It also seems like body weight exercises and conditioning have more "practical use" type of strength. I'll give that article a read, thank you.Originally Posted by PNWTO
It also seems like body weight exercises and conditioning have more "practical use" type of strength. I'll give that article a read, thank you.
To an extent, traditional weightlifting movements like the "Big 5" (bench, squat, deads, cleans, press) have been shown to have a lot of benefits, especially as we age. Bodyweight work can do wonders, but the hypertrophy that comes with weightlifting is crucial as we age, IMHO. I just know that my body, at 27, has undergone a lot due to military circumstances and I am not in business of doing Marine shit anymore. I exercise for health, longevity, looks (we all do it, don't lie), and to better serve myself and others in self-defense. I would love to get in and murder 500 lb deadlifts again, I just know that I am not at that point again, and may never be. Not to lay on the info but this book that Kyle Defoor recommends has some great ideas and is on Amazon, you don't even have to be a climber.
Pat McNamara's work is also pretty neat.
PNWTO, I love that you brought that up. The Big 5 really are where it's at for general purpose strength and muscle health/longevity. I had a 30min convo with my doc about it just yesterday during my routine 6mo check in.
My weight has been normalized for about a year, but 4 months ago I bought a squat rack and got back at it just doing a 5x5 routine because I wasn't happy with my low strength level. My BP was exceptional, and he immediately noticed that my body comp was different. Asked what I was up to, and we went into the weeds on how everyone would be better off if they would squat 3x a week etc.
I'm not where I want to be. I have to check myself and be very aware of my limits due to severe neck and spinal damage, but I'm already feeling real improvements in my back pain and mobility. The neck ain't ever getting better and that's that. It can be hard to slow down or take an extra couple days off when you are viscerally feeling gains and benefit of your effort. I just keep telling myself that it's about the long game.
That link to defoor was right on point, very interesting stuff. I'm going to order that book, it looks very helpful and is exactly the info I'm looking for at this stage. I've seen pat macnamaras book and planned on buying it a couple months ago, I don't like ebooks though so hopefully he comes out with a hard copy. I have a couple of other combat conditioning books and they actually stress the big 5 lifts also. Thanks for the info.
Start here; https://www.youtube.com/user/sanfranciscocrossfit
Continue here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RIqmZ_IBWM
Regarding Twight's book, (which is a great read, btw), is Twight still training people the way he did when that book was written? If not, why not? Just a question I would ask...
Hydration is important, keeping those fluids in is just as important so make sure you are taking in enough sodium. A little flavored sea salt in my jug of water seems to help. Supplement with calcium, and magnesium as well. Vit D, Zinc, and EFAs are really important for aging athletes.
Unless lifting/exercising is your sport or job then that aspect of a training lifestyle is minimal. Exercise should prepare me to excel at my event, not excel at exercising. Once I began to understand that distinction, things became less complicated.
Last edited by Paul Sharp; 07-07-2016 at 09:57 PM.
I just turned 54 and I've trained in a traditional Okinawan style for about 26 years (I haven't 'seen the light' yet). My biggest problem as far as injuries is tendons that take forever to heal. I have two injured tendons currently that have been giving me problems for several months and are limiting my strength and cardio training.
My speed and strength are still pretty good, but having to cut back on training recently means I get winded sooner. And it seems my body just doesn't heal itself as quickly as it used to. Not sure there's anything to be done about it.
Funny you mention hydration, I started the lots of water a day routine a couple of years ago to keep things "flowing" nicely. Another gift of getting older is occasional prostate issues, the water helps with this tremendously and has so many other benefits. I couldn't agree more about exercise excelling me at my event, and it is the main reason I weight train at all, although I will admit to still throwing some curls in there for the beach
Thanks a lot for those links, very helpful and something I had not seen before.
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