You’ve probably heard it before: We only get ONE body, we only get ONE life.
So let’s do our best to enjoy it fully & strive to be the best versions of ourselves.
Unfortunately, too many people are unsatisfied with their current life, despite having things like a great family & lovely home. They’re tired of being in pain, taking the meds their doctor gave them, feeling sluggish, gross, & unattractive, & running out of breath when playing with their kids in the back yard. They feel, & look, older than they really are & they’re unhappy with that.
Often times, these men & women have tried every diet they could find on the internet & exercise programs that promised them 6 pack abs. Now, they’re left with little to no progress or lasting results for their efforts & the depressing feeling that they’ll never be able to make their health & fitness goals a reality. Years go by, and they’re stuck in the same, miserable patterns. Before they know it, they’re health & fitness have continued to deteriorate so much, & they are left with all sorts of problems. The lack of consistent, proper , & attentive care in exercise & nutrition, despite multiple efforts, has people left in a pile anxiety, misery, & hopelessness.
Maybe this sense of hopelessness is eating away at you, or someone you know.
If so, I’ve got some good news: It is not too late for you to achieve incredible body & life transformations. Whether you’ve “tried everything” as a 26 year old retired collegiate athlete, a 43 year mother of 3, or you’re a 62 year old looking to battle off age-related complications like falls & chronic disease, YOU CAN still make the changes YOU WANT.
Becoming Your Best Self
Age related declines in fitness are not inevitable…. you CAN fight off the decline in training qualities, like strength, power, body fat %, ect. You can act to improve & maintain said qualities. But, if you just sit around waiting to get started next month, or next year, you sink deeper into the quicksand of unhappiness & health crisis. ACT TODAY to climb out of that quicksand & get far from it.
Flip the script. Forget “how can I delay the problems of aging?”, go out & make your 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s the best yet. Ditch the “all or nothing” approach & get the ball rolling with an “always something” mindset. Everyday, take small steps in the direction of becoming your best self. Fit, happy, healthy doesn’t need to be a daydream.
Train for Strength & Muscle Mass
No matter the population or their goal, increasing their strength is going to be a priority in their training program. Resistance/strength training allows us to lay a solid foundation for what else is to come & will be key in their journey for attacking their goals & achieving success. Don’t look at strength training as some crazy style or training that will make you look like you should be competing vs The Rock, because there’s so much more to the puzzle than that. The celebrities that drop your jaw when you see them walk across the red carpet or post a picture on Instagram use strength training to feel & look their best.
If your’e a mom of 3 looking to get back into your 20’s shape, strength training is going to help you get that toning that you’re after. If you’re a young athlete, strength training is going be a great supplement to your sports training to help your overall performance & development as an athlete. If you’re an older adult, strength training can be huge in battling off bone & joint limitations/issues like osteoporosis, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteopenia, & muscular atrophy to get you feeling & looking 10 years younger.
What science says about age related declines
Up until about age 30, your body can do a pretty good job of putting on muscle mass. But somewhere around 30, you begin to lose at least 3% of your muscle mass each decade. “The aging process leads to distinct muscle mass and strength loss. Muscle strength declines from people aged <40 years to those >40 years between 16.6% and 40.9%.” (1)
In fellow Strength Coach Charlie Gould’s article on how training can reverse the effects of aging, he summarizes some great data on strength’s importance in older populations & why it is important to train as you do age:
One study of over 150,000 individuals found that grip strength was a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality than systolic blood pressure, and that each 11 pound decrease in grip strength was linked to a 16% higher risk of all-cause mortality, a 17% higher rate of dying from heart disease, and a 7% higher risk of suffering from a heart attack (5). A similar study found that individuals with below-average grip strength were 50% more likely to die earlier than their stronger peers, which led the researchers to conclude that “muscle weakness is a serious public health concern”(6).
Grip strength is just an indicator of overall strength, but it shows that stronger people are typically healthier & thus harder to kill, something especially relevant during this COVID-19 pandemic, than their weaker, less healthy counterparts.
Use It or Lose It
A lot of people think that becoming weaker as you age is inevitable & that it is simply a natural byproduct of aging, but they gloss over what adds to age related declines & the fact that you really can fight back. If you don’t do things that require some strength, power, & other physical qualities, you’re going to lose them. People tend to ignore the role that disuse has in these losses in strength, power, etc, treating it as though it is just how things go. So don’t sit back & let it happen, fight back.
“Strength training can literally reverse the aging process. Now that’s longevity.” – Dr. John Rusin
Stick to the Basics
When it comes to training for health & longevity, there’s not need to get complicated. You’re training program should include or work towards including these foundational movement patterns:
- Squat
- Hinge
- Lunge
- Push
- Pull
- Carry
- Unilateral exercises
- Rotational exercises
If you’re looking to take your health by the scruff of the neck with training, there’s no better time to start than right now.
