Rant and Tip for August 5, 2011

Tomorrow I turn 49 and it strikes me that next year I will be competing in the 50 to 54 age group. This just seems incredible to me. Time has flown by. We waste so much of our lives saying I will start that tomorrow, or think to ourselves “I have a lot of time to get that done”. Why do we do this to ourselves? We stay in toxic relationships, maintain poor habits that will effect our health and put off healthy relationships and habits. We all are guilty of it I guess at some point or another in our lives. I do not have the answers to these questions. I can say that I have learned and practice a healthy eating and physical lifestyle and you can to. If your goal is to get to a healthier you start with what ever is easiest for you to do. If you are the type of person that can change both diet and exercise changes then go for it and don’t look back. On the other hand if you can only handle one big change at a time then do it that way. Just do it!

As we get older our joints tend to tell us enough is enough. I have a friend who is an incredible physical specimen. He is a Physique Artist, he has posed as a guest poser at the Arnold Classic and I believe the Mr. Olympia event. His name is Russ Testo. Please visit his site and if you are a body builder reach out to him. He is one of the best posers in the nation and maybe the world. Franco Columbo a former Mr. Olympia once told him that he should be teaching the pros how to pose. Anyway back to the joints. He and I were doing squats one day and he mentioned his knees were bothering him. He is 55 I believe, maybe 54. Sorry Russ I forget which. You definitely do not look it. Back to the knees. Basically I think this comes with age and most athletes will notice some pain in the joints as they get older. Glucosamine can help with this and there are other joint medications out there. It becomes extremely important to warm up the joints with light reps before advancing to heavier loads. I find that the more my knees are warmed up the better they feel through out the workout. Especially when doing squats. Proper form on those squats is vital. Make sure to get your butt back as if you are going to sit in a chair. DO NOT squat like you’re a catcher in a softball or baseball game. Remember to a watch your form or better yet have someone else watch your form. You will be happy you did. Let’s grow old gracefully but fight it all the way!

Have a great workout!

TipHere is a tip I found on the Men’s Health web site and I think it fits well here. If you're under 40, hold your stretches for 30 seconds. If you're over 40, hold them for 60 seconds. As you reach your 40s, your muscles become less pliable, so they need to be stretched longer.