WEBVTT

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- Imagine waking up for a morning run.

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But suddenly, you're floating
and there's no gravity.

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This is a reality for our astronauts
on the International Space Station.

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Find out how they keep their bodies
in shape for peak performance

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next on "Real World."

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[dramatic music]

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Staying in shape is important
not just for you,

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but also for astronauts going into space.

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Here at NASA's Johnson Space Center,

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the main hub for training astronauts,

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trainers work closely
with future mission candidates

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to make sure their bodies are prepared
for the rigors of spaceflight.

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- ASCR program, or the astronaut
strength and conditioning program,

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is a program
for anything physical readiness

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to help astronauts prepare
for their missions.

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That's what we engage in.

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So our facilities that we have here

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is basically set up like any
human performance facility

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that you would see outside the gate.

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Inside the deal,
on the strength and conditioning room,

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we have everything we need
as far as squat rack,

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machines, all that stuff
for resistance training.

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We also have a rehabilitation aspect, too,
that we do

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or reconditioning aspect,

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depending on what part of the continuum
the astronaut is in.

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- NASA has put some amazing
research and technology

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into the training facilities
that help prepare astronauts

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for working in space.

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But what does an astronaut workout
look like here on Earth

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before going to space?

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Why is physical fitness so important?

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- Well, it's very important
for everyone to be physically fit

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because we're all fighting aging.

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Reality is that you have that concept,
use it or lose it.

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Gravity has an effect on us
that we have to fight on a daily basis.

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So we don't have that in space,
so the body is very efficient.

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So it says,
"I don't need this muscle mass.

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I might as well get rid of it."

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Deconditioning is basically
the outcome of a period of time

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where we stopped exercising,
and the response the body has of that

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is a lesser or a lower fitness level.

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When astronauts experience
long duration space flight,

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there is a muscular consequence

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or a deconditioning effect
that they experience.

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And likewise, there are
cardiovascular deconditioning effect

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that they experience.

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Part of our job is
to help astronauts get back

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to their baseline fitness post-flight.

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- So picture this: you're an astronaut,

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and you've been training on Earth
for your next space mission.

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Now you're on the International
Space Station in microgravity.

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And sometimes these missions
can take hundreds of days.

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How do you maintain your strength?

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What do you have to do
differently in this environment?

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- To get the same workout in space
is a pretty difficult task.

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The challenge is that early on,
it's just the adaptation process

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that they feel
because when they're in space,

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there's no up or down.

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So actually, the treadmill that we have

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is actually positioned on the wall
on the International Space Station.

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So obviously,
we don't have weight in space.

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So we basically have to strap
the astronauts to the treadmill

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with a bungee system.

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So basically, just a rubber band.

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And then that tension pulls them
down to the treadmill.

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In addition, if you imagine
running here on Earth,

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even our arms has weight.

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So they just hang and they swing,
and we get that normal reciprocal action

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that we have with opposite legs,
so right leg, left arm, so forth.

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In space, the arms don't have weight.

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So that reciprocal action
feels a lot different.

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So bottom line, exercising in microgravity
is a different skill.

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So they have to learn and adapt
and understand that skill.

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One example is that
doing exercises in space,

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astronauts could appear stronger

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because we have to subtract
their body weight.

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So for example,
doing 100 pounds here with squat,

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astronauts are also lifting
their body weight

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when they're doing that exercise.

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In space, when they do that same exercise,

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the astronauts are not lifting
their body weight.

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So initially, it looks like that
they can incorporate or lift more load.

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But again,
body weight is not in the equation.

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Astronaut training has improved
over the years

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as far as our capability to curb

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the deconditioning effects
of space flight.

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And that has a lot to do
with our amazing engineers here

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that works at JSC,
who's giving us capabilities

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that we have not always had
with long duration space flight.

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Here at Johnson Space Center,
we have a treadmill

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that's in the bottom of a pool
where we can run underwater.

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So when they're in the water
running on the treadmill,

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we have the opportunity to reduce

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the percentage of the body weight
that they are running at.

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So, for example, if they're submerged

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in the water at probably chest height,

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they're running at 70%
of their body weight,

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not full body weight.

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So that's a great way post-flight

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to gradually take someone back
to their physical readiness.

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So how we calculate that is,
we turn the percent to a decimal,

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and then we multiply it
by their current mass or their weight.

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And then we get their percentage
of their body weight.

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So we can do that math
by taking the percent,

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turning it into a decimal.

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So 0.70 times their body weight.

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So if you weigh 100 pounds,
then 70% of your body weight

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would be 70 pounds.

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In flight, astronauts spend
about 2 1/2 hours per day exercising

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to counteract the deconditioning effects
of spaceflight.

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Also because that is also
their preference.

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A lot of them love to train
and also to stay healthy.

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- For over 50 years, NASA has studied

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what happens to the human body in space.

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Researchers use that data
to create specialized training programs

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to keep our astronauts safe and healthy
throughout their missions.

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If you're interested in training
like an astronaut,

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visit NASA's
Train Like an Astronaut website

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to get all the information.

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See you next time on "Real World."