Personal Training and Sports Performance Excellence Blog
Question: You frequently have information about training for young people but I need info about training for someone in their 70's. What is the best way to workout? What results can I expect from working out? How much do I need to workout?
Answer: The physical changes from exercise are similar to those of younger adults and in some cases those results are more dramatic in older adults as exercise reduces some of the problems we face from aging. The American Journal of Preventative Medicine reported that those seniors who exercised by weight training maintained or improved bone density and muscle mass. A study from Arthritis Research & Therapy compared exercisers and non-exercisers and determined that the exercising group experienced less joint and muscle pain than the non-exercisers. The Journal of American Geriatrics Society reviewed the correlation between reduction in the number of falls in seniors among those who exercised and found that the risk of falls was decreased by nearly 60% through exercising. Finally, the Health and Human Services Diabetes Prevention Program determined individuals over 60 could reduce the risk of the development of diabetes by 71% if they followed a routine including 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week along with a low-fat, low-calorie meal plan.
Aging reduces the number of mitochondria, which are the power plants of cells, and reduces the effectiveness of the transmission of nerve signals to muscles. Our fast-twitch muscle fibers can begin disappearing in our 30's. This rate of reduction stays constant until our 70's at which time it accelerates. The good news is that you can slow this reduction by resistance training and it doesn't matter when you start you can still reap benefits of training at any age. A study reported in the Harvard Health Letter looked at muscle tissue of older men who had been weightlifting for 12 years or more and found that they maintained more muscle tissue that was indistinguishable from men who were 40 to 50 years younger than those who did not exercise.
If going to a gym is not possible then some exercises to do at home for a beginner include chair squats, stair climbing, wall push-ups and squat presses. One of the tools used with good results is wearing a weighted vest while doing these exercises, but if a weighted vest is not something available to you then use simple jugs of water. A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds and the jugs have a handle. For the squats, stair climbing and squat presses you could hold those water weights and have a total of 16 pounds of resistance. For beginners do three sets of each of these home exercises for 15 reps each time, three days a week and start your fitness and muscle rescue program.
It's never too late to make positive changes in your health.
God bless and keep training,
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on June 30, 2009 | Printer-Friendly
Question: My daughter is a middle school volleyball player and wants to get stronger before the season begins. Is she too young to begin weight training while she is in middle school or should she wait until she is in high school?
Answer: How early to begin building strength and athletic skills is a common question and one that is clouded with misconceptions. We have male and female clients as young as 11 or 12 years old with whom we begin teaching weight training and basic motor skills but we develop baseline strength first. Early routines begin with primary exercises that build strength by using multiple muscle groups moving together as one like bench presses, squats, deadlifts, cleans and shoulder presses. Additionally, we include exercises for specific muscle groups which include barbell curls for biceps, triceps pressdowns and abdominal exercises. Keep the number of repetitions between 10 and 15 reps per set which will not only increase muscular strength but also to improve the nervous system motor skill patterns which is more important than trying to lift heavy weights. By teaching a young athlete how to perform a movement using lighter weights and repeating the exercises, you can prepare them more effectively for increasingly heavier weights as they mature. Keep the training sessions fun and challenging by regularly incorporating different exercises.
As baseline strength improves during the first few weeks, then begin additional motor skills training to increase athletic ability through plyometric exercises, drills to improve vertical leaping by jumping explosively, quickness and reaction time drills and lateral, forward and backwards movement drills. As the athlete matures in late middle school or early high school begin working with heavier weights and decreasing the number of reps down to as few as 5 to 6 reps on each compound primary exercise one day a week. Two or three days of weight training each week is sufficient to improve an athlete without causing the athlete to burnout from overtraining. Remember that these athletes are still kids and need down time. Too many kids these days are approaching real burnout by the time they finish high school and could have avoided that by including days off in their training routines.
As these athletes train include nutritional information in the regimen because too many kids seem to think that Pop tarts for breakfast, pizza and fries for lunch capped off with a burger for dinner is a good eating plan. Finally, get these kids to bed earlier and avoid "energy" drinks. These drinks have no place at the training table especially for young people. First, build baseline strength with young athletes followed by basic movement skills, then explosive skills. With maturing athletes include exercises to improve sport specific skills.
God bless and keep training,
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on June 23, 2009 | Printer-Friendly
Question: I was looking for a way to improve my flexibility. I am in my 50's and recently realized that my stride has become shorter and my range of motion through my hips, trunk flexibility has diminished. Are there any stretching classes that would be beneficial?
Answer: As we age the old adage, "use it or lose it" becomes glaringly true. One of the first reasons for loss of mobility is loss of flexibility. Older adults who have lost a large percentage of their range-of-motion through their major joints are at higher risk for injury with the possibility of a fall. Without flexibility, they tend to fall like a tree unable to rotate or improve their body position to prevent or lessen the fall. Maintaining flexibility and balance through yoga classes could be a good option. In our area, Susan Hearn and Mary Faucette recently opened Omshanti Yoga which is located beside Tokyo Express on Huffman Mill Road. I talked with Susan about yoga and some of the class variations they offer. One of the major benefits of yoga is improving flexibility and they have enjoyed good feedback especially from golfers who were able to improve their long game from participating in their classes.
Yoga is excellent for strengthening core muscles. Susan also spoke about the breathing techniques and emphasized Omshanti was more about teaching the physical aspects of yoga in their facility and included relaxation techniques at the end of class. I also spoke with some individuals who took classes from them with the general consensus being that the classes were simple to follow and are as difficult as a participant wants to make them. One said that the classes definitely burned calories and they were in a good sweat with their heart rate elevated but it wasn't like doing aerobics.
My wife felt invigorated but worn out at the same time after finishing a class. So this could be a good choice for those looking for an alternative to or an addition to their standard workouts.
I also checked out the YMCA which also offers a yoga class on Wednesday and Friday nights. At Gold's Gym, Dawn Lombardi has been teaching a strenuous workout that includes a good period of stretching for several years. So there are several different choices for alternative training to add your workouts and improve your flexibility.
For those interested in competing in the Alamance Bodybuilding Championships or in the Women's Figure division, contact Trish Ellis at Gold's or Unlimited Nutrition. The entry deadline is June 19 and the competition is June 27 at Williams High School.
God bless and keep training,
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on June 16, 2009 | Printer-Friendly
Good Training Partners - Much More than Spotters
Question: My latest training partner nearly got me killed last week because he was checking out a girl and forgot about spotting me and left me with the bar laying on my chest. Could you outline what being a good training partner is?
Answer: To have a good training partner you need to be a good one. It's more that two people who happen to get to the gym at the same time on a regular basis, though, that's usually the first common factor. Training partners share a common goal which is usually getting into the best shape possible or for the younger guys to put on as much muscle as possible. Trust is a big issue for a good partner. You need to be able to trust your partner for several reasons including to be on time to train, to know that he is aware of what you are doing and the risk you are in. He needs to be able to spot on your lifts, especially the ones that have potential to be hazardous to your health. A good spotter understands that the way to spot is to match the speed of the bar movement. For instance, on bench presses pay attention to the speed of the bar as it descends to the chest and as it drives back up in the first two inches off the chest. Keeping the speed of the bar constant prevents the bar from stopping or slowing to the point that the joints become overloaded causing the lifter to attempt to use accessory muscles to complete the lift instead of the ones intended. A good spot makes the lifter feel like he is receiving no assistance and the spotter feels like he is barely helping. A good training partner knows when to spot, how much to spot and when not to help.
Good training partners inspire and drive each other to attain greater accomplishments than either could have reached individually. Proverbs 27:17 says it best, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." When one has a bad day, the other picks up the slack and motivates the other to make it a good workout. A good partner makes you forget the effects of influences outside the gym like what happened at work or what you have to do when you leave. On the other hand, a bad partner fails to be on time, carries issues from outside the gym into the workout or allows frustrations from influences other than the workout to interfere with training. If your partner falls into the latter group then it may be best for your training to return to solo sessions. Though knowing someone is depending on you at the gym, don't depend on a training partner to make you train or to get good workouts. The best partners could train on their own if they wanted to but don't because partner training is more productive.
God bless and keep training,
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on June 9, 2009 | Printer-Friendly
What's the purpose and result of all of the outside training going on at your facility? I drive by there regularly and have seen men, women and high school kids flipping tires, pulling a weight sled, throwing a barbell and running sprints. I heard about the tire flipping when the woman who won "Biggest Loser" talked about her trainers doing that with her but I didn't know what it actually was or why she did it.
Answer: Purposeful variety with training routines produces extreme results. The variable can be to change the order of your exercise routine, reps, weight, range-of motion or completely change the dynamics of your training cycle. We initially started outside training years ago with our drag sled. The large "World's Strongest Men" competitors usually have a day scheduled in their training to pull a heavy sled backwards. It's one of those exercises that just makes you stronger by using every muscle in your body. We incorporated that into training for football players, added another step to that and were successful in helping players train to generate more speed and power in a fun and challenging way. Incorporating the sled workouts with training on our power platform using explosive exercises like deadlifts, high pulls, cleans, squats and push presses built a more athletic individual ready for any sport. A few months ago we were able to acquire the large tires from Mac Tire out in LA (Lower Almance) and began using them as an additional tool in Functional Training.
Functional Training is the term used for intense workouts that closely mimic actions in sports. The idea is to train above your threshold with these closely related exercises to make your game day easier. For instance with the tires you actually get three exercises in one flip as you drive forward across the field. The deadlift is used for the beginning of the movement. As you generate force moving the tire upward it becomes a power clean and as you finish the flip it becomes a push press. For linemen it's a great addition to standard training. For someone who wants to challenge themselves, tire flipping requires every muscle in your body to coordinate movements and it shoots your heart rate up which makes it ideal for interval training. With all your muscles fully involved this type of exercise burns a great deal of calories and enhances your metabolic rate.
Another example of functional training is using a 15 pound medicine ball for "Slammers & Shooters." It's a great core workout and ideal for basketball players because it makes handling a standard basketball much easier. The idea is to hold the medicine ball over your head and drive it into the ground at your feet, catch it on it's way up and pass it either to the trainer or into the wall forcefully. "Wall Ball" uses a lighter medicine ball and a rotational movement to increase core rotation speed and coordinate movements. The tremendous effort of these exercises, their similarity to sports skills and coordinating them into a routine with standard exercises, plyometrics and speed training build a more athletic individual. The better we can make an athlete the better they can become at the sport or sports they choose to pursue. For someone who is not in pursuit of sports excellence, this type of training simply gets you fit. By training to be fit and learning the nutritional guidelines that keep you healthy, you lose weight, become more mobile and can pursue your own life's ambitions without hesitation.
To see video of these exercises and others that we will use in our summer sports camps hit our home page.
God bless and keep training.
Daryl
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Posted by Daryl Laws on June 1, 2009 | Printer-Friendly
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