Aging/Fitness

In this edition, research looks at fitness loss as we age, insoles get smarter and your weekly recommendations feature aspiring professional wrestlers.

The Rundown

Aging/Fitness. Is losing fitness as we get older inevitable? A recent study set out to answer this question with a meta-analysis of over a dozen studies. What Johannes Burtscher of the University of Lausanne and colleagues in Switzerland and Austria discovered was encouraging: Around half of the fitness losses experienced by endurance athletes were due to age while the rest could be attributed to reduced training.

Burtscher and team found that 54% of the variation in fitness loss by male endurance athletes was due to differences in how much they trained. It was 39% for women (but there was also scarce data for female subjects). In general, the data was consistent with the observation that athletes who keep training at a constant level over the years lose about 5% per decade, which is half as much as the typical non athlete.

The findings raised more questions. If you miss a year or a decade, can you return to where you were? Or is some of your fitness lost forever? According to Burtscher’s colleague Gregoire Millet, the research doesn’t offer a clear answer and it most likely depends in some part on how much you trained before you stopped and for how long. There is also a risk that when you start training again, your bones and connective tissue are no longer prepared to handle a heavy load, so you’re more susceptible to injury.

So, how should you maintain your training level as the years pass? Recent research points to avoiding periods of rapid decline and lots of low-intensity exercise.

Smart Soles. Eliminating pressure points in the soles of your shoes is important for movement, whether you’re an athlete or someone with foot pain. In a new paper, scientists have announced an experimental version of a smart insole that shows high-pressure areas. Working out of Switzerland’s ETH Zurich, Empa and EPFL research institutes, the team developed insoles worn inside an existing pair of shoes. They contain multiple piezoelectric sensors in areas where pressure typically happens.

Right now, the prototypes are hard-wired to a computer and power source but the final wireless version could be worn over several days to record and map pressure points. The data would then be used to produce a 3D-printed set of custom insoles.

The researchers note that their relatively simple and inexpensive production process would allow the insoles to be sold at a much lower price than products currently on the market and tests have shown that the insoles performed well, detecting if someone is walking, running, climbing stairs or even carrying a heavy load on their back.

Extra Point

Watch

Monster Factory. This six-episode docuseries goes behind the scenes at Monster Factory, a wrestling school on the outskirts of a southern New Jersey factory town. It follows owner, coach and former wrestler, Danny Cage, as he trains aspiring professional wrestlers to fight for their big break. Monster Factory is streaming now on Apple TV+.

Listen

Lunge & Lift. In this podcast, hosts Rob and Ash discuss functional fitness. Recent episodes cover sports specificity, the difference between getting big and getting strong and how CrossFit methodology stacks up against aging.

Read

My Fitness Trackers Took Me Hostage. In this piece for the Boston Globe, Eloise Davenport explores the highs and lows of her experience with wearable health technology and argues that her ideal fitness tracker is one that would help her “toe the line between indifference and neuroticism.”