Accepting the Inevitable
The reason most people exercise is to achieve and maintain optimal health. Daily training, using both anaerobic and aerobic forms of exercise, combined with a balanced nutritional program, is the best way to achieve a high level of fitness. But how long will the body continue to improve? Let’s find out.
Your body has a life cycle like that of every other living thing in this universe… including the universe itself. The next time you train at your health club, look at the people working out around you. Why doesn’t everyone working out look young? Obviously it’s the continuing cycle of life; we call it aging. Unfortunately, that word is associated with negative connotations including illnesses, injuries, and a decline of one’s active life. Let’s see if we can change how we look at ageing.
To deny the fact of ageing is psychologically damaging. To ignore it will give you false hopes and the possibility of actually making you age faster. Let me give you an example; me. That’s right, the Iron Guru himself makes (plenty of) mistakes. After competing in physique competitions for forty years, it was very difficult for me to alter my training as I got older. Back in the day, heavy, high intensity training was the norm, because my body was in a growth stage. That period didn’t last forever, but I kept the heavy, high intensity training because I did not want to accept the ageing process. What followed were more injuries than muscle growth. It took me years to accept those facts, and it was by using simple logic that I was able to adjust my training. There are only a certain amount of years for which the body has the correct chemistry for growth. When that chemistry changes, so must your workouts. The next goal of training is maintenance. You want to maintain what strength and muscle tone you have developed over the years. The focus is now on consistency, with moderate resistance anaerobic and aerobic training, Ageing can now be looked at as an extension of your younger years in many ways.
Your body continually sends out subtle messages as to what it needs to maintain optimum health. Be in tune, and live all the years of your life healthy and active.
Iron Guru 