Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again.

Look at that gray hair, no wonder I got an AARP letter.

Rant and Tip for September 14, 2012

Quote: “Never too old, never too bad, never too late, never too sick to start from scratch once again.” -Bikram Choudhury.

We are never too old to start something new that will benefit us emotionally and physically. Having turned 50 this past August apparently put me on the AARP mailing list. I am not even close to thinking about retiring. It is amazing how people my age and older no longer fit the norm of what our parents thought a 50, 60, and 70 year old is capable of. I see this every day. We are never too of anything to make the changes we want or need in our lives. It excites me to think of the possibilities of the future and it should you as well. If you are experiencing some health issues and wish to change your diet and add exercise to your schedule, do not be afraid to make that change. You are still worth it regardless of your age or how bad your eating habits have been.

I will be working the shoulders today and will be working heavy. I plan on doing low reps with a lot of volume. Multiple set of 3 with heavy weight. I normally like to hit my military presses with dumbbells but to switch it up today am thinking to use a barbell. This will force the shoulders and muscles on each side to work in unison. It is always a good idea to mix things up a bit. Working with heavier weight and lower reps will tax my central nervous system a bit and strengthen my tendons. This is vital to big heavy lifts. Having strong shoulders can only help my bench and give a strong base to rest the bar on in the squat.

Have a great workout!

Tip: I found some tips for military presses at www.stronglifts.com and thought I would list them here for you.

Overhead Press Setup. Put the bar on your front shoulders by taking it out of the uprights of your power rack or by Powercleaning the weight on every set.

• Foot Stance. Shoulder-width apart. Try a staggered stance: one foot 5-10cm/3-4" in front of the other one.
• Grip Width. About 46cm/18". The larger your build, the wider your grip. Hands should never touch your shoulders.
• Gripping the Bar. Grip is same as for the Bench Press. Bar close to your wrist, in the base of your palm. Not close to your fingers.
• Chest Up. Make a big chest & lift it up. Makes it easier to use your back muscles & shortens the distance the bar has to travel.
• Elbows Forward. Elbows in front of the barbell when looking from the side. Not upper-arms parallel with the floor, it's not a Front Squat.
• Look Forward. Looking up is bad for your neck. Look forward, fix a point on the wall before you.
• Squeeze Your Glutes. Makes it impossible to arch your lower back, thus increasing safety. Squeeze your glutes hard.