Are Endurance Sports Good For You?

[Nagaredama]

Pulled from the NY Times. While I doubt anyone here has enough time on their hands to train like a professional anything. It does raise concerns over endurance sports. An activity many people believe the human body was never designed to do. I'm sure I'll be flamed to all hell for this post but thought everyone would benefit from reading it.

It is important to read the links in the post as well.

http://theclimb.blogs.nytimes.com/20.../index.html?hp

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/0...rcise_hea.html

http://v-tach.blogspot.com/

[lukewiens]

any doctor will tell you that ironman isn't good for you....riding your mtb for 24 likely isn't either. i know for damn sure that running 100 miles through death valley isn't good for your body.

but...people are still going to do this stuff. must of us that do crazy things like this are well aware of the punishment our bodies endure. it certainly is a tradeoff of sorts. i can speak first hand that finishing an ironman was one of the best and most memorable experiences of my life....finishing 24 solo will be another.

but for me i have a choice to make....i can ride my bike for 24 solo, or drink for 24 solo 365. either way the body takes a hit i suppose....however, if it is going to happen, might as well be in some sort of positive light that motivates the people around you to become more fit and healthy in a non-extreme format.

my 2 cents.

[allison]

Extreme's of anything are bad. We all know this.

Doing VQ, and a few 12 hour races throughout the year... riding a few hundies/centuries.. they aren't going to be that bad for you IMO.

I'd much rather do a few endurance events a year then sit on the couch and eat KFC three times a week.

Pick your poison.

I want to read the articles, but have a meeting

[Fired Yo Momma]

Originally Posted by allison

Extreme's of anything are bad. We all know this.

Doing VQ, and a few 12 hour races throughout the year... riding a few hundies/centuries.. they aren't going to be that bad for you IMO.

I'd much rather do a few endurance events a year then sit on the couch and eat KFC three times a week.

Pick your poison.

I want to read the articles, but have a meeting

Why do you have to go their with the KFC thing? Why?

[allison]

Originally Posted by Fired Yo Momma

Why do you have to go their with the KFC thing? Why?

Okay, insert something worse than fried greasy food??

I used to like KFC also. I'm sure I still would! My stomach probably wouldn't like it, though.

[BoingBoing]

Originally Posted by Fired Yo Momma

Why do you have to go their with the KFC thing? Why?

Relax man, that's just a typo. I'm sure she meant Ben & Jerry's.

[Rivet]

[yawn] Life causes death.

[92se-r]

you guys are going to be all pissed when you're all old and dying of NOTHING. hehehe

[DBD]

Originally Posted by Nagaredama

.... An activity many people believe the human body was never designed to do. ...

Gotta laugh at that. You may not think that but i know a lot of people that do. If humans were not meant for endurance then how did a lot of the hunters and gathers get by before they realized they could ride an animal, let alone before vehicles were built? Some of those tribes still have no transportation other then their feet.

Granted a lot of modern humans are not designed for endurance sports. Some because they have more of a sprinter gene set(like that of a cheetah, short fast burst and then done for the day) and others because their training has been with saturated fats, tele and/or computers accompanied with laziness.

Now back to some 40oz curls.

[mfoga]

Originally Posted by DBD

Gotta laugh at that. You may not think that but i know a lot of people that do. If humans were not meant for endurance then how did a lot of the hunters and gathers get by before they realized they could ride an animal, let alone before vehicles were built? Some of those tribes still have no transportation other then their feet.

Granted a lot of modern humans are not designed for endurance sports. Some because they have more of a sprinter gene set(like that of a cheetah, short fast burst and then done for the day) and others because their training has been with saturated fats, tele and/or computers accompanied with laziness.

Now back to some 40oz curls.

There is a difference between what people did to live and what these athletes are doing. They move large distances but not doing it at the pace that the athletes are doing.

Here is my take on this,trying to complete endurance events are not exactly bad for you however competing in them can be extremely bad for you. The difference is most people who try to complete these events will not put the extreme stain on the body that competing in these events. I agree that todays athletes are pushing the body way past what was intended. I think that doing it once a year with the proper training isn't going to likely do a lot of damage but those who do these all year long thats a different story.

I would really be interested in maybe 10-15 years to see the long term effects on these athletes with the number of these events increases and the extremes they are pushing seem to be increasing too.

[OMR]

Of course, the answer to this increased strength and endurance is steroids ... they will allow you to do incredible things... gee, just ask the East German Olympic women... the ones that are still alive... oh, I'm sorry, they all seem to be dead!

[Evil Chocula]

Originally Posted by allison

I'd much rather do a few endurance events a year then sit on the couch and eat KFC three times a week.

Go big or go home huh? There is a level of fitness in between KFC and endurance racing you know .

[Nagaredama]

Originally Posted by DBD

Gotta laugh at that. You may not think that but i know a lot of people that do. If humans were not meant for endurance then how did a lot of the hunters and gathers get by before they realized they could ride an animal, let alone before vehicles were built? Some of those tribes still have no transportation other then their feet.

Granted a lot of modern humans are not designed for endurance sports. Some because they have more of a sprinter gene set(like that of a cheetah, short fast burst and then done for the day) and others because their training has been with saturated fats, tele and/or computers accompanied with laziness.

Now back to some 40oz curls.

Mfoga hit the nail on the head.

Humans are designed to walk for long distances and then sprint to hunt prey. Operating at high VO2 max levels for extended periods of time is not something we are suited to do.

Saturated fats aren't bad for you and will not make you fat.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...41487661765149

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/articl...0013281eac____

[ChipsandSalsa]

Originally Posted by OMR

Of course, the answer to this increased strength and endurance is steroids ... they will allow you to do incredible things... gee, just ask the East German Olympic women... the ones that are still alive... oh, I'm sorry, they all seem to be dead!

Do you honestly believe that about the East German Olympic women? If so, do you have a creditable source for this belief?

[allison]

Originally Posted by Nagaredama

Mfoga hit the nail on the head.

Humans are designed to walk for long distances and then sprint to hunt prey. Operating at high VO2 max levels for extended periods of time is not something we are suited to do.

I don't necessarily think that everyone that does endurance stuff does it at VO2 max. The hundies aren't necessarily sprint races. It's all about endurance/survival pace isn't it?

I've never done one, so can't speak based on experience.

[slapfan1]

Too much of anything is bad. We have to have moderation in what we do, we all know how much is too much for our bodies. We know when we're pushing the limits and sometimes we don’t listen to the warning signs.

One thing that’s important in the above articles is the fact that its a hypothesis.

BOTTOM LINE
The odds of you suffering from a heart condition if you train hard are slimmer then if you eat KFC every day.

[lukewiens]

Originally Posted by allison

I don't necessarily think that everyone that does endurance stuff does it at VO2 max. The hundies aren't necessarily sprint races. It's all about endurance/survival pace isn't it?

I've never done one, so can't speak based on experience.

I know my first one this year will be done at endurance/survival pace. If I hit VO2 Max I better be running from an animal with claws!

[Wrecker]

Originally Posted by ChipsandSalsa

Do you honestly believe that about the East German Olympic women? If so, do you have a creditable source for this belief?

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/dopi...doping-program