Reverse Engineered Training for Life
None of us will escape all the ravages of time. There are some very specific things that happen to our bodies as we age. But we can fight many of them, by reverse engineering our training to help us do the things we still want to do for ourselves when we’re older.
Let’s take a look at what time has in store for us all:
Bone density lessens and bones weaken
We lose lean muscle mass
We lose balance
We lose flexibility
It’s not pretty. Recently, we’ve noticed older people needing help getting out of pools (if there wasn’t a ladder), needing help putting luggage in overhead compartments in planes, needing help going down stairs—and the Holy Grail of time’s cruelty—needing help getting off of the toilet. This is not what we want!
We have heard and read other health and fitness professionals approach this topic in a very scientific way—figuring out how much you have to lift at 50 years old in order to reach a goal of still being able to lift a certain amount at 80 years old. We think this is a bit too complicated and nerdy, so we’re going to keep it simple, and use little or no equipment. But first, let’s take a look at what we want to be able to do when we’re older:
Get down to the ground, and get up off the ground easily
Lift up a grandchild
Get up off a chair (or toilet) easily
Put luggage in an overhead compartment
Balance on one leg
Go up and down stairs with confidence
These goals may sound ridiculous to you now—but if you’re not training right now, there’s a good chance that you won’t be able to do these things when you are 70, 80, or 90. So let’s get busy now, and be consistent with training through our golden years!
The Program
We’re going to do this in a...you guessed it—Microworkout format! That is four small workouts throughout the day. Why? Because human beings are meant to move throughout the day—not in a super-intense hour, with the rest of the day spent sitting around. As we age, we are much less likely to move throughout the day. Moving throughout the day also helps reduce inflammation, thereby reducing joint pain and giving you more flexibility throughout the day. Doing four small workouts throughout the day before meals and an afternoon snack, also helps calories go to building muscle instead of being stored as fat. Moving throughout the day also gives you a mental lift that accompanies each Microworkout (move a muslce/change a thought!). Each workout is only five minutes long at most and can be done at the office or at home. There will be three days of Microworkout programs, done in rotation.
Day One (Flexibility)
Lower back stretch (30 sec.)
Mid-back chair stretch (30 sec,)
Hip flexor couch stretch (30 sec. Each leg)
Piriformis stretch (30 sec. Each leg)
Pigeon stretch (30 sec. Each leg)
Day Two (Strength)
15 Squats
10 Push-ups
10 Rows
Day Three (Balance, Agility)
6 Burpees
6 Get Downs (the opposite of a burpee, where you get down onto your back and up again)
If you commit to doing these movements now, we guarantee a more mobile future for you in your golden years.
Until next time,
Scott and Lennart