They say getting old isn’t for sissies, but it sure beats the other option. Today’s post is a quick (but very important) life-lesson I’ve learned about strength training for older athletes.
Let’s start with the obvious…
The science has spoken on the importance of strength training as we get older, so if anyone tells you otherwise, they are what I like to refer to as… “wrong.” But if you’re anything like me, you may have noticed some changes in what it takes to keep this old body moving.
Today I’d like to share the biggest lesson ‘twenty years ago Jerry’ didn’t know that ‘today Jerry’ does when it comes to training. Enjoy!
The best way to share this is to tell you a little story about what happened to me during a training session a few weeks ago…
I came in early on a Saturday morning for a pretty uneventful training session with my crew. Nothing crazy, just a normal, grease-the-groove session. During my third set, I felt a little ‘tweak’ on the left side of my back. Nothing too serious, but enough to catch my attention.
During my rest between sets, I tried bending at my hips just to test things out, and sure enough, there was the smallest of twinges going on back there. This was something so minor that ‘ten years ago’ Jerry would have just shrugged off and kept going… and then paid for it the next day.
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So, what did I do instead?
I did some gentle stretching, took two ibuprofen, picked up my gym bag, and called it a day.
The next morning I was fine… Life was 100% back to normal. The next morning I did a 13 mile bike ride, and Monday morning was back to the iron.
If you’re over 40, continuing a training session when something goes sideways is a fool’s errand. If I’d chosen to keep going, I may have ended up down for a few days (I know, I’ve seen me do it). The lesson here is simple… live to lift another day.
Until next time,
Jerry Trubman is a coach, clinician, author, blogger, and powerlifting state champion. With over two decades of lifting experience, he has devoted himself to seeking out better answers, and distilling them into practical programs that produce great results. Jerry has coached “Team Protocol” to 4 National Powerlifting Championships in the 100% Raw federation. He writes the internationally-read blog, “The Healthy Addiction” and lives in Tucson, Arizona with his wife, Marie, and dog, Asher.
