BENEFITS OF AGELESS FITNESS
You want to be fit for life. You’ve started the AGELESS FITNESS program with the enthusiasm of a six-year-old on Christmas morning. You just know you’ll get everything you ask for: strong, lithe legs, cut arms and maybe even a glimpse of a six-pack. That’s why you workout, right?
So, you have more energy, you sleep better and friends compliment you on your arms, but…why does it feel like the day after Christmas when you’re 45? You didn’t get what you wanted and lying on the couch eating cookies sounds more appealing than another workout. Besides, a flat stomach is overrated.
Not so fast my friend!
Read on to discover some of the many benefits of ageless fitness
beyond tight/ripped/hard/sinewy body parts.
Mind and Body
No, this isn’t about finding enlightenment at the squat rack, but if you do, please share ;) Your body adapts to exercise on a variety of levels over time. Initial gains come from neural adaptations in the major muscles responsible for the exercises you perform. More specifically, when you think about doing a biceps curl the brains sends a message to the biceps muscle to contract and lift the weight.
At the same time, the tricep muscle slows and controls the movement while stabilizing and protecting the ligaments and cartilage in the elbow from potential damage. Over the initial few weeks and months of training, this interface between our brain, nerves and skeletal muscle becomes more efficient and your strength increases.
Your ability to lift more is also a result of muscular adaptations. Muscle size and structural changes occur because of an upregulation in protein synthesis with the muscle fibers. This activity may last as long as 48 hours after a strength training session depending on your diet, the intensity of your workout, hydration, hormone status and your training level.
If you’re new to resistance training, it may take a few weeks to notice more muscle, but the results are most apparent within the first few months of training. Think of it like driving a car: if you accelerate from 0 to 60 (untrained to fit), it feels more dramatic than going from 60 to 75. Don’t worry, muscular changes after months and years of consistent training are still occurring.
Over time your muscle fibers become more resistant to fatigue because they store more fuel and become less susceptible to lactic acid buildup. Also, anabolic (tissue building) hormone levels remain elevated longer after a workout and the architecture of your muscle changes, which results in greater, more efficient force transmission between your muscles, tendons and bones. In other words, you can workout at the gym, run after your kids, work in the yard and play golf longer without getting tired. You’re awesome!