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View Full Version : Fat is heavier than backpacks


Ashtar
Mar-02-07, 03:02 PM
I read reading this study about ketogenic dieting and I found it interesting how they were discussing this one anomaly during an endurance test. http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/1/1/2

During the study, patients lost some weight, so to make it an equal burden, they made the people where backpacks that were as heavy as their difference in lost bodyweight.

They performed better!

So they were saying, one possibility (as a check in case keto didn't improve endurance) was that humans were more efficient at carying weight on their back, than distributed in fat cells around their body.

It's pretty interesting I guess, I can sort of see it, since we have strong backs. With a backback, it's more solid (depending on how the weight was stationed inside I guess) and you can stabilize it by holding the straps with your arms. Whereas fat just jiggles around and may be in areas that require less efficient muscles to work to lift them.

What it means basically, is say you're trying to maintain endurance, if you're 200lbs and lose 20lbs, you wouldn't get equal endurance just by putting on a 20lb backpack at 180lbs. You'd need to get a heavier one.

Of course, that's just jumping to a conclusion. There are a lot of other possibilities I don't think these scientists considered. One being an increase in lean mass (say, lost 25lbs fat gain 5lbs muscle) making it easier, an increase in aerobic fitness from those previous cardio sessions if they were untrained (which they did consider and made a new study with trained cyclists because of it). I do think keto might have something to do with it though, since by depleting glycogen your aerobic system has to increase by necessity to restore HTP and do it faster. It probably emphasizes retaining the slow-twitch muscle fibres over the fast-twitch.

Of course that sucks for tricking since it's so explosive and probably glycogen dependant. The keto dudes lost their sprinting ability.

PlasmaShock
Mar-02-07, 04:40 PM
Backpacks throw off your balance very badly and its not that they are too heavy to run with, they make your balance shift side to side making it harder to run with them.

dogzer
Mar-02-07, 05:06 PM
well, fat people has less fight power... so it makes sense that they lose

Edit- If they used the same person, it makes even more sense, because they gained stamina after losing weight. Even if they added the weight again with a backpack, it's like a fat guy competeing against same fat guy with better stamina

Rahf
Mar-03-07, 12:28 AM
Running with a backpack sucks. Running with one on your back and one on your front torso sucks even more.

Ashtar
Mar-04-07, 12:41 PM
Yeah I think it had more to do with endurance, but it's possible whatever backpacks they used were very ergonomic.

Rahf
Mar-04-07, 12:52 PM
Then the test can't really be applied or? They should be using frickin' wal-mart backpacks and nothing else otherwise the test can't really be applied to a general public.