Ultimate Fitness by Gina Kolata
I could give this book a lot better review if it had a more appropriate title
.
The subtitle is a lot better: The Quest for Truth About Exercise and Health.
That's a lot more accurate. This book contains a lot of interesting information, it debunks some exercise myths, raises questions about others, but is very far from the "ultimate" anything. It ignores a lot more questions than it answers. I wish it were about three times its length.
If it only came to some useful conclusions.
Ms. Kolata is herself an exercise and fitness fanatic, and that's good in a way, but also seems to warp her perspective.
She starts out with a story about a ripoff exercise program that claims to help people achieve terrific fitness through nonstrenuous exertion. That's a theme through the book.
She seems to scorn trainers and their followers who think that light exercise is enough to gain muscle and improve fitness. She is the type to go to four-hour Spinning classes called Mt Everest. Don't be Jane Fonda asking her to move her arms in small circles.
This book circles around the questions of what type of exercise program does help improve people's fitness and health. However, it never settles on any conclusion.
After many chapters of information that seems to advocate for intense exercise, she tells of a study showing that in terms of health people get the most benefit from walking regularly.
Frankly, I'm as skeptical of that as she is of other programs. Walking is not enough to become athletic. So does that mean being physically fit does not help us live longer?
We still don't know.
And we still don't know the best methods for getting fit. She does a good job of debunking many exercise methods, but doesn't figure out what does work.
And incredibly, given the subject of working out, does not even mention the work of Hans Selye, who discovered and described the training effects of stress.
She does give an interesting history of interval training, but doesn't address whether it's more beneficial now to go on long slow runs or spend twenty minutes running wind sprints.
I've heard that exercising more than twenty minutes causes a damaging build up of free radicals and the stress hormone cortisol. True or false? She's too busy Spinning for four hours at a time.
She discusses weight lifting, and is for it. No mention of common injuries. Her only discussion of using body weight exercises instead is to pass on an unproven allegation that Charles Atlas (who sold a mail order course on calisthenics) lifted weights.
She does write about scientific studies that have concluded some people are genetically unable to be fit. They can exercise every day without getting stronger or fitter.
I'm skeptical of that. Where did such genes come from? If our cave ancestors were as weak as modern people, they wouldn't have survived to pass on such poor genetics.
She also leaves open the question of diet. She seems to prefer carbohydrate loading and eating sweets during long exercise. What about scientific studies supporting the Zone? What about the performance of swimmers and other athletics eating under the supervision of Dr. Barry Sears. A lot of them have Olympic gold medals.
She's a gym habitue. She regards Spinning -- cycling on a special kind of stationary bicycle where you can adjust the resistance level -- as a big exercise trend. But never even mentions Pilates.
She uncovers the complicated truth behind heart monitors and their recommended levels of exertion. Save your money. Judge your level of exertion by how you feel.
She investigates the truth behind the myth that runner's high is caused by endorphins. However, the truth is that science doesn't know what causes it, and therefore doesn't understand what it means. That's interesting, but a side issue.
How much and what kinds of exercise will help us live longer? We still don't know.
Much of the material in the book is interesting. I enjoyed reading it, and if you're interested in exercise and fitness for health or athletic performance you'll probably enjoy it too.
But don't expect the "ultimate" out of it.
Ultimate Fitness by Gina Kolata
By: Richard Stooker
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