As we get older, we begin to look at our fitness goals from a new perspective.
We’re suddenly less interested in being buff and hitting our PR’s.
And more interested in avoiding injuries and improving our health and well-being.
The reason is simple – bodies start to change as soon as it hits 30.
That’s when the process known as sarcopenia starts affecting our muscles and ligaments. As a result they lose mass, strength, and elasticity. We get more prone to injuries, especially if we don’t adjust our workouts.
That’s why most people age 45 and older have a different approach to fitness compared to when they were younger. If you’re looking to avoid injuries in the gym, here’s what you should be doing…
When you were younger, you could afford to skip a warm-up and start lifting heavy right off the bat. But that’s not the case anymore. Now you can get seriously injured without a proper warm-up, even if you don’t push yourself too hard.
A good warm-up will improve blood flow. This helps deliver oxygen and nutrients that your muscles need to endure strenuous exercise.
It also raises the temperature of your muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Warm muscles, tendons, and ligaments will be more elastic and therefore less prone to injuries.
And finally, a proper warm-up will prepare you mentally for a workout.
The best thing is, warm-ups don’t have to be complicated; low-intensity cardio is enough in most cases.
We all love that feeling of victory when we hit our PR. But as we get older, we should aim to stay injury-free instead of going hard every session. After all, it’s less likely you’ll get injured if you bench 225 lbs instead of 315 lbs. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t push your limits.
For example, you can slow your reps to increase time under tension, and still get muscle-building benefits.
Remember, you can look great shirtless while also being injury-free.
But you have to be smart about the way you train.
Stay fit my friend,
Michael
Founder & CEO