Have you ever bought a one-size-fits-all clothing item? If it was anything more form-fitting than a rain poncho, I doubt it fit very well. That’s because bodies aren’t all one size or shape.
The one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for fitness any better than for clothes. Our bodies are all different, and not just in height, weight, and measurements that affect how our clothes fit. We’re also different in how our bodies respond to different types of exercise.
Exercise is for everyone, but not everyone sees the same results from the same exercises. Fitness is an individual journey. Recognizing that, and learning more about your own body, can help you find an exercise routine that’s right for you.
Many Reasons Exercise Works Differently
It’s easy to see that exercise works differently for different people. You might do the same workout as a friend, but one of you loses weight and the other doesn’t. Or you might lift the same weights as the person next to you in the gym, but your bodies and muscles look different.
Observing that different people respond to exercise differently is easy, but explaining why is more difficult. Studies looking at the “why?” behind differences in how we respond to exercise are ongoing. It seems to be influenced by our baseline metabolism, genetics (though perhaps to a lesser extent than previously thought), body type, gender, age, and other factors that make us unique.
The Science of Why
There are several scientific studies where researchers try to figure out why and how our bodies respond differently to exercise. One recent study published in Nature Metabolism identified over 100 proteins linked with fitness outcomes. The levels of different proteins seemed to indicate how an individual would respond to different types of exercise, but further study is needed.
Another study, this one funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), focused on the effect of exercise on the internal organs of rats. The researchers saw sharp differences in how male and female rats responded to exercise. This study will expand to human trials within the next few years.
A study published in The Journal of Physiology examined the different ways groups of twins responded to strength and endurance training. Interestingly, even the identical twins saw very different outcomes when doing the same types of exercise, indicating genetics might play less of a role than we used to think. One of the encouraging findings of this study was that people who didn’t see results from endurance training tended to see results from strength training (and vice versa).
Try Different Things
At this point at least, no formula or test can tell you in advance exactly what exercise will work for you. What we can say for certain is that increasing your physical activity is healthy. Exercise affects our bodies deeply, providing many health benefits that go beyond just losing weight or building muscles.
Finding the best exercise for your body is going to involve trial and error. If you’re not seeing any results from one type of exercise after a few weeks, try something else. Working with a personal trainer—either one-on-one or in a group setting—can be super helpful as well. They have experience training different people to meet different goals and can help you find the best exercises for your body faster than you could probably figure it out on your own. You can contact us today to set up a free fitness evaluation and see how Extreme Studio Performance can support your individual fitness journey.