Ten healthy, untrained volunteers (nine females and one male), ranging in age from 18-27 years, were studied to determine the effects of hatha yoga practice on the health-related aspects of physical fitness, including muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, and pulmonary function. Subjects were required to attend a minimum of two yoga classes per week for a total of 8 weeks. Each yoga session consisted of 10 minutes of pranayamas (breath-control exercises), 15 minutes of dynamic warm-up exercises, 50 minutes of asanas (yoga postures), and 10 minutes of supine relaxation in savasana (corpse pose). The subjects were evaluated before and after the 8-week training program. Isokinetic muscular strength for elbow extension, elbow flexion, and knee extension increased by 31%, 19%, and 28% (p<0.05), respectively, whereas isometric muscular endurance for knee flexion increased 57% (p<0.01). Ankle flexibility, shoulder elevation, trunk extension, and trunk flexion increased by 13% (p<0.01), 155% (p<0.001), 188% (p<0.001), and 14% (p<0.05), respectively. Absolute and relative maximal oxygen uptake increased by 7% and 6%, respectively (p<0.01). These findings indicate that regular hatha yoga practice can elicit improvements in the health-related aspects of physical fitness.

No abstract

A new model of stretch-induced growth is evaluated in four chicken wing muscles stretched to different extents by a spring-loaded tubular assembly. Muscles grew in length and cross section in proportion to the extent to which they were stretched. Longitudinal growth was essentially completed within 1 wk, while muscles grew in cross section through at least 5 wk of stretch. The muscles were neither denervated nor immobilized, and muscle activity as measured by EMG was not increased. Oxidative enzyme activities increased substantially with stretch in the patagialis (PAT), a twitch muscle, but were relatively unchanged in the slow-tonic anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD). Stretch altered mitochondrial enzyme proportions in the PAT, but had little effect in the ALD. Capillary density was unchanged with stretch in the PAT, but decreased in the ALD. Capillary density was unchanged with stretch in the PAT, but decreased in the ALD. Capillary-to-fiber ratio, however, increased in both muscles. We conclude that muscles grow and adapt enzymatically due to stretch, but that these responses are dissimilar in twitch and tonic muscles.

No abstract

We investigated the effect of a fatty meal on plasma concentrations of lipids, apolipoproteins, and the cholesterol component of lipoproteins. Sixteen nonobese, healthy, asymptomatic males, 22-34 years of age, served as subjects for this study. None smoked, consumed more than two alcoholic drinks per day, or took any medication known to alter plasma lipids. After a 12 h fast, baseline plasma samples were obtained just before subjects consumed a high fat meal. The meal, standardized to a 70 kg individual, contained approximately 70 g fat, 580 mg cholesterol, and 1100cal, with 56% of the calories coming from fat. During the 8 h following consumption of the meal, subjects rested quietly and consumed no food or beverages except water. Blood specimens were obtained hourly. There was a significant increase in plasma triglyceride (150% from baseline at 3 h, P < 0•0005). Very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) concentrations increased 150% at 3 h (P < 0,0005) while low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration decreased 37% at 3 h (P < 0'005) when estimated by Friedewald's formula. No statistically significant differences were observed between fasting total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), HDL2-C, and HDU-C, apolipoprotein AI (apo AI, All), and B-IOO concentrations and non-fasting samples. We conclude that plasma triglyceride concentration is significantly affected in the post-prandial state. As a result, VLDL-C and LDL-C when assessed by the Friedewald formula are also altered. A minimum of 8 h fasting is required to assess these concentrations accurately in this population. The concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL-C, HDL2-C, HDU-C, apo AI, apo All, and apo B-lOO can be determined adequately using a non-fasting specimen.