Iron Man USA — August 2017

ironmanmagazine.com | AUGUST 2017 73

the beginning of time, scientists and

researchers have been searching for

the fountain of youth to reverse the ag-

ing process. If you’re a regular reader of

Iron Man and this column, it’s likely you

also gravitate to articles and headlines

with the words “bio-hack,” “anti-aging”

and “life extension” in them. What if

we told you the optimal way to extend

your life was to continue living the

IM lifestyle all the way until the end?

Based on the newest research from

Brigham Young University (BYU), it

appears that’s exactly what you should

be doing. According to the research-

ers, the best method to tone down the

aging process is intense exercise. This

is noticed at the cellular level in the

length of telomeres.

Telomeres are the protein endcaps on

chromosomes found in the human

body. They are the cells controlling your

body’s biological clock and its aging

process. Each time a cell within your

body replicates, a small part of these

endpoints is effectively lost. As we age,

telomeres gradually shrink.

The Science Says

The BYU research team determined

individuals who engaged in demand-

ing physical activity like high intensity

weight training and cardiovascular

exercise had longer telomeres than

those whose lifestyles were much more

sedentary. In fact, the researchers con-

cluded regular intense exercise could

present a boost of nine years versus

those who lived a sedentary lifestyle.

Needless to say, a whole lot of world

travel can be done in nine more years.

We should note the study also stated

that those who practiced a high level

of physical activity had a seven-year

benefit from it as compared to those

who exhibited a moderate level of ac-

tivity. They considered females jogging

for 30 minutes, five days a week and

males jogging for 40 minutes, five days

a week, as a high level.

The specific mechanism responsible

for preservation of the telomeres is

unknown. But it stands to reason that

intense exercise might alter and alto-

gether suppress oxidative stress and

inflammation leading to better health

and longevity.

You already know from our previous

articles that inflammation is what leads

to cellular degradation and ultimately

one of the many diseases of aging

like diabetes, heart disease, cancer,

Alzheimer’s and more. What more

evidence do you need to understand

the amazing benefits that intense

exercise (both through resistance

and cardiovascular training) bestows

upon lifespan?

What You Should Do

We wouldn’t be performing our due

diligence with this column if we didn’t

offer you an excellent training proto-

col to take advantage of this newest

research. Of course, we don’t recom-

mend jogging, as it is a high impact

movement, which creates shearing

forces dangerous to an aging athlete’s

joints and tendons over time.

As we’ve previously discussed, nothing

outperforms building muscle through

resistance exercise. Our program offers

the benefits of muscle building and

cardiovascular exercise. This program

should be performed with minimum

time and maximum effort. You should

do one or two sets per exercise and

one to three exercises per body part.

Not counting warm-up sets, each set

is done to positive muscle failure. This

might mean you’re performing 20 to

30 reps per set.

4 Days A Week

Day 1 – Chest, Delts, Abs

Day 2 – Legs, Calves, Abs

Day 3 – Two 30-minute steady state

cardio sessions (aim for 125-140

BPM)

Day 4 – Back, Traps, Abs

Day 5 – Arms, Abs

Day 6 and Day 7 – Seven 45-minute

steady state cardio sessions (aim for

125-140 BPM)

Supplemental Help

We also would not be doing our job if

we didn’t offer you supplements and

medications to use in combination

with this training program to reduce

cellular inflammation. What follows are

a list of supplements that you might

want to consider.

Metformin – These lower insulin

exposure over time with less vascular

inflammation. You do need a doctor’s

prescription. Consider taking 250mgs

to 1 gram depending on bodyweight/

body type and whether you’re a male

or female.

Curcumin – This works by reducing the

amount of two inflammatory enzymes,

LOX and COX-2. You might consider

taking 3 to 5 grams, depending on

whether you’re injured. Look for a stan-

dardized version. Always take with fat.

Omega-3 fatty acids – Supplementing

with omega-3 will help change the ratio

of omega-3 to omega-6 in your body.

The more omega-6 and less omega-3,

the more inflammation. A good dose

would be 4 to 6 grams per day.

Bromelain – Data suggests this

inhibits pro-inflammatory factors from

forming without affecting the anti-

inflammatory ones. Consider taking 1.5

to 2 grams per day.

Jay Campbell is the author of the #1 5 Star Rated

Book ever written on Testosterone Replacement

Therapy (TRT), The Definitive TRT MANual, the

founder of TRTRevolution.com and the creator of

the TRT Revolution Podcast. Jim Brown was an

NPC super heavyweight bodybuilder for over a

dozen years, the creator of Forged Training and

a performance improvement specialist who has

coached thousands. Together they work tirelessly

to help aging fitness enthusiasts realize their

health and fitness goals. Read much more at

TRTRevolution.com.

Since

Researchers

concluded regular

intense exercise

could present a boost

of nine years versus

those who lived a

sedentary lifestyle.

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