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Editorials"Don't Take My Word For It... Time Will Tell" - The benefits of resistance training Don't Take My Word For It... Time Will TellThere are no guarantees in this world except the twin absolutes of death and taxes (although a debate can be started about that “tax thing”). From guarantees we move one step down to items with a high probability of occurring. Grey hair, a sprained ankle and misplacing your car keys would fit into the “high probability” category. Let`s talk about another high level of probability. If you decide to do nothing about your health in terms of eating better and exercising, then the odds of you developing physically negative issues goes way up. With the twin epidemics of obesity and type II diabetes permeating our culture, many of us have greatly stacked the odds against ourselves for being able to enjoy the “golden years”. Stop and think for a minute about where you will be 10 and 20 years from today. Look at the people around you who are that much older than yourself. How comfortable would you be in their shoes healthwise? The simple truth of the matter is that by taking 2-3 hours a week for yourself, you can begin that journey to rediscovering your energy, your vitality, that bounce in your step. This is also not rocket science. The problem comes from having so many ways to start an exercise program that a person can become paralyzed with indecision. Since a myriad of books have been written on the very subject of starting a exercise program, attempting to explain within this article how to get started would, at best, be incomplete. So let`s crack open the window on one of the components of the health issue... strength. Strength is directly proportional to how well you have maintained your muscle mass. Now, we are not talking about Schwarzenegger `s muscle mass. Governer Arnold`s physical structure came from long hours, long weeks, long months, long years of very intense weight training. His job, then anyway, was to build muscle. If your goal was to build muscle, then I know starting an exercise program would be a much easier proposition for you. What I am talking about is having a form of exercise that requires us to overcome some type of resistance. Examples are many, including rock climbing, sprinting, hiking, weightlifting to name a few. The muscle fibers need to be challenged in order to grow stronger. What are the benefits derived from maintaining (and growing) our muscle fibers? Let`s take a look. Each benefit listed below, in and of itself, is reason enough to look into some kind of resistance program. And the beauty of the list below is that it is not followed in small print by a corresponding list of negative effects (unlike what we see on some commercials about this pill or that pill).
When it comes to strength training, my teaching philosophy centers around the idea that it is “the shortest distance between two points”. In other words, strength training is a concise way that one can grow their power at a controlled and yet rapid pace with a built in method of numerically tracking that progress (weight, repetitions, sets, etc). While the vast majority of us are not looking to get on the cover of a magazine or bench press 300 pounds, being functionally fit is a goal for everyone. You can have a well balanced program that fits into your schedule and that will give you a healthy level of muscular strength and endurance in less than one year. At that point, you can make the decision to either continue increasing you strength or go into a maintenance level of training (which will allow you to spend even less time in the gym but still maintain the energy levels you`ve developed). For less time than it takes to play a round of golf, you have a very good chance of turning back the clock; or, if you`re under thirty, you`ll be able to feel the way you do now and and for decades to come. Yes, I said decades! This is not some “pie in the sky” theory; not an outside-the-box hypothesis. The hundreds of research findings showing positive results and the millions of individuals who prove this concept everyday speak volumes as to the efficacy of working out. What I and other personal trainers bring to the table are experience and organization. We have had the time to read, study and put into practice various exercise philosophies. We save you time by teaching a focused program of physical activities to improve yourself. And when you are healthier, you can be more productive at work, better enjoy your chosen activity (golf, tennis, basketball, etc) and feel better about yourself overall. If you are looking to start an exercise program in 2005, take a long, hard look at weight training. Six months from now you will look back and wonder why you waited so long. But the regret will be fleeting because you will be in the middle of experiencing all the positives mentioned and that will be one heck of a way to have started off the new year! “The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.” Rick Almand Don't Sweat It... Just Write It DownDeciding to start a regular exercise program can be one of the most difficult decisions a person can make. When done properly, adopting a regular workout routine can also be one of the most rewarding. Now that you have decided to commit your valuable free time to regularly working out and physically challenging your body, you`ll want to get the most out of your efforts. Of course, good nutrition and good training techniques are essential to optimizing your results. However, if you are going to spend your valuable down time sweating, you will find that having a cohesive exercise plan will help you attain your fitness goals faster and safer. Its been my experience that even the best workout routines usually are missing one key component. Its a simple component really, but one that is regularly overlooked. The component I am referring to is always remembering to keep a written record of your efforts! Whether you choose to run, lift weights, or swim, you will soon discover that maintaining regular documentation of your sweat equity efforts will help you to keep your focus, allowing you to accurately track your progress and maximize your exercise time. You might think that this is an unnecessary step in the mistaken belief that one can estimate or guesstimate what they did during their last workout session. But, as the old saying goes, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. And, unless you are one of those lucky people equipped with a photographic memory, can you really remember how many times you jogged in the last week? What if you tried to include your exact distance and times? Now try and record the past 2 to 3 weeks? If you lift weights, can you correctly recall the number of sets, reps, types of exercises and amount of resistance you used during your last workout? If pressed, could you write down what you were able to accomplish in your workout routines over the past several weeks with any degree of accuracy? Without keeping a written record of your workout routines, how do you determine whether or not you are on track with achieving your fitness goals? Just imagine how your confidence would soar and your physical fitness would improve if you were able to drive to the gym with an exercise plan based on what you actually did in your previous workouts. In addition to keeping you on track, maintaining a written exercise log will prove to be very helpful in planning your future workouts. Your log will provide an exercise road map which accurately tracks where you`ve been and where you want to go. Simply stated, your future fitness goals should be based on what you have actually achieved in previous workouts. You will be able to focus all your attention on your workout, secure in the knowledge that the goals you set have for yourself are realistic and attainable. Furthermore, the time you spend maintaining your written log will be more than offset by the amount of time you save in the gym because all of your energies will be focused on why you are there and what you need to do instead of trying to remember which exercise to engage in next, what equipment to select, what weight to select, etc., etc. The analogy would be if you were preparing for a speech, a meeting, or a trip, you wouldn`t purposely choose to fly by the seat of your pants by being unprepared. Instead, you would make your best effort to be organized to ensure your eventual success. The same holds true for your daily workout routine. You may believe that you are already giving your best effort and do not need to regularly record your progress. But, in order to know for sure that you are achieving your fitness goals, it is vital to start, maintain, and regularly review your written exercise log. In short, don`t sweat it, just write it down. “The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen” Rick Almand Run Forrest RunWhen we decided to move back to Georgia in 1985, we were fortunate enough to have settled in Winder. I soon discovered that one of the many benefits of living here was the annual Summer’s End Run. Back then, the course ran in front of our home. Since jogging was my primary exercise at the time, I knew instinctively that I could not sit and watch all those people jogging past our front porch that Saturday morning without wanting to join in. So, in 1986, I started competing in this local event, with my wife and eventually my two young sons cheering me on from our front porch as I raced by, waving and getting “blasted” with the kids’ water guns. As much fun as that was, I was pleasantly surprised when my older son decided to run with me. Rich began at the age of 9, winning his age group (9-10 year olds) two consecutive years. These accomplishments were the genesis for his desire to join his school track team in the 8th grade. It wasn’t too long after that when he began to show me that he had learned his lessons well. In other words, instead of slowing down for him, he now waits for me at the end of the race, cheering me on to the finish line. He has since gone on to win his region in the 400 and the 800 as well as representing his school in the state finals. Just as my son’s love of running eventually led him to compete at the state level, this same love has led me to seek out running challenges beyond the Summer’s End. Two weeks ago, May 15th to be exact, I ran in the Atlanta Senior Olympics, a competition in Atlanta which will be held annually, covering track and field, swimming and other competitive events for the 50 and older crowd. Having not run a competitive race since my intramural days, the idea of the race intrigued me. At least I would have an official record of how fast (or how slow) I actually was. My choices of the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints were based on my physical skills derived from 4 years of resistance training and 5 years of Tae Kwon Do. My specific plan for speed training had consisted of 3 weeks of running 400s, 200s and 100s. However, when I ran the two races, I quickly discovered that whatever running techniques I had tried to incorporate in my training all went out the window the instant the gun when off. “Run Forrest Run” suddenly became the name of the game. When the races were over, I had won a bronze medal in the 100 and a silver medal in the 200. It just proves the point that you never know what the results will be unless you try. Lesson reinforced. I have now decided to incorporate sprint work as a regular part of my exercise regiment, as my goal is to win the gold one day. As for my son, he will continue to pursue that passion for running. He has been accepted at Kennesaw State and will be participating in their track and field program. Who knows what opportunities will spring from this love of running that was inspired all those years ago by watching his dad "do his thing." Moral of the story: By being physically fit, when the opportunity came along to try something different, I was in a position to “give it a go”. If you commit time and resources to your physical health, you too will be in a better position to take advantage of opportunities when they arise, be it a backyard volleyball game, a spontaneous request by your son or daughter to go play tennis with them, running/walking the Summer’s End Run or even competing in the Senior Olympics! Don’t miss those moments that could shape the times of your life, making the end result more colorful, more fulfilling. It’s truly never too late to embark upon that exercise program to which you’ve been promising yourself. The key is to make the commitment. What opportunities could be awaiting you tomorrow? Unless you “go for it,” you’ll never know what you are truly capable of doing or who you might inspire.
"You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result." Rick Almand | ||||||||||
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