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STRENGTH TRAINING in older populations
When in your younger years, you likely don’t think about the impact that being strong is having on your body ten, twenty, even thirty years from now. However, the work you do today, as well as continue to do long term, can greatly impact your health for decades to come. Today--my goal is to give you the background on how strength training now and through the rest of your life, can have you living a much longer, more fulfilling life.
We often think about strength training for the now--the increased muscle in our legs or arms that look great in photos, the gym gains, the loss of inches in our waist, and while these are important to keeping us consistent, we don’t focus on what long term effects are actually taking place. The two main pieces I want to address today are osteoporosis and sarcopenia, essentially, the loss of bone mass and muscle mass over time due to aging. Again, you may think, I don’t need to worry about that right now, but the truth is, the more consistent you are now, the better off your future self will be.
When we say fitness is for life, we mean it--it’s for life.
Elevation Training Mask Efficacy
Picture this: You’re at the gym about to crush some bulgarian split squats. You are walking towards the dumbbells past the treadmills when what to your eye should appear? A jacked man running sprints with elite form and what appears to be a face mask. This is not your typical mask though. This mask has slits that appear to be filters. Odds are the scenario above is something you’ve experienced at some point in the last 10 years if you’ve worked out in a public gym. These masks are called elevation training masks (ETM’s). They were designed in theory to mimic the training someone would go through if they were in a high elevation area.
So… does this work?
SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS
Can specific supplements give you a competitive edge or help you to achieve your fitness goals? The answer is, it’s possible.
Don’t be mistaken and think that supplements are the “magic pill” to improving your fitness. Taking supplements without mastering the fundamentals such as nutrition, sleep, stress management and proper recovery is like buying a paddle before the boat. If you have not mastered the basics, purchasing additional supplements will likely be a waste of money.
With that in mind, we will review several of the most research-based sports supplements. Not everyone will respond in the same way, as we are all individuals with different lifestyles and genetic make up. Just because research shows efficacy, doesn’t mean that it will have the same results for you. It’s always best to consult with a qualified health professional before starting any supplements you aren’t sure about.
Supplements should be selected based on goals and current state of health as well as labs or genetics, if available.
creatine 101
First, let me start by saying - the reason you are or aren't making progress in the gym has little to do with the supplements you are or aren't taking. It won't matter how consistent you are with your supplement routine if you're only getting 4 hours of sleep a night, missing workouts regularly, and eating a diet full of junk and fast food.
The literal definition of the word supplement is, “something that completes or enhances something else when added to it.” However, it seems that somehow the word supplement is now defined as, “the magic pill or powder that erases all the unhealthy choices I made that day.” And trust me, I've been there. I've had weeks where sleep, nutrition, and training all went out the window but I never missed a single multivitamin. And *spoiler alert* that multivitamin didn't help and I still felt like crap. Now, I'm not saying all supplements are bad. Some are heavily backed by research and so as long as the “majors” (training, recovery, nutrition) are in order, then dialing in some of those “minors” might actually be beneficial.
One supplement that is heavily backed by science and has been shown to enhance anaerobic performance is creatine.
WHAT IS HRV? (HEART RATE VARIABILITY)
You may have heard a coach (or even your fitness tracker) refer to HRV. Is this new? Why is it being talked about and why might it be important for you to pay attention to yours?
So what is HRV?
Heart Rate Variability or HRV is simply a measure of the variation in time between each of your heartbeats. This time variation is measured in milliseconds and will vary based on various factors. Just like the body itself, our hearts are incredibly adaptive and must adjust to their environment. As a result, HRV will speed up and slow down accordingly.
Concurrent Training: The Interference Between Lifting and Cardio
Concurrent Training (CT) involves using a combination of resistance training and endurance training to maximize your performance and results. Depending on the sport you’re trying to excel in, concurrent training may be necessary to enhance your skillset and technique. But for pure power sports or pure endurance sports, concurrent training could potentially elicit an unwanted adaptation.
This post is intended to explore the science and practical application of the interference between strength training and endurance training.
DELOAD’S: WHAT? WHY? WHEN? HOW?
Increases in our fitness and thus performance levels occur as we train, but they are also accompanied by an increase in cumulative fatigue that needs to be sufficiently managed if we hope to continue achieving positive adaptations. The way that we do so, is by utilizing “deloads”.
BENEFITS OF INCORPORATING HEAVY CARRIES INTO YOUR STRENGTH TRAINING
You’ve likely seen the Level TEN coaching staff talking about and performing heavy carries of different varieties - and for good reason! Not only do they provide a benefit to other aspects of your training, they can improve many aspects of your daily life.
Many times, we talk about wanting lifting to be something that actually translates into your everyday life; picking up your children, carrying groceries inside, being able to take the stairs or make your way through an airport on a timeline.
Heavy carries or Farmer’s carries as they're often called, are a great way to do this!
THE IN’S AND OUT’S OF CONCUSSIONS
A concussion is defined as a mild-traumatic brain injury (MTBI) that occurs from a direct or indirect blow to the head. Indirect blows to the head happen from whiplash. Our brain does not sit against our skulls. It is surrounded by fluids and essentially “floats” inside our skulls. Both types of blows to the head result in forces being placed to the head that result in the brain being forced into the skull resulting in mild damage to the brain.
This damage can result in a number of symptoms such as but not limited to; headaches, dizziness, nausea, disorientation, vision problems, feeling run down and tired, and neck pain. These symptoms typically last anywhere from 1-3 weeks but can last longer depending on severity of symptoms and how well they are managed.
DO YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP ALCOHOL TO REACH YOUR GOALS?
Alcohol, we know her, she comes around at parties and weddings, and can be a tricky thing to navigate when you’ve got health goals.
POP QUIZ:
What’s Google’s highest searched question regarding alcohol and fitness? — “Do I have to give it up to reach my goals?”The answer is: No, you don’t have to give it up! But let’s educate ourselves about it.
KEEP ON STEPPING: THE IMPORTANCE OF DAILY WALKS
This past month at Level TEN, the coaches along with the vast majority of our clients set out on a ‘10K steps per day’ habit challenge. Some clients and coaches haven't missed a day while others, myself included, have missed some days here and there, but will likely still end the month with a much higher step average than in prior months.
However, as June is coming to an end, do we just leave the step goal behind us? Do we go back to our regularly scheduled programming of 6k steps per day?
The answer? … NO!
No matter if you hit the goal every day, failed miserably more days than not, or if you didn’t even try the June 10K challenge, I am here to encourage you (and maybe even push you a little) to “Keep On Stepping”!The importance of steps and general physical activity is often overlooked. Some people think that working out 3-5 days a week is all that matters – that, since steps don’t really result in weight loss like intense cardio, they don’t matter. Or, they think that since our heart rates do not go through the roof while doing house laps (shout out to Coach John), they really aren’t beneficial. However, this is not true!
So, let's talk about the importance of walking…
WHY YOU SHOULD RECOVER AS HARD AS YOU TRAIN
Training without recovering is like mixing flour, sugar, eggs, & butter together for a cake and then never putting the batter in the oven. We don’t get stronger during the training session - we get stronger when we recover from our training.
But why is that?
Why can’t we train hard every day?
Why isn’t more always better?
To start, we need to understand what happens to our bodies during exercise…
IS THERE REALLY A “FAT BURNING” ZONE?
The last time you hopped on a treadmill or some other cardio equipment, you probably noticed a chart demonstrating different intensity zones based on heart rate (HR).
And of those zones, one is often labeled the “fat burning” zone. If you looked closely, you likely saw that the chart indicates that this special fat burning zone occurs at a pretty low exercise intensity and HR.
So what is the deal with this? If your HR gets above this value, are you not burning fat anymore? And if that’s the case, then why in the world is your coach having you do workouts that get your HR up so high?
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LOSE MUSCLE?
Many of you (myself included) have had instances where hitting the gym just isn’t possible *ehem, quarantine*.
Whether you’re sick, on vacation, have an injury, fell out of your routine, OR are experiencing a global pandemic, everyone has the same question: “How much time can I take off from the gym before all my hard work withers away?”
Well, to be quite honest, this question is dependent on quite a few factors. A few main factors in this equation are:
How long you’ve been training
How long you’ll be taking off training for
Engagement in other physical activity
Muscle type & muscle fiber type
SHOULDER IMPINGEMENT 101
The shoulder joint is complex with lots of muscles, tendons, and ligaments acting on and supporting it. These structures are woven tightly through small spaces. The shoulder joint also moves more freely than any other joint and therefore can be put into compromising positions quite easily.
The space between where your collar bone (clavicle) and your shoulder blade (scapula) meet is called the sub-acromial space. The joint here is called the Acromial Clavicular joint (AC joint). Through the sub-acromial space passes the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles. These muscles are responsible for rotating your shoulder in and out. There is also a smooth ball of jelly like substance in this space called a bursa sac. This keeps the tendons from rubbing directly on the bone causing pain and inflammation.
WHAT IS POST-ACTIVATION POTENTIATION?
Post-activation potentiation (PAP) is a phenomenon by which the force exerted by a muscle is increased due to its previous contraction. While we know that fatiguing muscle contractions can impair muscle performance (think of going way too hard on your warm up), PAP has taught us that non-fatiguing muscle contractions at high loads may enhance muscle performance of the following exercise.
For instance, a back squat. The acute excitation of a back squat has been shown to improve subsequent explosive performances such as a vertical jump due to an acute increase in muscular power (caused by PAP). This improvement is attributed to an excitation of the nervous system that produces an increase in the contractile function of a muscle due to a heavy load conditioning stimulus.
A GUIDE TO LOW BACK PAIN
Low Back Pain (LBP) is one of the most common orthopedic conditions that prevent people from physical activity. There are many causes to low back pain. It can be as direct as a herniated disc or as indirect as an auto-immune disorder. It can also be difficult to manage for health care practitioners. Sometimes the most minor issues (a muscle strain) can present with immense pain and be debilitating. Other times major structural issues (spondylolisthesis aka slipped vertebrae) might go unnoticed until an x-ray performed for another condition reveals it.
MENSTRUAL CYCLE VS. FITNESS
What does one thing have to do with the other? Most women have no idea how much their monthly cycle can affect their health and fitness goals. From metabolism, to injury risk, to strength levels, your menstrual cycle absolutely plays a role! So, let’s break it down!
EXERCISES BY BODY PART
Knowing which muscle is being targeted in a movement pattern will help individuals to contract that specific muscle to perform the movement. Having good mind-muscle connection makes for more effective movement, and thus, more gains!
WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN YOUR WARM-UP
You’re headed to the gym and haven’t gotten much movement in yet today. You know that before you get any movement in for the day, you absolutely need to make sure your body is feeling prepped and ready to go. But knowing what to do, and how much to do, may be something you’re not as comfortable with.