Fitness

An athlete turned CEO says rucking — the fat-burning workout du jour — helps him stay in shape without sacrificing calls and meetings

Published

1 month ago

October 21, 2024

Press Room

An athlete turned CEO says rucking — the fat-burning workout du jour — helps him stay in shape without sacrificing calls and meetings

Momentous CEO Jeff Byers pivoted from being a football player to running a supplement company.
Byers takes his meetings and calls while walking either outside or at a treadmill desk.
He said rucking, carrying weight while walking, is an efficient way to stay in shape on a busy schedule.

Over a decade ago, Jeff Byers was a full-time athlete, trying to optimize his body and mind to compete in the NFL.

Now, as the CEO of a buzzy supplement company, Momentous, Byers still makes time to exercise like an athlete using a time-saving fitness technique that helps him fit workouts into his routine of meetings and phone calls.

Byers told Business Insider that he spends hours each week rucking, walking with a weighted pack or vest.

Rucking is one of the hottest trends in fitness, beloved by celebrities like Guy Fieri as well as top athletes, in part because it combines a minimalist approach of working out anywhere, anytime with functional benefits like building muscle, burning fat, and boosting longevity.

Taking calls from his treadmill desk, Byers said he’s able to log miles and hours of exercise without spending extra time in the gym.

“I love to ruck,” he said. “It’s so easy to incorporate into work.”

You might even be invited to throw on a rucksack yourself, if you’re meeting Byers for an in-person one-on-one, which he said often ends up being a walk and he, at least, opts to lug along some weight.

Byers said making movement a part of his daily routine has helped him capture what he loved about being an athlete and apply it to business, and build better focus and performance for the long-haul.

“My body’s been my tool for so many years and it’s still a tool, but it’s used in a very different way and I need my body to serve me for a long period of time,” he said. “When we think about performance for life, which is longevity, it’s about, how do I do the things I love for longer? How do I feel better?”

Rucking is a full body workout, no gym required

To try rucking, all you need is a sturdy backpack and some weight, which is part of the appeal.

Michael Easter, whose book The Comfort Crisis has helped drive a resurgence of rucking, says carrying weight is something that humans evolved to do from the earliest days of our ancestors, and taps into muscles modern humans often neglect.

As a workout, rucking offers a bit of everything: muscle-building, since you have resistance from the weight; cardio and fat-burning from a higher heart rate; and even longevity, since using your joints and muscles can help keep them resilient over time.

Byers said rucking is a staple of his work week, sometimes adding up to 30 or 35 miles or about 15 hours total as he’s on calls or meetings. That’s not counting the time he spends traveling for work, trekking around all day with backpack full of gear, as he did on a recent visit to New York.

CEO Jeff Byers works out in a weighted vest or pack often, sometimes while taking calls or meetings.

Courtesy of Momentous

Whether he’s logging on for a few minutes or a few hours at a time, every step on the treadmill adds up to well over the recommended minimum weekly dose of exercise for better health.

“I can be on a Zoom call, which we all have a lot of, and I can ruck two miles, and it’s better than nothing,” he said.

CEOs should think like athletes, Byers said

Beyond the physical benefits of rucking, Byers said challenging himself through regular exercise has enhanced his ability to stay sharp in the business world.

“Training is a part of you and pushing yourself hard to knowing your limits. If you can push yourself really hard, then other things feel easier,” he said.

The mindset of using difficult experiences to adapt and become stronger, is something that can apply to any high-performance person, from an athlete to an executive. Byers, who played for the USC Trojans then for various NFL teams and practice squads, navigated a string of injuries throughout his football career.

He said he tries to bring that approach to Momentous.

“I love movement. It’s been in my DNA for a very long time and it’s just something I try to incorporate very heavily into my life, the culture of the company,” he said.

Momentous holds a weekly company-wide workout on Tuesdays. Sometimes Byers leads the workout, or he’ll join his employees at a gym for a class, and the exercises are scaleable so people can join in at any fitness level. The point, he said, is to cultivate a sense of teamwork, the camaraderie of taking on a challenge as a group, that he loved so much from his NFL days, and use it to build a stronger company.

“Working together and doing hard things allows us to do hard things together in business to solve difficult problems,” Byers said.

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Fitness

40% lower dementia risk: The workout habit that could protect your aging brain

Published

24 minutes ago

December 3, 2024

Press Room

40% lower dementia risk: The workout habit that could protect your aging brain

smiling multiethnic senior athletes synchronous exercising on step platforms at gym

TIANJIN, China — Your body’s ability to handle a workout might be more than just a matter of physical prowess – it could be your brain’s insurance policy. That’s the fascinating conclusion from a massive new study that’s rewriting our understanding of the connection between fitness and cognitive health. According to scientists, your heart and lung fitness might be one of the best defenses against cognitive decline.

The comprehensive study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, reveals that individuals with higher cardiorespiratory fitness not only perform better on cognitive tests but also face a significantly lower risk of developing dementia – even if they carry genetic risk factors for the condition.

The Power of Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) – a measure of how well your body can supply oxygen to your muscles during physical activity – has long been recognized as a crucial indicator of overall health. Think of it as your body’s engine efficiency: the better your CRF, the more effectively your heart and lungs can keep your body running during exercise. This fitness metric naturally declines as we age, with the decline accelerating more rapidly in our later years. By our 70s, we might be losing over 20% of our CRF per decade.

In this landmark study, researchers from various institutions, including Tianjin Medical University and the Karolinska Institute, followed over 61,000 participants from the UK Biobank for up to 12 years. The participants, all between 39 and 70 years-old, underwent a simple six-minute exercise test on a stationary bike to measure their cardiorespiratory fitness levels. Unlike previous studies that required participants to exercise to exhaustion, this study used a more manageable submaximal exercise test, making it more practical for people of various fitness levels.

The results were striking. People with high CRF showed better performance in several cognitive areas, including prospective memory (remembering to do things in the future), verbal and numeric memory, and processing speed. But the benefits didn’t stop there. Over the study period, 553 participants developed dementia. However, those with high CRF levels had a 40% lower risk of developing any type of dementia compared to those with low fitness levels.

Perhaps most intriguingly, the study found that high cardiorespiratory fitness could delay the onset of dementia by about 1.5 years. This finding is particularly significant given that delaying dementia onset by even a small amount can have substantial public health implications.

Genetics Meets Fitness

One of the most compelling aspects of this research was its examination of how fitness levels interact with genetic predisposition to dementia. The researchers used a polygenic risk score – essentially a measure of genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease – to categorize participants into low, moderate, and high genetic risk groups.

The surprising finding? Even among people with moderate to high genetic risk for dementia, those with high CRF levels showed a 35% lower risk of developing dementia compared to their less-fit counterparts. This suggests that staying physically fit might help offset some of the genetic cards we’re dealt when it comes to cognitive decline.

The study population was notably diverse in age and fitness levels, though predominantly white and from less socioeconomically deprived areas. This broad representation helps make the findings more applicable to the general population, although the researchers note that the results might be even more pronounced in more diverse populations.

Call to Action

The takeaway of this research are clear: maintaining good cardiorespiratory fitness isn’t just about physical health – it’s an investment in your cognitive future. While we can’t control our genetic predisposition to conditions like dementia, we can influence how our bodies respond to these predispositions through lifestyle choices.

The good news is that improving CRF doesn’t require extreme measures. Regular aerobic activities like brisk walking, swimming, cycling, or dancing can help maintain and improve cardiorespiratory fitness. The key is consistency and gradually building up your endurance over time.

As we face an aging global population and rising concerns about dementia, this research offers a hopeful message: while we can’t turn back the clock on aging, we might be able to keep our cognitive engines running smoother, longer, simply by keeping our bodies fit. It seems that when it comes to brain health, the old adage holds true – a healthy body really does promote a healthy mind.

Paper Summary

Methodology

The researchers used data from the UK Biobank, focusing on 61,214 participants who completed a six-minute submaximal exercise test on a stationary bike. Each participant’s CRF was calculated based on their heart rate response to increasing workloads during the test. The researchers also collected detailed information about participants’ lifestyle, medical history, and genetic risk factors. Cognitive function was assessed through various tests measuring different aspects of memory and thinking speed. The participants were then followed for up to 12 years to track who developed dementia.

Key Results

The study found that compared to those with low CRF, participants with high CRF had better cognitive performance at baseline and a 40% lower risk of developing dementia. High CRF was associated with delaying dementia onset by 1.48 years. Among people with moderate to high genetic risk for dementia, high CRF reduced the risk by 35%. The benefits were consistent across different age groups, though slightly stronger in middle-aged adults.

Study Limitations

The participants were generally healthier and more socioeconomically advantaged than the general population. Some people with health conditions couldn’t participate in the exercise test, potentially skewing results. The study relied on medical records for dementia diagnosis, which might have missed some cases. The submaximal exercise test, while more practical, isn’t as accurate as maximal testing for measuring CR

Discussion & Takeaways

The research suggests that maintaining good cardiorespiratory fitness could be a powerful strategy for preventing or delaying dementia, even in people with genetic risk factors. The study’s large scale and long follow-up period provide strong evidence for the protective effects of fitness on cognitive health. The findings support the importance of regular physical activity for brain health and suggest that CRF could be used as a predictor of cognitive health.

Funding & Disclosures

The study was supported by grants from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Council for Health Working Life and Welfare, and the Karolinska Institutet Research Foundation. The researchers declared no competing interests, and the funders had no role in the study’s design, conduct, or reporting.

Fitness

Yes, I exercise more than my daughter

Published

11 hours ago

December 3, 2024

Press Room

‘Have fun, careful on the ice,” my 22-year-old daughter shouts as I head off for my run round the park while she loafs on the sofa before Sunday brunch with her friends. “Don’t have a fall.”

I’m not surprised to learn that middle-aged women exercise more than their daughters, with 27 per cent saying they work out at least five times a week, compared with 19 per cent of those aged 20 to 29. My routine is relentless, I realise. First it was a quick run with a friend and the dog round the park after school drop-off and before work, but then I hit 50. Now, to keep supple, there’s Pilates and yoga to fit in before 8am. And this year a girlfriend insisted

Fitness

RFK Uses Calisthenics to Show Off His Strength

Published

18 hours ago

December 2, 2024

Press Room

RFK Uses Calisthenics to Show Off His Strength

ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR. has promised sweeping changes to the nation’s approach to health following his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services by president-elect Donald Trump, but one thing remains consistent: The 70-year-old will always post his bodyweight workouts to social media to highlight his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) fitness philosophy.

The former presidential candidate recently shared a video on his Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts showing off some complicated calisthenics with Ike Catcher, a bodyweight training influencer. The shirtless Kennedy, having doffed his top and tucked it into the waistband of his blue jeans, jumps up to grab the bar as Catcher performs a handstand maneuver on the top of the rig. The HHS-nominee then pulls up, rotating himself into a near-vertical inverted position, before continuing through the motion and dismounting the bar. Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” soundtracks the footage, which is slickly edited to include graphics as Kennedy pulls his lower body up.

“Practicing moves for my confirmation hearing,” reads the post’s caption. Kennedy’s move here isn’t a traditional exercise that targets a specific muscle group. It’s also unclear how the maneuver might factor into his confirmation hearing, during which he will likely be fielding questions about his anti-vaccine stances and his plans to shake up the agencies that would come under his jurisdiction in the office—but it does show a surprising level of shoulder mobility for a man of his age.

This type of clip is far from new territory for RFK. He’s posted videos with Catcher before, and he’s made a point to center fitness in his public messaging and persona. Back in April when he was still running for president, then-candidate Kennedy shared a post that outlines his philosophy on personal fitness as a political figure. The clip shows him pumping out pullups against the backdrop of the Gold’s Gym iconic green wall, hitting 24 reps.

This messaging has been present from the start of RFK’s bid for higher office. He launched his campaign for president on June 2023; before the end of the month, he was sharing details about his fitness regimen and how it was inextricable to his political philosophy. That first clip showed Kennedy training and urged his followers to start their own habit of morning calisthenics.

Calisthenics (or bodyweight exercises) like pushups, pullups, and air squats are an essential component to a balanced training plan. They’re more than just a starting point for resistance training with weights; you can use these movements to build muscle and develop relative strength (how strong you are in relation to your bodyweight). For guys over 50 (and beyond) like Kennedy, staying active is especially important as you age. Programs like MH‘s Max Muscle at 50, which features both bodyweight moves and exercises using gym equipment, can be a helpful guide to training safely and effectively so that you can enjoy movement and health throughout your life.

There’s some real utility in showing off these types of exercises for Kennedy, too. Almost everyone understands what it’s like to attempt a pushup or a pullup, and the sight of the 70-year-old politician pulling his chin up to the bar or pumping through reps on the ground immediately communicates vitality and capacity to the viewer in ways that other, more visually complicated exercises might not. He’s also able to drop to the floor to rep through pushups anywhere (and he usually shares these clips wearing jeans and a T-shirt, not exercise clothes, burnishing his self-professed populist cred) so the whole image portrays his readiness to engage in fitness anytime he feels the call.

“I will continue to walk the walk and lead by example,” he wrote in the first workout post’s caption, aiming to convince his audience that his personal training regimen will translate into effective leadership for the general public. How that will actually play out remains to be seen.