Ain’t So Bad

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, everybody, and welcome back. Close to the mic. There
wasn't I we're talking. Really the basis of this is
lifting heavy over forty years old. So if you're over
forty years old, you don't have to be to listen
to this, because what I'm given is just good, solid
device all the way around. But it's what what I'm

(00:21):
getting at through this whole thing is, don't start shining
away from lifting weights combination of free weights, dumbbells, resistance bands,
and machines, just because you're not twenty five anymore, okay,
And don't shy away from lifting heavier weights. Now, I'm
not saying that when you're so. I turned fifty nine

(00:43):
in January. That doesn't mean that i'm lifting. You know
that I'm benching four hundred and fifty pounds and squatting
six hundred pounds, and you know I left all that
back in my twenties. Okay. Now, it's about lifting as
heavy as you can without hurting yourself, without hurting others,
and making sure that you give yourself time to recover.

(01:05):
So that's kind of what this is all about. You still,
if you so lifting heavy, to me, it's five to
seven reps. This is just a nutshell. Okay, five to
seven reps when you finish that fifth, six or seventh rep.
If you can do more number one, do more, okay,
and then add weight next time. But if you're on

(01:26):
there and you're doing if you're one of those people
that gets on a machine and you crank out twenty
reps and you know in your heart you could crank
out another twenty, don't take up that machine that someone
really needs, that that's going to actually get a workout in.
Get up and go get on a bike and go,
get on a treadmill, Go get on a stereo climber,

(01:47):
do something. Go get on the machine that jiggles you
around the vibrating machine. I don't know, that'll probably give
you more benefit than what you just got out of
doing twenty reps on that machine. Okay, I'm off that
soap box. Lift as heavy as you can, and if
you can't, if you don't feel comfortable lifting three weights
that heavy coat the machines, go to some dumbbells, get

(02:08):
a spotter, get to know somebody in the gym and all.
This is really based on the going to the gym.
Now you can have a home gym and some people
have a great home gyms. I never could motivate myself
to really get good workouts in my home gym. But
once I walk in the door of a gym, suddenly

(02:29):
you know I'm ready to go the hardest parts, walk
them through the door, and the rest of its cake,
and then you feel so much better when you walk
out of the doors. Just remember, check your ego at
the door. You can put your ego back on, like
your coat or something when you're leaving. That's all I
got to say. So what we're going to talk about

(02:49):
today is the importance of warm up and cool down.
I'm gonna say something. If I have a weakness in
my workout, we're talking about it right now. Because when
I get there, I don't want you know, I don't
want to do a whole lot of warm up. I
want to get straight to the meat. You know what
I mean, the meat and potatoes. And that's not a

(03:11):
warm up and it's definitely not a cool down. I'm
not even the best at the stretching part. Okay, I
just want to go lift. But guess what, I'm well
over forty I can't do that anymore. That's one of
my limitations if I don't warm up properly and I
don't find some stretching in that workout time. Once I'm

(03:32):
warmed up, I'm looking to get hurt, whether it's tendinitis
or burrsitis, shoulders, micro tears, and my shoulder. It's just
one thing after another. My hip will start to hurt
and we don't and that's avoidable lots of times, just
by the proper warm up and cool down. So let's

(03:52):
jump into this. So we've established the critical importance of
proper form and straight training, especially those over forty. But
before you can lift a weight and after you finish
your workout, there are critical steps that often get overlooked
and even by me warming up and cooling down. These

(04:14):
aren't optional extras, I mean, write it down, check it off.
It's a box needs to be checked. They're integral parts
of a safe and effective strength training program, contributing significantly
to injury prevention and maximizing results. Think of your warm
up as preparing your engine for a long drive, and

(04:35):
you're cool down as the essential maintenance afterwards. Neglecting either
is like expecting peak performance without proper preparation, or allowing
your engine to overheat. You're looking to break down if
you're making this analogy to a car, because that's what's
going to happen sooner or later. Listen, when you're in

(04:56):
your twenties, in your thirties, you can probably get away
with them of the time. Not doing a heavy leg
day though, but you can probably get away with it
and just do a couple of warm up sets. Then
you're probably on your merry way. Man, I need a
little bit more now, and there's nothing wrong with that.
It's just being smart and knowing yourself. A well structured

(05:16):
warm up gradually increases your heart rate and body temperature,
preparing your muscles for the physical demands of the workout,
preparing for what's coming baby. This increased blood flow delivers
oxygen and nutrients to your muscles, enhancing their flexibility and
reducing the risk of strains and tears. A poorly executed

(05:37):
warm up or skipping it entirely leaves your muscles stiff
and vulnerable. I mean, and you're gonna hurt. I'm not
saying you're going to say you get a major injury,
but it's going to lead to some pain, significantly increasing
your risk of injury, particularly as we age. The benefits
extend beyond injury prevention. A proper warm up enhances performance

(05:59):
by improved your range of motion, allowing for greater efficiency
and effectiveness during your workout. You'll find yourself lifting with
better form, moving with greater fluidity, and achieving a more
satisfying workout. Overall. You may even be able to like
lay down on the ground and get back up, because

(06:20):
you know what, I got to the point where I
hated doing that. Just getting down on all fours and
looking for something and having to stand up it physically
hurt me. Just watching my kids being on the floor
and then pop back up that hurt me. I mean
watching my kids jump off of a two foot wall
and land on both feet. Oh I just felt that.

(06:42):
But I've been working the cool down, warm up stretching
to go along with my lifting heavy. Now it's not
such a big deal. I can do it, and watching
somebody else jump and jump down it doesn't, you know,
make me feel like I want to go to traction
or something. So the key to effective warm up lies
in gradual progression. It shouldn't be a strenuous activity that

(07:06):
leaves you breathless before you even begin your main workout,
and you shouldn't be getting off the treadmill or the
bike and when you hit the ground you have noodle legs.
You know, that's not a warm up. Instead, it should
be a gentle process that progressively increases your body temperature
and prepares your muscles for the movement they will be performing.
This could involve five or ten minutes of light cardio

(07:29):
such as bristwalking, cycling on a stationary bike, or using
an elliptal trainer. The aim is to elevate your heart
rate and get a light sweat going. After this general
warm up, you should you should then move into dynamic stretching.
Dynamic stretching involves controlled movements. You need to be warmed
up for this, okay, for real, you know, seven to

(07:51):
ten minutes warm up, That's what I do, That's what
I would suggest. So controlled movements that take your joints
through their full range of motion. Unlike static stretching holding
the stretch in one position, dynamic stretches prepare your muscles
for activity by mimicking the movement you will be performing
in your workout. For example, if your workout includes squats,

(08:15):
incorporate leg swings, torso twists, arm circles. These dynamic stretches
improve flexible, increased blood flow to the muscles, and enhance
neuromuscular coordination. Helps work on the nerve pathways, the communication
between your brain and muscles, and believe it or not,

(08:35):
less muscle heads in the gym, we do have a brain.
Sometimes we choose not to use it. Examples of effective
dynamic stretches include arm circles, forward and backward, leg swings,
forward and sideways, torso twists, catcile stretches. These movements help
to increase blood flow to the muscles and prepare them

(08:57):
for the workout. Consider this specific muscle group you'll be
targeting in your workout when designing your dynamic warm up.
If you're focusing on chest and triceps, myself, I do
chest and bicep, and I'll explain to that in a
different episode, and I'll let you know why I do
that and why it's better include arm circles. And if

(09:17):
you disagree with me, is because well you don't have
your own podcast, So who are you to disagree with me?
If legs and back are the main focus, and we've
been through the legs wings like five times, now, let's
turn to our attention to the cool down. Just as
important as the warm up. The cool down is your

(09:38):
opportunity to gradually decrease your heart rate and body temperature,
helping your body recover from the exertion of your workout.
A proper cool down aids in the removal of metabolic
waste products from your muscles blactic acid, etc. Reducing muscle
soreness and stiffness. The cool down helps regulate you're breathing

(10:01):
and heart rate, transitioning your body from a state of
high exertion to a state of rest. This transition is
crucial to prevent dizziness or fainting, particularly important for US
older adults. Now listen, if you don't think it's important,
you go to a major college football program or an
NFL program and you watch their training regimen. I guarantee

(10:24):
you you're going to see a lot of warm up,
and you're going to see a lot of cool down,
and you're going to see a lot of stretching. They
also do a whole lot of running. I don't know
how they stay as big as they do because they're
running all the time. So the primary component of cool
down is static stretching. This involves holding stretches in one

(10:45):
position for fifteen to thirty seconds. Static stretching improves flexibility
and lengthening of your muscles, increasing range of motion, being
able to get down and up off the floor out
of that one and enhancing blood flow. Focus on the
muscle group you've worked during your workout. If you're performed

(11:05):
chest presses, hold stretches for your pectorial muscles. If you
perform squats, hold stretches for your quadriceps, handstream and glutes.
Remember to breathe deeply during static stretching. Holding your breath
can restrict blood flow and diminish the effectiveness of the stretch,
and you could pass out. You know, if you're bent

(11:26):
over stretching and you hold your breath and then you
come up too soon, he might be out like a light.
I've seen it. Here's where targeted stretching comes into play.
Identify the muscles you've worked and hold static stretches specifically
for those, example that you've done squats, hold static stretches
for your okay, maintain each stretch for fifteen to thirty seconds,

(11:50):
focusing on a slow, controlled movement in the stretch and
avoiding any bouncing or jerking motions. Listen to your body
and adjust to the intensity of each stretch as needed.
Never push yourself beyond a comfortable range of motion because
you could injure yourself doing the stretches. What you're supposed
to prevent injury. Beyond static stretching, you cool down might

(12:14):
include some light cardio such as a slow walk and
a gentle or gentle cycling. This helps to gradually lower
your heart rate and prevent blood pressure and your pulling
in your legs. We don't want that a common issue
after intense exercise. Think of it as a gentle transition
back to your rest and state. The cool down is

(12:35):
a crucial element and minimizing muscle muscle soreness. Delayed onset
muscle soreness, or the DOMS as we call it, DOMS,
a common experience after strength training. The reduced so that
means if you trained on Monday, you might not get
sore until Wednesday. So remember that if you wake up
Tuesday and you're feeling all good and you just had

(12:55):
your first real heavy workout with your chest, guess what
it's probably it's just coming delayed to day, so you
know tough Wednesday coming for you. The reduced blood flow
and metabolic waste build up contributes to the post workout discomfort.
By performing a proper cool down, you can actively mitigate

(13:18):
a lot of these factors and promote faster recovery. This
is particularly important for those over forty, whose bodies may
require longer recovery periods. And I am singling you out
if you're over forty, because that's what this is all about.
Consider the overall duration of your cool down. A minimum
of five to ten minutes is generally recommended. A longer

(13:40):
cool down may be beneficial, particularly intense prolonged workouts. If
you've had a heavy, you know, big time leg day,
you might want to cool down for fifteen minutes, always
prioritizing listening to your body and adjust to the duration
and intensity based on your individual needs. In summary, both
the warm up and the cool down are non negotiable.

(14:00):
And I said that, and I put that and checked
the box for that. Components of a safe and effective
strength training routine for adults over the magic number of forty.
And I don't know why I use forty. Maybe I
should have done thirty nine and a half or forty two.
I don't know. I think this is really for everybody,
because this is just common sense. Other than people don't

(14:22):
realize that they need to train heavy. They think they
can just go and do the twenty reps, get up
all you know, go talk to somebody and then get
back on something and do twenty more reps and then
you know, go hit the sauna and then take a
shower and go home. Guess what I mean. You're wasting
your money, You're wasting your time. Go walk around the neighborhood.
You'll get more out of it there. Okay, So these

(14:45):
are not merely add ons to your work out. There
are essential elements contributing to injury prevention, improved performance, and
faster recovery. And that's what it's all about. A consistent
routine incorporating dynamic stretching in your warm up and static
stretching and your cool down will greatly enhance your overall
strength training and experience, allowing you to achieve your fitness

(15:08):
goals safely and effectively. Remember, consistency and your warm ups
and cool down is routine is just as important as
a consistency of your actual weight training. And that's a
religion right there. That's what I'm talking about, and that's
what needs to be done. I'm excited that tomorrow is
Monday for me. I don't know when you're listening to this,

(15:30):
but it's my first day back in the gym in
two months, and I am so excited and I'm a
little bit apprehensive. My work schedule has been insane the
past two and a half months, and unfortunately that's what
had to give. But now I've rearranged things and i'm back.
I'm back on the wagon and I can't wait to

(15:51):
get in there. I'll let you guys know how it
goes in the next one. So keep training and makes
you do that cool down and warm up. I'll see
you next time.