STRONG IS HEALTHY

I like this motto and I wish people would pay more heed to it. As a personal trainer, my biggest peeve in modern gyms – by far – is the overuse of aerobic training. Yes that means all those people pounding away for hours on the treadmills and cross-trainers.

The most common response I get when I quiz people on their choice of exercise is “oh well, It’s better than nothing”. I dare you to find anyone who has ever had success – with anything – with this approach.

A large portion of my clients are females over the age of 40, and excessive aerobic exercise is not only ineffective for most people within this age bracket, but also potentially damaging. This is because aerobic exercise burns muscle at a time when the aging process is already naturally decreasing muscle mass and bone density. That is not a good combination.

Recently I started a group Strongman / Stronggirl training session. The first 3 people to sign up were all women aged over 50. If you want a training session that will build your strength as well as your cardiovascualr health, I implore you to find a reputable coach in your area offering similar classes. Here’s a snippet of one of my recent sessions.

For any Pilates or Yoga aficionados out there, research clearly shows that the now infamous ‘core muscles’ are only fully activated under heavier loads. So if you’ve been doing this type of training for some time I implore you to give Farmer’s Walks or Prowler pushes a go to take your core strength to the next level.

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