Benefits of AST

AST boasts many of the same benefits of conventional resistance training but with better (more healthful) cellular and systemic improvements. The main feature of AST training is that it increases strength. It is our opinion that it is THE best form of strength training when all relevant factors are considered.

Adapted Strength Training stimulates hypertrophy, increased muscular density and increased endurance, which results in:

• Daily activities becoming easier.
• Awakening the active genotype.
• Increased NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis): refers to the energy needed to perform any activity that is not sleeping, eating or formal exercise. For example, walking to work, gardening, typing on the computer, fidgeting, etc.
• Decreased risk of injuries and falls, particularly for senior citizens.
• Slowing the loss of muscle tissue due to age, and even stimulate new lean tissue in seniors.
• Increased functional capacity of internal organs.
• The nervous system becoming more skilled at utilising muscle tissue.

AST also has many metabolic benefits. these include:

• Increases in the basal metabolic rate. This is the most effective process for losing weight – basically it means that we are naturally using more calories throughout any given 24 hour period.
• Increased glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. about this ……
• Release of bodyfat stores. about this …..
• Improvement in blood lipid levels. More about this here.
• Blood pressure.
• Bone mineral density
• Cardio-vascular stimulation.
• Decrease in gastro-intestinal transit time.

The physiological benefits of exercise related to digestion, metabolism and fat storage are:

• Decreased gastrointestinal transit time or the speed at which food moves from the stomach through the intestines and finally through the colon – higher intensity exercise protocols such AST speeds up this process by 56% after just 3 months of working out.
• Decreased risk of colon cancer.
• Increased metabolic rate, which leads to the body using more energy on a daily basis.
• A positive impact on weight loss and/or weight management.
• A positive effect on chronic diseases, related to obesity, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and some cancers.
• Increased glucose metabolism – AST increases glucose metabolism by 23% after just 4 months of working out.
• Decreased risk of diabetes.
• Increased insulin sensitivity.
• Increased release of fatty acids, due to hormone-sensitive lipase release.

The physiological benefits for the cardiovascular system (CV) are:

• A general decreased risk for coronary artery disease because AST can help combat physical inactivity, obesity, dyslipidemia and prediabetes, all factors of CHD.
• For those with existing coronary artery disease, decreased risk of adverse clinical events by increasing cardiorespiratory fitness.
• Increase in the release of the hormone adiponectin.
• Improved ratio of low-density lipoproteins and high-density lipoproteins in the bloodstream.
• Improved cardiorespiratory fitness.
• Improved oxygen delivery and oxygen uptake within muscle fiber, due to increase in aerobic enzyme activity, increase in capillary density, improvement in blood supply and ability to remove lactate and increase in concentration of cellular mitochondria.
• Improved coronary blood flow, while decreasing the amount of resistance against which the heart has to pump.
• Blood pressure normalisation: higher intensity exercise protocols such AST reduces resting blood pressure for those who are mildly hypertensive.

The psychological benefits of exercise include:

• Increased self esteem
• Improved sleep
• Improved recovery from psycho-social stressors
• Enhanced emotional wellbeing
• Mood improvement
• Improved energy levels
• Better quality of life
• Decreased stress
• Increased cognitive function for senior citizens
• Reduced risk of dementia and cognitive decline