News & Fitness Articles

Students who have achieved 1,000 Classes at Koo Self Defense
Congratulations to the following students:

#5 April 23, 2010: Mr Lawrence Craig, Black Belt

#4 April 6, 2006: Josh Minton

#3 September 9, 2005: Mr Welby Archer, Black Belt

#2 August 26, 2004: Ann Rapp

#1 August 21, 2000: Mr Daxton Edwards, 1st Degree

Fitness flop? It's all down to the genes, claim researchers
By Fiona Macrae. Last updated at 11:12 AM on 04th February 2010

Spent hours sweating it out in the gym but don't feel any fitter? Blame your parents.

One in five of us has inherited 'unfitness genes' that mean no matter how often we pound the treadmill, we'll still be out of puff.

The researchers focused on aerobic fitness but believe our DNA could also affect our ability to burn off fat through exercise.

Survival of the fittest: Researchers say our DNA could also have an affect on our ability to burn off fat through exercise.

The finding paves they way for a simple blood test that will tell us whether we should be getting on our bikes to get fit - or taking a less strenuous route to good health.

Researchers from 14 institutions around the world asked more than 600 people to take up cycling and tracked subsequent improvements in their aerobic fitness.

This involved measuring the amount of oxygen they took in, an indicator of the heart's ability to pump blood and one of the best predictors of a long and healthy old age.

Running, cycling and brisk walking all increase the body's ability to take in and use oxygen, boosting resistance to disease.

By peering into the volunteers' DNA they found 30 genes that affect oxygen uptake and showed that differences in 11 of these genes closely correlated with changes in aerobic fitness after cycling.

Around one in five of those tested had a combination of genes that meant their oxygen uptake hardly changed, despite weeks of fast pedalling.

'The change in aerobic fitness was so small you could miss it,' said researcher James Timmons.

'People will say that we only looked at one measure of fitness and there are other benefits of aerobic exercise.

'That is absolutely true but this is the hard and fast one that really predicts death.'

Another, more fortunate, 10 per cent saw a massive improvement in aerobic fitness, according to a report of the research in the Journal-of Applied Physiology.

The researchers have applied for the patent for a blood test that would pinpoint those carrying the ' unfitness genes'.

They believe it could be on the market within a year.

They envisage GPs or gym instructors using the test results to tailor a person's exercise programme.

Those found to carry the ' unfitness genes' would be advised to concentrate on changing their diet or taking cholesterol-busting statins to improve their heart health.

They could also benefit from different types of exercise, such as weight training.

Why the gym beats cancer: Vigorous exercise lowers death risk
By Daily Mail Reporter at 10:09 AM on 28th July 2009

People who exercise at high intensity are less likely to develop cancer and die, research out today suggests.

Jogging, swimming, rowing and games like squash or football all lead to a lower risk of developing cancer and dying from it.

However, the study found people must exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.

Experts followed 2,560 men from eastern Finland with no history of cancer and asked them how often they exercised.

The men, aged between 42 and 61, filled in questionnaires and undertook physical tests to measure the intensity of their exercise.

They were followed for an average of almost 17 years and were aged 53 on average at the start of the follow-up.

The intensity of exercise was measured in metabolic units (MET or metabolic equivalents of oxygen consumption).

Walking was measured as having an average intensity of 4.2 MET, jogging 10.1 MET, swimming 5.4 MET, gardening 4.3 MET and cycling to work 5.1 MET.

Skiing was 9.6 MET, rowing 5.4 MET, ball games 6.7 MET and gymnastics, dancing or weight-lifting 5 MET.

The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that men who did an average of 5.2 MET activity for at least 30 minutes a day had around half the risk of cancer death of those who exercised less.

This was also true after adjusting for factors likely to influence the results, including age, alcohol consumption, smoking, body mass index and calorie intake.

The average duration of physical activity was 462 minutes per week, or almost eight hours.

The authors, from Kuopio and Oulu universities in Finland, said high intensity exercise was best for lowering the risk of getting cancer and dying from it, particularly lung and gastrointestinal cancers.

The study said: 'The intensity of leisure time physical activity had a strong and independent association with cancer mortality.

'Men with a mean (average) intensity of leisure time physical activity of over 5.2 MET had a greatly reduced risk of cancer death.'

It added: 'The intensity of physical activity should be at least moderate so that beneficial effect of physical activity for reducing overall cancer mortality can be achieved.'

Master Roger Koo's comment on the above article. Jogging is the highest intensity at 10.1 Met. From all the athletes that has worked out (including triathletes), they all have found Koo Self Defense workouts much more intense that their respective sports. Koo Self Defense workout goes way beyond the 10.1 Met.

Congratulations to Justin Harner for losing 42lbs since joining us June 2, 2009.

Congratulations to my son, Gregory Koo (21 yrs old), Graduated Summa Cum Laude - Highest Honors in Electrical Engineering at GA Tech on May 2, 2009. Gregory is now pursing his Masters in Electrical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology starting May 2009.

Congratulations to my daughter Gemma Koo, honor graduate in Echocardiography, Class of 2007 at Coosa Valley Technical College! She is employed as a Cardiac Sonographer at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Pediatric Hospital.