Barr Health & Fitness

Barr Health & Fitness Andrew Barr is an Exercise Physiologist and Personal Trainer based in Ottawa. He specializes in trai

Let’s talk about exercise and type 2 diabetes. This study was the first that made me realize just how powerful exercise ...
03/16/2022

Let’s talk about exercise and type 2 diabetes.

This study was the first that made me realize just how powerful exercise is at preventing chronic disease. You can find the article here:

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa012512

So, what’s going on in this graph? The authors assigned 3234 people with prediabetes to a placebo group, a metformin group, and a lifestyle modification group and followed them for an average of almost 3 years. What happened?

Unsurprisingly, more people in the placebo group developed diabetes than the metformin group or the lifestyle modification group. Metformin reduced the incidence of diabetes by 31%, lifestyle by 58%. To quote the authors “the lifestyle intervention was significantly more effective than metformin.”

I don’t know if you know anything about metformin, but as far as drugs go, it’s excellent. Want to know what the lifestyle intervention was? A 16-lesson curriculum encouraging participants to meet the minimum physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes of brisk walking per week and to achieve and maintain a weight reduction of 7% of initial body weight. Quite basic, really. And that was almost twice as effective as the best pharmaceutical available for the same outcome. Lifestyle beat metformin by about as much as metformin beat placebo. This is, to put it scientifically, bananas.

Think about what the results would be like if the lifestyle group added two strength training sessions per week 🤯

I’m excited to introduce a new program I’m launching called Senior Strength. It’s a six week, small-group strength trai...
03/09/2022

I’m excited to introduce a new program I’m launching called Senior Strength. It’s a six week, small-group strength training program designed to safely introduce seniors to high-quality strength exercises.

For the last few years, much of my work in the weight room has been with adults over 50. I’ve seen first-hand how a great training program can help people age well, move pain free and enjoy the activities they love. That’s why I created Senior Strength.

The first session goes from March 29th to May 5th on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There’s a 10:00 AM and 11:15 AM group, with a maximum of four people to each group. Senior Strength takes place at an amazing facility called Titan Performance which is right off the Queensway at the Montreal Road exit.

Detailed information about the program can be found here:

https://barrhealth.com/senior-strength/

If you’d like to learn more please feel free to contact me directly at [email protected]

Thanks and have a great day!

Let’s talk about aging, lifting weights, and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a gradual loss of bone that significantly inc...
03/07/2022

Let’s talk about aging, lifting weights, and osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a gradual loss of bone that significantly increases the risk of falls, fractures, and a loss of functional independence. It’s definitely something that you want to avoid if you can. But how can we design a training program to optimally prevent or manage osteoporosis? Thankfully, there’s some high-quality research on this topic.

A systematic review of randomized control trials found that working with free weights at high intensities (>80% 1RM), twice per week was the best combination of variables for increasing bone density in post-menopausal women. Other aspects of programming are less well established, but there is good evidence in favour of using exercises that involve a high degree of axial loading like squats and high impact exercises like jumping.

I know that most people’s reaction to the idea that a grandmother at risk for osteoporosis should squat and deadlift heavy is that it’s crazy and dangerous, and if it wasn’t properly facilitated, it would be. But if that person was working with a qualified exercise professional and they increased load gradually, the benefits far outweigh the risks. And it’s too common for people in this demographic to pick up their 40-pound grandkids routinely but balk at the idea of lifting a 10-pound dumbbell. The weight room is one of the most effective anti-aging tools we have.

Links to studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7360540/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23287836/

11/26/2020

Split squats and lunges might seem like they have a lot in common, but there are some key differences between the two that we need to be aware of to get the greatest benefit from each movement while also minimizing the risk of injury.

If you're not sure about the difference between a split squat and a lunge, this video is for you.

11/05/2020

Today’s video is about functional training. Specifically, what is it, and is it important, or is it a waste of time?

This is a fun, and surprisingly polarizing topic. Some coaches say that everything has to be functional and that any isolation exercises are a waste of time. Then you have other coaches who say that functional training is a waste of time. So, who’s right?

10/22/2020

Glute activation: What is it, do you need to do it, and how can we choose the best exercises based on what science tells us?

Answers to these questions and more in this weeks video:

10/15/2020

Are goblet squats effective, or are they a waste of time? Are they just for beginners, or can advanced lifters benefit from them too? Watch the video if you want to learn the best way to make goblet squats part of your program.

10/08/2020

In this video I answer the question, can you lose weight without exercise? Yes, you absolutely can, but that doesn’t mean you should. Although exercise is not essential for weight loss, it is essential for good health. And although exercise does not have a major impact on energy balance itself, it does have an important role to play in helping people lose weight and keep it off. Exactly how it all works might surprise you. Watch the video to learn more!

This is my answer to the question "What's something that the average person doesn't know about training and fitness that...
10/07/2020

This is my answer to the question "What's something that the average person doesn't know about training and fitness that can be an absolute game-changer?"

10/01/2020

Like most other chronic diseases and risk factors, exercise can be highly effective for both the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure. Almost all types of exercise have some effect, but some are more effective than others, and some are more effective than you might think.

This is an important topic with a surprising amount of misinformation around it.

For example, did you know:

That 120/80 is not “perfect” blood pressure, but rather the upper limit of the healthy range?

That blood pressure readings as high as 480/350 have been recorded during exercise in healthy, trained adults, with no adverse effects?

That stretching, and even hand grip training have been shown to have a beneficial effect on blood pressure?

In this video I explain exactly what blood pressure is and what constitutes a normal blood pressure response to exercise. I also share information about how to safely design an exercise program to help manage elevated blood pressure. If you find the video useful, please hit that thumbs up and make sure you subscribe so you never miss another training tip!

Address

Ottawa, ON

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 8pm
Tuesday 7am - 8pm
Wednesday 7am - 8pm
Thursday 7am - 8pm
Friday 7am - 8pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Barr Health & Fitness posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Barr Health & Fitness:

Shortcuts

Share

Category