22 Dec
Blog

5 Most Common Habits Healthy People Share

If you want to improve your health and well-being, why not take a look at someone who is already committed to their health. If you observe the habits of healthy people, you will find some similarities. No matter how old they are, where they come from, what sport or activity they do, they all have similar habits. These habits are at the core of any healthy lifestyle and adopting these behaviors can help you be a little healthier too.

It can only take 18 days to develop a new habit and with enough determination and willpower you can make sure you get there. Developing healthier habits will help improve your physical and mental wellbeing, strengthen your immune system, give you more energy, and increase your lifespan. Now is the time to take control of your health, change your habits and adopt a new lifestyle that will make you happier and healthier in the future.

Let's look at just a few of the habits that healthy people have in common.

Regular exercise

Whether you're running, walking, biking, kayaking, surfing, roller-skating, dancing, or anything else that gets your blood pumping, you need to exercise. At least thirty minutes of moderate exercise a day can help reduce your risk for countless diseases and conditions. The healthiest people out there make exercise a part of their life so it never becomes a chore. They meet up with friends for a walk, do sports with the family, exercise with friends on fitness equipment, cycle to work, and find other ways to stay active all day.

Stay hydrated

Healthy people always have a bottle of water close at hand. You will drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated, which will help keep muscles supple, reduce fatigue, and improve recovery. Drinking water throughout the day is critical to maintaining your overall health. Staying hydrated can also help you feel full throughout the day so that you are not consuming unnecessary calories.

Stretch often

If you have a friend who leads a healthy lifestyle, you may notice that they stop stretching throughout the day. While you're unlikely to roll out a mat and go through a routine, you'll simply do a few quick static stretches while standing around naturally. When you are more active, staying limber and stretching often is critical to performance and recovery. Add more stretch to your day and you will quickly feel the benefits.

To sleep well

Getting enough rest is critical to your health and wellbeing. While everyone is different, for most people, getting enough sleep means between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Healthy people tend to go to bed early to make sure they are rested and ready for the next day. Being rested helps your body burn calories more efficiently, build muscle, and have a good rest so that you can perform at your peak.

Good nutrition

While there are tons of healthy diets to choose from, sticking to a long-term, sustainable diet is important. Food is energy and you need to make sure that you are supplying your body with the best possible energy if you want to stay fit and healthy. Healthy people are usually healthy because they eat well, and when they have an unhealthy indulgence, it is generally an occasional indulgence

In addition to a healthy diet, consider taking supplements such as probiotic capsules for women to help promote vaginal pH, digestion, and urinary tract health. Diet supplements can help address nutritional deficiencies that are affecting your health.

Adopt some healthy habits

To improve your overall health, the habits mentioned above are a good place to start. However, over time, it is important to continue your commitment to your new healthy lifestyle by developing healthy habits that work for you. When you focus on your wellbeing, you will become more relaxed, happier, and have more energy to make the most of each day.

The post 5 Most Commonly Shared Habits Healthy People Share first appeared on AnytimeStrength.

19 Nov
Blog

When It Comes to Exercise, Different People Get Different Results

Are you getting any results with your exercise program? Here's What To Do That Is Science Backed.

There is no one-size-fits-all training approach. Two people doing the same workout can produce very different results. A person can work hard in the gym for months without much progress while their training partner gets stronger with each session.

Are you getting any results with your exercise program? Here's What To Do That Is Science Backed.

There is no one-size-fits-all training approach. Two people doing the same workout can produce very different results. A person can work hard in the gym for months without much progress while their training partner gets stronger with each session.

In exercise research1, there is a term used to describe someone who does not get the expected results from a certain type of exercise: non-responders. In study after study, some participants improve greatly and others do not improve at all, even when using the same program

It can be frustrating for those who try hard and don't get the results they want, but we can learn from research in this area to ensure everyone gets the benefits of exercising.

Here is an example of how much variation there is between individuals in response to a particular exercise program.

One hundred and twenty-one adults took part in a 24-week hiking program and exercised five times a week. Before the start of the study2, they were randomly divided into three groups:

  1. A low-intensity, low-intensity group that walked an average of 31 minutes per session at an intensity that would be considered moderate according to training guidelines. I call this the low group.
  2. A high-intensity, low-intensity group that ran at the same intensity in each session but about twice as long (58 minutes average) as the first group. I call this the middle group.
  3. A high intensity group that walked at high intensity for approximately 40 minutes each session. I call this the high group.

Cardio fitness was measured several times during the study. After six months, each group has developed as follows:

  • In the lower group, 62% of the participants improved their fitness.
  • In the middle group, 82% improved their fitness.
  • In the high group, 100% of the participants improved their fitness.

On closer inspection, there is a wide range of fitness changes within the groups as well.

These graphs show how each person's fitness changed after completing the program. Each bar represents a person's answer. You can see that some people have improved a lot, others have improved a little, and some have lost weight.

  • In the low group, responses ranged from an 8% decrease in fitness to a 30% improvement.
  • The middle group ranged from a 10% loss of fitness to a 43% improvement.
  • In the high group, the least responsive participant improved by only 7%, while the most responsive participant improved a whopping 118%.

Remember that within each group, these people did the same exercise program, but their results were very different.

This study3 focused on cardiovascular fitness cardiovascular exercise, but it does so in other types of exercise studies, including interval training and strength training.

For example, in a strength training study4, the same 12 week program resulted in changes in strength ranging from no improvement in one person to a 250% increase in another. There were also significant differences in muscle growth between individuals, with one person decreasing their muscle size by 2% while the most responsive person increasing their muscle size by 59%.

This effect5 has also been observed in nutritional science, with people following the same diet losing weight to very different degrees, and sometimes even gaining weight.

The reasons for these differences are not obvious. Of course, factors such as sleep, stress, diet, and occasional physical activity can all affect how someone responds to an exercise program.

Researchers try to take these things out of the equation by asking participants to follow a standardized diet or wear activity trackers when they are not in the lab, but there is no way to fully control them.

Genetic factors certainly play a role, too, with research6 showing that around 50% of response to cardiovascular exercise is due to genetic differences.

What can we learn from this?

If you're one of the lucky ones who responds well to a particular exercise program, that's great! If not, don't worry. While these results may seem daunting at first, there is good news. If we dig further into the research, it seems that there are no real non-responders to train on. Everyone is getting better somehow.

If you're not getting the results you want from your exercise program, here are some things to keep in mind.

When it comes to training, consistency is key

Probably the most effective program for you is the one that you do on a regular basis.

In the walking study, the researchers reported the fitness improvements only in those who attended at least 90% of the workouts in the six months.

Not everyone who completed the study managed to get 90% of the sessions. As the researchers went back and included those who attended at least 70% of the sessions, the percentage of people who improved their fitness dropped by about 4% in the low and middle groups and by about 12% in the high groups.

I would say 70% is still pretty much constant. This means that these people did an average of 3.5 workouts per week, every week, for six months. Most of them improved their fitness. However, more consistency is better. People who attended 4.5 sessions per week (90% of total sessions) improved even better.

Consistency is probably the most critical factor in getting the benefits of training. Do something, anything every week. When struggling with consistency, focus on setting yourself small, achievable goals and developing sustainable exercise habits before going into the details of the program you are doing.

Have the other parts of a healthy lifestyle in place

Get enough sleep, drink enough water, eat plenty of nutritious foods, get exercise as often as possible throughout the day, and manage your stress levels.

If you don't have these things well under control, you won't know if it's the exercise program you're not responding to or if something else in your lifestyle is holding you back.

If one method doesn't work, try another

Perhaps you have healthy lifestyle habits and have exercised consistently for several months with lackluster results. What should i do?

Try to increase the intensity or duration of each session. If we look again at the walking study, some participants did not improve their fitness after six months of constant, moderately intense exercise.

Nonetheless, everyone who trained at a higher intensity improved. Even at moderate intensity, people who increased their volume (who doubled the time spent in each session) were more likely to see improvements.

You could also do more sessions over the week. In another study7, the researchers found that not everyone improved their fitness if they cycled for 60 minutes once or twice a week for six weeks.

In that study, there were also people doing the same cycling workouts 4-5 times a week and all of these people responded. After that, people who had not improved their fitness repeated the program. This time they added two more sessions a week and everyone improved.

You could try a different type of exercise. In one study, participants completed a three-week endurance cycling program and a three-week interval training program in random order

They found that some people did not improve their fitness with one program, but did improve when they did the other program.

When it comes to weight training, a number of set and rep protocols9 appear to be effective for different people. For example, if your goal is to gain muscle mass and the traditional four sets of 8-12 reps haven't worked for you, your body may be more responsive to heavier weights and fewer reps, or lighter weights and more reps.

Treat your training as a science experiment

Exercise offers a number of different and important benefits. It can improve your body composition, reduce your risk for many diseases, improve your performance, brain function, and mood, and much more.

Even if you don't see the specific results you expect, You will improve your health and fitness in some ways through consistent exercise.

For example, the researchers had participants complete a year-long cardio program in which they exercised for 45 minutes three days a week. Four different types of cardio fitness were measured at the end of the program.

Here, too, there was enormous variability in the individual answers. And some of the participants did not improve on all four points. However, each person in the study showed an improvement in at least one aspect of their fitness

Perhaps you are focusing on the wrong level of results, or perhaps you are not tracking your progress closely enough to see what you are achieving. If you don't keep track of what you are doing and how you are moving forward, you have no idea whether or not your program is working for you.

Make a list of some of the benefits of exercise that are important to you and keep track of each one.

  • If you are interested in improving your health, you can keep an eye on your resting heart rate, blood pressure, or blood sugar.
  • For body composition, you can track your body fat percentage or your measurements.
  • If fitness and performance are important to you, track your time for a distance, the weight you lift for each exercise, or the number of pushups or pullups you can do.
  • For the more subtle (but equally important) benefits of exercise like mood, stress relief, focus, frequency of pain, or energy levels, use a simple 1-10 scale to measure how you are feeling each day.

Record this information in a notebook or use a spreadsheet or your phone. Follow a particular program for a few weeks or months, assessing how you are responding, and making changes if necessary.

You will likely be pleasantly surprised by the many ways you can improve your body and life with exercise.

Your blood pressure may not have gone down, but your mood may have improved and your 5 km time may have improved. You may not have lost weight, but you gained strength, gained energy, and began to sleep better.

These improvements can motivate you to keep going, and if you do, you will likely find a training method that works best for you.

Do not compare yourself to others

It should be clear by now that just because your friend has had great results on a particular program, won't mean you will. Focus on your progress, not on that of others.

The bottom line

If you don't see the results you want, keep trying. If you still don't see results, try something else. Finally, remember that the science is clear. Everyone reacts.

If you stick to it consistently, you will gain meaningful benefits.

References:

1. Pickering, Craig, and John Kiely. "Are there non-responders to sport – and if so, what should we do about it?" Sports medicine 49, No. 1 (2019) :: 1-7.

2. Ross, Robert, Louise de Lannoy, and Paula J. Stotz. "Separate effects of intensity and training volume on the individual cardiorespiratory fitness response." Mayo Clinic, Proceedings 90, No. 11, (2015): 1506-1514.

3. Gurd, Brendon J., Matthew D. Giles, Jacob T. Bonafiglia, James P. Raleigh, John C. Boyd, Jasmin K. Ma, Jason GE Zelt, and Trisha D. Scribbans. "Incidence of Non-Responses and Individual Response Patterns After Sprint Interval Training." Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism 41, No. 3 (2016): 229-234.

4. Hubal, Monica J., Heather Gordish-Dressman, Paul D. Thompson, Thomas B. Price, Eric P. Hoffman, Theodore J. Angelopoulos, Paul M. Gordon et al. "Variability in muscle size and strength gain after one-sided resistance training." Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise 37, No. 6 (2005): 964-972.

5. Gardner, Christopher D., John F. Trepanowski, Liana C. Del Gobbo, Michelle E. Hauser, Joseph Rigdon, John PA Ioannidis, Manisha Desai, and Abby C. King. "Effect of a Low-Fat vs. Low-Carbohydrate Diet on 12 Month Weight Loss in Obese Adults and Association with Genotype Pattern or Insulin Secretion: The DIETFITS Randomized Clinical Trial." Jama, 319, no. 7 (2018): 667-679.

6. Ross, Robert, Bret H. Goodpaster, Lauren G. Koch, Mark A. Sarzynski, Wendy M. Kohrt, Neil M. Johannsen, James S. Skinner et al. "Precision Exercise Medicine: Understanding the Variability of Exercise Response." British Journal of Sports Medicine 53, No. 18 (2019): 1141-1153.

7. Montero, David and Carsten Lundby. "The myth of non-response to training is refuted: 'Non-responders' react to a higher training dose." The Journal of Physiology 595, No. 11 (2017): 3377-3387.

8. Bonafiglia, Jacob T., Mario P. Rotundo, Jonathan P. Whittall, Trisha D. Scribbans, Ryan B. Graham, and Brendon J. Gurd. "Inter-Individual Variability in Adaptive Responses to Endurance and Sprint Interval Training: A Randomized Crossover Study." PloS one 11, no. 12, (2016).

9. Beaven, C. Martyn, Christian J. Cook, and Nicholas D. Gill. "Significant strength gains in rugby players following specific resistance exercise protocols based on individual testosterone responses in saliva." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 22, No. 2 (2008): 419-425.

10. Scharhag-Rosenberger, Friederike, Susanne Walitzek, Wilfried Kindermann and Tim Meyer. "Differences in Adaptation to 1 Year of Aerobic Endurance Training: Individual Patterns of Non-Response." Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 22, No. 1 (2012): 113-118.

28 Jun
Blog

5 Most Common Habits Healthy People Share

If you want to improve your health and wellbeing, why not take a look at someone who is already committed to their health. If you observe the habits of healthy people, you will find some similarities. No matter how old they are, where they come from, what sport or activity they do, they all have similar habits. These habits are at the core of any healthy lifestyle and adopting these behaviors can help you be a little healthier too.

It can only take 18 days to develop a new habit and with enough determination and willpower you can make sure you get there. Developing healthier habits will help improve your physical and mental wellbeing, strengthen your immune system, give you more energy, and increase your lifespan. Now is the time to take control of your health, change your habits and adopt a new lifestyle that will make you happier and healthier in the future.

Let's look at just a few of the habits that healthy people have in common.

Regular exercise

Whether you're running, walking, biking, kayaking, surfing, roller-skating, dancing, or doing anything else that gets your blood pumping, you need to exercise. At least thirty minutes of moderate exercise a day can help reduce your risk for countless diseases and conditions. The healthiest people out there make exercise a part of their life so it never becomes a chore. They meet up with friends for a walk, do sports with the family, exercise with friends on fitness equipment, cycle to work by bike, and find other ways to stay active all day.

Stay hydrated

Healthy people always have a bottle of water close at hand. You will drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated, which will help keep muscles supple, reduce fatigue, and improve recovery. Drinking water throughout the day is critical to maintaining your overall health. Staying hydrated can also help you feel full throughout the day so that you are not consuming unnecessary calories.

Stretch often

If you have a friend who leads a healthy lifestyle, you may notice that they stop stretching all day. While they are unlikely to roll out a mat and go through a routine, they will simply do a few quick static stretches while standing around in a very natural way. When you are more active, staying limber and stretching often is critical to performance and recovery. Bring more stretching into your day and you will quickly feel the benefits.

To sleep well

Getting enough rest is critical to your health and wellbeing. While everyone is different, for most people, getting enough sleep means between seven and nine hours of sleep a night. Healthy people tend to go to bed early to make sure they are rested and ready for the next day. Being rested helps your body burn calories more efficiently, build muscle, and have a good rest so that you can perform at your peak.

Good nutrition

While there are tons of healthy diets to choose from, sticking to a long-term, sustainable diet is important. Food is energy and you need to make sure that you are providing your body with the best possible energy if you want to stay fit and healthy. Healthy people are usually healthy because they eat well, and when they have an unhealthy indulgence it is generally an occasional indulgence

Adopt some healthy habits

To improve your overall health, the habits mentioned above are a good place to start. However, over time, it is important to continue your commitment to your new healthy lifestyle by developing healthy habits that work for you. Focusing on your wellbeing will make you more relaxed, happier, and have more energy to make the most of each day.

25 Jun
Blog

Helping Regular People Build Incredible Physiques

There are several ways to achieve fitness, from bodybuilders to the general population.

Steve Keane is the co-founder of Strength Coaching, a coaching service that specializes in helping ordinary people develop incredible physiques. I'm a big fan of Steve's work and see him partly as a coach and partly as a fitness philosopher.

Continue reading

04 Feb
Blog

Kill sedentarism before it kills you – a guide for people working from home

Sedentary life is a major public health issue. Sitting looks more dangerous than smoking, HIV, and extreme sports like skydiving because it kills more people than any of these threats. Doctors state that people have developed a dangerous habit of killing themselves. The scientific community has called this condition sedentary sickness, implying that people develop health problems as a result of their sedentary life.

The Sedentary Research Network published a paper defining sedentary behavior in 2017, calling it an activity of leaning back, sitting, or lying down in a position that implies a minimum amount of energy. Research shows that a worrying percentage of only 21% of adults meet physical activity guidelines, and only 5% of them are physically active for more than 30 minutes a day.

Most people do not know the risks associated with sitting too long. Even if it sounds dramatic, inactivity can lead to a higher risk of chronic medical problems and even death. The World Health Organization states that sedentarism is the fourth most common risk factor for global mortality, responsible for 12% of high blood pressure and diabetes, 22% of colon cancer, 22% of heart disease and 6% of global deaths.

Why is sedentarism so dangerous to your health?

The research found that a sedentary lifestyle is associated with many health risks. Numerous studies have confirmed that inactive people are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, or early death.

Sitting for more than 30 minutes will reduce your metabolism and affect your body's ability to synthesize fat, regulate blood pressure, and control blood sugar levels. Studies show that a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of early death.

It puts a strain on your sanity

Inactivity has a negative impact on your mental wellbeing. Sedentarianism is a problematic condition as it affects both the mind and body. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, you are at higher risk of a mental health problem. One review found a link between inactivity and an increased risk of depression.

How can you fight sedentarism before it affects your health?

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent and combat this daunting condition. As you'd expect, the first step is to shake off the laziness. However, since it can be difficult to change your routine at times, here are some recommendations that can help you make the exertions necessary to live a healthy life.
Develop active hobbies
Finding joy in the activities you are doing keeps you active and motivates you to remove sedentarism from your schedule.

Become a runner

You've never considered yourself a runner, but it's never too late to develop a new habit. The thought of running in the park can intimidate you because you have the misunderstanding of running a marathon or keeping up with the other runners. But remember, everyone was once a beginner who walked more than ran. Start by running slowly for 5 or 10 minutes, and day by day you will see your fitness level improve and you will run faster and for longer distances.
There are also different ways to run. You can run outdoors in the local park or on a trail near town. Or you can walk around town, but in that case you will need to create a route to avoid crowded areas. And if you're still not sure about getting outdoors, buy a treadmill and install it in the comfort of your living room. When you buy a treadmill, you can also purchase other fitness equipment to improve your home workout.

Assuming you don't have the money to do this, you can get home equity loans in Canada that are designed for freelancers who need finances to support their work from home. In your case, purchasing fitness equipment is a necessity as it will improve your health and performance.

Plant a garden

When you have a garden, you are busy. If you don't take our word for it, just ask your grandparents how much physical exertion is involved in this type of activity. Gardening is mentally and spiritually stimulating, and if you enjoy spending time outdoors in the sun, this may be a pleasant way to keep active. Gardening is a moderate intensity physical activity that if done regularly can improve your health.
Start a garden in your yard when you have space. And if you don't, there are many ways to get your hands dirty. Ask your parents or grandparents if they need help maintaining their patio. You can also volunteer with a local organization to plant new trees in the community garden. Schools and nature centers are always looking for volunteers willing to help them maintain outdoor spaces.

Get up

As a freelancer, your job requires you to stand in front of the laptop for hours and work hard to meet your deadlines. But even if you're practically glued to your computer, remember to get up and take a few steps across the room every 20 minutes. You may need a reminder first. You should therefore set up an alarm on your smartphone. It will help you break away from your project, stand up to stretch your limbs, and help your body stay active.
Getting up doesn't necessarily mean interrupting the workflow. You can check email, check your progress, or check the printed files while you stretch.

Change your workstation

It helps if you also swap out your workstation for one that allows you to turn your desk into a standing one, so you can work standing up when you have back pain. Standing workstations offer a better ergonomic fit as they reduce back pain and improve your posture. Another way to reduce the pressure the chair puts on your back is to use a fitness ball seat as it encourages physical activity and touches your core.

Final thoughts

Progress will make your life easier, but it will also support a sedentary lifestyle as you don't have to work too hard. But it would be helpful if you made a conscious effort to take action against sedentarism as it can be fatal to your health.

31 Oct
Blog

Apple iPhone 12 Review: The Best iPhone for Most People

Apple iPhone 12 review blue back angle 2

"The iPhone 12 is insane value for $ 799 and questions how many people need to buy a 12 Pro."

  • Excellent camera performance

  • Fast and consistent software

  • Nice and colorful hardware

  • Good battery life

  • 5G connectivity

  • Lightbody feels a little cheap

  • MagSafe currently offers little

The iPhone 12 Pro is the focus of press and technology enthusiasts. It's the full-featured, high-end model and the price is damn, we all want one. What it overlooks, however, is that most people have more reasonable expectations and budgets and are immediately interested in the standard iPhone 12.

The iPhone 12 is the phone people use to get in the door (or on the website) and have the option to change their choices to a Mini, Pro, or Pro Max. And that puts a heavy load on the iPhone 12: it has to be really good because most people choose it by default. Here's how well it meets expectations. And why it is, indeed, the best iPhone 12 model for most people.

Hardware, design and display

The iPhone 12 is exactly the same size as the 12 Pro – Apple's own cases are interchangeable. And with a case on the phone, all you can tell is that it's not a pro, but the missing third camera lens – although you still get that large case with a square camera that reminds you of the space that more sensors take up if you had done this you would have spent more money.

iPhone 12

However, if you're brave enough to use your phone without a case, or at least convinced you would wear it naked, there are plenty of other differentiators in the hardware. The first is the colors, which you've no doubt seen in a row that look like a bowl of cone. The colors of the iPhone 12 are fun, playful, and bright – even that blue, which is one of the relatively muted options alongside black.

The iPhone 12 is characterized by a fresh appearance and a familiar high quality of execution.

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro

The frame of the iPhone 12 is made of aluminum, not stainless steel like the 12 Pro, and the metal is kept in a matte texture that matches the hyper-gloss of the 12 Pro. Instead, the gloss is transferred to the rear glass. This is a boon to the handle, but an absolute fingerprint stain magnet – it will never be clean once you take it out of the box.

Aside from stains, which are just a reality of modern glass-backed phones, the iPhone 12 stands out. It's a really nice design and I'm so glad we're returning to those angular lines from the metal pillow shapes of the past few years. There's only more for your fingers and eyes to discover, and it's actually easy to hold. This is even more true of the 12, which is about 15% lighter than the 12 Pro, though that lightness helps make it feel a little cheap or weak. If you had never had the 11 Pro or 12 Pro in your hand, you wouldn't think about it – this is just a lightweight and easy to manage phone.

The brightness is impressive if you remember that the screen is larger than before (now 6.1 inches) thanks to a new OLED display with smaller bezels on all sides. And when you add the sharp transition from screen glass to metal sides, it feels even more compact. The Face ID notch is still visually annoying, but the Face ID itself is well worth the compromise.

iPhone 12

The display is excellent especially for this price point. It's clear, bright, and colorful with good viewing angles and minimal color shift. And since it is a laminated OLED, the visibility outdoors is of course also good.

The only difference, at least on paper, is that the iPhone 12 has a maximum brightness of 625 nits versus the 800 nits of the 12 Pro. The distinction is strange, as teardowns show that the displays are interchangeable, and Apple's own documentation shows that both can achieve the same 1200 nits when viewing HDR content. I can hardly say that the display on the 12 Pro is brighter, but I also don't know if that's just a mental trick. It certainly doesn't look like it's 28% brighter as Apple's numbers claim.

The new Ceramic Shield glass promises a 4-fold improved drop performance, which we all appreciate, but I'll make it clear: There is no claim that it is better against scratches. My test device had already noticed some normal scratches with normal use over the course of a week. So don't expect this display to be indestructible. I managed to clumsily drop the phone from waist height onto the sidewalk, luckily with a silicone case, and there were no ill effects.

Features, software and performance

For many people, the best thing about the iPhone 12 is that it offers the exact same iOS 14 software experience as the current phone. While this may seem boring to Android users, who supposedly have the opportunity to try a new twist on Android every time they upgrade their phone, this consistency is a big reason why so many people stick with iPhones.

iPhone 12 Pro blue

Depending on how old your current iPhone is, the only difference from the 12 is that everything just runs faster – and it will be fast for years to come too. The A14 Bionic chip is faster than anything you're currently using and is clearly designed for future iOS features.

The only differences in daily use between the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro can be noticed when you really press the phones. The iPhone 12 has 4GB of RAM (storage) for the 6GB of the 12 Pro. So if you multitask a lot or play an intense game while streaming media in the background, you may notice a small difference in performance. And we know the smaller storage capacity is why some of the most advanced camera processing features are limited to the 12 Pro.

With all my regular use, which is not that difficult, I did not notice any difference in the opening times of the app, the graphics or the like. Ultimately, the A14 Bionic is still running the show, and that is what matters. Nobody can blame the iPhone 12 for being slow.

Even with less memory than the 12 Pro, the iPhone 12 flies with everyday tasks.

There is no reason for me to repeat myself talking about 5G and MagSafe, the two big features of the iPhone 12 generation, after writing hundreds of words on both in my iPhone 12 Pro review. Hope you will read the details there as they are fully applicable to a discussion of the iPhone 12 as well. However, a brief summary is in order.

The gist of the 5G discussion is this: Right now you are mostly using Sub-6 5G which behaves like charged 4G. It's a little faster and smoother without using more power than you are used to – that's great, but not groundbreaking. The so-called mmWave 5G, which is mostly used by Verizon but is growing with T-Mobile and AT&T, is the dramatically faster but incredibly sparse network that is still years away from its ubiquity. There is no reason to buy the iPhone 12 to the 5G but it sure will be nice to have for years to come.

iPhone 12 MagSafe accessories

MagSafe is exciting, especially knowing that Apple has a good track record of getting these kind of ecosystems right (mostly) and will get the critical mass of supported phones and accessories soon enough. But at the moment there isn't much to say. Apple makes a charger that, while nice, isn't that much different from the way you use most wireless chargers. The enclosures, two of which are available, are just passages for other MagSafe accessories. We need to see a robust market for third-party MagSafe accessories before we can judge the success of this system – this may take a while.

Battery life

After spending a week on the iPhone 12 Pro checking out all the new features and running numerous 5G speed tests, I was able to settle into the iPhone 12 right away and use it even more normally, as I would later in the life after Review rush is over. This gives my rating of the 12 battery a better analysis of the "real use".

And if you stop testing the iPhone 12 and just start using it, the battery life is really good! Yes, the capacity is the same as the 12 Pro, which is actually lower than the iPhone 11 Pro, but Apple knows what it's doing here with a much more efficient chipset that the phone runs on.

You will easily get through a full day on a full battery.

With my normal usage, which includes much of my time on Wi-Fi and primarily keeping up with lots of email, messages, social media apps, utilities, and lots of podcasts over Bluetooth, 30% can get through a day without any problems remaining. That means I have a lot of overhead for those heavier days, with lots of photos and videos, streaming from YouTube or new podcast episodes, hotspotting over 5G, or taking video calls. Despite all of this, I usually only turn on the energy-saving mode (20%) for dinner – and make it to bed without charging.

If you chose the iPhone 12 rather than the 12 Pro, your expected usage is likely a little lower at first. And it doesn't matter: using the 12 and 12 Pro the same, battery life wasn't an issue on either phone. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is obviously going to be the true battery champion for people who have to push the limits of their phone every day.

Cameras

The main attraction for buying the 12 Pro compared to the 12 is the improvement in the camera. It's important to note, however, that the 12 provides most of the 12 Pro's camera experience. The 12 Pro offers a "telephoto" camera, lidar sensor, Dolby Vision HDR video at 60 fps (out of 30), and the promise to support Apple ProRAW files in the future.

The camera is identical to the 12 Pro where it counts: the main camera and the image processing.

This telephoto camera is just a 2x zoom behind the main camera, which is not strictly necessary. Lidar brings portrait mode to night mode, which is cool but not necessary. Remember that the normal night mode is otherwise the same on both phones. And if you want to shoot HDR at 60 fps, you've probably just bought an iPhone 12 Pro.

The main, ultra-wide, and selfie cameras are all identical hardware supported by the same camera processing, including Smart HDR 3, Deep Fusion, and every other Apple buzzword. That said, most people wouldn't notice any difference in camera features between the 12 and the 12 Pro – that is large for iPhone 12 buyers.

As I've mentioned many times, check out my iPhone 12 Pro review for more camera thoughts (and lots of sample photos).

Camera performance is fantastic with an iPhone 12 Pro for $ 999, which means it's particularly good here for $ 200 less. The main camera consistently produces bright, crisp, and colorful photos with a warm and punchy profile that is appealing but not overdone. HDR effects don't go crazy and usually do well at reducing highlights and enhancing lowlights. Portrait mode is still great for real chest portraits, but is better for full body shots or inanimate objects.

At night you will immediately see the advantages of the larger aperture and the improved processing in night mode. Photos go head-to-toe with the Pixel 5's night vision device, but the iPhone 12 has the advantage of not having to switch to a separate mode for these photos – the camera decides when to do so. And even though I didn't have lidar, I didn't have any problems with autofocus in the dark.

In most scenarios, it's easy to get great photos. And yes, Dolby Vision is cool too.

As I discussed in my iPhone 12 Pro review, the Dolby Vision HDR draw is interesting but not currently practical. DV HDR can only be viewed on modern iPhones, Macs, and Apple TVs connected to compatible TVs. Anywhere you view or share it, e.g. B. on social media platforms, the default dynamic range is displayed. You save large files: A one-minute 4K 30 HDR clip has a size of approx. 250 MB. Fortunately, Apple's typical 4K 60 fps video looks great in SDR too, with good stabilization for handheld recording.

Our opinion

Those who already have an iPhone and are looking to upgrade to the latest phones should start with the iPhone 12 as the default choice. It's a great phone that has all of Apple's usual strengths: great hardware, a beautiful display, consistent performance, and now an especially great camera. It also has good battery life, 5G connectivity for the future, and fascinating additions like MagSafe. Overall, it's a fantastic phone at a reasonable price.

Only consider upgrading to the iPhone 12 Pro if you can knows that you need what it offers. I recommend paying an additional $ 50 for 128GB of storage on the iPhone 12 The 12 Pro costs $ 150 more. For that money, you get a heavier stainless steel case in new colors, an additional camera with some additional camera features, and more memory for possible future performance improvements. Most people just don't care enough to make the money worth it, and better spend that $ 150 on a couple of suitcases and MagSafe accessories.

Are there any better alternatives?

This price range is competitive. For those willing to move beyond the Apple world, there are several Android competitors available. The Google Pixel 5 offers a similarly simple approach as the iPhone with comparable camera and slick software for $ 100 less. The OnePlus 8T is the same price, with better hardware, but weaker cameras. And the Galaxy S20 FE offers an Apple antidote with a bigger screen, more cameras, more flash, and more features.

Obviously, most of the people will stay in the iPhone ecosystem, so there really is only one other option: spend $ 200 more on it an iPhone 12 Pro. If you're pragmatic and buy a 128GB storage model, that's only a $ 150 upgrade. For this money you get a heavier stainless steel frame, an additional telephoto camera, a lidar sensor for extended camera functions and a subtle memory expansion. It won't blow most people who are likely satisfied with an iPhone 12, but it's a good choice when money isn't a big deal.

How long it will take?

With Apple's excellent track record of updating iPhones with new software for several years after it was released, and a powerful A14 Bionic processor, the iPhone 12 will no doubt stay safe for three years without a second thought. The aluminum frame isn't technically as strong as the 12 Pro's steel, but most other phones are also made of aluminum.

There are also some concerns that the Ceramic Shield glass, despite being severely cracked, could be very sensitive to scratches – but we cannot see the long term viability of Ceramic Shield until it has been in the wild for years.

Should you buy it?

Absolutely. If you are in the iPhone ecosystem, the iPhone 12 is an excellent all-round phone with an excellent price-performance ratio.

Editor's recommendations




29 Sep
Blog

Apple Watch SE Review: The Best Apple Watch for Most People

Apple watch se review case

"The Apple Watch SE foregoes some of the more noticeable features of the Series 6, but retains almost all important functions with the same design at a lower price."

  • Stylistic look

  • Very customizable

  • Comprehensive health surveillance

  • Responsive, fluid performance

  • Reliable, user-friendly software

How exactly do you make the Apple Watch better? It's already a feature-rich, well-made, easy-to-use wearable to buy as a smartwatch if you have an iPhone. The answer is, they're making it cheaper, and that's exactly what Apple did with the Apple Watch SE. A price cut comes with a reduction in functionality, of course, but how much does this affect the SE and should it put you off?

The answer is no, it definitely shouldn't put you off. In fact, it will be the Apple Watch model that is slated to be purchased this year.

design

The Apple Watch SE looks exactly like the Apple Watch Series 5 and Series 6. It has a 1.78-inch retina screen under Ion-X reinforced glass with a density of 326 pixels per inch. The digital crown is on the side with a single button underneath. The aluminum housing is available in sizes 44 mm (shown in our photos) or 40 mm and can be made in silver, space gray or gold. If you like the look of the Series 5 or 6, you will like the SE.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I picked a gold version that is paired with the Charcoal Sport Loop band and as you'd expect everything is beautifully done and presented, right down to the packaging that it arrives in. The SE is only available in aluminum with the posher. more expensive and slightly more durable surfaces made of titanium and stainless steel, which are reserved for the 6 series. The gold is less on your face than the renders on Apple's website suggest, and it's a more brassy tone than I expected. It works very well with the blue and gray accents of the carbon ribbon. Since the screen is usually black, the overall picture is more noble than the silver model and more interesting than the room gray version.

The screen is often black because the SE doesn't have the always-on screen feature of the Series 5 and 6 and only shows the time you raise your wrist or tap the screen. If the last Apple Watch you used was Series 3 or 4, this is nothing new. After using the Series 5 last year, I miss it on the SE, but the wake up gesture is so accurate and immediate that figuring out what time it is is never difficult.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The 44 mm Apple Watch SE is light at 36 grams and the Sport Loop bracelet adds practically nothing to it, so it is comfortable to wear not only during the day but also at night. The SE supports WatchOS 7's sleep tracking feature, so if you want to wear it while you sleep, this is a good combination. Replacing the belts only takes a few moments. So if you need a metal band during the day and want to keep the sports loop or other band for the night, you can do it without a fuss.

Learn about the square shape of the Apple Watch. When you put on the Apple Watch SE or an Apple Watch, you will immediately notice how little it affects clothing and movement. The digital crown is never in your wrist, and the tabs on the strap have only a slight overhang so they don't get caught on the sleeve of your shirt. The lack of sharp or sharp edges combined with the smooth ceramic and sapphire caseback means you will never feel it on your wrist regardless of your movement. Round smartwatches that mimic traditional watch designs are rarely as convenient.

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The shape of the Apple Watch may be controversial to some, but it makes a great smartwatch that can be worn all the time. It's by far the least intrusive watch-like wearable out there, and that wearing and forgetting is essential if you want to get the most of it. You will often forget that you are wearing the Apple Watch until a haptic tip reminds you.

Wash your damn hands

While it's technically a WatchOS 7 feature, the automatic hand wash timer is one of the many health and fitness monitoring features on the Apple Watch SE and excellent. The Apple Watch SE is a product of its time. She listens to the tone and waits for the movement in which you wash your hands. She then starts a 20-second timer to make sure you are doing the recommended exertion. It's shockingly effective.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The timer credits you with the time already spent washing and shows a soap countdown before a haptic tip lets you know you're done. It never failed to tell when I was washing. In contrast to the manual hand wash timer from Wear OS, which you have to start yourself, this function is completely input-free. The Apple Health app even has a dedicated section for hand washing data. It's a dream feature for 2020 clean freaks.

Sleep and fitness tracking

Sleep Tracking is another new feature of WatchOS 7. With the right band, Apple Watch SE is comfortable enough to wear while you sleep and automatically detects when you go to sleep. You can also set up a sleep schedule with Wind Down, which will prepare the phone for the night. It will still add helpful shortcuts to the lock screen, such as: B. access to the timer, the alarm or the music. This will reduce the distraction while the watch only shows the time and your alarm until it gets dark while you sleep.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The sleep data shown is not very comprehensive. It lists your bedtime and calculates averages, but does not provide detailed sleep phase metrics. Sleep Tracking is a nice addition to Apple Health and helps to create an overall picture of your lifestyle. However, it does not provide a thorough analysis of sleep patterns. It's intended for occasional use only, and while the impact on the battery is relatively minor, the time between charges increases, which can prove to be more useful.

Workout tracking is excellent. The workout can be started on the watch and there are a variety of specific activities to choose from. Data is collected in the Apple Health app and displayed along with daily activity data. Apple Health doesn't go into the details and instead simplifies goals using the activity ring system. The idea is to close every ring – goals based on exercise (represented as burning calories), exercise, and standing – each day, which is easy to understand and motivating.

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The Apple Watch SE is not for marathon runners, hardcore cyclists or anyone else fixated on their VO2 Max. It provides a comprehensive view of daily activities and overall health without getting too nerdy. It shows you if you are burning fewer calories than usual, if you are exercising more than the week before, and how far you need to go to reach a daily goal.

You won't get electrocardiogram (EKG) or blood oxygen (SpO2) monitors on Apple Watch SE, but there is a heart rate sensor on the back that detects irregular rhythms, as well as fall detection and noise monitoring. Apple's mindfulness feature, Breathe, is there, and the watch can be set up to remind you to take a few moments each day to relax. It also reminds you to get up once an hour if you've been sitting for too long. It all adds up to a comprehensive, coherent and complementary package of functions that keep you up to date and motivate you.

All health monitoring functions on the Apple Watch SE work outside of the initial setup with very little input from you, while the data in the app is displayed attractively and clearly. Serious sports enthusiasts may not find the data in sufficient detail and may also benefit from the Series 6 SpO2 monitoring, but for everyone else, the Apple Watch SE is the wearable health monitor they need. Apple's new Fitness + program, which works in conjunction with your Apple Watch SE, will be rolled out later this year and has the potential to make it an even more rounded package.

Use the Apple Watch SE

The health and fitness features make up a large part of the watch's appeal, but what about everything else? Everything you do on the Apple Watch SE is incredibly polished, straightforward, and quick. It has the same dual-core processor as the Series 5, not the updated S6 Series 6 processor, but I didn't even wish the SE had any more power as the response is almost instantaneous, even when running data-intensive applications how to use cards or access to e-mail. The Digital Crown is a joy to use as the feel of it matches the rotation required to move it through the operating system. The button below activates the dock, which can be filled with current apps or a selection of favorites for quick access.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Notifications are handled professionally. Let's use a Twitter notification as an example. If there is an image in it, the watch will display it without waiting for it to appear. You get an extremely tactile haptic alert, you raise your wrist and the message is displayed almost instantly, where it can be viewed, liked and retweeted in its entirety from your wrist. It is great.

Now, take advantage of this experience with Apple's messaging, email, and many other apps, including Microsoft Teams. Usually you can do with most – such as B. Reply, mark, like or delete – interact quickly and easily without reaching for your phone. Then extend that speed and functionality to the vast majority of other installed or third-party apps that you might install yourself. If you choose the cellular model (for $ 50 more upfront plus monthly service charges), you can make and receive calls regardless of your phone. Even if you don't, you can still use the Apple's phone functionality to watch with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The voices are loud and clear and useful when your hands are full.

The watch supports Apple Pay, shows music controls when music is playing on my phone, there are plenty of fun and useful watch faces to choose from, and there is Siri too. You can even create Memoji on the Apple Watch. This process is incredibly quick and smooth given the multitude of choices and animations. This is a very good example of the great fluidity and performance of the Apple Watch SE no matter what you do.

battery

The Apple Watch SE can be used for two days before charging. This will vary based on your use, but for me from 9 a.m., usually with an hour of tracking exercise, then overnight to track sleep, and by day two it was up to 18% less than 6 p.m.

Monitoring your sleep overnight has used up between 15 and 25% of the battery. This variant makes the second full day a hit-or-miss. If you don't bother with sleep tracking and instead charge or turn off the watch overnight, two days of use is no problem at all. Even with an hour of fitness tracking, the SE will last from early morning until after midnight with about 60% of the battery left.

Not that it matters. In order for a smartwatch with Google's Wear operating system to last two days, it takes special modes, a clever second screen, or very careful use. In other words, you can't really rely on it. The Apple Watch SE doesn't require any special attention, and that makes life a lot easier.

Price and availability

The 44mm Apple Watch SE is $ 309 while the 40mm model is $ 279, assuming you choose a Sport Loop, Solo Loop, or Sport Band strap (including the Nike models ). If you want the braided solo loop, pay $ 329 or $ 359 – or buy it later for $ 99. Add cellular connectivity to both models for $ 50 plus a monthly carrier fee.

In the UK, the 44mm Apple Watch SE is £ 299 or £ 349 with cellular connectivity and the 40mm model is £ 269 or £ 319 with cellular connectivity. Adding the solo braided loop increases the cost to £ 349 for the 44mm model and £ 319 for the 40mm model.

Apple Watch SE is available immediately through the online and retail stores of Apple, Amazon, and many other retailers.

Our opinion

The Apple Watch SE is almost flawless and Apple is once again showing everyone else how smartwatches are made. But what about the missing features – are they preventing it from being a must have? Keeping the display on all the time is the most unfortunate omission that can affect everyday use. Knowing that these are series 5 and 6, they are just a little more enticing. The EKG and SpO2 features are more specialized, and those who feel like they're using them regularly enough can justify the extra $ 120 to buy a Series 6. Anyone else won't miss it.

Spending more on a stainless steel, ceramic, or Hermés Apple Watch gives you only boastful rights as they are all technically identical and the SE's performance is excellent on last year's processor. I have no hesitation in recommending the lower-cost, almost fully featured aluminum Apple Watch SE, but will have to wait until I've worn the Series 6 for a while to be sure if the SE is the Apple Watch bought this year shall be . However, at this point in time, it looks like it could be very good.

Is there a better alternative?

Not really. If you own an iPhone and are thinking about buying a smartwatch, then you should get the Apple Watch. However, what about the $ 399 / $ 429 Apple Watch Series 6? Several features are added – including the ECG, SpO2, and the always-on screen – but they look the same. The jump in price is significant if you're not expecting to use the advanced health features. You can also find a Series 5, which may be available at a slightly cheaper price than the Series 6, and enjoy the always-on screen and an EKG.

Smartwatches that use Google WearOS, Samsung Tizen, and Huawei Health can connect to iPhone, but they don't offer the same level of integration with iOS, and you'll miss out on some features, including messaging support. Many cost about the same price as the Apple Watch SE, but the performance and features aren't that good.

The only other alternative you should seriously consider for your iPhone is the $ 299 Withings ScanWatch. It has all the health tracking features from the Series 6 including an EKG and SpO2 measurement, better sleep tracking and a very attractive design. There is less emphasis on the related elements like notifications, but they are there and work well enough.

How long it will take?

Smartwatches don't follow the same upgrade cycle as a smartphone, and the Apple Watch should easily last three or more years if handled well. For example, the aluminum body can be damaged if you are careless. However, the Apple Watch SE is waterproof up to 50 meters. The abundance of replacement belts also helps to extend the service life.

Your own needs will determine whether the additional health-related features of the Series 6 will become more useful in the near future. If you think it might, the increased spending on the Series 6 may prevent you from feeling like you need to update the SE early on. Software support should last at least three years. For example, WatchOS 7, the latest version, is compatible with Apple Watch Series 3 2017.

Should you buy it?

Yes, the Apple Watch SE has almost everything you would expect from a smartwatch.

Editor's recommendations




20 May
Blog

When It Comes to Exercise, Different People Get Different Results

Are you not getting results from your training program? Here's what you can do that is supported by science.

There is no uniform training approach. Two people doing the same training can get very different results. A person can work hard at the gym for months without much progress as their training partner gets stronger with each session.

In exercise research1 there is a term for someone who does not achieve the expected results of a certain type of exercise: non-responder. In one study after another, some participants improve significantly, others do not improve at all, even if they use the same program. 1

It can be frustrating for those who make an effort and don't see the results they want, but we can learn from research in this area to ensure that everyone gets the benefits of exercise.

Here is an example of how different individuals are in relation to a particular exercise program.

One hundred and twenty-one adults took part in a 24-week hiking program and trained five times a week. Before the start of the study2, they were randomly divided into three groups:

  1. A low-volume, low-intensity group that walked an average of 31 minutes per session with an intensity that is considered moderate according to exercise guidelines. I will call it the low group.
  2. A high-volume, low-intensity group that walked with the same intensity, but approximately twice as long in each session (58 minutes on average) than the first group. I'll call that the middle group.
  3. A high-volume, high-intensity group that walked with vigorous intensity for about 40 minutes in each session. I will call that the high group.

Cardio fitness was measured several times throughout the study. After six months, each group did the following:

  • In the low group, 62% of participants improved their fitness.
  • In the middle group, 82% improved their fitness.
  • In the high group, 100% of the participants improved their fitness.

On closer inspection, there are also a variety of fitness changes within the groups.

When it comes to exercise, different people achieve different results - fitness, fitness, psychological stress, endurance training, interval training, weight gain, blood pressure, sleep quality, cardiovascular fitness, PR tracker, nutritional research

These graphics show how everyone's fitness changed after the program was completed. Each bar represents a person's answer. You can see that some people have improved a lot, others a little, and some people have lost weight.

  • In the low group, the range of responses ranged from an 8% decrease in fitness to a 30% improvement.
  • The middle group had a range between a 10% loss of fitness and a 43% improvement.
  • In the high group, the least responsive participant improved by only 7%, while the top responder improved by a whopping 118%.

Remember that these people did the same exercise program in each group, but their results were very different.

This study3 focused on endurance training for cardiovascular fitness, but it does so in other types of training studies, including interval training and strength training.

In a strength training study 4, for example, the same 12-week program resulted in changes in strength that ranged from no improvement for one person to a 250% increase for another person. There were also significant differences in muscle growth between individuals, with one person reducing their muscle size by 2%, while the fastest responding person increased by 59%.

This effect5 has also been observed in nutritional science, where people on the same diet experience very different amounts of weight loss and sometimes even weight gain.

The reasons for these differences are not obvious. Of course, factors such as sleep, stress, diet, and occasional physical activity can affect a person's response to an exercise program.

The researchers are trying to take these things out of the equation by asking participants to follow a standardized diet or by letting them wear activity trackers when they're not in the laboratory, but it's not possible to fully control them.

Genetic factors certainly play a role too. Research6 shows that about 50% of the response to cardio training is due to genetic differences.

What can we learn from it?

If you're one of the lucky ones who happens to respond well to a particular exercise program, that's great! If not, don't worry. While these results may seem daunting at first, there is good news. If we continue to research, it seems that there are no real non-responders that can be trained. Everyone is improving somehow.

If you don't get the results you expect from your exercise program, keep the following in mind.

When it comes to practice, consistency is key

The most effective program for you is probably the one you run regularly.

In the walking study, the researchers only reported the fitness improvements of those who had attended at least 90% of the training sessions in the six months.

Not everyone who completed the study managed to hold 90% of the sessions. As the researchers declined and included those who attended at least 70% of the sessions, the percentage of people who increased their fitness decreased by about 4% in the lower and middle groups and by about 12% in the high groups.

I would say that 70% are still pretty consistent. This means that these people trained an average of 3.5 sessions per week per week for six months. Most of them improved their fitness. However, more consistency is better. People who attended 4.5 sessions per week (90% of total sessions) were even more likely to improve.

Consistency is probably the most critical factor in achieving the benefits of exercise. Do something every week. If you're struggling with consistency, focus on setting small, achievable goals and creating sustainable exercise habits before you go into the details of the program you're running.

Have the other parts of a healthy lifestyle in place

Get enough sleep, drink enough water, eat plenty of nutritious food, exercise as often as possible throughout the day, and manage your stress.

If you don't have these things well under control, you don't know if it is the exercise program you are not responding to, or if there is something else holding you back in your lifestyle.

If one method doesn't work, try another

Perhaps you have a healthy lifestyle and have been training consistently with lackluster results for several months. What should you do?

Try increasing the intensity or duration of each session. If we look at the walking study again, some participants did not improve their fitness after six months of steady, moderate-intensity exercise.

Nevertheless, all people who trained at a higher intensity improved. Even with moderate intensity, people who increased their volume (doubling the time spent in each session) were more likely to see improvements.

You can also have more sessions throughout the week. In another study7, the researchers found that when people did 60 minutes of cycling 1-2 times a week for six weeks, not everyone improved their fitness.

In this study, there were also people who did the same bike training 4-5 times a week, and all of these people answered. After that, the people who had not improved their fitness repeated the program. This time they added two more sessions a week and all improved.

You could try a different type of training. In one study, the participants completed a three-week endurance sport program and a three-week interval training in a random order. 8

They found that some people did not improve their fitness with one program, but these people improved when they ended the other program.

A number of set and rep protocols9 appear to be effective for strength training for different people. For example, if your goal is to increase muscle mass and the traditional four sets of 8 to 12 reps didn't work for you, your body may respond better to heavier weights and fewer reps, or lighter weights and more reps.

Treat your training as a scientific experiment

Exercise offers a number of different and crucial advantages. It can improve your body composition, reduce your risk of many diseases, improve your performance, brain function and mood, and much more.

Even if you don't see the specific results you expect, You will improve your health and fitness in some way through consistent training.

For example, the researchers had the participants complete a one-year cardio program that worked 45 minutes three days a week. At the end of the program, four different types of cardio fitness were measured.

Here too there was enormous variability in the individual answers. And some of the participants have not improved in all four ways. However, each person in the study showed improvement in at least one aspect of their fitness.10

You may be focusing on the wrong level of results, or you may not be tracking your progress closely enough to see what you are accomplishing. If you don't keep track of what you're doing and how you're progressing, you don't know if your program works for you or not.

Make a list of some of the benefits of exercise that are important to you and keep an eye on each one.

  • If you're interested in improving your health, you can track your resting heart rate, blood pressure, or blood sugar.
  • For body composition, you can track your body fat percentage or body measurements.
  • If fitness and performance are important to you, keep an eye on your time to walk a certain distance, the amount of weight you lift for each exercise, or the number of push-ups or pull-ups you can do.
  • Use a simple 1 to 10 scale to assess how you feel every day to get the more subtle (but equally important) benefits of exercise like mood, stress relief, concentration, pain frequency, or energy.

Record this information in a notebook or use a spreadsheet or your phone. Follow a specific program for a few weeks or months, assess how you react, and make changes if necessary.

You will probably be pleasantly surprised at how many ways you improve your body and life through exercise.

Your blood pressure may not have decreased, but your mood may have improved and your 5 km time may have improved. Maybe you haven't lost weight, but your strength has increased and you have gained energy and started to sleep better.

These improvements can motivate you to keep going. If you do this, you will likely find an exercise method that works best for you.

Do not compare yourself to others

It should now be clear that just because your friend has had great results after a certain program does not mean that you will. Concentrate on your progress, not on others' progress.

The bottom line

If you don't see the results you want, try again. If you still don't see any results, try something different. Finally, keep in mind that science is clear. Everyone answers.

If you stick to it consistently, you will get significant benefits.

References

1. Pickering, Craig and John Kiely. "Are there non-responders who play sports – and if so, what should we do about it?" Sports medicine 49, no. 1 (2019): 1-7.

2. Ross, Robert, Louise de Lannoy and Paula J. Stotz. "Separate effects of intensity and amount of training on the interindividual cardiorespiratory fitness reaction." Mayo Clinic, Proceedings 90, No. 11 (2015): 1506-1514.

3. Gurd, Brendon J., Matthew D. Giles, Jacob T. Bonafiglia, James P. Raleigh, John C. Boyd, Jasmin K. Ma, Jason GE Zelt and Trisha D. Scribbans. "Incidence of non-responses and individual response patterns after sprint interval training." Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 41, No. 3 (2016): 229- 234.

4. Hubal, Monica J., Heather Gordish-Dressman, Paul D. Thompson, Thomas B. Price, Eric P. Hoffman, Theodore J. Angelopoulos, Paul M. Gordon et al. "Variability in muscle size and strength gains after one-sided strength training." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 37, No. 6 (2005): 964-? 972.

5. Gardner, Christopher D., John F. Trepanowski, Liana C. Del Gobbo, Michelle E. Hauser, Joseph Rigdon, John PA Ioannidis, Manisha Desai and Abby C. King. "Effect of a low-fat versus low-carbohydrate diet on 12-month weight loss in obese adults and the association with genotype pattern or insulin secretion: the randomized clinical trial DIETFITS." Jama, 319, no. 7 (2018): 667-7. 679.

6. Ross, Robert, Bret H. Goodpaster, Lauren G. Koch, Mark A. Sarzynski, Wendy M. Kohrt, Neil M. Johannsen, James S. Skinner et al. "Precision Training Medicine: Understand the Variability of Training Reactions." British Journal of Sports Medicine 53, No. 18 (2019): 1141 & ndash; 1153.

7. Montero, David and Carsten Lundby. "Refuting the Myth of Non-Response to Exercise Training:" Non-Responders "Responding to a Higher Dose of Exercise." The Journal of Physiology 595, No. 11 (2017): 3377-? 3387.

8. Bonafiglia, Jacob T., Mario P. Rotundo, Jonathan P. Whittall, Trisha D. Scribbans, Ryan B. Graham and Brendon J. Gurd. "Inter-individual variability of adaptive responses to endurance and sprint interval training: a randomized crossover study." PloS one 11, no. 12 (2016).

9. Beaven, C. Martyn, Christian J. Cook and Nicholas D. Gill. "Significant strength gains in rugby players following specific resistance training protocols based on individual testosterone responses in saliva." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 22, No. 2 (2008): 419-4. 425.

10. Scharhag-Rosenberger, Friederike, Susanne Walitzek, Wilfried Kindermann and Tim Meyer. "Differences in adapting to a year of aerobic endurance training: individual patterns of non-response." Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport 22, No. 1 (2012): 113- 118.

19 May
Blog

When It Comes to Exercise, Different People Get Different Results

Are you not getting results from your training program? Here's what you can do that is supported by science.

There is no uniform training approach. Two people doing the same training can get very different results. A person can work hard at the gym for months without much progress as their training partner gets stronger with each session.

In exercise research1 there is a term for someone who does not achieve the expected results of a certain type of exercise: non-responder. In one study after another, some participants improve significantly, others do not improve at all, even if they use the same program. 1

It can be frustrating for those who make an effort and don't see the results they want, but we can learn from research in this area to ensure that everyone gets the benefits of exercise.

Here is an example of how different individuals are in relation to a particular exercise program.

One hundred and twenty-one adults took part in a 24-week hiking program and trained five times a week. Before the start of the study2, they were randomly divided into three groups:

  1. A low-volume, low-intensity group that walked an average of 31 minutes per session with an intensity that is considered moderate according to exercise guidelines. I will call it the low group.
  2. A high-volume, low-intensity group that walked with the same intensity, but approximately twice as long in each session (58 minutes on average) than the first group. I'll call that the middle group.
  3. A high-volume, high-intensity group that walked with vigorous intensity for about 40 minutes in each session. I will call that the high group.

Cardio fitness was measured several times throughout the study. After six months, each group did the following:

  • In the low group, 62% of participants improved their fitness.
  • In the middle group, 82% improved their fitness.
  • In the high group, 100% of the participants improved their fitness.

On closer inspection, there are also a variety of fitness changes within the groups.

When it comes to exercise, different people achieve different results - fitness, fitness, psychological stress, endurance training, interval training, weight gain, blood pressure, sleep quality, cardiovascular fitness, PR tracker, nutritional research

These graphics show how everyone's fitness changed after the program was completed. Each bar represents a person's answer. You can see that some people have improved a lot, others a little, and some people have lost weight.

  • In the low group, the range of responses ranged from an 8% decrease in fitness to a 30% improvement.
  • The middle group had a range between a 10% loss of fitness and a 43% improvement.
  • In the high group, the least responsive participant improved by only 7%, while the top responder improved by a whopping 118%.

Remember that these people did the same exercise program in each group, but their results were very different.

This study3 focused on endurance training for cardiovascular fitness, but it does so in other types of training studies, including interval training and strength training.

In a strength training study 4, for example, the same 12-week program resulted in changes in strength that ranged from no improvement for one person to a 250% increase for another person. There were also significant differences in muscle growth between individuals, with one person reducing their muscle size by 2%, while the fastest responding person increased by 59%.

This effect5 has also been observed in nutritional science, where people on the same diet experience very different amounts of weight loss and sometimes even weight gain.

The reasons for these differences are not obvious. Of course, factors such as sleep, stress, diet, and occasional physical activity can affect a person's response to an exercise program.

The researchers are trying to take these things out of the equation by asking participants to follow a standardized diet or by letting them wear activity trackers when they're not in the laboratory, but it's not possible to fully control them.

Genetic factors certainly play a role too. Research6 shows that about 50% of the response to cardio training is due to genetic differences.

What can we learn from it?

If you're one of the lucky ones who happens to respond well to a particular exercise program, that's great! If not, don't worry. While these results may seem daunting at first, there is good news. If we continue to research, it seems that there are no real non-responders that can be trained. Everyone is improving somehow.

If you don't get the results you expect from your exercise program, keep the following in mind.

When it comes to practice, consistency is key

The most effective program for you is probably the one you run regularly.

In the walking study, the researchers only reported the fitness improvements of those who had attended at least 90% of the training sessions in the six months.

Not everyone who completed the study managed to hold 90% of the sessions. As the researchers declined and included those who attended at least 70% of the sessions, the percentage of people who increased their fitness decreased by about 4% in the lower and middle groups and by about 12% in the high groups.

I would say that 70% are still pretty consistent. This means that these people trained an average of 3.5 sessions per week per week for six months. Most of them improved their fitness. However, more consistency is better. People who attended 4.5 sessions per week (90% of total sessions) were even more likely to improve.

Consistency is probably the most critical factor in achieving the benefits of exercise. Do something every week. If you're struggling with consistency, focus on setting small, achievable goals and creating sustainable exercise habits before you go into the details of the program you're running.

Have the other parts of a healthy lifestyle in place

Get enough sleep, drink enough water, eat plenty of nutritious food, exercise as often as possible throughout the day, and manage your stress.

If you don't have these things well under control, you don't know if it is the exercise program you are not responding to, or if there is something else holding you back in your lifestyle.

If one method doesn't work, try another

Perhaps you have a healthy lifestyle and have been training consistently with lackluster results for several months. What should you do?

Try increasing the intensity or duration of each session. If we look at the walking study again, some participants did not improve their fitness after six months of steady, moderate-intensity exercise.

Nevertheless, all people who trained at a higher intensity improved. Even with moderate intensity, people who increased their volume (doubling the time spent in each session) were more likely to see improvements.

You can also have more sessions throughout the week. In another study7, the researchers found that when people did 60 minutes of cycling 1-2 times a week for six weeks, not everyone improved their fitness.

In this study, there were also people who did the same bike training 4-5 times a week, and all of these people answered. After that, the people who had not improved their fitness repeated the program. This time they added two more sessions a week and all improved.

You could try a different type of training. In one study, the participants completed a three-week endurance sport program and a three-week interval training in a random order. 8

They found that some people did not improve their fitness with one program, but these people improved when they ended the other program.

A number of set and rep protocols9 appear to be effective for strength training for different people. For example, if your goal is to increase muscle mass and the traditional four sets of 8 to 12 reps didn't work for you, your body may respond better to heavier weights and fewer reps, or lighter weights and more reps.

Treat your training as a scientific experiment

Exercise offers a number of different and crucial advantages. It can improve your body composition, reduce your risk of many diseases, improve your performance, brain function and mood, and much more.

Even if you don't see the specific results you expect, You will improve your health and fitness in some way through consistent training.

For example, the researchers had the participants complete a one-year cardio program that worked 45 minutes three days a week. At the end of the program, four different types of cardio fitness were measured.

Here too there was enormous variability in the individual answers. And some of the participants have not improved in all four ways. However, each person in the study showed improvement in at least one aspect of their fitness.10

You may be focusing on the wrong level of results, or you may not be tracking your progress closely enough to see what you are accomplishing. If you don't keep track of what you're doing and how you're progressing, you don't know if your program works for you or not.

Make a list of some of the benefits of exercise that are important to you and keep an eye on each one.

  • If you're interested in improving your health, you can track your resting heart rate, blood pressure, or blood sugar.
  • For body composition, you can track your body fat percentage or body measurements.
  • If fitness and performance are important to you, keep an eye on your time to walk a certain distance, the amount of weight you lift for each exercise, or the number of push-ups or pull-ups you can do.
  • Use a simple 1 to 10 scale to assess how you feel every day to get the more subtle (but equally important) benefits of exercise like mood, stress relief, concentration, pain frequency, or energy.

Record this information in a notebook or use a spreadsheet or your phone. Follow a specific program for a few weeks or months, assess how you react, and make changes if necessary.

You will probably be pleasantly surprised at how many ways you improve your body and life through exercise.

Your blood pressure may not have decreased, but your mood may have improved and your 5 km time may have improved. Maybe you haven't lost weight, but your strength has increased and you have gained energy and started to sleep better.

These improvements can motivate you to keep going. If you do this, you will likely find an exercise method that works best for you.

Do not compare yourself to others

It should now be clear that just because your friend has had great results after a certain program does not mean that you will. Concentrate on your progress, not on others' progress.

The bottom line

If you don't see the results you want, try again. If you still don't see any results, try something different. Finally, keep in mind that science is clear. Everyone answers.

If you stick to it consistently, you will get significant benefits.

References

1. Pickering, Craig and John Kiely. "Are there non-responders who play sports – and if so, what should we do about it?" Sports medicine 49, no. 1 (2019): 1-7.

2. Ross, Robert, Louise de Lannoy and Paula J. Stotz. "Separate effects of intensity and amount of training on the interindividual cardiorespiratory fitness reaction." Mayo Clinic, Proceedings 90, No. 11 (2015): 1506-1514.

3. Gurd, Brendon J., Matthew D. Giles, Jacob T. Bonafiglia, James P. Raleigh, John C. Boyd, Jasmin K. Ma, Jason GE Zelt and Trisha D. Scribbans. "Incidence of non-responses and individual response patterns after sprint interval training." Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 41, No. 3 (2016): 229- 234.

4. Hubal, Monica J., Heather Gordish-Dressman, Paul D. Thompson, Thomas B. Price, Eric P. Hoffman, Theodore J. Angelopoulos, Paul M. Gordon et al. "Variability in muscle size and strength gains after one-sided strength training." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 37, No. 6 (2005): 964-? 972.

5. Gardner, Christopher D., John F. Trepanowski, Liana C. Del Gobbo, Michelle E. Hauser, Joseph Rigdon, John PA Ioannidis, Manisha Desai and Abby C. King. "Effect of a low-fat versus low-carbohydrate diet on 12-month weight loss in obese adults and the association with genotype pattern or insulin secretion: the randomized clinical trial DIETFITS." Jama, 319, no. 7 (2018): 667-7. 679.

6. Ross, Robert, Bret H. Goodpaster, Lauren G. Koch, Mark A. Sarzynski, Wendy M. Kohrt, Neil M. Johannsen, James S. Skinner et al. "Precision Training Medicine: Understand the Variability of Training Reactions." British Journal of Sports Medicine 53, No. 18 (2019): 1141 & ndash; 1153.

7. Montero, David and Carsten Lundby. "Refuting the Myth of Non-Response to Exercise Training:" Non-Responders "Responding to a Higher Dose of Exercise." The Journal of Physiology 595, No. 11 (2017): 3377-? 3387.

8. Bonafiglia, Jacob T., Mario P. Rotundo, Jonathan P. Whittall, Trisha D. Scribbans, Ryan B. Graham and Brendon J. Gurd. "Inter-individual variability of adaptive responses to endurance and sprint interval training: a randomized crossover study." PloS one 11, no. 12 (2016).

9. Beaven, C. Martyn, Christian J. Cook and Nicholas D. Gill. "Significant strength gains in rugby players following specific resistance training protocols based on individual testosterone responses in saliva." The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 22, No. 2 (2008): 419-4. 425.

10. Scharhag-Rosenberger, Friederike, Susanne Walitzek, Wilfried Kindermann and Tim Meyer. "Differences in adapting to a year of aerobic endurance training: individual patterns of non-response." Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sport 22, No. 1 (2012): 113- 118.