Real Strength - Because Everybody Gets Old Someday
When you're young, you sometimes feel like you'll be young forever. But eventually we all get old. I've seen it year after year in training client in the gym.
Everybody gets old someday and when they get old they no longer care about the things the 20 year olds care about. Its no longer about 6 pack abs, 18 inch biceps, and sexy legs. Suddenly its all simply about
Just browse through some pictures of old bodybuilders, old professional athletes, old models and you will quickly see that it doesn't much matter if you were strong, fit, beautiful, or muscular when you were young. What matters is that you trained your body wisely to prepare it for the long haul. What matters is that you trained functionally, always making sure to emphasize flexibility through utilizing a full range of motion on your exercises. What matters is that you selected exercises that supported your ability to engage in real life activity. What matters is that you listened to your body and handled injuries properly. What matters is that you minimized the occurrence of injuries by training wisely.
All of this comes down to training for functional bodyweight strength. Training your body to be able to effectively perform the real life tasks it was designed to perform. When you're 80 years old you're not going to be deadlifting 700 pounds, regardless of how strong you were when you were young. You're not going to have 18 inch biceps. You're not going to have sexy thighs.
This isn't to say that there's anything wrong with training for maximum strength, building up big muscles, or building beautiful legs when you're young. The point is simply that whatever you do, keep your priorities straight. Make sure that above all else you always keep the long view in mind and you train your body to be healthy, functional, and to last a lifetime...literally. There's nothing more frustrating in old age than to have a sound mind and a useless body that is in constant pain do to misuse and lack of proper training earlier in life.
Everybody gets old someday and when they get old they no longer care about the things the 20 year olds care about. Its no longer about 6 pack abs, 18 inch biceps, and sexy legs. Suddenly its all simply about
- being able to move without pain
- being able to lean all the way down to the ground to pick something up without injuring yourself
- being able to do all of the basic functions of life that 20 years take for granted
Just browse through some pictures of old bodybuilders, old professional athletes, old models and you will quickly see that it doesn't much matter if you were strong, fit, beautiful, or muscular when you were young. What matters is that you trained your body wisely to prepare it for the long haul. What matters is that you trained functionally, always making sure to emphasize flexibility through utilizing a full range of motion on your exercises. What matters is that you selected exercises that supported your ability to engage in real life activity. What matters is that you listened to your body and handled injuries properly. What matters is that you minimized the occurrence of injuries by training wisely.
All of this comes down to training for functional bodyweight strength. Training your body to be able to effectively perform the real life tasks it was designed to perform. When you're 80 years old you're not going to be deadlifting 700 pounds, regardless of how strong you were when you were young. You're not going to have 18 inch biceps. You're not going to have sexy thighs.
This isn't to say that there's anything wrong with training for maximum strength, building up big muscles, or building beautiful legs when you're young. The point is simply that whatever you do, keep your priorities straight. Make sure that above all else you always keep the long view in mind and you train your body to be healthy, functional, and to last a lifetime...literally. There's nothing more frustrating in old age than to have a sound mind and a useless body that is in constant pain do to misuse and lack of proper training earlier in life.