If You're Not Getting Stronger, You're Getting Weaker

I'm sorry, is that too blunt? I've decided to take the direct approach in my messaging. 😉

Using your body in ways that challenge it is important, so we can stay active and engaged as we age. And if we don't challenge our bodies, brains and muscles, we get weaker. Period.

I live in a retirement town so I'm surrounded by living examples of folks who either teeter around, barely able to get up a set of stairs at the coffee shop, to others riding their bikes every day, hiking the Smoky Mountains, fly fishing, playing on the ground with their grand kids. There are no guarantees in life, but strength training gives you a leg up on quality of living as you age.

I was at the garden center this weekend and as I lifted a bag of compost a woman not much older than myself said, "Those are so heavy!" 

Ok?. . . but then I wondered; Will a bag compost feel heavy to me in a few years? I sure hope not!

And I know if I A) don't strength train, B) don't progressively add more weight to my strength training routines, C) mix up my routines from time to time/cross train, and D) don't get enough proper nutrition, hydration, sleep and recovery time, I will get weaker.

Staying strong requires loading our muscles with loads that challenge us. As we adapt to a load, we need to change the load (i.e. up the ante). That can be done through more repetitions, additional sets, slowing down the movements, amount of weight, and vectors (range of motion). 

Aging accelerates muscle loss. In the graph below, the upper curve represents those who exercise, eat well, and sleep well. Those folks are able to minimize the loss of muscle mass. The lower curve represents those who don't regularly engage in strength and cardiovascular training. Those folks can easily experience rapid loss of muscle mass to the point of disability 😧. That's why it's so important to strength train. 

If you don't have a strength training program here are some tips.

Start a Somatics Practice!
I strongly suggest you start with Somatics, so you can have better voluntary control of your muscles and release any chronic tension BEFORE you start strength training. Somatics will be a fantastic foundation for your workouts going forward. It will set you up to get stronger faster, reduce risk of injury and make your workouts easier even when lifting heavy. If it works for collegiate power-lifting teams, it can work for you! You can even take a class with me online or in the studio to learn more. 
 
Master these Movements of Daily Living

• Squat
• Lunge
• Hinge
• Push away from the body (forward, like a push up, and over head, like an overhead press)
• Pull (towards your body like a seated row, and pulling your body upward, like a chin up/pull up)
• Rotate
• Balance

I start my clients off just practicing these movements without any weights, then we can add in bands, dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls, elevated surfaces, etc. 

Start Lighter Weight, More Repetitions 
Once you have a better understanding of your motor patterns, then start lifting weights. Heavy lifting is going to give you the greatest back for the buck, but don't jump right in! Start with lighter weights that challenge you by 12 reps, give or take. Once you have mastered the moves with lighter weights, then you can start bumping up the reps a bit. Then after that is no longer challenging you, reduce the reps and up the weights. Which leads to . . .

Lift Heavy
It can take up to a year or more to get to this point. But once your ready, you are aiming for loads (amounts of weight) that challenge you between 5-8 reps. 

I'm keeping this brief. If you are already doing strength work, what does that look like to you? Not sure where to start? Feel free to ask me questions in the comments below!

Or jump in and book a few private sessions with me. Check out my Menopause Kickstarter Course (no equipment required) or the super fun Learn to Lift for Life Course too. 

thanks for reading!
~Kristin