Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights_ - Alex Hutchinson [98]
Despite its fame, runner’s high is actually quite rare, at least in its most extreme euphoric form. But some researchers believe that post-exercise endorphins have subtler effects that are far more widespread than previously realized—and that the opioid rush explains why some people become effectively addicted to exercise, persisting in their daily ritual even when they’re injured or unhealthy. In support of this theory, psychologists at Tufts University administered naxolone, which blocks the action of opioid drugs, to a group of rats who were accustomed to vigorous exercise. The rats displayed symptoms of withdrawal, including teeth chattering and “wet dog shakes”—exactly as morphine-addicted rats would have under the same circumstances.
Of course, most people manage to find a happy medium: they may not experience the euphoric thrills of runner’s high, but neither are they desperately jonesing for their next hit of exercise. Instead, the endorphins produced during their workout contribute to the general sense of calm and well-being that typically follows exercise—and that’s enough to keep them coming back for more.
Will taking a fitness class or joining a team change my brain chemistry during workouts?
Consider the similarities between a modern exercise class and an ancient religious rite—the wise leader guiding the group through a series of ritualized movements, in perfect synchronization. If you’re struggling to keep faith with your fitness goals, this apparent coincidence might offer a solution. New research suggests that group exercise unleashes a flood of chemicals in the brain, triggering the same responses that have made collective activities from dancing and laughter to religion itself such enduring aspects of human culture. For some (but not all) people, finding workout buddies could help turn fitness into a pleasant addiction.
In a 2010 issue of Biology Letters, researchers from Oxford’s Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology reported on a study of the university’s famed rowing team. The crew was divided into teams of six, each of which performed a series of identical workouts on rowing machines. The only variable was whether the workouts were performed alone or in teams with the six rowing machines synchronized by the crew’s coxswain. After each workout, a blood-pressure cuff was tightened around one arm of each subject until he reported pain, an indirect method of measuring endorphin levels in the brain. Endorphins—the same chemicals that stimulate runner’s high—produce a mild opiate high and create a sense of well-being as well as blocking pain. Sure enough, the rowers’ pain threshold was consistently twice as high after exercising with their team-mates compared with exercising alone, even though the intensity of the workouts was identical.
So where does this magic come from? The endorphin surges can likely be traced back to the evolutionary benefits of group bonding, the researchers suggest. Earlier studies have indicated that synchronized physical activity elevates mood and is associated with greater altruism. But synchronization is probably not the only factor involved, notes lead author Emma Cohen, who is now at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany. “We also suspect that shared goals—ultimate goals, like winning the big race, and proximate goals, like endeavoring to row together