Hail to the Dinosaurs!
One of my favorite authors is a man
named James Kunstler. He writes about
the modern world, and where things
are going (and why they're going
there). If you're interested in that
sort of thing, google for him and
check out his blog -- but please
note that the title of the blog
is NSFW.
In his July 2, 2012 blog post, he
wrote about diminishing returns from
modern technology -- and gave a
personal example.
Nine years ago, in his mid-fifties, he
got an artificial hip. It was made of a
modern "state of the art" metal alloy
made from chromium, titanium, and cobalt.
Several years ago, he began experiencing
all kinds of health problems. Serious
stuff. His GP couldn't help him, so he
ended up going to a lyme disease specialist
because his symptoms seemed like lyme
disease.
The specialist ran blood tests.
They came back negative for lyme disease --
but off the charts for cobalt poisoning.
So he took another test -- for chromium
posoning -- and that came back off the
charts positive, as well.
Apparently, his artificial hip was grinding
somewhere, and it was releasing metal
particles into his body. The result appears
to be some really bad physical problems.
In effect, systemic poisoning.
Now he has to have the thing fixed, removed,
replaced -- or something. So he's seeing a
surgeon who specializes in that sort of thing.
I share this because so many readers are older
lifters -- or will be older lifters someday --
and it suggests a couple of important things
for all of us to keep in mind:
1. You only have one set of joints, so treat
them well.
2. Live your life and doing your lifting so you
don't need artificial joints when you're older.
That means doing some simple things to help
preserve and protect your body:
1. Keep your bodyweight under control. Yes,
you want to be big and thick and muscular
(and strong), but make sure the extra weight
is muscle. The Lard Lumps just put extra and
unnecessary stress on your body. Carrying 20
pounds of Lard Lumps all day long adds up to
plenty of extra wear and tear on your hips,
knees, ankles, feet and lower back.
2. Eat plenty of fresh green veggies. They're
your very best source of minerals, and your
body needs minerals.
3. Train hard and heavy, but use abbreviated
workouts (the kind I teach in my books and
courses). Abbreviated training lets you build
strength and muscle without exceeding your
body's recovery ability. In short, it helps
prevent over-training -- and over-training
will wear you down, not build you up.
3A. If you can build strength and muscle by
squatting once a week (and you CAN -- I know,
because I've done it, and so have many other
Dinos), then why squat three times a week? Or
five times a week? Or six times a week?
3B. Ditto for deadlifts, and every other
exercise under the sun. Learn to do enough
to gain, and then STOP and focus on rest,
recovery and recuperation.
4. If you're over the age of 35, use the type
of training programs I describe in Gray Hair
and Black Iron -- including the simple cycling
system I teach in the book. These give you
enough work (and the right kind of work) to
make good gains, without putting your body at
risk from too much training.
5. Conventional cardio training can wear you
down -- especially if you're a 200 pound lifter
(or heavier). There are better and safer cardio
training options for lifters. I call them
"Cardio Training for IronHeads" -- and again,
I cover them in Gray Hair and Black Iron.
6. Stay away from steroids and similar drugs.
7. Be aware that as you grow older, some exercises
that once worked great for you may start to cause
more trouble than they're worth. If it hurts,
drop it -- and find a replacement exercise that
doesn't hurt. Pain is your body's way of helping
you avoid a long-term problem.
Anyhow, I'll be pulling for Jim and hoping that
he ends up okay. And in the meantime, I'll be
taking a bit of my own advice, and training hard,
but training intelligently. I want to hold onto
my knees, hips and shoulders (and everything else)
for as long as I can.
As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. Go here to grab a copy of Gray Hair and Black
Iron -- and learn the secrets of successful training
for older lifters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2. Many older lifters use bodyweight exercises
or a combination of bodyweight exercises and weight
training. For the best in bodyweight training, grab
Dinosaur Bodyweight Training:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_bodyweight.html
P.S. 3. My other books and courses are right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 4. Thought for the Day: "Age is a state of mind,
but it's still a good idea to train intelligently."
-- Brooks Kubik
