The New Age of Fitness
Fitness is something our ancestors never had to think about, it was just a natural way of life. Our physical bodies were made for movement. Movement is a necessary way of life for healthy bodily function. Properly performed fitness exercises can stimulate metabolic functions within the body that powerfully promote anti-aging characteristics.
Our ancient ancestors had very strong and fit bodies. Survival depended upon both good endurance and the ability to perform feats of incredible strength and speed for short periods of time. They constantly moved as nomads and tribesman and they had to endure short periods of very high intensity activity in order to hunt, battle, and run for their lives.
Functional Movement vs. Real Fitness:
Most people assume that walking, casually riding a bike, gardening, and strolling along on an elliptical machine are adequate forms of exercise. These are more accurately considered forms of movement. Movement regimes typically get the heart rate between 50-75% of maximum. The proper form of fitness exercise should get the heart rate between 85-100% maximum for optimal results.
There is a significant difference between movement and exercise. Movement is an essential nutrient for the body because it brings proprioceptive information from joint receptors to the brain. Additionally, it helps improve circulation, oxygenation and lymphatic drainage of the body. We must certainly incorporate regular movement into our lives but it is not the same as exercise.
What is True Fitness:
Real exercise must be focused on stimulating natural anti-aging hormone secretion within our body. This is done by overloading our joint and muscular systems with a challenging resistance. This could be done with resistance training and different forms of sprinting and surge training exercises.
A surge refers to an activity or event that is quick and of high intensity. A glacier surge is a short-lived event where a glacier can move up to velocities 100 times faster than normal. An electrical surge is a very short but intense spike in voltage.
Surge training is a new form of exercise that refers to a high-intensity spike in energy output for a short period of time. Research has shown that this form of exercise boosts metabolism and reverses aging more effectively than any other form of exercise or body movement.
Surge Training and Oxygen Debt
Surge training forces the body into an extreme anaerobic state where the vast majority of the energy being utilized is in the form of stored sugar or glycogen. Fat metabolism depends on the presence of oxygen whereas sugar can be burned without oxygen.
High-intensity training puts the body into a state of “oxygen-debt,” where fat cannot be burned and glycogen is the primary fuel source. After a typical bout of surge training the body has utilized a majority of its glycogen and switches its metabolic preference over to burn fat. Research has shown this “after-burn” can last anywhere from 24-36 hours after the bout of exercise.
Surge Training and HGH:
Surge training also impacts our hormones in a desirable way. The oxygen debt and increase in lactic acid as a byproduct of anaerobic exercise signals the anterior pituitary gland to secrete human growth hormone (HGH). HGH is considered the quintessential anti-aging hormone. It is known to help build muscle & bone density, burn fat, and stimulate our immune system.
In addition, it also helps joint function by repairing cartilage, ligaments, & tendons. It also helps prevent and reverse wrinkles by supporting the dermis in the formation of healthier skin. A lifestyle consisting of regular bouts of surge training, a nutrient-dense diet, healthy neurological function, and good sleeping habits has been shown to maximize HGH secretion at any age.
Surge Training and Testosterone
Surge training has been shown to enhance testosterone secretion as well. Testosterone is a critical hormone for both men and women. Both sexes often have reduced testosterone levels as they age. Optimizing testosterone levels is critical for a healthy physique, libido, & cancer prevention.
New research has shown that optimal testosterone levels are essential for healthy memory and cognitive function. High-intensity, anaerobic exercise that uses large muscle groups is the premier way to naturally enhance & optimize testosterone levels.
Rules to Maximize Fitness
1. Use Large Muscle Groups: Compound movements that focus on multiple muscle groups. Easy examples of this would include squats that work the entire lower body and push-ups that challenge the entire upper body.
2. Explosion: Exploding on the concentric phase of the exercise stimulates more motor neurons which recruit a greater percentage of muscle fibers. This not only increases strength and power production but it greatly boosts anti-aging hormone secretion.
3. High Intensity: Each set should be particularly challenging – near failure with little rest between sets. A great strategy is to superset between opposite muscle groups such as pushing & pulling exercises with little to no rest in-between. This would be dumbbell presses followed by pull-ups. It could also include sprint intervals with short rest in-between.
High-intensity training challenges the anaerobic system forcing greater production of lactic acid. The increased lactic acid stimulates greater HGH production. It also produces greater endogenous antioxidant production within the muscle and nerve cells as they adapt to be able to produce energy and eliminate waste more efficiently.
4. Short Time Period: Performing compound exercises at a high-intensity is a major challenge on the neuromuscular system. The body thrives when this is performed for short periods of time (5-30 minutes) several times a week. These sort of workouts can lead to overtraining if they last too long. Find what works for you.
Unique Time Periods: Everyone is unique and one individual may need more or less neuromuscular demand than someone else. This often depends upon training levels, body type, gender, race, genetic structure. sleep cycles, nutritional status, antioxidant carrying capacity, anaerobic capacity, stress levels and exercise enjoyment.
5. Proper Rest Periods: Movement activities should be performed every day. However, high intensity exercise should be cycled to get the best benefits. Most individuals can have amazing strength, speed and energy in less than 60 minutes of high intensity exercise each week. This could mean the following equations:
a. 6-7 days of 5-10 minute workouts
b. 4 days of 10-15 minute workouts
c. 3 days of 15-20 minute workouts
Here are some basic examples of a Surge Workout for a well-trained individual:
Day 1:
100 yard sprints
Day 2: As fast as possible
200 push-ups
50 pull-ups
50 dips
200 reverse push-ups
Day 3: As fast as possible
100 dead-lifts using your body-weight on a barbell
100 overhead squat jumps
100 stability ball bridges
100 stability ball crunches
5-10 reps with a 1:1 -1:5 go:rest ratio
You know what, I’m very much inecinld to agree.