Older Athletes - Are You Diverse?

  This article is for those over 40 years old -

 A very long time ago in the 1970's when many of us picked up our first weight, we knew that this was the thing to make us powerful. We began training, started reading Muscle and Fitness religiously, never missed Hulk Hogan on WWF, and told everyone what our bench press max was that week. The only important thing to us was getting bigger and stronger. After all the bench press is the 'king' of upper body exercises, right? So we toiled on after that ever elusive bench max, and while 300lbs was getting to be a reality, many of us looked like the 'I Skipped Leg Day' memes on Facebook. Then one day we read that article (which showed up in M&F in the nick of time) by Dr. Fred Hatfield, or Terry Todd, or whoever, but it was that article that told us if you want to increase your bench press, train your legs also. You just added diversity into your training. 

 As we get better, I mean older, we tend to not be as active as our former selves. Look back at that kid in the 70's and I'll bet that weight training wasn't his only game. Many of us played sports, ran to catch busses, walked or rode bikes for miles, swam as much as we could, did chores and moved our bodies constantly. As we entered our 30's, work was the only important activity, and family life was leisure time. Some of us continued our weight training and that form of exercise was the only 'fun' active time that we got. It was healthy, but it was the same rote movements repeated for years over and over again. And our answer was always, "I exercise, I lift." Well good for you.

 So between then and now, something happened that slapped the fitness world in the face. Crossfit emerged out of garages and warehouse dungeons and exposed the world to functional fitness. Now don't get me wrong, I know that Indian clubs, gymnastics, and kettle bells were around since the Victorian Era, but it was Crossfit that put this type of training into everyone's living room, love it or hate it.

 Enter the present day and you'll find trainees that excel in not one but many different modalities of training. Crossfit boxes house some serious Olympic weight lifters who can do endless muscle ups an exercise once limited to gymnasts, or kettle bell gyms who's athletes use bodyweight moves to supplement their training style. Mixing styles is important, for fitness should build the body and mind as a unit. If you don't have a clue yet think NFL Combine.

 Face it as we get better/older we don't move or play nearly as much as we used to, and if we aren't careful it diminishes a bit more every year. Going to the local gym and blasting out those 900lb leg presses and benching until you bust a blood vessel in your eye isn't enough anymore, it's time to add some sprinting or climbing into that routine. As we increase in our years our desire and ability to 'go to the floor' decreases. Adding some basic tumbling into your exercise plan is an effective way to see if you can still get off the floor, and as you progress in that you can slowly increase the speed at which you 'go to the floor' getting you body used to falling properly - a skill that can save your life when you are older. Learn to pull or push yourself over an obstacle wall, carry unbalanced objects, train with Bulgarian Bags and play outdoors as an addition to your gym time.

 People love a big bench press and are impressed by it, but nailing it and celebrating with a handstand push up will make it monumental. Bud Jeffries has massive lifts and always challenges himself with gymnastics. Evolve your fitness by diversifying your training, diversify your training to move better through life, enjoy life by keeping your fitness. Peace.