| ULTIMATE FITNESS The Quest for Truth about Exercise and Health Gina Kolata New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003 |
Rating: 5.0 High |
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| ISBN-13 978-0-374-20477-8 | ||||
| ISBN 0-374-20477-2 | 292p. | HC/BWI | $24.00 | |
The author of this book aims to discover the truths behind the "fitness craze," as it has often been called, and to debunk its myths. A science reporter at the New York Times,1 Gina Kolata2 studied molecular biology at MIT and earned a Master's degree in mathematics from the University of Maryland. Also she is a fitness buff. She's entered her 60s now and still looks good. However, her reputation as a science reporter seems to have some blemishes.3 This book has a few blemishes, but they are minor.
The book begins well, with an exposé of "Heart Waves," the concept for a novel exercise program. (See the link below.) I love to see a scam busted, so this is welcome. It seems out of place, however, until the end of the last chapter. The reason is that most of the book is devoted to a straightforward exploration of the world of fitness devotees and experts. Since Ms. Kolata is a lifelong fitness buff4 herself, this acquires some of the character of an adventure, enlivened by accounts of her personal exercise routines and those of her husband and daughter.
She begins by exploring the history of exercise advice. That history, it turns out, is a long one. We are all familiar with the prominence of sport in ancient Greek city-states; the Greeks gave us the Olympic Games, after all. We remember how Phidipides ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the Athenian defeat of Persia.5 But there was also a medical tradition of respect for fitness. Herodicus wrote of "therapeutic gymnastics" in the fifth century B.C. and counselled that regular exercise was necessary for health. He thus became the first known exponent of preventive medicine. Physicians who followed him, including Hippocrates and Galen, continued this advice.
In our own time, however, exercise waxed and waned in popularity. The late eighteenth and early nineteenth century was a time of great enthusiasm for fitness. Endurance contests were widespread and frequently wagered upon; men, women, children, old folks all took part. Even fat men competed. But by the middle of the nineteenth century, with people moving to the cities in droves, American doctors grew alarmed at the turn to sedentary lifestyles. They began to recommend more exercise, and were soon joined by other advocates who touted physical activity as a way to build not just muscles but character and spirit. "Muscular Christianity" became a watchword.
Exhibitions of strength and fitness soon followed. Surprisingly (to me, at least), women featured prominently in these events. In France, a woman named Olga billed herself as the "Mulatto Strongwoman' and amazed weightlifting historian Edmund Desbonner with her biceps. Josephine Wohlford, known as Minerva, dazzled American audiences with her strength, lifting eighteen men at once and the platform they stood on. Female acrobats were popular too. By the end of the nineteenth century, muscle building began to be marketed as the key to beauty, and contests were held to choose the most perfectly formed woman.6
Exercise science tells us that, for most people, moderate exercise is all they need. Few will benefit from going all out, and those that do probably are motivated by enjoyment: they get the proverbial runner's high.
Some of the myths Kolata debunks:
And yet, this activity diminished as the twentieth century wore along. By about 1950, the nation became concerned about the condition of its children in comparison to those of European countries. Fitness advocates like Bonnie Pruden sounded the alarm, leading presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy to start corrective programs. But while this renewal of interest fostered strength training, it turned against bulging muscles. Rather, flexibility and grace were now the criteria of excellence. This division persists today. While there are subcultures where extreme bodybuilding is admired, the wider fitness movement rejects such "ripped" physiques. Fitness clubs and gymnasiums remain popular, but most of their customers are there to lose fat, not to gain muscle mass, and to improve their aerobic condition. Their objective is inner fitness, not outer.
And yet, the majority of Americans remains uninterested in working out.
"That brings me back to the fundamental question: Why exercise? Despite the constant exhortations to the American public, dating back to the Eisenhower era, the public-health push to get people to exercise has been pretty much a failure. Most Americans ignored the advice in the days when exercise physiologists said more is better. And when they switched to saying all that you need is the most minimal of movement, the advice was, if anything, ignored even more roundly by the majority of the public. For decades now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has kept track of the nation's exercise habits through its National Health and Nutrition Surveys. And it finds that now, as in previous years, as much as 60 percent of the population gets no regular exercise." – Page 68 |
The author goes on to shed some light on persistent misconceptions about exercise. There is no sure-fire method of training, but interval training generally works, as long as you're careful not to overtrain. (Interval training consists of short burst of intense activity in a longer period of less demanding exertion — like wind sprints during a jog.) Humans, like all mammals, have two kinds of muscle fibers intermixed: fast-twitch and slow-twitch. One type can be converted into the other, but not by exercise; that just puts more blood vessels and mitochondria into the slow-twitch fibers. The maximum heart rate chart found in all gyms is inaccurate. Some 10% of the population appears to be untrainable because of genetic makeup, just as some obese people are genetically unable to lose weight; they can pump iron all day for years and never change their appearance. (They will, however, become more fit.)
In the end, Kolata discovers that there are few hard-and-fast answers to the question of how best to train for "ultimate fitness", whatever your definition of that happens to be. Just as there is a wide variety of individual goals, there are many ways to train, and sports medicine still has done little to evaluate their relative merits. The rule, therefore, is do some research, consult a reputable trainer, and train according to what works for you.
Kolata's book is valuable as a survey of the history and state of current knowledge of fitness training. There may be some specialized techniques she missed; I have too little knowledge of the field myself to judge. She does travel a good deal, for research and for her own training regimen, and consults many experts. And she reviews a quantity of promotional materials. Which brings me to the business aspects7 of fitness, and to the scam I mentioned above. Toward the end of the book, Kolata tells how one of the friends she trains with, a man who can fairly be called an elite performer, tells her one day he just heard of a fantastic new program. Naturally, she asks him what it is. "Heart Waves," he replies.
The book is a fast and enjoyable read. It has a good index and is well end-noted. Would I call it a keeper? Perhaps; it depends on your interests. If you're after workout information, I'd say no; the world of fitness is too big and changes too fast. Those interested in the history of the subject may not find enough depth here to satisfy them. However, I do rate it an excellent introduction to both working out and its history.
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