Should You Train Like a Caveman?
Should we take a lesson from our caveman ancestors when it comes to fitness? Get-Fit Guy explains the results of a fascinating study about the activity habits of our forefathers.
Ben Greenfield
About this time last year, a fascinating research paper came out that seemed to fly under the radar. The paper, entitled “Do Olympic athletes train as in the Paleolithic era?” compared our modern day athletes to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. The study made some excellent points:
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Ancestral movement and exercise patterns were mainly characterized by the prevalence of daily bouts of prolonged, low-intensity, aerobic-based activities interspersed with periodic, short-duration, high-intensity bursts of activity (such as gathering, walking, or farming all day, then occasionally running from a lion or fighting).
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Activity patterns throughout the day were undertaken with low carbohydrate availability. (Newsflash: Our ancestors didn’t conclude their exercise sessions with a giant Jamba Juice).
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Specific activities that enhanced strength and power were typically performed after aerobic activities. In other words, you may be tapping into your ancestral exercise roots to occasionally do weight training after cardio, or lift heavy stuff in a slightly fatigued state.
So what do you think? How can you move more during the day? How can you do with just a little less carbohydrate before and after your workouts, or even do a fasted morning workout? How can you adjust your workouts so you’re occasionally doing your heavy lifting after you’ve already been running, walking, or moving aerobically in other ways?
Leave your answers over at Facebook GetFitGuy, along with any questions you have about whether you should train like a caveman or cavewoman!
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.