Hail to the Dinosaurs!
A younger guy -- I think he is in his 20s --
asked me an interesting question the other
day.
"Are you still getting stronger?" he asked.
As I said, it was an interesting question.
The answer is "Yes and no."
On some things, I'm not as strong as I was
20 or 30 years ago -- but on other things
I'm as strong as ever and working to get
stronger.
More importantly, I'm training regularly and
I'm having fun.
I'm doing Olympic weightlifting now, and
I've set myself some high goals. I'm 58,
and I plan to lift more at age 60 than I
lift today -- which is both challenging and
motivating.
In fact, "motivating" is an understatement.
You should see the chalk and sweat flying
through the air when I train.
Anyhow, that was my answer.
Then I asked a simple question in return.
"Why do you ask?"
And he said that he worried about whether
he could maintain his strength into his 50s
and 60s.
I don't know the answer to that question,
because it depends on too many variables.
But I do know this.
The way to be strong and healthy and in
great condition at age 50 or 60 -- or
beyond -- is to:
1. Start training now.
a. I assume you are doing this already -- but
if not, now's the time to start!
2. Train hard but smart.
a. Don't overtrain.
b. Train progressively.
c. Avoid exercises that can cause injuries
over the years. (There's a complete list of
them in Gray Hair and Black Iron.)
3. Keep on training.
a. A short workout beats no workout.
b. It's much easier to start and keep going
than to start, stop and have to start all over
again.
4. Follow a healthy diet.
a. See Knife, Fork, Muscle for details.
5. Keep your weight under control.
a. This is extremely important. Lard Lumps are
deadly as you grow older.
And remember this:
You can make great progress at any age, but
if you let yourself go for too long when you're
young, it makes it very difficult to get into good
shape (or get back into good shape) when you're
older.
So if you're a younger Dino -- like the guy who
asked me the question -- make the most of your
younger years and START TRAINING.
Think of your training as an investment in your
future -- because it is.
Think of it has having a strength and health
account. It's just like a savings account. Every
time you train, you put a little more into your
strength and health account.
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. Gray Hair and Black Iron will help you build
strength and muscle for the long haul -- and help
you maintain strength and muscle when you are
an older Dino:
http://www.brookskubik.com/grayhair_blackiron.html
P.S. 2. Knife, Fork, Muscle is available in both
hard-copy and a series of Kindle e-books. Go here
for the links:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Start training when
you're young, and keep training when you're older."
-- Brooks Kubik
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