Other/Mixed The benefits of "forced exercise"

[Ryan Toshner]

Here is an interesting article on the effects of "forced exercise" for individuals with Parkinson's disease (with a brief comment about also possibly reducing the risk of neurological disorders in individuals without the disease). It's a bit old -- it popped up in my "on this day" Facebook feed today -- but I'm sure it's still relevant.

If you're not into tandem bicycle riding, a couple ways to perhaps replicate the effects using kettlebells are on-the-minute (OTM) or partner/you-go-I-go (YGIG) training sessions. Of course, the first few rounds of OTM/YGIG are usually not that difficult. However, towards the end of the session, there will typically be incomplete recovery when either the timer rings or your partner finishes his/her set... leading to the "forced exercise" described in the article. And yet you'll also typically be able to maintain good-quality technique throughout the session. Win, win!

NOTE: I'm posting this for a few reasons...

1. To relay some good information and hopefully start a discussion on the topic.
2. As a reminder of the importance of, at least occasionally, doing OTM/YGIG training sessions. **

** Particularly to those of you who have experienced significant gains in strength and other physical capabilities over the years by implementing the principles taught at StrongFirst courses & certs... and who, subsequently, have tended to over-emphasize strength & skill development and the use of long rest periods and to neglect, not completely but to a large extent, training that includes timed sets or shorter rest periods.

(The paragraph above describes me, so I'm assuming there are at least a few others out there too...)

 

[Kozushi]

I think about this kind of thing every day while I'm doing S&S. How short should I make my rest periods? I sometimes really push myself to shorten them and I feel my heart really race and my limbs get wobbly. I think the advice in the book is to take it easy and rest as much as needed, so I tend to follow that, but I admit that I'm also a bit worried that I'll over exercise and start feeling sick. I don't really know how much I could take before something goes wrong. Having said that, I remember sometimes fighting judo for over an hour and a half straight, with no real breaks. But when I'd jump back into a judo class without having worked out at all for a week or so, I'd feel like I was going to pass out or something.

 

[Deleted member 5559]

I do a lot of OTM training (I usually abbreviate as EMOM - every minute on the minute). I find it very easy to match work:rest ratios to anything I'm doing.

For those that have not done them often, 10:50 equates to performing singles or doubles for most heavy barbell movements and provides, in my opinion, an adequate recovery ratio of 1:5 for the creatine phosphate (alactic) system. For KB ballistics it works well for me for 3-5 reps. For higher reps than that I switch to either every other minute (EOM) or I am working on less recovery and targeting lactic or aerobic efforts.

For me, S&S swings at 10x and TGUs at 1x work well using EOM to maintain consistent recovery (not too much, not too little). Probably not any better than feel, heart rate, or breathing but it helps keep me focused and within my limited time window for my morning training before work. I will periodically reduce to OTM for training and further to 30s (30s for swings only) for testing.

 

[ali]

I agree in principle with a balanced approach. However, most people do forced exercise eg treadmills and the like, not unlike those lab rats, and do forced exercise for too long, too often and often with too much intensity. Not doubting anything about improvements for Parkinson symptoms.....interesting studies out there with Parkinson symptoms being reduced via movement more generally, particularly ballet....in general though for many, many otherwise healthy people forced exercise is often wrongly prescribed, I'd think and is arse about face. Nothing against on the minute sets or anything if peppered in appropriately. Children do not develop movement and strength with forced exercise, they go when they are ready, long rests, A&A, autoregulation. It is only when sports become structured that forced exercise is introduced. Only, some time down the line after a period of little or no activity, nevermind sports, and activity is picked up again, forced exercise and sports conditioning models prevail in their minds and in the fitness industry generally, when really it should be unforced, for a while at least. And for some a good while. In short, with a good base, rock on otherwise go easy and if unhealthy.....move, make a start. For athletes, heavy training forced exercise should be balanced with playful unforced easy movements and that is what is probably missing from a lot of training programmes....and it is now park/bus bench Dan Johnisms.....more unforced and some forced, in general for most people, is a good reasonable template, no?

 

[coachnathanwhite]

@Ryan Toshner Great topic.
I currently apply OTM protocol to my S&S practice and it works great for me; tough but doable:

1H Swings 10 + 10 OTM x 5 mins

1 TGU OTM x 10 mins

 

[Steve Freides]

If you're not into tandem bicycle riding, a couple ways to perhaps replicate the effects using kettlebells are on-the-minute (OTM) or partner/you-go-I-go (YGIG) training sessions.

Ryan, for what it's worth, I'm not so sure this would work to the same effect - I think the "forced" exercise is steady state, and our OTM/YGIG format is almost by definition a harder effort than one could sustain for a steady state. I'm thinking that the steady, easy state is what gives the benefits here.

I'm not sure it's relevant, but I will note that we have been a big tandem riding family. In addition to a tandem my wife and I ride, we rode a tandem with our kids when they were young (Google "child stoker kit"), and we also own a triplet, which is a bicycle for three instead of two. Although we don't ride much now, we rode a _lot_ then. My wife and kids very much enjoyed being stokers except for Daddy telling them to "pedal harder" all the time.

-S-