When I met John last spring he had already started his transformation, losing 30 lbs. He wanted to “make it permanent” and build strength.
John’s in his 40’s, and a dad of three kids 10 and under. Like you, he wanted to be a “better version” of himself. You probably want to be healthier, feel good, and be there for your family and friends too.
Strength training is key to leading a long, healthy, independent life, and should be a part of your routine. Strength training improves physical and mental health, while helping to protect against illness and injury.
First and foremost, strength training helps you maintain or increase muscle mass. Beyond beach muscles, skeletal muscle mass is a strong indicator (pun intended) of health. Adding muscle mass boosts your resting metabolic rate. This means you will need more fuel to keep your body running, so you’ll burn more calories. This leads to improved body composition, and is protection against diseases like obesity and diabetes. Not just for lifting heavy weights, increasing muscle mass also strengthens your immune system. It leads to improved energy levels and reduced stress too. Look good and feel good!
One of the most important things you can do as you age is avoid falling. To be better at remaining upright you need to improve your balance and coordination. Whether lifting weights, or exercising with only the resistance of your own body weight, strength training teaches you to better control your body in space. For this reason free weights (dumbbells, barbells, etc.) are strongly preferred (puns!) to machine exercises.
It’s not how many times you get knocked down, it’s how many times you get back up. If you happen to suffer a fall, you want you to be able to pick yourself up, and recover as quickly as possible. Strength training improves bone density and connective tissues strength. It makes you more durable.
As I checked in with John recently, he said he “couldn’t be happier”, and that he was “more than where I wanted to be”. John’s strength improvements are clear, setting personal bests with his squats and presses. John says in his “mid 40’s, I feel the best I have in a long time”, and CrossFit is “reversing aging”.
Check out CrossFit 781 on Instagram to see folks staying young, healthy, and fit with CrossFit. And if you’d like to turn back the clock yourself, click here to schedule a free intro consult.
