Getting Old

There once was a time when I could go work out for two hours cold without a problem.  I would do well over 300 push-ups a day. Back then I would squat over twice my bodyweight, run on the treadmill or hop on the elliptical and make the 45-minute drive from the gym in Fayetteville to my place in Scotland County. Forget stretching afterward I was a man. There was no way I was going to let a little bit of DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, slow me down. Oh, I complained about the aches and pains but I was back the next day doing it. Shoot if I was more adherent to my diet I would have walked around shirtless. 

Flash forward to now and this body ain’t what it used to be. I’m losing the head full of curls and my joints pop. I’m not even 40 yet, I still got 6 months in my 30s, and I’m feeling it. See as we age we begin to lose some of the water content in our body.  That means our muscles are not as pliable as they were back in our teens and 20’s. Shoot even in my early 30’s I could still go hard 3-4 days a week and not sweat it. I went to leg press 320 a few days ago at the purple gym and had to crawl to the car.  For men, we also begin to lose testosterone in our 30’s. I’m not the only one feeling old either. My cousin Dawn, not her real name by the way but for some reason growing up, everyone called her Dawn, mentioned that she was all locked up in pain on one side after 30 minutes on the track. Plenty of my boys have told me horror stories about playing basketball and going up for a rebound or taking off on a fastbreak and feeling a sharp pull in their calf, or hamstring.

As we age a proper warmup is paramount. Gone are those days where we could. Stretch for 3 minutes and go full out.  When compliant I perform more of an active warm-up consisting of inchworms, trunk rotations, bodyweight squats, jogging, butt-kickers, and spin drills.  Should probably stretch at the end of my workouts but I’ve always been hard-headed. A proper warm-up and cool down lowers the chance for injury and also reduces the DOMS. Another important thing is to remain active.

That night, the next morning or even a couple of days later you will start to feel the D.O.M.s. The soreness can feel unreal but it’s okay. The first thing you need to do which seems counterintuitive is to move the muscles that are aching. Get some blood flow to that area. Blood carries the body’s natural pain killers which will help to reduce that sensation. Think about it as the hair of the dog that bit you.  You need some of that same activity to help you get moving.

Also, it’s best to incorporate different styles of training. I’ve been trying to mix in bodyweight exercises, kettlebell workouts, HIIT, martial arts training routines along with frequent walks.  In my videos, I’m working out with my kids because that’s when I’m having fun. I enjoy it no matter how hard it gets because it means I get to spend time with them and that makes me happy.

Getting old is not fun but it is a part of life. The pain that I have with working out doesn’t mean I need to stop it just means I need to find a smarter different way to do things.  I remember reading about how Michael Jordan and other athletes once they hit a certain age changing the way they did things and laughing. Now I understand that to continue you have to adapt and get smarter as you age.

That night, the next morning or even a couple of days later you will start to feel the D.O.M.s. The soreness can feel unreal but it’s okay. The first thing you need to do which seems counterintuitive is to move the muscles that are aching. Get some blood flow to that area. Blood carries the body’s natural pain killers which will help to reduce that sensation. Think about it as the hair of the dog that bit you.  You need some of that same activity to help you get moving.

Also, it’s best to incorporate different styles of training. I’ve been trying to mix in bodyweight exercises, kettlebell workouts, HIIT, martial arts training routines along with frequent walks.  In my videos, I’m working out with my kids because that’s when I’m having fun. I enjoy it no matter how hard it gets because it means I get to spend time with them and that makes me happy.

Getting old is not fun but it is a part of life. The pain that I have with working out doesn’t mean I need to stop it just means I need to find a smarter different way to do things.  I remember reading about how Michael Jordan and other athletes once they hit a certain age changing the way they did things and laughing. Now I understand that in order to continue you have to adapt and get smarter as you age.