Similar conditions are encountered at polar research stations, and indeed one mission of the European Space Agency’s Concordia research station in Antarctica is evaluation of human performance under isolation conditions. In the winter of 2011, the station crew focused on the impact of exercise, and what they learned might have benefit for the rest of us in our own versions of stressful situations.

The Concordia Station

The Concordia station is located at an elevation of 3,233 meters (10,600 feet), 950 km (590 miles) inland from the Antarctic coast. In winter, which lasts from February until November, the local mean temperature is -65?C (-85?F). There is no sunlight at all for about seven weeks, and no true sunrise for about three months. Because of the conditions, the station is not reachable at all in the winter, even in emergencies.

“In winter, which lasts from February until November, the local mean temperature is -65?C (-85?F). There is no sunlight at all for about seven weeks, and no true sunrise for about three months.”

Previous studies have found that both Antarctic winter crews and astronauts suffer from sleep disruption, interpersonal tension, and even mood disorders. In extreme cases, these conditions can jeopardize the safety and success of the mission. While some of the observed symptoms can be treated with drugs, non-drug interventions are preferable.

Study Design

Which is where exercise comes in. In the general population, exercise is known to improve mood, cognitive performance, and similar metrics. The study discussed here attempted to determine whether similar benefits are seen under the more extreme conditions of long-term isolation.¹

Initially, thirteen of the fourteen members of the all-male 2011 winter crew agreed to participate in the study. At six-week intervals, participants submitted to EEG measurements and answered physical and psychological health assessment questionnaires. Participants also took three cognitive performance tests chosen from the Lumosity application.

The Motivation Challenge

All studies of this kind must deal with a significant challenge: bored, lonely, demotivated people are often not interested in completing arbitrary experimental protocols. They may not do well on cognitive tests simply because they don’t care, not because their cognitive functioning is actually impaired.

“All studies of this kind must deal with a significant challenge: bored, lonely, demotivated people are often not interested in completing arbitrary experimental protocols.”

Indeed, only eight of this study’s initial participants actually completed the full experimental protocol. The Lumosity tasks were chosen because they were seen as more engaging than standard psychological test instruments, and therefore more likely to inspire consistent effort by the participants.

Participants were told to continue their normal exercise routines, and could use the Concordia station gym whenever they wanted to. Based on self-reported exercise logs, four participants were classified as “active,” while four were “inactive.” Activity was measured in arbitrary “training load” units based on rate of perceived effort (RPE) times volume, an established metric for comparing activity levels across different types of activity.

Study Results

At the beginning of the study, the active and inactive groups had comparable EEG results, comparable mood indicators, and comparable cognitive results. Though cognitive performance was unchanged for both groups over the course of the study, the other indicators showed striking changes.

Accurate interpretation of EEG results is an active and unsettled research area. While some conditions – such as some seizure disorders – have characteristic EEG signatures, interpreting results from neurotypical populations is less straightforward. For example, signals in the alpha and beta frequency bands have frequently been seen as indicating relaxation and arousal, respectively. In several studies, though, including this one, the two signals have moved in parallel. The authors cautiously suggest that both alpha and beta activity should be seen as indicative of general cortical arousal.

“In the inactive study participants, both alpha and beta EEG signals rose at the beginning of the isolation period and stayed elevated for the duration of the study. Mood indicators, meanwhile, deteriorated.”

In the inactive study participants, both alpha and beta EEG signals rose at the beginning of the isolation period and stayed elevated for the duration of the study. Mood indicators, meanwhile, deteriorated. In the active group, in contrast, mood remained stable, while both alpha and beta activity drifted downward over the course of the study. These results suggest that the active group was able to reduce cortical arousal through adaption to their isolated circumstances. The inactive group, on the other hand, had no productive outlet for stress, leading to mood degradation.

Astronaut Sunita Williams circled Earth almost three times as she participated in the Boston Marathon from space.

The researchers noted that the members of the active group followed fairly ambitious, self-directed programs. One member of the inactive group did exercise, but at low intensity, and did not see the same beneficial effects. They hypothesized that the active group benefitted from the perceived autonomy and sense of accomplishment associated with their exercise programs.

While previous studies have shown cognitive impairment after long-term isolation, the cognitive results in this study did not change. It was not clear whether this was due to the use of the Lumosity tasks versus more traditional tests or whether the makeup of the study participants might have affected these results.

Conclusion

Most of us will never experience an extended space mission or spend the winter in the Antarctic. For the rest of us, maybe the lesson is that exercise can help people tolerate even extremely stressful situations. Even if it’s 85 below and you won’t see the sun for two months, vigorous exercise is a way to take control of the situation.

Further Reading:

• Exercise Is Effective Medicine for Depression
• Learning to Recognize the Signs of a Depressed Athlete
• How Deadlifts Saved My Life
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

References:

1. Vera Abeln, et al, “Exercise in Isolation- A Countermeasure for Electrocortical, Mental and Cognitive Impairments,” PLoS ONE 10(5): e0126356. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0126356

Photo 1 courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photo 2 by NASA/Michael Studinger via Wikimedia Commons.

Photo 3 by NASA via Wikimedia Commons.

Photo 4 by NASA via Wikimedia Commons.

The post Are You as Isolated as an Astronaut? Exercise Can Help appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

A recent study in the United States was done to determine whether integration core exercises, which require activation of the distal trunk muscles (deltoid and gluteal), resulted in greater core activation than those of the isolation exercises that utilize only the proximal trunk muscles.¹

The study that was performed took twenty participants, ten healthy men and women (all were college students). Each participant was required to meet the ACSM weekly guidelines for physical activity of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, 2-3 days of weight training, and 2-3 days of flexibility exercises. Both proximal and distal muscles (six total core muscles) had surface muscle activity tested via electromyotherapy (EMG). These tests used a random sequence of sixteen isolation and integration core exercises.²

The overall results revealed that the activation of the abdominal and lumbar muscles was the highest during the integration exercises that required activation of deltoid and gluteal muscles. The integrated exercises also challenged coordination and balance. The study revealed that the abdominal and lumbar muscles were activated the most when balance was challenged.³

The integrated core exercises yielded a greater activation than isolation exercises in various muscles: the rectus abdominus, external abdominal obliques, and the obliques. There was even one integrated core exercise that resulted in 200% greater activation in the obliques than that of the isolation exercises. One other significant discovery in this study was that complex movements stimulate the targeted muscle groups as well as other primary muscle groups.⁴

These results suggest that integration exercises that require distal trunk muscles to be activated could potentially be optimal for maximizing strength, improving endurance, enhancing stability, reducing injury, and maintaining mobility, with reducing injury being possibly the most important. Recent studies revealed that college athletes who were injured had a weak core, primarily in the hip abductors. Having those athletes participate in a core strengthening program resulted in fewer knee-related injuries.⁵ Core strength is also vital in protecting the spine and preventing lower back injuries. When the core is weak, additional stress is applied to the spine, and back injury or pain is more likely to occur.⁶

This article is not suggesting that your core-strengthening regimen should neglect core isolation exercises, but it is simply reiterating that integrated core exercises are more effective at activating core muscles. When optimal performance is the focus, then a program that utilizes more integrated core exercises would be ideal. Next time you are in the gym, think twice about jumping on that abdominal machine – “integrate” a core exercise instead!

The post Science Says “Integration” Exercises Activate Muscle More Than Isolation Exercises appeared first on Breaking Muscle.