Or how unfit. Read on…
You’ve had the light bulb moment, the “I’m gonna do the gym next week and get fit” moment? Congratulations. Now what?
Well please please please DON’T put your holiday shorts on, best clean training shoes, “headband” and hit the gym. At best you’ll spend all your time walking around wondering what all the machines are for, the pick up weights that are too heavy for you swing them around for 30 mins then retreat to the stationary bike or treadmill before going for a coffee. At worst you could hurt yourself.
Gyms have changed
The way to exercise in gyms has changed
And more importantly you and your body have changed
Surprisingly but not surprisingly, my experience as a trainer in gyms and now back to being a regular user of the gym has shown me one thing in respect of the way people train in the gym, and that is FEMALES ARE BETTER TRAINERS THAN THE MEN. Did you scoff? Roll your eyes? You just proved my point. Here’s what happens, particularly at our age;
Male walks in gym after and absence of 10, 20, 30 years to “get fit again”. “Haven’t seen you here before, need any help?” S’alright mate, been a member for years, I know what I’m doing, thanks anyway”. Then off he goes to do a workout, too heavy weights, poor form, obsolete movements. An injury waiting to happen. I used to try and help but…you know. We’re men aren’t we ? We all (ok most of us) think;
We’re all good drivers,
We are all good footballers,
We are all great lovers,
And we all know what we’re doing in the gym. Sadly it’s probably not true. Well not all true.
Compare the male attitude to the female attitude. “excuse me, I want to start working out with weights but I’ve no idea what to do, can you help?” BOOM! They’re off. They learn what to do, how to do it, reps and sets, exercise combinations, the lot. And because of social media pressure, lots film themselves meaning anything less than correct form will be commented on.
I suppose what I’m saying is take a bit of advice to upgrade your knowledge. Use a few sessions with a PT, sign up to an online PT or go on YouTube and watch some videos of people doing what you think you’re doing and see the difference.
The 1000 mile journey begins with the first step though. Find out where you are now. This part can save you a lot of pain and embarrassment. Any PT worth his or her salt should do an assessment with you but if you’re just starting out/starting again have a look below, it should give some idea of where you are right now;
- Balance
So important this one, we have it when we’re young, playing sports, dancing, just generally messing about. Then as we grow older we stop playing and we lose our balance, but we don’t realise this until now. Or when you fall over. And if you fall over now, stuff breaks. Or twists. Or sprains. And we take longer to heal nowadays. Best do the test then. Good news though, you can easily improve through practise. I regularly use balance in my 121 and group sessions after learning that they take fall prevention so seriously in the US;
Test it
The stork: With your eyes open, feet bare and a wall or chair nearby to grasp if needed, count how many seconds you can stand on one leg before needing to put down your foot or grab a support. The number below, in seconds, represents a reasonable goal for your age
10 seconds: Good effort! But you’re a bit below the goal for your age.
30 seconds: Well done. You’ve met the goal for your age.
40 seconds and above: Congrats! Your balance is very good for your age.
2. Mobility
How well can you stand and move? Again this is a biggy! If you spend a lot of time sitting down you’ll be surprised at how bad it is for your mobility. BUT!!!! don’t worry, again you can improve it with practise. If you want. Or get a motor mobility scooter. It’s up to you.
Test it
Chair sit to stand: Rise from a chair and sit again as many times as possible in 30 seconds, without using your hands. The result below would be a minimum for most healthy people in their 60s or 70s.
2-12 reps: Good effort! But you’re a bit below the goal for your age.
13+ reps: Well done. You’ve met the goal for your age.
3. Stamina
How’s your endurance?
Test it
Run or walk: How fast can you run or walk a mile? It’s fine to estimate now and check your pace on a treadmill or track later. The range of times below represents, essentially, a passing grade for healthy people, a decent goal that, for most of us, could still be bettered.
25-17 mins: Good effort! But you’re a bit below the goal for healthy men your age.
16 mins or less: Well done. You’ve met the goal for healthy men your age
Well?
I know! How did that happen? Time, life. It happens. Good news is, even though it;s taken you 20. 30, 40 years to get in this state, if you want you can reverse it in weeks and months and without huffing and puffing, sweating and all that stuff. All you have to do is SOMETHING.
Every day. For…15 mins maybe? I could give you a little program to could literally do in the morning before brushing your teeth, seriously.
Think about it. Consistency is everything. Little and often.
Enjoy the tests