Iron Sharpens Iron

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey y'all, and welcome to All Things Men and Health,
the podcast made for men by men about what really matters,
from mental strength and physical fitness, from grooming and style
to building healthy relationships. We covered it all, no fluff,
no filters, just real talk about what it means to

(00:21):
be a healthy, confident man in today's world. Whether you're
hitting the gym, leveling up your mindset, or just trying
to be better every day, you're in the right place.
Let's get into it. Rental health, overall well being, how
to deal with family. I mean, yes, so many things
we're talking about, and I think that's going it's helping

(00:44):
me to put this out there, to be honest with you,
so because I'm going through stuff just like you guys
are going through stuff. And what we started talking about
last time was the importance of exercise, and we're talking
general exercise. And this is very important to me because
I've been a gym an athlete my entire life. The
past three months, I haven't been able to get in
the gym at all for various reasons pretty much beyond

(01:07):
my control. Working on fixing that, and I know I
don't feel particularly good physically, and it also affects me
mentally and emotionally. So we're working on that work in progress.
We're all a work in progress. But last time we
talked about just overall exercise, from cardio to the gym,
to weightlifting, to walking to everything. So today I want

(01:32):
to talk a little bit more. And something that's important
to me is building muscle and bone density. Okay, so
we all think about this, and this is just my input.
We all want to have that look, right, you know,
of strength and have some abs, have some big arms
and triceps and biceps and pecks and decks and you

(01:54):
know all that, and don't forget your legs all that
kind of stuff. But that's not necessarily what's about that
is a very good benefit of all this, and it
can be a motivator. Let it motivate you. But there
are other benefits to this as well. So we're going
to kind of get into a lot of that on
this episode. So you know, we establish the importance of

(02:17):
moving your body and overcome the initial hurdle of finding
the time, and what I mean by that is getting
up off the couch and going and do something physical.
Simple sounds simple, but for a lot of us, it's
a lot harder than you think. Let's dive into a
crucial aspect of men's health and fitness strength training. This

(02:40):
isn't just about building impressive biceps. It's a cornerstone of
overall well being, impacting everything from your bone density and
metabolism to your mental health and even your sleep quality.
For many men, the image of strength training conjures up
visions of bulky body builders pumping iron and a dimly

(03:02):
lit gem. Actually sounds pretty good to me, but the
reality is far more accessible and beneficial. Strength training, or
resistance training, simply involves using resistance to challenge your muscles.
This resistance can come from weights, resistance bands, body weight exercises,

(03:23):
and even heavy objects around your house. Be careful with those.
The key is to progressively overload your muscles, gradually increasing
the weight, resistance or repetition over time. Why is strength
training so vital for men as they age. The benefits
are multifaceted and significant. First, let's address the issue of

(03:44):
muscle loss. This natural process of age related muscle to
climb begins as early as age thirty, leading to decreased strength, mobility,
and overall functionality. Strength training acts as a powerful antidote
slowing down and even reversing this decline. By regularly challenging
your muscles, you stimulate muscle protein synthesis, building and maintaining

(04:08):
muscle mass. This translates to improved strength, power, and endurance,
making everyday tasks easier in reducing the risk of injury.
Beyond muscle mass, strength training is crucial for bone health.
As we age, our bones become more fragile, increasing the
risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Weight bearing exercises, which include

(04:33):
many forms of strength training, stimulate both growth and increase
both mineral density. And increase bone mineral density. This means stronger,
more resilient bones, capable of withstanding stress and reducing the
likelihood of fractures. Think of it as the continuous process

(04:54):
of bone remodeling, making your skeleton more robust. The benefits
beyond the physical realm. Strength training has a profound impact
on metabolic health. Muscle is metabolically metabolically active tissue, meaning
it burns more calories at rest than fat. By increasing

(05:17):
your muscle mass, you boost your resting metabolic rate, making
it easier to manage your weight and reduce the risk
of obesity related diseases like type two diabetes and heart disease. Moreover,
strength training can improve insolent sensitivity, helping your body utilized
insulin more effectively and further reducing your risk of diabetes.

(05:42):
Beyond the excuse me, I have a little coal going
on or something, and this is actually the third time
I've started this podcast, so I am going to just
power through this, but I do apologize. Beyond the physical,
strength training significantly improves mental health being. The release of
endorphins during exercise provides a natural mood boost, combating stress, anxiety,

(06:07):
and depression. The sense of accomplishment and self efficacy that
comes from progressively challenging yourself and seeing results can further
enhance your mental health and boost your self confidence. This
is a crucial aspect often overlooked as men are sometimes
reluctant to address mental health concerns. Strength training offers a powerful,

(06:28):
proactive approach to improve mental and emotional well being. Sleep
quality is another area impacted positively by strength training. Regular
physical activity, particularly strength training, can improve sleep duration and quality,
leading to more RESTful and restorative sleep. This is a
crucial This is crucial for all health and well being

(06:51):
as a as Adequate sleep is essential for physical recovery,
hormone regulation, and cognitive function. The improvement in sleep often
goes hand in hand with a reduced stress and anxiety,
which are often contributing factors to sleep disturbances. Now let's practical.
Let's get practical. How do you incorporate strength training into

(07:13):
your life. You don't need a fancy gym or expensive
equipment to get started. Bodyweight exercises are a fantastic starting point,
offering a range of exercises that require no equipment. Here
are a few examples. Squats a fundamental compound exercise working

(07:33):
multiple muscle groups, including quads, glutes, and hamstrings. Start with
body weight. Body Weight squats can gradually increase the number
of repetitions so you can get stronger. Now, you may
need to hold on to a counter or a wall
or a chair as you squat down until you get
used to the motion, so you get used to the balance.

(07:55):
I'll find it harder to do a squat with no
weight or body weight than I do with the barbell
and the weight on it, just because it helps me
balance more to have the weight. But starting with just
your body weight is an absolutely great way to go
you want the top of your thighs to go to

(08:18):
be about parallel with the ground. It doesn't mean that
you're going to get there the first day you try
to do this, So one step at a time, go
as far as you can down without hurting yourself, and
then slowly you will be able to go easily parallel
to the ground and back up. Push ups a classic
chest exercise that also engages your shoulders and triceps. Modify

(08:41):
the exercise by doing them on your knees if needed.
So if you do on your knees, obviously that's easier.
You're taking a lot of the weight your body weight off,
probably losing about thirty five percent of your body weight
when you do it on your knees and not your toes.
Be careful of your shoulders when you're doing this because

(09:01):
your wrists and hands are in a fixed position, so
it's not a natural motion, so just be careful. Try
adjusting your hands for they're pointing. Maybe your your fingers
are pointing straight ahead, maybe forty five degrees outward or
maybe even a little bit inward, just depends on how
your shoulders are set. Lunges another great compound exercise, target

(09:25):
targeting your legs and glutes. Focus on proper form to
avoid injury. That's like walking squats one leg at a time.
It's a great exercise. Take it easy. The depth. You're
not gonna be able to get great depth on your
first set you ever do, but that will increase. So
just as I'm saying this, you might just might want

(09:46):
to like google some of this and look and say, yeah, okay,
I know how to do that. I know how to
do that. Next is a plank. It's an isometric exercise
that strengthens your core muscles, crucial for stability and posture.
It's like you're getting to do a push up, but
you put your elbows down instead of your hands and
just make a firm plank from your toes to your

(10:09):
elbows back as straight as possible. Your neck and face
head are in a neutral position, so you're kind of
looking down, you're not trying to look up, and hold
it as long as you can and then roll to
the ground and then wait about thirty thirty five seconds
and do it again. You know, so you can do
that three to five times, which would be a set.

(10:34):
I think that's a good start. You're going to be
sore and Remember, you can have all the strength in
the world in your chest and your arms and your legs,
but if you don't have a strong core, you're going
to lose the functional strength that you need to do
every day tasks. Burpies, it's a full body exercise, a
body squat, push up and jump offering a great cardiovascar

(10:57):
and strength work out. Be careful in these things. This
reminds me of early football days doing birbies. If you're
just starting out, this wouldn't be where I would start
because there's a lot of impact in this and a
lot of explosive moves that you could easily hurt yourself
and not want to come back to working out again.

(11:18):
So start it slow. Maybe don't do this the first
couple of weeks, and then add to it or google
it and find something that works works the same type
type of way. As you progress, you can incorporate resistance bands, dumbells,
or kettlebells to further challenge your muscles. These are relatively
inexpensive and easy to store, making them ideal for home workouts.

(11:41):
Remember to start with lighter weights and gradually increase the
weight as you get stronger. It's crucial to develop a
balance strength training program that works all major muscle groups.
A good routine should include exercises for your chest, to back, shoulder, legs,
and core. Aim for at least two to three strength
training sessions per week, allowing for adequate rest between sessions

(12:03):
for muscle recovery. So I've got some sample workouts here.
We're going to get that next time, and then I'm
going to do a few things are a lot more
advanced than what I have here, because here's just have
very basics here. But for those that are ready to
maybe start a little bit higher level, I'm going to
put that out there for you too. So listen, don't

(12:24):
have to go to the gym. Okay, get that out
of your head. I love the gym. I own a
small little warehouse gym, but you don't have to go there,
and you certainly don't have to go there to get started.
So start somewhere by being active, getting off the couch.
You can use milk jugs, half gallon milk jugs, gallon

(12:45):
milk jugs because with the ones with the handles right,
and then you can do shoulder raises, you can do flies,
you can do all kinds of presses, and you can
do deadlifts, you can use those when you're doing squatting.
Find what you can find around the house and use
that to start with. You can use chairs and do dips,

(13:07):
which is another chest to shoulder of try suf exercise.
But we'll get into all that. All this has come
into my mind as we're talking, so anyway, we'll get
more in depth next time about the actual workout. And
that's a wrap for the day. And thanks for tuning
in to all things men and help. Remember being a
strong man means more than muscles, but they do help.

(13:27):
It's about taking care of your mind, your body, and
your relationships. If this episode helps you, share it with
a brother who needs it to share the love, subscribe
so you never miss a new drop and keep showing
up for yourself every damn day until next time. Stay sharp,

(13:48):
stay strong, and stay healthy. God bless every one of you.
Dos