There are plenty of times where my workouts are planned to either increase either performance or aesthetics.
I know I am not the only one who does this because many people I work with have a similar mentality of wanting to improve their looks as well as their performance.
Although the end goal is objective, the road to get there is anything but.
With anyone I work with as well as myself, there is a major component of health and longevity incorporated into the roots of every program.
We don’t just want to be exercising for a few months then be out for a few months with an injury. We want to be consistent for as long as possible. Lifelong exercise plans are what we are striving for.
If we don’t put your overall health as the main priority then everything else will fall short.
I say this all the time and I will keep saying it; we have to work WITH our body not AGAINST it!
So what does exercising for health and longevity look like?
For starters it is about tackling the big rocks first. If you are not eating a micro/macronutrient balanced diet, not sleeping enough, rearing high stress levels, have poor relationships, or doing things that effect your health in a negative way then we will not have any success in the gym.
Once those things start coming along we can focus on your actual goals of looking and performing better.
When making a program we focus on that longevity piece as well. If you are not able to sustain the amount of stress being put on your body from your workouts then that plan will never be a long-term solution.
Let’s take a look at these areas when creating that program:
- Pain or discomfort
- Joint health
- Mobility and flexibility
- Strength
- Energy
- Sleep
- Hydration
All these factors will play a big role on the volume, intensity, de-loading, exercise selection, and flow of the program.
So looking at the above list let’s say someone has some joint pain, doesn’t have the best mobility, and does long hours of work.
This plan will make sure that the volume and intensity are not too high to push that person over the edge. Also we must create a plan that incorporates exercises that will be able to put minimal stress on the joints while also mobilizing their body.
If they were to do a shoulder press on a particular day, I would have them do a single arm press with a slight rotation of the shoulder and slowing down the eccentric portion of the movement.
This will allow us to use a lighter load, keep the shoulder is a safe position, and follow the rotation of the shoulder join to keep it feeling smooth.
Other things such as squats, hinge patterns, and pulling movements would have to be modified in some way to fit this person’s needs.
Missing Pieces
One piece of the puzzle I missed as a new trainer was the training of certain energy systems for my clients. I would push strength so much that we would miss all cardio and aerobic work.
I would say that your resistance training should be the primary focus of your programming, but aerobic work needs to be in your program somewhere if you want to achieve the highest potential of health.
The way I like to incorporate aerobic work is to add them into the warm up or do them on an active rest day.
They tend to be less stressful on the body and work great for that recovery day to keep your body moving. Interval runs, interval sprints, complex of loaded carries, there are so many options that can be beneficial to your aerobic work to make it more enjoyable.
Another missing piece of training for health and longevity that is forgotten about is training like an athlete.
We all see athletes jumping, running, pushing the sled, and flipping tires. To be honest this component of training is missed in a majority of programs that are made for non-athletes.
One of the best ways to gain some strength and power is to add this style of training. Now please don’t go jump on a 60” box or push a 500lb sled. Make sure implementation of these exercises is appropriate and done with adequate intensity.
A 6-12” box jump is a great place to start and make sure you are comfortable and in control of the movement.
One of my favorite things to do is to add things like low box jumps and medicine ball slams to my advanced aged clients. Let me tell you the benefits they saw were bar none!
We lose these abilities as we age so being able to regain the strength, power, and ability to use your body in such a way is so empowering.
Start doing them now so you don’t have to re-learn to do them later!
Final Thoughts
A major key to your health and longevity is your well-being and the ability to do the things you want to do.
Make sure your training is not setting you back.
A great way to do this as your joints get a couple more miles on them is to do your training with reduced loads (you don’t always have to do it this way but a priority could be set to not always be pushing the most amount of weight possible).
- Using long eccentrics (lowering the weight)
- Isometrics (holding in a given position)
- 1 ½ reps
These options will ensure to make the exercises hard as hell but will force you to use less weight and taking tension off of your joints.
We are in this for the long haul, so make sure you are training like it!
Jeffrey Nagle
Coach || OPEX South Shore
