Forced Exercise's Effects on the Brain
well.blogs.nytimes.com
well.blogs.nytimes.com
My guess is that the forced part of this has little to do with the effects. It's the increased intensity that is providing benefits.
"voluntary wheel running is characterized by rapid pace and short duration, whereas forced exercise involves a slower, more consistent pace for longer periods of time. This basic difference between the two forms of exercise is likely responsible for their differential effects on brain and behavior."
It also did say that both groups ran the same distance, but the non-forced rats did it in more sessions and a faster pace.
> In one study from 2008, rats forced to run wound up with significantly more new brain cells after eight weeks than those who ran when they chose, even though the latter animals ran faster.
a most unpleasant way to die!
As any cyclist knows, over the long term, 90 rpm's is far more comfortable than 60 and it is my understanding that 180 strides per minute (i.e. 90 with each foot) is also optimum for distance running.
edit: that doesn't mean you aren't right about professionals doing it for efficiency reason, I just don't know.
(I decided to start following this advice a few months ago. A 30 mile ride in 2.5 hours at 75-80rpm used to tire me out. My first 40 mile ride at a high cadence (95 rpm) took the same amount of time but I wasn't even close to being tired. My usual "training rides" of 20 miles take almost no effort unless I make a conscious effort to go anaerobic for a few minutes at a time.)
For example, writing with your left hand if you are right handed may be an equally effective method of achieving similar cognitive results.
One well worn piece of advice from health fitness trainers has always been to vary up your routine. I think this is the key to making sure you work out different muscle groups, but also a way to keep your mind engaged.
My hunch is that this is partially what's going on in the study.
They are fairly hard to fall off of. The only downsides are cost and storage. They usually run upward of $2k and take more space due to the 3D factor.
You'd be surprised. Long-term goals are notoriously bad at motivating most people in the short run (hence, why procrastination is such a powerful force). So, even if you have the specter of something like total physiological degeneration looming over you, you're still going to work only to the brink of your comfort level unless someone pushes you further.
Anecdotal, but: I broke my arm a few years back in a really bad fall. Totally shattered a few of the bones in my right wrist (and I'm right-handed). Got a metal plate put in, and went through a year of physical thereapy. At the outset of the PT, I was told in no uncertain terms that I'd never regain proper movement of my right hand unless I worked my ass off every day at range-of-motion exercises -- which, at the time, were extraordinarily painful. So, in theory, sure, I could do them at home and never actually go in for PT. But whenever I did that, I'd work up to the edge of my comfort level, but never go past it. Conversely, when I went in for PT, having someone there to "crack the whip" pushed me past that discomfort threshold, and that's how I broke through the plateaus on the path to recovery.
The body's (and mind's) natural inclination is to avoid pain and discomfort, so you trick yourself into thinking you're working as hard as you can when you're actually not. And exercise isn't about working as hard as you can; it's about working harder than you can. That's where the progress happens.
I have a rowing machine which gives me a readout of speed/distance/cadence etc.
I 'force' myself to maintain a certain speed for a certain time even when it is quite uncomfortable. Is that sufficient for the 'forced' effect to come into play. I suspect it is.
From the article: "These findings are exciting, Dr. Alberts says, because they contrast with some earlier results involving voluntary exercise and Parkinson’s patients. In those experiments, the activity was helpful, but often in a limited, localized way. Weight training, for instance, led to stronger muscles, and slow walking increased walking speed and endurance. But such regimens typically did not improve Parkinson’s patients’ overall motor control... The forced pedaling regimen, on the other hand, did lead to better full-body movement control"
This earlier study's conclusion that the forced aspect was more important than pushing the exerciser outside of their comfort zone. It seems like they should experiment with 45rpm forced exercise to see if that has the same effect. Though, it may have been just the article making that logical jump.
I'm talking about the foresight of the intellect over the mind and body. Often times, when we rationalize things or activities just become habits, the mind and body passively agree. I'd argue that's not actually practicing discipline anymore since there's nothing within ourselves (mind & body) to fight.
I think it has something to do with external energy being added, and the subject not having control over the speed.. I don't know if a treadmill really meets this criteria. I think you would have to be physically strapped into the treadmill :P
Till recently, I always thought that once one was an adult, one's brain lost its self-renewal capacity, and that progressive mental decline was inevitable. This was the general scientific view as well. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroplasticity ]
I recommend reading the preface to Everything is Obvious:
http://everythingisobvious.com/wp-content/themes/eio/assets/...
* - Am just starting out with this one. so no clear data yet