Category Archives: AthleticOver40

Age is not a disability

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If we relied on how we felt….tired, sore, low energy, sick a few times a year.

If we believed the media: after 40, physically your best days are behind you.

The reality is that middle age represents a unique time in our lives. A different time.

For some of us, we are running around getting our kids to activities (or just running around!)
We are busy with all the commitments and obligations we have for work.
We have witnessed the decline of our parents, a very challenging life event, that exposes us to their vulnerability and foreshadows ours to come?
Our self care has taken a back seat, yet perhaps have not quite felt the decline – although we are getting subtle symptoms!

Your self-care!

There …I said it.

How are you taking care of yourself?

And no, a few glasses of wine a few days a week does not count! (rewards perhaps but not self-care!)

Your weekly golf game or hockey game does not count!

Yard work once a month does not count!

These are not considered active aging!

Doing something when you can does not count unless it is daily.

Financial experts would say that you need to pay yourself off the top as part of your investment plan.

Do fitness and health experts say the same about your self-care?

Our society has a model that has you consult a doctor when something is wrong.

You consult a financial advisor when you want to increase your financial portfolio.

Like our finances, our own health requires that we take charge and get informed….. and not be left to someone else.

The thought of self-care to include exercise may not be the most appealing. Perhaps you are not a gym person. Perhaps you are too busy. Perhaps you don’t enjoy working out unless playing something, perhaps …there are lots of reasons not to exercise or train. Only 1 good one needed to re-evaluate.

Train?

Train for what?

For life. To stay strong, positive, energetic and be your best self. Like athletes, we have a purpose to train for, yet many do not look at it this way. If we are not strong, our loved ones suffer. They rely on us. We owe it to ourselves.

What I am about to introduce to you is a simple, effective program that will allow you to slow down the decline, perhaps freeze it for a while. To re-gain some of that strength and energy lost in the last few years… all on a time budget.

That is right, a time budget. Not 150 minutes per week. Not 45 minutes a day. All in just a few minutes per day.

Stay connected, our new product launch is coming soon.

A game changer.

Age is not a disability!

Sprint Intensity Training to overtake HIIT?

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The Sprint 8^® Protocol is more intense than interval training, but worth the effort, according to its creator Phil Campbell.

In two hospital-based studies specifically on Campbell’s Sprint 8 Protocol, the research shows an average drop in body fat of 27% with no change in diet. Campbell attributes the results to a natural increase in human growth hormone.

Our team at STAK Fitness/Matrix Canada is implementing this program with organizations as I write this. Stay tuned for more details on progress.

see the full story here: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/3188584/

79 is the new 29?

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What was that?

79 is the new 29?

Did you see the article in Men’s health on Clarence Bass and his advice around exercise and aging?

if you did not, it is worth the read – if you are aging and want some factual info around exercise and being active (that would be most of us!).

Not exactly revolutionary advice, but in direct contrast to much of the popular advice on exercise intensity and frequency.

A quick summary:

A student of exercise programs for 30+ years
Gets checked at Cooper Institute every 2 months on Vo2 max and basic physiological metrics.
Suggests being active everyday.
Feeling progress towards a goal is when we feel best.
1 weekly weight lifting session. (not necessary to lift heavy weights, but does recommend lifting at a good intensity.)
1 significant hike per week for a total of 2 workouts per week.(in additional to daily walks or preferred activity)
A health diet that he enjoys, focused on performance rather than comfort.
A proponent of embracing aging, and making it work (as opposed to avoiding or ignoring)

What you will notice is that Mr. Bass prescribes will not take you to the gym 5 days per week, or push for 3 hour workouts.

Have a look .

Here is to healthy aging.

let me know what you think

Greg Lawlor

PS : Here is the link to the article for your review: http://bit.ly/2tks9Wg

Why Steady State Cardio is Taking a Beating!

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Even the most casual exerciser has heard about interval training, aka TABATA training, aka HIIT.

What does it really do?

How can it help you achieve your goals.

When done right it can allow you to be efficient, help with fat loss, help with building lean muscle tissue, thickening of the skin, and even naturally release human growth hormone.

When done wrong, you can risk injury, burn out, and over train.

Sprint8 is a form of interval training that takes the guesswork out of the training protocol. It has lots of research behind and proven with exercisers of all ages.

This program can be executed on any piece of equipment, or on a track. What it requires is a good warmup, 30 seconds of all out exercise, 90 seconds of rest – repeated as many times as possible up to 8 cycles. The key ingredient is all out exercise, sprint level intensity – hence the name.

see more here: http://www.sprint8.com/research/

Some supporting reading: (a good article comparing the different types of training) 

https://experiencelife.com/article/steady-state-cardio-vs-high-intensity-interval-training/

Tip from an old guy: Explore Sprint8, find a soft on the joint (recumbent bike) exercise modality, and give a try. You will find a lot of things will improve. Don’t abandon your regular routine, integrate 3 sessions/week x 20 minutes each for a month and tell me how your feel.

Note: My favorite modality is the Indoor cycle bike (Spin bike), Matrix Hybrid Cycle (1/2 recumbent/1/2 upright), and SDrive performance trainer.

I would not write about this – unless it made an impact on me and I believe in the science!

Have a good workout!

I did 100 pushups a day for 30 days and here is what happened:

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Like you, I am getting older!

Like you, I am busy.

In the last 30 days, I have had 3 different business trips across 4 time zones for a total of 13 nights away from home.

It is particularly busy this time of year for travel in my work. However, it is not unlikely that we get distracted from our routines with the demands of family, work and other …..

At 52, I cant afford to get out of a routine of at least something active every day. Walking when I can, or some body weight work at beginning or end of day.

So I made the promise to try push ups every day. 25 at a time. 4 times a day.

Here is what happened:

I did it! Missed 1 day where i got 50 done, but added extra 25 to the 2 following days.

I got stronger. I felt it. 25 took less struggle towards end of the 30 days.

The technique got better and I played with variety on the pushups. I added angles, plyo on a chair and resistance band when i had handy.

I felt better. Every morning, first thing – started with 25 before anything. and i felt better getting upon my day

It took less that 20 seconds per 25, so 1 minute and 20 seconds over the day. UNDER 90 SECONDS!

I wanted to do more. So often, i would do some core work, some lunges or mobility work after the pushups.

Bottom line: for less than 90 seconds per day, I felt better, got stronger, sparked my day. I did not need equipment or much room.

Now i am moving to integrate a 2-3 minute sesssion 3/4 times per day to include core, mobility and body weight lunges/squats.

My regular workouts of 3-4 times per week continue, but this allows me to stay consistent and not go long gaps without doing something.

Give it a try. I am sure you can find 90 seconds a day!

You will be surprised how different you feel.

Let me know how it goes!

Greg