The Critically Important Exercise You're Probably Not Doing......

People are starting to understand the critical value of strength training in keeping bones and muscles strong, preventing falls, and generally keeping us healthy.

Starting as early as our 30s, muscles start becoming smaller and weaker, declining 3-8% per decade. Bone loss starts in our 50s.

"Cardio" can't address these issues.

What you may not know....

Muscle size and muscle strength are independent of each other--a 5% loss of muscle size might result in a 10% loss in muscle strength.

It's neurological!

Your strength depends on your muscles AND your brain's ability to effectively communicate with them, which becomes less effective as we get older.

This is why you need to train for power!

Power = strength + speed.

Visualize an elderly person getting up from a chair. Maybe they have the strength to stand but it's a struggle because they can't move quickly!

Brad Manor, director of the Mobility and Falls Translational Research Center at Harvard suggested that muscular power might be more crucial than muscular strength.

“In all of our daily activities, if you think of selecting the right walking speed or standing up from a chair, you have to do that with not only the right amount of force, but the right amount of speed in order to be safe and effective in that movement.”

It's particularly worthwhile for fall prevention

Manor said,

"As we age from adulthood into senescence, our muscle power fades sooner and more rapidly than strength......insufficient power, compared with strength, is often a better indicator of current physical function and the possibility of future falls. It logically follows that strategies designed to augment muscle power may be more beneficial for older adults.”

Catching yourself as you fall or lose your balance requires quick reaction from both your brain and muscles, as well as the ability to generate force to catch yourself.

Falls are the leading cause of injury and injury death among adults older than 65 years.

Isn't it ironic, then....

Exercise prescribed for older people--from using machines on the weight room floor to physical therapy exercises--is done slowly.

Those fast twitch muscle fibers atrophy away from lack of use. Then when an oncoming car comes careening your way, neither your brain nor body is prepared to react.

Power curious?

💥 Power training shouldn't replace strength training, it's complementary.

💥 Power training uses many of the same exercises as strength training but has a different sets/reps/rest protocol.

💥 You don't need to do a lot of power training to reap the benefits.

💥 Power training is fun. It makes you feel...well, powerful. It can be adjusted for any level of exercise ability.

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Power training is NOT THIS!

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This picture was used in an article about power training. Not only is it not a power exercise it is THE DUMBEST EXERCISE EVER INVENTED, not to mention hard on your knees and absolutely the wrong way to do a squat.

So don't believe everything you read about exercise. Well, unless you read it here!