Act like an adult.
We’ve all been told something along those lines. Or, maybe it’s just me who gets this constructive criticism?
Either way, there’s some sage advice here. Let’s think about why someone *might* tell you to act like an adult. My guess is you are acting immature, irrational or impulsive. Perhaps you’re making decisions that lack common sense.
Using a combination of common sense and logic seems like a great idea. An adult-ish idea, even. The problem is that common sense isn’t all that common these days. Neither is utilizing a logical thought process in lieu of acting on emotion.
What if I said to you, I want you to train like an adult?
This is assuming that you are actually an adult.
What would it look like for you to train like an adult?
What is the first thing that pops into your head when you think of training like an adult?
Let me guess. You’re probably thinking about your personal experiences with fitness. Or maybe some type of training your good friend does. I mean he gets great results, right? He is super adult-ish so he must train like one too.
This is how most people make fitness decisions. The look at past experiences, gather some overly-biased opinions from friends, hit up google and voila, they’ve got their next fitness game plan.
I think the internet is great, but man it’s crazy how many people rely on Mr. Google for fitness advice.
Is that wrong? If so, what is the “correct” answer in how to train like an adult?
There are many ways to skin a cat. However, after 15 years of training adults, I can confidently tell you a few things that work, a few that don’t and hopefully give you some solid advice to help you navigate through tons of fitness BS.
Step #1 – Get a movement screen or some sort of evaluation.
It’s a simple concept, really. Find out what you need to work on, what exercises/training types you should avoid and determine safe starting points for your exercise program. A good coach can give you insight on how to improve flexibility, stability and strength.
Spend the money and hire a respectable coach. I’d recommend a functional movement screen.
Don’t just dive in to some type of brand new training because its popular or on the news. It’s popular to eat tide pods these days, but I’d skip that trend too if I were you.
Step #2 – Movement Preparation
I’ll be blunt. As you age, your movement quality decreases. If you are alive, you are aging.
You’ve seen the people who walk around like the tin man, right? They’ve got aches and pains, poor posture and can’t even tie their shoe without tweaking their back.
This is why we need to pay attention to soft tissue quality, joint mobility and stability and maintaining basic human movement patterns. Let’s take squatting for example. In some cultures, it’s a position of rest. In the US, some people would argue that squatting is bad for your knees.
How do you think this gentlemen feels about the squat?
Here’s a movement prep recipe that works well.
- Warm Up. Yes, I want you to actually break a sweat. Throw on some layers and spend 10 minutes on a bike, rower or treadmill. The goal is to increase your core temperature, improve blood flow and break a sweat. Cold muscles and joints don’t move as well as warm ones.
- Foam Roll. Spend some time loosening up your muscles. Focus on the areas that need attention. If you spend 5-8 minutes daily with foam roller, you won’t regret it.
- Focus on Joint Mobility. Certain joints need mobility and other joints need stability. A good coach can teach you how to do this effectively and efficiently. The joint-by-joint approach to training is a fantastic resource.This picture sums it up quite nicely.
Don’t be the tin man, spend some time on joint health.
Step #3 – Focus on Strength and Hypertrophy
A weak body is a frail body. I can’t think of any situation where being weak is an advantage.Strength training will improve your quality of life. Strength is an invaluable asset. It gives you options and independence. Plus, you will be more useful in general than weak people. If you want to stay active as you age, maintaining your strength play a vital role in your success.
Muscle is the fountain of youth. Muscle is armor. Building lean muscle is a very good thing. Plus, people with more muscle look and feel younger.
Just ask Terry Crews 🙂
Quick story for you…
A few weeks back we had some really bad ice storms here in Massachusetts. The roads were literally a sheet of ice. There were a ton of car accidents and countless bad falls on the ice. One of my clients took a bad fall. Besides coming in with a sore butt, she was fine. She texted me and told me that she would have been in bad shape if she wasn’t lifting and strength training. Pretty cool right?
Listen, you don’t have to be a powerlifter or bodybuilder, but improving your strength and building lean muscle will drastically improve the way you look and feel.
Step #4 Conditioning
You cannot overlook cardiovascular health. You need to stress your heart to keep it healthy.
I honestly believe that metabolic conditioning is the sweet spot. The key is to find a variety of safe exercises that are fun, challenging and effective. My favorite suggestions are bikes, rowers, ski ergs, battling ropes, sled and kettlebells. These tools/exercises are a staple in almost all of my programs.
For more information on conditioning, check out this post I wrote a few weeks ago.
https://www.skillofstrength.com/2018/02/13/improve-your-conditioning-a-brain-dump/
Step #5 Recovery
Recovery is often overlooked. If your training and not getting results, the answer must be more training, right?
Wrong. There are days when you are gonna be sore, tired and achy. Listen to your body and recover well.
So what are the best recovery methods?
- Sleep. It’s free and amazing. Aim for 8 hours a night.
- Food. You know what’s healthy and what isn’t. Make the right choice 80% of the time and you’ll be good.
- Walk outdoors. Another freebie. You’d be amazed at what a 30-minute walk will do for you, mentally and physically.
- Epsom salt baths. These are super cheap. They help with muscle soreness, ease aches and pains, and for some people, baths improve sleep quality. We swear by these in our house.
- Massage. Getting a massage isn’t cheap, but are highly effective. Find a great licensed massage therapist and splurge every once in awhile.
You’re Too Busy Not to Take Care of Yourself
I honestly feel like this list is the key to a healthy lifestyle. People often feel like they are “too busy” to take care of themselves. I think you’re too busy not to. You’ll be so much more successful in every area of your life if you follow this game plan and train like an adult.
Above is the model we use at Skill of Strength. We’ve seen it work time and time again with our personal training and group clients. The things listed aren’t the only ways to stay healthy, but these are some we have experience in clearly feel strongly about.