to point out).

But aside from those two arguments, let's give Aerobics its due on its 40th birthday: If nothing else, it got people thinking about the importance of exercise.

Tuesday blog meat

  • Fear of autism is leading parents to do the most illogical, irrational thing of all: deny vaccinations to their children. This is where junk science creates real harm to real people.
  • Nate Green reports on the recent photo shoot for our upcoming book. (For the record, I really did notice the baby before I noticed the babes.)

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Aerobics
T-nation just published an article by Alwyn Cosgrove that touches on this issue. Cosgrove points out how Lance Armstrong, one of the most aerobically fit men in the world, did poorly when he ran the Boston Marathon. It seems that cardiovascular fitness is pretty specific to the muscular activity you are doing. Fitness for cycling doesn't have great carryover to running. Alwyn concludes, in part, that "the only reason there's any demand on the cardiovascular system is because the muscular system places that demand..."

Here is a link to the article:
http://www.t-nation.com/article/performance_training/cosgroves_five_ahha_moments

by BobParr on Mar 26, 2008 9:34 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Thanks!
Bob, thanks. Alwyn wrote a terrific article, and I hope it gets wide circulation.

by Lou Schuler on Mar 27, 2008 8:14 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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