“No sweat, no gain”? Health expert Michael Mosley reveals two much more relaxing workouts that can burn just as many calories. Is that actually realistic and what are they?
Anyone who wants to burn a lot of calories knows that strenuous endurance training is probably the best option. A certain amount of strength training to build calorie-burning muscles also supports the body, true to the motto “If you want to be beautiful, you have to suffer”. But two well-known, and even popular, sports have proven to be at least as effective, according to the expert.
Burn calories with simple workouts
The workouts in question are none other thanYoga and Pilates. Mosley claims that these seemingly too sedate sports can actually be more effective at burning calories than hard jogging sessions or hours in the gym - even after training. How does he explain this phenomenon?
“You may think that running up a hill is better for you than running down it, or that climbing stairs is more taxing on your muscles than taking an elevator to the top floors of a tall building and going back down. But actually the opposite is true. It seems crazy, but this is the new science of 'eccentric exercise' and I find it fascinating!”
What is the eccentric training?
To explain the phenomenon, Mosley refers to Professor Tony Kay of the University of Northampton, who divides muscle movement into two types:
Let's start with thisconcentric training, i.e. the other variant: Here the muscles are tensed (contracted) and the muscle fibers are in principle (intentionally) damaged and broken down, whereupon the body releases a certain hormone to repair them again. However, during this process the fibers of the muscles are repaired more vigorously and this results in nothing other than larger and more defined muscles. The body also uses a lot of energy to repair itself and it gets it from the calories. Therefore, the greater the “muscle damage” the more calories it consumes.
This type of training includes, for example, weight lifting, mountain climbing and other tough exercises.
The opposite is thateccentric exercise, in which the muscle is stretched and stretched. It is less damaging to muscle fibers and therefore less muscle is broken down. So at first it doesn't sound like it would be more effective. The clue is: This seemingly significantly easier load is still up to four times higher than with concentric training, which also leads to higher loads and more muscle fiber tears during eccentric movement, which then have to be repaired. And that in turn means, as you can imagine, higher calorie consumption.
Movements of this type include, for example, descending stairs or slopes and lowering weights.
Professor Kay explains: “The greater damage means the body burns more calories in the repair and recovery process after exercise. This increases metabolic rate and increases strength in a far more effective way than 'conventional forms of exercise'”.
Burn more calories with workouts that stretch your muscles
Mosley's conclusion is that muscle-stretching exercises, preferably with resistance, have “the same positive effects” as concentric movements. “The way it works is that when you descend/lower, the muscles in your legs or arms slow the pace of the descent,” says Mosley. And anyone who has ever been mountaineering can certainly confirm that climbing up is less stressful than catching your steps on the descent.
Yoga and Pilates contain a lot of such eccentric movements, which are achieved by slowly lowering yourself. At the same time, they are gentle and also perfect for people who cannot do heavy training due to injuries. And with these two workouts you can not only burn more calories, but also improve your flexibility and bone density. You can find a few beginner exercises for a home workoutin this article.
The expert explains more about the topic in his latest book “Just One Thing”.
