Strength vs Endurance training_ Aligning your workout to your genetic composition

Strength vs Endurance training: Aligning your workout to your genetic composition Most of you who regularly workout would have a preconceived notion that weight/strength training is necessary & plays a vital role in shedding those extra pounds. Your trainer or experts at training must be telling you not to do cardio or endurance training since it will lead to weight loss but not fat loss. So can we assume that this is a standard solution of doing weight training (not cardio) applicable for every individual who is trying to shed weight? The answer to this question is NO. Your genes play an important role & impact the way in which your body responds to the exercise. Understanding your genetic composition can help you personalise your workout which can help you meet your fitness goals. Let us dig into the details. What works for you may not work for your friend or workplace colleague. We are all unique & the way our body responds to physical training is unique as well. You may have come across different advice offering the best workout that can make a paradigm shift in your fitness quotient. Every “so called fitness expert” prescribes & advocates “one solution fits all” approach that can help you meet your fitness (or what they propagate & show you a false dream of having big biceps like those of body builders’ pictures on instagram or that big muscle guy in your neighbourhood). Then they will use some frenzy words - such as power & endurance & you would be wondering what he is trying to tell you. Although we generally are aware of power & endurance, we would be perplexed to learn their meaning in relation to fitness. It is important to note that our genes predispose us to certain risks & responses which impacts how we should sweat! When it comes to workout, power (strength) & endurance are two such responses. Briefly, endurance training is low intensity steady state exercise performed for a longer period of time while on the other hand strength (power training) can be exercise modes such as HIIT & weight training which are high intensity workouts performed quickly over short time periods. The basic question arises, how do we evaluate which response is right for us given our genetic composition - strength (power) or endurance? Your genetic evaluation would help you find your predisposition to power & endurance response, injury risk & recovery & proportionate balance of fast & slow twitch muscle fibres. A genetic test can give you insights on these as well as various other parameters which will be used by our workout design team to personalise your workout program. There are a number of genes involved in figuring out your power (strength) & endurance disposition. Three main genes to be considered while deriving insights related to strength &

endurance are: ACE, ACTN3 & PPARGC1A. Besides, other genes that play role in determining your body’s response to endurance & strength are: ● IL6 ● VEGF ● COL5A1 ● PPARA ● AGT ● BDKRB2 ● TRHR ● VDR ● ADRB2 ● NRF-2 ● CRP Depending upon your predisposition, you would be inclined more for some specific branch of exercises. If you lay in the middle of the spectrum, you would do a mix of both for better results. Power training (exercises)​ generally involves exercises which apply the maximum amount of force as fast as possible. If you are predisposed to power exercises, your workout schedule would include weight lifting, powerlifting, jumping rope or sprinting. On the other hand, ​endurance exercises​ are characterised by repeated muscle actions taking place with normal contractions of large skeletal muscle groups. If you are predisposed to endurance exercises, your workout schedule would include jogging, running, dancing, swimming & low weight high repetition training. Our genomics based testing will help you find answers related to your fitness on various factors such as stress, sleep level, diet insights & workout responses. If you are looking for a personalised fitness solution & not sure whether you are predisposed to endurance or power response, sign up for our genomics based fitness program wherein we will use genomics insight to provide personalised live online workout & nutrition coaching. # Strength training, endurance training, weight training, power training, genetic predisposition, fitness, workout, genes, genetics