I’m no longer training for longevity.
Ok, I said it!
You must be thinking “Has this woman gone Mad?”
Well, maybe or maybe not.
While the word “Longevity” seems to be the new catch word, the definition made me pause for a moment. Longevity by definition; means living for a long time or duration of an individual’s life or chronological years a person lives. With our age number obsession, a birthday card that reads “Happy 95th Birthday” might sound exciting, but the question that is rarely asked is; can that person walk or eat on their own.
So, I’ve decided, your heard me, we should all consider using a new catch word “HEALTHSPAN” instead, which means the number of years you live in GOOD physical and mental health, free from major chronic diseases and disabling conditions. Agreed, it’s not as sexy sounding as LONGEVITY but I’d rather focusing on the portion of my life spent active, independent and feeling well whatever the number on the card reads. And, along the way build a body that will take me to 95 with dumbbells in each hand, if it’s in the cards for me!
This brings me the meat of this article!
Up until a few months ago I was still working-out 6 days a week with a traditional body part split trying to build muscle for this new focused “Health span”. Legs and core Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, and Upper body Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays with one day of active rest with either yoga or Pilates and some sort of cardio. You know the drill? What I found, in my 63rd year on this planet, I felt soar, achy all the time, tired, my body was stressed and I wasn’t seeing much progress from all my hard work. Turns out I needed to change my strategy that would allow me to build a stronger more muscular and resilient body, while allowing for better recovery.
I started hitting each muscle group, full-body, 3 times per week instead of once. Here’s what changed and why this matters if you are over 50. You need MORE recovery time as you age not less. Three sessions a week give muscles 48+ hours between workouts. For me I was chronically under-recovered lifting 6 days a week.
Three full body workouts weekly resulted in more frequent stimulus equalling better muscle retention and growth which is especially critical when estrogen is declining.
Compound movements with dumbbells create functional strength I actually USE. I’m not just strong in the gym- I’m stronger in life.
Three workouts are sustainable and leave me with more energy to push HARD in each session.
Progressive overload, lifting to failure, is easier to track and execute when doing the same movement patterns multiple times a week. Changing patterns every 4 to 6 weeks.
The physique difference? More muscle definition, better body composition, and I’m stronger in movements that matter.
The mental difference? I’m not stressed, soar and exhausted like in the past and have way more energy!
You don’t have to lift like a body builder or physique competitor; you just have to lift weights that are heavy enough. Your muscles don’t know reps, focus on progressive overload and lift to failure to stimulate growth. Period!
Pilates, yoga and cardio are a beautiful adjunct to my 3-day full body workout now and I consider them to be my side dishes to my new training schedule.
I still get my steps in each day, eat foods that fuel my body, and get my needed 7-8 hours of sleep each night like it’s my job!
The difference between women who age well, and women who don’t is almost always muscle!
