Got a great question today, one that applies to everyone, NOT just the ladies:
QUESTION: So Zach... Sounds like an Xcellent workout here is a question for you. I am a 52 year young female fitness trainer..... I LOVE the USC training ... I lay here with ice on my knees & hip after an intense KB sandbag & plyo bootcamp I participated in...
How can I keep up with Kids 10,20 ,30 years younger and should I continue training this way ??? By the way, this intense working out is really the secret to looking young.... I look 15 years younger... I think I answered my own ?
Love your daily emails!
Lisa L. / Gold's Gym. SF, Ca.
Answer: Lisa, thanks for your question and thanks for the great comments 🙂
A workout should not leave you battered and bruised, requiring ice on the knees, hips, etc.
A workout should be challenging, yet not so brutal it interferes with your ADL's (activities of daily living).
Unfortunately, many trainers out there do just that, they train. They train to smash you, kick your ass, put you down and make you hurt. And, some people like this stuff 🙂
A workout should make you stronger, improve power, improve work capacity / conditoning, etc.
I suggest you find a program that allows you to come home and feel like you don't need the ice and took an ass whoopin'
Now, on the flip side, this should not be misinterpreted as the encouragement to take it easy. Everyone has their individual capabilities, and the smartest, healthiest individuals understand how to listen to their body and act accordingly. This is what gives you longevity and allows you to train for a lifetime.
This is also why I created my Underground Apprentice Program and The Underground Strength Coach Certification. All our athletes train with baseline programs and do not exceed certain intensities, volume, etc until we see they are physically and psychologically ready.
I actually had a friend who was going through these workouts, but, eventually, he said his body regressed in strength, muscularity, energy, etc.
It was constant dips, jumps, sprints, etc, always long workouts, never changing the volume, the intensity or anything else. Somedays he does only pull ups, other days hill sprints, other days he does a long workout, it all depends on how he feels.
In the end, the best way to train is according to the messages your body is sending you.
Today was a scheduled squat / deadlift day. I was beat up from Saturday's strongman workout so I nixed the squat / deadlifts and went heavy on the sleds instead. I felt great and didn't take my body to a point of no return.
Back when I was younger, that was fun, but, that's what also got me injured.
Be smart, listen to your body 🙂
In Strength,
--Z--
P.S. - Wanna see my workouts, the workouts my athletes go through, videos, audios, hundreds of articles, program design methods and more? Then get to The Underground at http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com
