As we get older we tend to become more careful with our bodies–which to a degree I understand, but being too careful can result in injury and do our body more harm than good. No, I am not saying start out with the 100lb dumbbell or kettlebell, but instead choose a weight where the last few reps of your set are difficult. Working up in 5-10 pound increments is a good standard for increasing weight.

One of the biggest concerns I get from individuals is picking up a weight that feels too heavy, so they opt for the lighter weights. You might be putting your body through the motions, but if you aren’t picking up a weight that is making your body put in some work, then you are doing just that, putting your body through the movements.

I have some pretty amazing older individuals in my group fitness class here in Morgantown, West Virginia. They range between early 50’s to mid 60’s and quite honestly – they move better than some of my younger warriors (no offense – you know I love all of you), but the reason they are doing so well is because they understand that if they want their bodies to continue getting stronger, they need to continue challenging it.

Fitness After 50

After the age of 50 our body begins to lose muscle mass; For women, osteoporosis may start to settle in, metabolism starts to significantly slow down, our bodies stop burning fat efficiently, and we just feel tired all the time.

Strength training is still quite new to many older individuals, so they return to what they have done in the past—walking, biking, swimming, etc. While any movement is good movement, and conditioning exercise keeps the heart nice and strong, strength training can help to rebuild muscle, speed up metabolism and fat loss. Even a 20-minute strength training routine two days a week can significantly increase muscle mass in an older individual by a significant amount.

One of the biggest things I try to do with my Warrior Body classes is provide a functional fitness approach for everyone. I hate to use the word “functional” because it has become a buzzword. It gets thrown around because it is the “cool” way to stay fit these days. But, in all honesty picking things up and putting them back down is the way to stay strong and keep our bodies doing everyday tasks.

Step-ups, deadlifts, overhead pressing, even flipping tires and beating them with sledge hammers are all moves that mimic everyday activities. Performing three sets of 10 bicep curls may look cool and all, but are they really going to help you get up the stairs to your front porch?

5 Reasons to Strength Train After 50

• Increases bone density
• Revitalizes muscle cells
• Keeps minds sharp
• Reduces resting blood pressure
• Improves blood lipid profiles

I have one incredible member who is in her early 50’s who spoke with me after class about how she has been on blood pressure medicine for quite some time and she couldn’t believe how much it had dropped after starting my exercise and nutrition program. How exciting is that?

Weight training is not just about looking the best, looking like a model, or having six-pack abs. It’s about longevity and keeping yourself as strong and as healthy as you can. If looking a specific way is what keeps you motivated then go after it. Understanding the “why” of exercise will take you so much further and provide long-lasting results than chasing after a specific look.

Here are sample exercises to include into any plan, but will also be additionally beneficial for those in their 50’s and older:

• Squats
• Lunges
• Step-ups
• Deadlifts
• Overhead pressing
• Rows – work on posture and keep your back strong
• Core strength – the foundation of the body
• Carrying – whether it is kettlebells, sandbags, or kegs—all fantastic for building a strong body

The post The Silver Haired Warriors Club: Fitness for Seniors appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This program is designed for older adults with prior training experience who seek a new option for general improvements in fitness and strength. It is divided into two training cycles: weeks 1 to 6 and weeks 7 to 12.  You can download a PDF of the workouts here or click on the image below. However, make sure you read through the information online here, and familiarize yourself with the concepts and approaches to each set of workouts. It should be pretty simple and easy to follow. Also, you will find a suggested list of movement libraries to support this training program.

12-Week Fitness Program for Older Athletes: Week 1 – 6

The chart above is the layout of your weekly training schedule and the split between the different activities.

Train three non-consecutive days per week (i.e., M-W-F, Tu-Th-Sn, or whatever fits your schedule), alternating a body-weight strength and endurance circuit with a low-impact conditioning workout performed on a stair-climber, elliptical machine, stationary bicycle, or other devices.

Workout – Body Weight Strength & Endurance Circuit #1

The goal of the body-weight strength and endurance circuits is to complete them in the least amount of time. When repeating the same workout (#1, #2, or #3), attempt to do it in less time than the previous attempt.

Workout – Body Weight Strength Endurance Circuit #2

Workout – Body Weight Strength & Endurance Circuit #3

Workout – Conditioning Workout #1

The goal of the low-impact conditioning workouts is simply to conform to the prescribed work, rest and volume menu listed. You can perform conditioning workouts on a stair-climber, elliptical machine, stationary bicycle, rower, or other devices. The basic components of the workout are:

• Warm up = easy pace.
• Hard effort = all-out effort relative to the prescribed time.
• Easy effort = continue moving, but at a very low pace.
• Bouts = number of repetitions of the hard effort.
• Cool down = walk and stretch following the session.

Workout – Conditioning Workout #2

Workout – Conditioning Workout #3

Workout – Conditioning Workout #4

Workout – Conditioning Workout #5

Workout – Conditioning Workout #6

Workout – Conditioning Workout #7

Workout – Conditioning Workout #8

Workout – Conditioning Workout #9

12-Week Fitness Program for Older Athletes: Week 7 – 12

The goal during weeks 7 to 12 is to increase the training intensity, add more pure strength training, and continue to work hard. During this cycle you will train three non-consecutive days per week, alternating workout sessions as follows:

Workout – Total Body Strength Training #1

Can be done with dumbbell, barbell, or machine:

Workout – Total Body Strength Training #2

Can be done with dumbbell, barbell, or machine:

Workout – Conditioning Workout #10

A low-impact conditioning workout performed on a stair-climber, elliptical machine, stationary bicycle, or other devices.

Workout – Conditioning Workout #11

A low-impact conditioning workout performed on a stair-climber, elliptical machine, stationary bicycle, or other devices.

Workout – Conditioning Workout #12

A low-impact conditioning workout performed on a stair-climber, elliptical machine, stationary bicycle, or other devices.

Workout – Conditioning Workout #13

A low-impact conditioning workout performed on a stair-climber, elliptical machine, stationary bicycle, or other devices.

Workout – Conditioning Workout #14

A low-impact conditioning workout performed on a stair-climber, elliptical machine, stationary bicycle, or other devices.

Workout – Conditioning Workout #15

A low-impact conditioning workout performed on a stair-climber, elliptical machine, stationary bicycle, or other devices.

Movement Refreshers for Older Athletes

You need to have basic knowledge of movements so, nothing here should be a surprise. For the conditioning, if you are using an indoor machine we recommend you check out this article on respecting the rower and for treadmills you can read about how treadmills are more than a hamster wheel and this one on non-motorized treadmills, which are expensive and not always easy to get access to use.

Glute-ham exercises come in all shapes and sizes. There are the always intimidating GHD machines and the Romanian deadlift.

If you’re having trouble with the pull-ups and chin-ups then we recommend you look at this set of pull-up instructionals and familiarize yourself with ways to adapt your training as required.

There’s also a movement library that can help you here, and if you search Breaking Muscle for anything information on the topics in this workout, you’ll no doubt find helpful articles and suggestions from a number of coaches on the site.

The post A 12 Week Workout Routine for Older Athletes appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I started boxing in my early 30’s. I fell in love with the rhythm, intensity, and aura of the ‘sweet science.’ Most the guys I boxed with were in their teens or twenties, but as a fitness fanatic, I figured I could keep up because kept myself in great shape. Besides, I thought, a lot of young guys don’t take care of themselves, eat terribly, and party a lot.

I knew that while I couldn’t control how much tread was on the tires, I could control how fast and aggressively I was driving. But aggressive ‘driving’ (i.e. continuous, hard training) had a downside. By the time I hit 40 I had more injuries, bumps, and bruises than I could count—among my setbacks were rotator cuff surgery, two ruptured eardrums, and chronic lower back and knee issues. In response, I decided to drive even faster and harder.

Such aggressiveness might pay off in the boxing ring but it didn’t pay dividends for my aging and ailing body. With the prospect of breakdown lurking around every corner, I tried every avenue available to keep me pushing faster and harder—fad diets, juicing, supplements, chiropractic care, massage, sports recovery, and acupuncture. But regardless of the avenue of training or recovery method I chose, I seemed to end right back where I started—jacked up. One day, a practitioner said some words to me that I will never forget as long as I live, “Eric, you can either age gracefully, or you can age foolishly, the choice is yours.” The statement hit me across the head like a jarring left hook.

Yet as much power as words can have, I still didn’t quite fully absorb the message (most of us don’t learn life’s lessons until we hit our proverbial bottom). Shortly after turning 41, a severe bout of sciatica stopped me cold in my tracks. My mind still wanted to push, but my body had other ideas. The jig was up—it was time to learn to age gracefully. Since then, here’s what I have learned about putting graceful aging into practice.

Step One: Surrender and Accept

You cannot possibly win this one. There are many victories to be had on the journey of life, but eternal youth is not one of them. As a piece of matter, your body follows the following cycle: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. The laws of physics dictate that no material organism escapes this process. Our job is to make the most of every microcycle and season to enjoy a robust and healthy macrocycle. That means surrendering to the facts of life and aging with grace.

Though surrender tends to have a negative cultural connotation, inner surrender takes courage and the willingness to grapple with the truth. Real surrender is not synonymous with quitting but instead with acceptance and maturity. When we simply push harder and harder to try and beat the clock, or try and run faster than our age, what we’re really saying is that we are afraid to die.

The fear of death and its close cousin, the ‘fear of getting old’ are fears that all of us wrestle with. But throwing a tantrum, wishing you were living in your youthful past, or reacting with arrogance ironically only speeds up the aging process. Conversely, when you build a foundation on acceptance it allows for you to make the most of every moment and fully experience the current chapter versus ruminating over what might happen to your body in the future. Seeing the truth and letting go of false expectations will not only help you build a realistic and resilient present, it will also make you happier.

Step Two: Plan a Circle, Not an End Point

While short-term success may be predicated on the completion of achievable goals, success in life isn’t about the false notion of continuous advancement, but about maximizing each stage of the cycle. Over 50% of new exercisers quit within the first six months because they plan for an end point without a “then what.” Sticking with fitness becomes a daunting task when novelties wear off, progress slows, and goals become harder to reach.

When you focus purely on continuous advancement and the next goal, you set yourself up to fail in the long run. Conversely, a regimen based on the ebb and flow of a well-planned cycle maximizes both growth and recovery. Athletes know this process as periodization and follow a strict but fluid plan accordingly. Every athlete knows deep down that someday their career will end. Those that practice self-awareness reinvent themselves in their next chapters as masters, coaches, or participants in a new sport. Our approach in fitness should be no different.

As one ages, the necessity for a well-constructed plan for both training and resting becomes more and more essential. As important as the miles, reps, and sets are, off days and active recovery are equally vital considerations. In the second half, recovery is no longer an afterthought or something done in response to soreness or injury, but a baked in part of the plan.

Step Three: Focus on Movement

As yoga practitioners and Qigong masters know, proficiency of movement can be mastered at any age. One of the great things about crafts like yoga or the marital arts is the focus on honing the skills of energy and breath juxtaposed with efficiency of movement. Such a practice takes focus and awareness, but not necessarily the vitality of youth.

While it is possible to slow the effects of material decay, it is not possible to stop or reverse them. Strength and power requires youthful exuberance, but the qualities of grace and rhythm aren’t necessarily limited by the confines of age. While you can’t stop gravity from taking its toll on your musculature, you can improve how well you stand up from a seated position whether you’re 18 or 80. Furthermore, while focusing on appearance won’t help you live longer, focusing on function just might.

Step Four: Stop and Smell the Roses

Studies show that happiness dips during middle age but peaks as we grow into old age. Despite the wrinkles, gray hair, and sagging skin, seniors tend to actually be happier than their physically beautiful and youthful counterparts. How is that possible? Maybe it is because as we slow down we start noticing the more important things. When we stop obsessing over how we look and worrying constantly about what others think, we open ourselves to the possibility of awe and wonder. Another way to think about it is that as we mature, we lose the battle (of peak physicality and keeping up with the Joneses) but we win the war (of letting go of ego and living authentically).

Accept Your Change

Ultimately, the acceptance of change is the only way we grow, even if that growth is spiritual or emotional while facing physical decline. As was it was poetically brought to my attention years ago, when it comes to aging, there are two types of people—those that lead with ego and arrogance, and those that lead with selfless humility. Having been in both camps, I can attest to the pratfalls of the former and the benefits of the latter. The bottom line is that getting older doesn’t have to equal being fragile, but it should equal being humble.

You might also like:

• Why Age Is Only A Number
• How To Calculate Your Fitness Age (Though Your True Age Is An Attitude
• Eating Well As We Age: Jump Starting Your Metabolism

The post How to Age Gracefully appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

As we age we expect to develop aches, pains, and reduced workout tolerance that prevents us from training the way we used to. Those of us who are female also have the added threat of menopause looming over us, with the assumption that fitness, youth, and appearance are all approaching a cliff edge.

Such decline is not inevitable however; if you change your thinking you could be turning in some of your best performances even in your fifties. I’m not saying it’s easy or that there are any guarantees, but if you’re motivated to work hard, hard enough to set you apart from the masses, then read on and learn a little about what worked for me.

Conventional Wisdom Is Limiting

Nowadays we have greater freedom of choice and better access to information than at any other time in history. We should be smashing through sports, health, and fitness barriers like never before. Yet in the area of physical training, we’re constantly bombarded by images, opinions, and beliefs that limit our potential.

Conventional wisdom informs us that:

• If you’re over 50 you’re in the grip of age-related decline and should downsize your training goals accordingly.
• As you age it’s normal to develop stubborn aches and pains in joints, or perhaps even severe pain and an osteoarthritis diagnosis. Accept that this is a normal and unavoidable part of aging and adapt your lifestyle accordingly.
• You need more recovery time when you’re older to avoid overtraining. It’ll be harder to build muscle, and harder to keep fat levels down.

And, if you’re also female:

• At any age, your strength, particularly upper body strength, is inferior to that of your male peers.
• You’ll build muscle at half the rate of men due to lack of testosterone.
• Looking sexy and skinny should be of paramount importance to you, unless you’re over 50 in which case you’re a lost cause; your primary goal in life should be to remain fit enough to play with the grandchildren.
• Be prepared for a catastrophic drop in performance and appearance when you hit menopause—you won’t be able to do anything about it so suck it up and lower your sights.

These beliefs are so pervasive and so deeply entrenched in everyone around us, including the experts in whom we often place blind trust, that it barely crosses our minds to challenge them. Yet, if we do challenge them, consistently and earnestly, many supposed limitations get swept away. My own story is a testament to that.

I Beat the Odds and Proved the Experts Wrong

Back in 2006 I was 42, leading a very active life and training for my 4th degree black belt in Shotokan karate. My training was interrupted by what seemed to be a mild performance-limiting injury, but one which refused to clear up. I went to a specialist who diagnosed it as a classic case of osteoarthritis of the hip. According to him, and almost everyone else I consulted, my training life was now over. Despite the overwhelming weight of expert opinion, I couldn’t accept that was the case; the problem felt like it was rooted in muscles and in soft tissue, not in my joints.

This sudden adversity gave me the jolt I needed to address all the little things I’d noticed during my 20 years of training: imbalances in strength, range of motion, and other anomalies in certain movements. Previously I’d dismissed them as being unworthy of my attention; they’d seemed so minor, and the time and effort required to correct them would have meant less immersion in the stuff I enjoyed. Now faced with the loss of my active life, I wasn’t about to overlook anything that might help.

I spent the next ten years trying to find a solution to my condition. At times I was in a bad place; I went through periods of crippling pain in most of the joints in my body and even succumbed to obesity. Eventually, the breakthrough came when I realized that my problem stemmed from a whole-body muscle imbalance rooted in my core muscles. This was not a joint disease rampaging through my body, this was a treatable condition, and I’d gained sufficient knowledge to administer that treatment myself.

What I learned in my fight against osteoarthritis caused me to question much of the accepted wisdom about training and performance, especially where age-related decline and gender related predictions are concerned.

Fast Forward to 54 Years Old

Now I’m training longer, harder, and recovering faster than at any time in my life. I’m training at a level that most people half my age can’t sustain, especially men, who tend to recover more slowly and burn out more quickly. For a while now I’ve been building volume, intensity, and frequency of training. Currently I train twice a day for six days of the week then a single slow cardio session of 90 minutes on the seventh day. These are all hard sessions, typically lasting for between one and three hours. I’m constantly getting new personal bests, losing fat, and increasing lean mass.

I’m now stronger than I’ve ever been and all my joints are coping fine with heavy loads.

My upper body strength is particularly good. My neutral grip pull up one rep max is nearly 150% of my body weight. My lower body strength is lagging; I had bigger problems to overcome with my lower body, but it’s still good compared to norms for my age and gender. My core isn’t balanced enough for heavy squats and deadlifts, yet. There’s still a risk of my spine twisting and bending while under load. However, I’ve managed machine hack squats weighted with 440% of my body weight and rack pulls at 240%, proving that my supposedly decrepit hip, spine, foot, and shoulder joints are coping perfectly well with heavy loads.

I’m now three years post menopause and the only difference is that my moods are more stable than previously. That in itself has had a positive impact on every aspect of my life, including training. I’m now more consistent, there is no sign of that dreaded middle aged spread, no downturn in performance, and I haven’t shriveled up like a wrinkled prune. I’m still building muscle and cutting fat on an average of 2800 calories a day.

I still have some imbalances holding me back, however. Specifically, one side of my core is still dominant; when I get tired or push beyond my limit the dominant side starts to take over, twisting and bending my spine and causing abnormal movement. My solution? I’ll keep working at it and eventually the two sides of my body will rebalance. I see this as a positive thing; I’m doing great now at age 54, yet there’s still more to be unleashed when I eliminate the last remnants of the imbalance.

My intention is to keep testing my limits, improving mechanics and function, and get new PB’s for many, many years to come. My passion is calisthenics and I’m working hard on skills such as human flag, levers, muscle ups, and single arm pull ups. Bodybuilding provides a foundation for my training, but it’s my own spin on bodybuilding, with the main focus being to restore then maintain perfect balance and function.

You Can Do It, Too

When I shared my osteoarthritis story online I was inundated with requests for help, and I was able to help others achieve similar results. People were actually telling me that after following my approach they’d cancelled hip replacement surgery, stopped taking pain relief medication, and were now leading full and active lives. Even more interestingly, people were finding the approach helped not only with hip osteoarthritis, but also things like hip impingement, SI Joint problems, and general aches, pains, and sore joints.

My personal case clearly wasn’t a fluke; it was a strong indication that many symptoms of so called age-related decline, potentially including menopause symptoms, are actually the result of fatalistic thinking. Change your attitude from ‘accept the inevitable’ to ‘find a solution’ and good things will start to happen.

The Problem with Experts

Here’s the rub, however. In my experience there is no ‘expert’ you can employ to do the problem-solving for you, and here’s why.

Our world is heavily focused on economy of scale; the best bang-for-buck lies in solutions that have the broadest application and highest rate of success. In the case of doctors and physios, who are often battling limited resources and poor patient compliance, this means setting aside research into treatments that aren’t viable for the majority of patients. The same thinking pervades nearly every aspect of modern life; sport, fitness, and physical training are no exception.

Though various professionals may have answers to small parts of the puzzle, they’re so constrained by their business model that they can’t deal with the full, unique combination of problems that a non-standard case presents. No matter how well intentioned, ultimately they’ll divert you onto the same well-worn path that serves the majority cases.

If you’re squarely in the mainstream and you’re happy to stay there, then the prevailing advice is likely to be a good fit for you. For the minority, those willing to move heaven and earth to fulfill their true potential, the best possible results will come not from blind acceptance, but from questioning, researching, and experimenting for yourself. In short, learn to become the leading expert in your own training and you’ll find that many of the limitations you think you have just aren’t real.

Be Your Own Expert

It’s not easy, but no matter how lost and uninformed you are when you start, if you have tenacity and faith in your ability to learn, you can succeed. The information you need is readily available online and easy enough to understand if you’re prepared to spare the effort; you may have to wade through sale pitches to get to it, but it’s there.

I’m not suggesting that you can’t recruit expert help, but you need to stay in the driving seat and be clear about the aspects of your training for which they should be responsible. Remain objective and periodically reassess how much they’re helping you; when you’ve got all you can from a given professional, don’t be afraid to move on.

My Continuation of Perspective

In future articles I’ll go into more detail about how I beat the limitations placed on me, and take a look at research challenging the commonly held beliefs that may be putting an artificial limit on your goals. I’d also love to share my thoughts and experiences on working with professionals and hopefully give them some ideas on how to better serve the biggest, wealthiest, and most dedicated demographic, the baby-boomer generation. My generation.

You might also like:

• It’s Not The Years, It’s The Miles: Training After 50
• Training And Nutrition Considerations For Menopause
• Why Age Is Only A Number

The post Be Your Own Expert and Turbo-Charge Your Training After Age 50 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The Role of Hypertrophy

I believe that the word hypertrophy has been misused and, at the minimum, misunderstood.  Hypertrophy means to change the shape, function, and strength of the muscle by nourishing the cellular structure—this does not necessarily mean the muscle has to get bigger. In fact, if you are working on fat loss, building muscle will likely make you smaller because muscle is much more dense than fat.

What we as individuals determine to be bulky might also be interpreted differently by others, and there is no one true definition of what this means. For example, the majority of women do not have the hormone profile that men carry that allows for huge gains in muscle mass to happen.

The science behind hypertrophy indicates that you need to work your muscles to the point of overload–and this means you need to have some discomfort while you are working out. I have to break the news to you that all the articles you have ever read about getting long, lean muscles with 5 pound weights performing 200 reps are complete bullshit. For one, you physically cannot change the length of a muscle, it is, after all, attached to bone, so unless you want to extend the length of your bones, your muscle length will stay the same. Yes, you can change the shape, viability, and function of the muscle, but not the length.

5 Reasons Hypertrophy Works: 1. It Fights Aging

After the age of 30, our muscles start to naturally shrink. Muscle mass can decline at an approximate rate of 3-5 percent per year, so even before we really get into the meat and bones of hypertrophy training, you need to acknowledge that you are already fighting the first stages of aging. By adding strength training to your program, you can start to regain some of that required strength in your body as it naturally declines. If you are a woman going through menopause, then you will also be dealing with hormonal disturbances that can impact your ability to gain muscle easily, so the earlier you start lifting, the more prepared your body will be for aging.

5 Reasons Hypertrophy Works: 2. You Will Look Good Naked

Lean muscle boosts your metabolism, and your muscles need nutrition to thrive whereas fat is just lazy. If you have increased muscle mass, your body will use your food more efficiently (think a Ferrari here) whereas increased body fat is just like feeding a broken down old car.

I know that looking good is not everybody’s main reason for working out, but there is no denying that the by-product of a good strength session is that your body starts to change. Your body composition can be totally transformed when you develop lean muscle. A great way to see this is not necessarily by the scales, but by your clothes sizes, measuring tape, or even just visually by looking in the mirror. So, if you are interested in the aesthetics, then start lifting.

5 Reasons Hypertrophy Works: 3. You Will Feel Empowered

Something really amazing happens when you start to get strong, you start to feel empowered in other parts of your life. It’s one of those things that is under-rated by the young ‘uns, but for us ladies over 40 who often experience a sense of feeling incapable or having low self-esteem, this is huge! The rush of endorphins you get from a great workout will leave you feeling invincible, so let’s give our selves the gift of having a strong body and a strong mind. The connection is undeniably there, and it can literally change your life.

5 Reasons Hypertrophy Works: 4. It Will Help Prevent Injury

While the main purpose of our muscular system is movement another primary purpose is maintenance of posture and body position, and by this, I mean that our muscles support us. If you have a strong body you are protecting your joints, and you are building a system of muscles that can contract, react, and bounce back helping you to stay injury free and mobile.

5 Reasons Hypertrophy Works: 5. You Get Overall Health Benefits

Often overlooked in the gym is the knock-on effect of having good overall health from building muscle through hypertrophy. Having a functioning body with a good metabolism will help us fight some of the major diseases and illnesses that plight us as we age. Supporting our structure against osteoporosis is a basic essential requirement if we are to enjoy our life moving forward. Having a strategic exercise plan is one of the proven ways for women to fight epidemic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, one of the biggest causes of death in females.

How to Plan Your Workouts

Now that I have totally persuaded you to start lifting weights, you probably want to know what this type of training looks like.

Here are some basic requirements:

1. Keep reps in the 10-12 rep range.

2. Cover six essential movements of the body:

• Hip dominant: swing, deadlift
• Knee dominant: squats, lunges
• Push: both vertically and horizontally, push ups, chest press
• Pull: both vertically and horizontally, pull ups, bent over row, inverted row
• Core functioning: shoulders to hip, front, and back of your trunk
• Explosive movement: jump squat, hang clean

3. Load, speed, and duration are all elements to consider.

4. You need to reach overload with your muscles, and discomfort is okay.

5. Work for 25-30 minutes.

6. Work 3-4 times per week.

7. Alternate days of low intensity steady state exercise (LISS), walking, hiking, swimming, yoga, pilates, etc.

8. Mindfulness. I am not some raging hippie but keep your body’s stress levels regulated by finding some quiet time in your day.

9. Restoration. Get adequate rest between workouts, take days off, dial in your nutrition, and get enough sleep.

Use Muscle Overload

One of my great mentors in the fitness industry, Coach Robert Dos Remedios, describes overload as filling your work capacity bucket. You need to lift heavy enough and do enough reps of the six essential movements.

For example, if I program a workout for you that has you working in a 10-12 rep range:

• If you can do 15 reps easily, then you are not working hard enough.
• If you can barely do 4-5 reps, then you are working too hard. If you start puking, you are working way too hard. If it hurts your body in ways that don’t feel good, then you might get injured.
• If you get to 8 reps and have to push through those last 2-4 reps, then you are working just hard enough.

Think of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, find the place that is just right. And remember, only you can determine that unique place for you, the place where discomfort and overload is ideal. Find where the magic happens.

Just Go and Do It

So there you have it. I know that I have converted you. Now, we just need to tell the masses. Most of the general population could benefit from some element of hypertrophy in their life. It’s all good news. Strength training for hypertrophy is going to impact you in positive ways—you will be able to be more active, play with the kids, and manage your stresses, all with renewed energy if you push far enough to achieve this.

You might also like The Differences Between Training In Your 40’s And Your 20’s.

The post Strength Training and Hypertrophy for Women over 40 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Here is the question that gave me the topic inspiration:

“I just read your article concerning women and hormonal changes. I’m also a personal trainer and am 62. I’ve been doing a lot of research this summer trying to understand weight, not only for my clients but for myself as well. In the past few years, I’ve been struggling to keep myself looking the way I want to (and have been used to). Like you, I could eat whatever I wanted with no weight gain. Even five years ago, I was feeling pretty good. But now the weight is slowly creeping on. It’s hard to know what to do when the old way of doing things doesn’t work anymore. I feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle with the hill getting steeper with every passing year.”

Why Do We Gain Weight During Menopause?

Nine out of 10 American premenopausal and menopausal women will gain weight (as will 70 percent of all women worldwide, due to varied diets and other cultural influences), says Amos Pines, MD, former president of the International Menopause Society. Women can expect to gain 10-20 pounds, which translates into the need for clothing that’s one or two sizes larger. Many menopausal women become frustrated, discouraged, annoyed, and angry as they gain the weight.¹

As with most forms of weight gain it’s not usually a single factor that’s to blame, but it’s multi-layered. Women who never gained weight (that was me) suddenly do, and it’s a mind-fuck. So I feel your pain—the struggle is real.

During menopause our bodies produce less estrogen from the ovaries, but still need estrogen to function, so fat cells begin to produce hormones. Because of this change in prodcution, you tend to put on a few pounds to keep up with the estrogen demand. These few pounds begin to show themselves especially around the mid-section. The truth is that your body needs some fat to have normal hormone health, but not too much fat because that may lead to health issues such as obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Dr Jade Teta says, “At menopause both estrogen and progesterone are low. It’s less volatile, but this combo means increased deposition of belly fat since insulin and cortisol are wreaking havoc and brain chemical changes, which means increased hunger and cravings.  Postmenopause sees low estrogen and progesterone, but higher relative testosterone because ovaries keep producing testosterone. This accelerates belly growth.”

Therefore, one of the first steps you need to do is acknowledge that your hormonal functions and the way your body copes with them are not what they were (stating the bloody obvious), and what you do moving forward has to change, too. The old ways won’t work anymore.

Hormone Disruption and Stress

We also know that low estrogen impacts your ability to cope with stress, and if you are in a constant heightened state of stress then you produce more cortisol and likely become more insulin resistant. This state of being leads to weight gain. Studies have shown the impact of estradiol (our most active estrogen) and fat storage—we burn less fat than we did prior to peri-menopause and during menopause. We are not only likely to store more fat, but will also have an inability to part with it as easily as we did before.³

Other independent risk factors for stress during menopause include poor sleep, negative life events, lack of employment, change in family dynamics, and the acceptance of the natural aging process, which can certainly contribute to higher levels of stress, even depression. It’s important to recognize these deep biochemical level changes and the impact they have on your body.

Are You Making the Problem Worse?

We will gain weight so, as women, the knee-jerk reaction is to eat less and work out harder, that’s what we did 20 years ago, so it should work now. Right? The problem is that this approach isn’t going to work. In fact, eating less and working out harder might be making the problem worse. Are you guilty of any of the following?

• Over-exercising, so stressing out an already stressed out body.
• Not resting enough to allow your body to recover adequately before it is stressed again through exercise.
• Not doing enough self-care, finding the time for mindfulness or meditation.
• Eating like a sparrow. It is very common in women to think less food will mean they will lose fat, yet because of the metabolic disruption they are experiencing this will mean rather than eating less, they need to eat more intelligently.

The solution to weight gain during menopause needs to be considered from a lifestyle/mindset standpoint and not from nutrition alone. Here are some ways you can start to make small changes that will have lasting, impactful results:

• Exercise intelligently. Your exercise schedule should be designed so that you incorporate strength work to build lean muscle with some metabolic overload for aerobic conditioning and metabolic adaptation.
• Practice self care. This is one of the important pieces of the puzzle that is overlooked by women because they feel it is too time consuming and not important enough, yet we know that stress is a massive factor for fat gain, so taking the time to unwind, destress, restock, whatever you want to call it, is very important.
• Rest adequately. Interrupted sleep, which can occur frequently during menopause, will also affect your stress levels. Don’t be afraid to take it easy on the days when you are tired. Take a nap and change your workout to be more movement based rather than high intensity. Do less.
• Eat in moderation with your nutrition goals in mind. Proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbs in the form of fruit, vegetables, and grains (fiber) are your best friend right now. Sugary starches and junk food really are the bad girls on the playground.
• Play the long game. You simply have no choice. We know that weight loss and body composition changes during this phase will take longer, but they are still attainable. Your changes should be focused on long term goals, quick fix diets will do you more harm than good.
• Find a community. Everything’s easier when you know you are not alone. Menopause can make you feel very isolated and as though nobody truly understands what you are experiencing. Find a group of women who can support you, listen to your issues without judgement, and help you feel better about the journey. I have a community group called Menopausing So Hard that does all of this and is proving to be a great help to many women.

Enjoy the process of introducing new habits into your life that you know will eventually have you back to feeling your best. Know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You can do this!

The post Hormones and Fat Gain During Menopause appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

“I go to bed healthy and I wake up with an injury.” – Father Time

“I go to bed healthy and I wake up with an injury.” – Father Time

Data now reveals that the majority of health and fitness is within our control, and Canadian research supports the squaring of mortality with healthy lifestyle practice. In my practice, I have found this to be absolutely true. But first, let me tell you about Darrell.

Why Darrell Lost His Groove

At the age of 67 Darrell has a bit of hail damage. Two total shoulder replacements and some arthritis in his knees make the mornings a bit of a challenge. He moves slowly and, while things aren’t perfect, three years ago it was far worse.

Darrell had ignored his roots. He played college football at the highest level, and had practiced everything from bodybuilding to bicycle racing in the years following his career. While things changed with a budding work life and a starting a family, he was still active and exercising.

Then, through years of work, the perception that he was “of age” had become the predominate theme and Darrell had become largely sedentary. Compounding his inactivity was his sloppy diet. The result? Fifty additional pounds of weight and a stiff, unathletic body. Clearly he was heading in the wrong direction that had a disastrous conclusion.

If you examine the passing of time we are, in fact, getting older. Sorry gang. Everything from sex hormones to connective tissue are less abundant and less effective.

The Western Journal of Medicine does not paint a rosy picture when it comes to aging:

“Physiological changes occur with aging in all organ systems. The cardiac output decreases, blood pressure increases and arteriosclerosis develops. The lungs show impaired gas exchange, a decrease in vital capacity and slower expiratory flow rates. The creatinine clearance decreases with age although the serum creatinine level remains relatively constant due to a proportionate age-related decrease in creatinine production. Functional changes, largely related to altered motility patterns, occur in the gastrointestinal system with senescence, and atrophic gastritis and altered hepatic drug metabolism are common in the elderly. Progressive elevation of blood glucose occurs with age on a multifactorial basis and osteoporosis is frequently seen due to a linear decline in bone mass after the fourth decade. The epidermis of the skin atrophies with age and due to changes in collagen and elastin the skin loses its tone and elasticity. Lean body mass declines with age and this is primarily due to loss and atrophy of muscle cells. Degenerative changes occur in many joints and this, combined with the loss of muscle mass, inhibits elderly patients’ locomotion. These changes with age have important practical implications for the clinical management of elderly patients: metabolism is altered, changes in response to commonly used drugs make different drug dosages necessary and there is need for rational preventive programs of diet and exercise in an effort to delay or reverse some of these changes.”

This preview is anything but encouraging. It is easy to see how we might want to throw in the towel. This is old school dogma. The current research paints a much better picture and here is what we now know about aging.

Seventy percent of what happens (healthwise) is under our control.

Let that sink in for a moment. What I am saying is the majority of what happens to us is under our control. If you told me I had a 70% chance of success in anything I’m going to fight you to be first in line. Those, my friend, are winning percentages.

I will concede that while it is not completely understood, aging on its own influences our genes and can trigger nasty things. But the lifestyle choices we make can influence this expression in our genes. The terms of our health, the duration of life, and certainly the quality of life, is driven by our lifestyle.

Canadian researchers found in the longitudinal study that individuals who implemented better health practices lived a longer, higher quality life and had less prolonged passings.

Here is what the study reported in a graphical terms.

The X axis is time to death and the Y axis is health/quality of life. The dotted arrows are lifestyle practice and medical advancements. Instead of a slow bleed to the end, death comes quickly. This squaring of the aging curve allows us to say, “Live long and die short.”

Not All Is Lost

Darrell’s story has a happy ending. Here are just two examples of how he improved his health profile.

Over the initial 12 months, Darrell’s weight went from 311 pounds to 255 pounds. Not only did he lose weight, but performing an up/down (going from a standing position to a prone position on the floor and then back up again) went from 25 seconds to 8 seconds.

This is not an overnight process and there are going to be setbacks, but Darrell’s improvements are not out of the ordinary. Improvements are attainable for all who seek them.

Take Action in the Second Half of Your Life

Welcome to The Second Half Playbook. This section, in cooperation with Breaking Muscle, is dedicated to the betterment of the 40-plus athlete.

We are always looking for hacks and practices that allow us to stay in the game of life for as long as possible. Stay tuned as we help bring out the best in you. If you have suggestions for topics that you’d like to see covered please email info@breakingmuscle.com and put Coach Rut in the subject line.

Continue by reading The Second Half Of Life Playbook: Assess Your Condition.

References:

1. Boss, Gerry R., and J. Edwin Seegmiller. “Age-Related Physiological Changes and Their Clinical Significance.” Western Journal of Medicine 135.6 (1981): 434–440. Print.

The post Why Age Is Only a Number appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

I started working out consistently in my teen years, so by the time I was in my 20s I had taken a shit-ton of certifications including the very popular aerobics, step, body-pump, and spinning. I worked full-time at IBM and then went to the local community center after work to teach.  I was the aerobics queen, fully kitted out in my leotard thong and leg-warmers. I came to that class high kicking my way through all the routines with gusto and joy. At this stage in my fitness career, I knew very little about strength training, and I rarely lifted a weight. But everything I did was balls to the wall, high energy output with little to no rest. That’s the beauty of our 20s, we feel like one of those Energizer bunnies with an endless battery life.

As we start to age and move through our 30s to our 40s we inevitably see changes in our body, energy level, and recovery ability. Our bodies will naturally start to slow down at this stage of life, and we need to start making more intelligent decisions when it comes to our food choices, workout protocols, and recovery methods. During this stage, many women will also experience some hormonal challenges that will be unique to each individual and might range from unwelcome fatigue to debilitating depression. These symptoms can change from day to day.

The Challenges of Middle Age

At the age of 46, I have experienced the full gamut of these challenges, so I speak from experience as both a trainer and a woman in this age group. Many of my clients are women over 40, and I see first-hand how life has thrown a curve ball their way despite their best efforts at exercising, managing stresses and being mindful about nutrition. It was while coaching these clients that I realized that very little specific helpful information was available about any changes that needed to be made in fitness and nutrition as we age. And, in fact, most articles confirm that we shouldn’t train any differently than when we were in our 20s, that we are just as capable now as we were then, and we should just continue as normal.

This is true, to a point. Yes we are capable, very capable in fact, and most of the time we should workout as normal, that is until we can’t. Entering our 40s throws so many other spanners into the mix that adopting a standardized approach to life just doesn’t work anymore.

Lay Out Your Strategies

I get daily emails from women telling me of the struggles they experience, usually followed with expressions of guilt or frustration at not being able to do the most menial of tasks, never mind taking on a crazy arsed workout that will leave them depleted for days.

We now need to have strategies in place to deal with these stumbling blocks. We need to have some wins in life and stop putting unmanageable pressure on ourselves. When it comes to a successful workout plan, do your best to include the following concepts:

1. Have a plan and be adaptable.

I personally like to plan for myself and my clients in 4-6 week chunks. Even if you want to just do a weekly schedule, make sure that it fits into your lifestyle. It would be foolish to plan an hour workout in the gym if you know you really only have 25 minutes, so plan accordingly. Make sure you have a day between your workouts if possible so that you have sufficient recovery time.

2. Take time to recover adequately.

I have noticed in my own workouts that some days after a really hard strength workout I feel completely depleted. If you can relate to this, consider using this time to listen to your body. If you need to take a nap, take a nap. If you need more sleep, then get more sleep. If you need to have a lighter day the next time you workout, then that is what you should do. Your body needs stress to adapt, but it shouldn’t leave you feeling completely spent. Try to find that sweet spot that makes you thrive and grow.

3. Something is better than nothing.

Self-compassion is the theme here. If you are having one of those days where you feel like you are in a fog, not performing optimally, or are just having a bad day, take the heat off yourself and do what feels right for your body. A great option on these days might be to go for a brisk walk, swim, practice yoga, work on mobility, or attend a pilates session. Often, the act of movement is enough to get you out of the funk. So, lose the “all-or-nothing” mentality and just do something, no matter how small.

4. Prioritize strength training.

The most productive way to workout in your 40s is by making strength workouts part of your norm. We know that as we age both our strength and our power output start to wane. There are so many benefits from incorporating load-bearing exercises into your life. Strength training increases your metabolism, releases those feel-good endorphins, and develops better body mechanics. Good body mechanics matter as we get older due to the risk of falling and injury.

The Power of Community

My group classes, which I used to host in Toronto, became more than just a place of people to workout. I realized that the core draw was the social and emotional aspect of group mentality. It became a place of trust and kindness for people to share their stories and experiences and to have compassionate ears available to listen. The power that this type of community gives is immeasurable. It’s what makes our challenges bearable, and it makes us realize we aren’t alone. There are many other people experiencing the same thing as you are.

I have a Facebook community that you are welcome to join if you feel it will help you. Head over to Menopausing So Hard to join the throng of cranky hormonal ladies just like you.

The post The Differences Between Training In Your 40’s and Your 20’s appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Fast-forward. Later in life numerous things change and you may find yourself in a very different place. Family, work, social obligations, and other unexpected occurrences crop up and training takes a back seat, and most likely one area in particular no longer even gets a seat.

You Really Need Leg Training

Leg training, I mean real, intense leg training, hurts. Trained properly, lower body sessions should be memorable more than just in the sense of soreness. Brutal squat sets, intense supersets, and pain-inducing, extended high-rep sets are usually just the tip of the iceberg. As you get older you tend to pump the brakes on intensity and soften those brutal sessions. Your leg training downshifts as you feel your hips, knees, and ankles have had about enough.

Now, you find yourself on the leg press and the leg extension machines going through the motions while focusing on joint safety with a little lack of motivation. Or maybe you’ve ditched leg training altogether and rely on running or biking to train your lower body. No longer do you find yourself under the coveted squat bar patiently preparing to take the load and fight against the bar on your back. Why bother?

The fact is that you really need lower body resistance training. No, you don’t need to squat the house or load up the leg press with every weight plate in sight, but it would behoove you to formulate a comprehensive plan to effectively strengthen your legs, if not only for mobility strength and function, but also for metabolic benefits.

Nothing revs up our metabolism like a challenging leg session. Since your legs provide you with over half of your musculature and strength, leaving them on the table, so to speak, is like training only half of your body and getting only half of the results.

The Old, the Able, and the Necessary

So, maybe now you want to overhaul your lower body training but don’t know where to start. First define what you’re able to do, then prioritize your programming then modify that programming to fit your goals.

Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you’re incapable. Traditional leg exercises like squats are still manageable along with the adoption of a few modifications to old favorites. You’ll also want to look into unilateral training methods as well as alternative exercises.

• Back squat: Forget heavy, low rep sets. Instead, opt for higher rep, full range reps with light to moderate loads.
• Leg press: Same as the squat—lighten the load and slow down the rep speed. Also, avoid too much of a range of motion because going too low will raise your pelvis, resulting in lumbar stress.
• Single leg squats: A great alternative to bilateral training and another way to lighten your loads.
• Lunges: Try walking lunges, reverse lunges, and lateral lunges as alternatives to add variety.
• Leg extensions: Too much weight used on leg extensions can result in patellar stress and subsequent injury. If you do decide to perform this exercise, be sure to use a light load and slow rep speeds. Squeeze at the top for a count and then lower under control.

Get Your Priorities Straight

Next, define what your purpose is. Is it improved mobility and increased strength? Is it putting on a little more size to balance out your overpowering upper body? Could it be to possibly build in more resilience for an obstacle course race? Whatever your reason, it’s time to align your training with your purpose.

If your goal is to strengthen and add some size, then you’ll focus on more moderate amounts of weight, moderate rep ranges, and time under tension sets that have you lifting at a slower pace.

If your goal is more performance based and involves bettering your power, muscular endurance, and speed, then you’ll want explosive movements combined with high rep, low load sets.

Of course for all-around general fitness purposes, a combination of all methods will not only facilitate your needs, it’ll also stave off boredom and give you a virtual endless list of options.

Modify, Adapt, and Commit

As an older (not old) lifter, you will most-likely need to modify a few things in your training. This not only pertains to the types of exercises and their individual changes, it also pertains to execution.

• If squats or leg presses cause you knee pain, then double down on your knee alignment. Make sure your knees are in line with your toes as you move through the range of motion. Any deviation will cause knee stress because the joint is not meant to move laterally.
• If you suffer from lower back pain, then have someone check for anterior pelvic tilt in the bottom position of any exercise. That is where your pelvis will shift forward, causing lower lumbar strain.
• If you’re unable to achieve a proper range of motion, it may be an issue with ankle mobility. Work on Achilles tendon range of motion daily. In the meantime, you can place a small weight plate under each heel until you’re more flexible.
• Finally, you’ll need to decide to commit to your new mentality regarding leg training. No longer will you throw your leg training in the backseat to be abused and forgotten.

Arm yourself with a new perspective and start progressing toward a better, stronger physique.

The post Modified Leg Training for the Older Lifter appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

It Wasn’t Just a Phase

Nearly all of my experience with menopause is anecdotal. I am a certified strength coach and have qualifications in sports nutrition—yet even with all this knowledge I still I couldn’t work out what was happening to myself and to my female clients clearly experiencing the same issues.

Let’s take a look at my experience. Well, my food choices had become a little less focussed, not that I was ever super strict with my diet, but I leaned towards the healthier side of the spectrum. Now I was having daily treats of cream cakes and ice cream. In the past I had always been able to have these treats with no adverse implications, but now my weight had started creeping up so that I ended up being the heaviest I had ever been. Yet somehow I accepted this with general apathy, putting it down to just another phase in my life. I was certain that I would get back on the healthy train soon enough, yet three years later I still seem to have lost my athletic edge and ability to dial it in like bygone days.

Taking a New Approach

I needed to know why this was happening and started my research into the impact that hormonal fluctuations can have and why this is experienced in how we look and feel. There is nothing wrong with caring about how you look, but more importantly to me, I cared about how I was feeling about life and everything that I have to deal with each day. The inability to cope with everyday life became a huge issue for me, and that is when I started to get worried something serious was going on. This situation has led to me speaking to many women who are all experiencing some form of symptomatic change from menopause and it actually felt pretty good to know that I wasn’t going through this alone. Understanding that menopausal issues change us and that we need to learn how to get through this time became of utmost importance.

It was then that I realized that the old way of doing things wasn’t working anymore. I needed a new way of approaching health and fitness, and I now needed to focus on doing the stuff that would make me feel like a better human. Doing that would encourage me to grab life by it’s figurative balls and dance once again with the unicorns became the goal. OK, I have gone too far, but seriously my goal is to be back where I was and get out of the mid-40 doldrums that seemed to have taken over.

Keep It Simple

My realization that keeping things simple and small was integral to my success. I started with one new habit at a time. The first was to move everyday. I put aside my issues with indulging in shitty food for the meantime, instead focusing on a way to create a schedule that allows me to consistently get sweaty for at least 30 mins each day. Feeling good about my body and its ability to let me be strong is such a privilege that I no longer take for granted. Exercising and proving to myself once more that I still can make the improvements I want is huge.

I encourage you to set aside those 30 mins every day and move, doing whatever activity drives you to thrive. These are your 30 mins and it is an investment in your health and sanity. The rest of the puzzle will fall into place later.

Coach Amanda Thebe is Breaking Muscle’s Expert Coach in Residence. If you are a woman who is over 40 years old and want Coach Thebe to cover a topic you are interested in, or would like her to address a specific issue you may have, email helpme@breakingmuscle.com. Put Coach Thebe in the subject line, and let us know what you need in your training.

The post A New Approach to Metabolic Changes in Menopausal Women appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This year I turn 47 years old. It’s pretty hard for me to get my head around this number, when deep down inside I still feel like I’m in my 20s—but the numbers don’t lie. When I was training in my 30s, I never gave a second thought to how my body would change in another decade. I just assumed I could carry on as before and not change a thing. The problem with this way of thinking is that the body doesn’t stay the same as we age, so we need to understand a few basic things as we enter middle-age (I know, such a horrible term), and apply this knowledge to our workouts.

Eating less and working out more as we age just doesn’t work. As our metabolism changes, there is a direct impact on both our cortisol and insulin levels. This, in turn, will show up in the form of weight gain. It is at this time of life that we really need to focus on maintaining both an intelligent exercise protocol and a healthy diet.

Keeping weight gain in check is not the only reason for building lean muscle. One of my main observations as a coach is that most people over the age of 40 come with a nagging injury or three. All those stupid things that we did in our 20s that we seemed to recover from easily, come back to haunt us. Injury prevention has to be top of our priority list.

The Role of DVRT

This is where the DVRT (Dynamic Variable Resistance Training) system comes into play in a huge way. The movements we perform using the Ultimate Sandbag not only help build functional strength, but also help us to build stability, and help to protect the joints and spine from injury.

In my late 30s, I suffered from chronic back pain from an impact injury (I fell learning to ice-skate), and the pain was intolerable. Following intense physiotherapy, I looked at the way I was exercising, and knew I need to start looking for more reliable and intelligent methods of training. Since discovering DVRT, I can honestly say that I have been completely injury-free. I feel that statement alone is worth its weight in gold. I am nearly 50, strong, and mobile, with huge amounts of energy that these short, sophisticated workouts provide.

We need to move with purpose, build strength, muscular endurance, stability, and mobility. We need to do all of that in a small amount of time, because let’s face it: who has the time to workout 60 minutes everyday? These excercises are designed to check all the boxes we need.

Tall Kneeling Arch Push Out

Most people over 40 have a hard time trying to engage their hamstrings and glutes, have lower back pain, or stiff hip flexors. Another common problem is that they are so tight through their upper body that they have very limited movement. I am pretty sure many of us have all felt one of these issues at some time or another.

This exercise is perfect to identify and correct these issues.

Tip: Turn the toes under and drive them into the floor. This will help engage the hamstrings and glutes (which you should be engaging throughout the exercise).

Pledge Plank

Stabilizing our body is more important than ever at this age, so making your regular plank a pledge plank is a great way to kick in those stabilizing muscles. Working with the chains of our body, drive down the opposite hand and foot, actively engage your core and glutes, and feel the power of the cross-pattern chain work.

Tip: Make both the stabilizing hand and the foot part of the exercise. By actively pushing them down into the floor, you should feel the limbs create tension, which will help this exercise be more successful.

USB Lateral Lunge to Balance Step

Here is a double whammy: a lateral movement and a challenge to our stability. With the bag in the shouldered position, we add extra resistance to the movement.

Tip: Actively drive the supporting foot into the floor to create lightness in your step to bring you back up to the balance step position. At this stage, the supporting foot is also engaged to help with stability.

Make your 40s your best decade yet:

A Training Plan for Masters 40+ Rowers

The post 3 Essential Exercises for the Over 40 Crowd appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

For many of us, finding time to train the way we would like to dwindles as family and career responsibilities continue to grow as we get older. Without a doubt, life gets more awesome, but we also find ourselves scrapping for some personal time as schedules become increasingly busy.

So, here are five fantastic exercises – and how to do them – to help you maximize your time. These movements optimize shoulder health and posterior chain function. They also increase balance, coordination and trunk strength; keep your legs strong; and make sure your colon stays happy. (Yay!)

Turkish Get Ups

The Turkish get up (TGU) challenges mobility, balance, agility, coordination, and strength. It is a full-body core-to-extremity movement that exposes any athlete’s weak links. There is no place to hide in a properly executed TGU. It challenges everything.

The movement has a few moving parts that can often make it seem complicated. In truth, it isn’t complicated, but it is often executed inefficiently. Don’t be that athlete.

• Beginner: Put this in your training toolbox as a warm up once a week. 3 minutes of Turkish get ups, alternating arms every 2 reps, at a light to medium weight.
• Intermediate: Work up to a heavy single (per arm) in 15 minutes.
• Expert: As many TGUs as possible in 6 minutes, alternating arms at 70% of your 1RM.

Good Mornings

Strengthening your spinal erectors and keeping your hamstrings strong and supple is important for any athletic person, but even more so for those of us who find ourselves relegated to a desk as we take on different career opportunities or are still in the field and doing “the backbone work” at middle age.

MAKE YOUR TRAINING ABOUT SIMPLICITY, ECONOMY, DISCIPLINE, AND FUN.

This movement is simple, but as most of us over forty have learned, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It takes a barbell and the desire to execute the movement properly in order to make it matter. When done well, it’s a fantastic exercise to keep the low back, posture and hamstrings healthy and functioning properly.

• Beginner: Use this movement in your warm up once a week (usually on a leg or pull day). 3×12 with a light weight, broomstick, or PVC pipe.
• Intermediate: Use this as accessory work after a squat, clean, or deadlift day. 3×12 at medium weight. 2:00 active rest (walk around or combine it with something not hamstring, hip, spinal erector or upper back related) between efforts.
• Expert: Work up to 1RM.

Box Squats

Squats are the one of most misunderstood movements in fitness. And the most argued.

But a properly executed box squat works for a ninety-year-old newbie as much as it does a thousand -pound squatter. It also quickly cleans up terrible technique; is safe on the knee, hip, and ankle joints; and guarantees the proper depth needed for a person to make optimal use of the squat in real life.

So, why don’t we see more of them? I have no idea. Avoid the common pitfalls by performing them correctly.

• Beginner: Set a box to parallel (hip crease in line with knee) and squat to that for the time being. After three weeks, set the box to below parallel (hip crease just below knee). After three weeks of that, remove the box and go back to using it only one time per week.
• Intermediate: Once a month work to a parallel sumo (or wide) stance box squat 2RM for six months.
• Expert: Each minute on the minute for 10 minutes, perform 2 reps at 55% of your sumo stance box squat 1RM on Week 1, 60% on Week 2, 65% on Week 3 with accommodating resistance (bands or chains on the barbell). The accommodating resistance should add another 20% of weight at the top of the squat. (55% +20% of accommodating resistance = 75% at the top of the squat. This is a good thing.) Squat heavy on Monday (box or no box) and put these dynamic effort box squats into your regimen on Friday. See Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell or the conjugate method for more information.

Bent Over Rows

Your training program should have pull ups in them. You have no excuse for not having them unless you are missing both arms from the shoulder down, and even then there are some incredible adaptive athletes out there who still would figure out how to do pull ups. So, if you’re not doing pull ups, start doing pull ups. There are many articles and videos out there on how to begin.

AS YOU MATURE, OPTIMIZING YOUR TRAIINING BECOMES THE SECRET.

That said, the bent over row can help you be more effective with your pull ups, picking things up off the ground, developing a healthier upper back, and keeping your posture upright for all the desk warriors out there.

• Beginner: Warm up. 3×12 bent over rows with a light weight, broomstick, or PVC.
• Intermediate: Use as accessory work after a workout that was heavy in either pressing, pulling, or front squatting. 3×12 at a medium weight.
• Expert: For Time: 21-15-9 front squats and bent over rows. Weights are 155lbs for men, 105lbs for women. An efficient athlete will get this done in under 7:00.

Get Inverted

Learning how to engage your body in an upended situation improves cognition (some even say mood – you get happier!), upper body strength, and body control. Getting inverted has also been shown to keep our colons happy and alleviate irritable bowel syndrome by stimulating the pituitary gland and loosening up some stuck bits down there. So, if you want to be your optimal self, change up the scenery.

• Beginner: 0:15 headstands each minute on the minute for 7:00 once a week as a warm-up or cool down.
• Intermediate: 3:00 freestanding headstand hold
• Expert: 3:00 freestanding handstand hold

It’s All About Doing More With Less

Remember, as you mature, optimizing your training becomes the secret. Less is more only if the “less” you are doing gives you the most return on your investment of practice and time – which are both in short supply as schedules become more hectic.

Make your training about simplicity, economy, discipline, and fun. Know your “why.” The rest will take care of itself. Your choices will result in an ability to improve, rather than find you stagnating in the desire for a quick-fix solution.

What more can the 40+ athlete learn:

Bulls and Toby Keith – Fitness Lessons for the 40+ Athlete

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