Strength training seniors live longer and better lives

Our clients at  Austin Personal Trainers and New Orleans Personal Trainers cover a wide spectrum of ages not least of which are those who are older.  Our oldest client was 95, and one of our trainers has four clients over eighty.  People in this cohort of the population have the most to gain in quality and length of life.

Increased strength will result in increased gait speed, and that will result in better balance. Strength training will result in stronger muscles yes, but bones become stronger as well.  Elderly that are stronger are less likely to fall, and if they do they are more likely to walk away unscathed.

People are not usually placed in nursing homes because they are out of breath; it is usually because they are too weak to carry out daily activities on their own. Strength is key not cardiovascular ability.  The muscles push the heart, not the other way around. If your muscles are so weak that you cannot stress the cardiovascular system the cardiovascular downgrades its ability to handle cardiovascular stress. When a body is able to perform work of a demanding nature (strength training) the cardiovascular system is positively stressed and upgrades its ability to do demanding work.  Win, Win, Win - stronger muscles, bones and heart.

For years the conventional wisdom stressed aerobic activity at the expense of anaerobic activities (strength training), but that has shifted in recent years.  This Forbes article gives further incite: Why Strength Training May Help You Live Longer. A whole slew of blog entries dealing with aging can be found here.

One study says exercise targets visceral fat

Belly fat is visceral deep fat, while subcutaneous fat settles just beneath your skin.  Visceral fat potentially increases the risk for many diseases; it produces biochemical signals that promote inflammation in the body. 

According to a NYT article, Ask Well: Reducing Belly Fat  sit-ups are useless for losing belly fat, and you would be better off taking a walk. That I knew.  What didn’t know was that exercise might actually target visceral fat more than subcutaneous fat.

One study showed that exercise disproportionately targets visceral fat,and a meta study concluded:

“A comprehensive 2013 review concluded that programs combining aerobic exercise and occasional sessions of weight training were superior to either type of exercise alone at reducing belly fat.”

At Austin Personal Trainer and New Orleans Personal Trainer we can get rid of the visceral fat with just the plan out-lined above.

Avoiding hyper-extending the knees on the leg press

Most leg press machines provide movement in a straight line. With straight line movement there is more shearing force at the end point of the movement, and if one locks out at the end point there is greater potential for hyper-extending the knee. As an example see here (warning graphic).  At Austin Fitness Trainers and at New Orleans Fitness Trainers  we use MedX equipment. The MedX leg press provides an arcing range of motion similar to the rotation of the knee, and it can be set so that there is no locking out at the end point.

The link between diabetes and Alzheimer's

From this article, Researchers find stronger links between diabetes and Alzheimer's comes this quote:

“Their study, using mice, found that elevated glucose in the blood – a primary consequence of diabetes -- can rapidly increase levels of amyloid beta, which shows up in brain plaques in Alzheimer’s patients. The buildup of these plaques is believed to be what brings on the memory loss that Alzheimer’s causes in the brain.”

And this:

“If the mice did not have the amyloid plaques in the brains, doubling their blood glucose levels increased amyloid beta levels in the brain by 20%. When the scientists repeated the experiment in older mice that already had developed brain plaques, amyloid beta levels rose by 40%”

Now is the time to cut back on sugar and engage in exercise that lowers blood sugar effectively.  This New Your times article, Why Your Workout Should Be High-Intensity, makes the case that High Intensity Training is effective:

A quote:

“They are showing that high-intensity exercise may be even better than regular aerobic activities for many patients with conditions like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, pulmonary disease, arthritis and Parkinson’s disease.”

And this:

“Researchers have found that repeatedly pushing the body close to its exercise limits for very brief periods, interspersed with periods of rest, is more effective than continuous moderate activity at improving cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic and mechanical functions.”

This is precisely what we do at Austin Fitness Training and at New Orleans Fitness Training and we can help you with that.

Cardiovascular benefits of strength training

After a high intensity strength training workout you will be breathing hard.  This video was taken three minutes after a workout, so that I could get some of my wind back and have my pulse come down a bit.  EPOC, Essessive Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption is high after aerobic exercise, higher still after a strength training workout, and highest after a high intensity strength training workout.  A higher level of EPOC means more calories burned.  With a high intensity strength training workout, besides getting stronger, you will  positively affect your cardiovascular system, lower your sugar, and and burn calories long after the workout is over.

Charmed substances that contain life preserving properties. Saccharine?

From the Woody Allen movie, Sleeper, describing health foods, “Those charmed substances that some years ago that were felt to contain life preserving properties”.

There have been changes in the conventional wisdom regarding a number of charmed and not so charning substances – margarine versus butter,eggs, salt intake, dark chocolate, cholesterol, coffee, high carb diets versus diets with more meat and fat, and now saccharine. From this Medical News Today article, Could saccharin be used to treat aggressive cancers? comes this quote:

 ‘Saccharin is utilized as a sweetener in many sugar-free products, and now researchers are proposing that it could be used as a key ingredient in new drugs for treating aggressive cancers with fewer side effects.

 "It never ceases to amaze me how a simple molecule, such as saccharin - something many people put in their coffee every day - may have untapped uses, including as a possible lead compound to target aggressive cancers," says study author Robert McKenna, PhD, from the University of Florida.’

 Another area where the things have changed is strength training. We have been saying this long before the conventional wisdom gave it the imprimatur.  At Austin Personal Training and New Orleans Personal Training we have been getting people stronger and healthier for years.

The therapeutic effect of the mutual dog gaze

From this Scientific American article, Is the Gaze from Those Big Puppy Eyes the Look of Your Doggie's Love?  come this quote:

 “Many studies find that positive interactions between people and dogs can be beneficial for both species. Increases in β-endorphin (beta-endorphin), oxytocin and dopamine—neurochemicals associated with positive feelings and bonding—have been observed in both dogs and people after enjoyable interactions like petting, play and talking. “

They found that oxytocin increased measurably for both dog and human when they spent time looking into each other’s eyes – a mutual gaze.  Mydogs spend a good part of their day sleeping and another part of their day with their eyes glued to me. I often return the gaze and for me the novelty never wears off.  They are also a relentless force for inducing smiles. Every day, several times a day, they make me and others smile. They make frequent visits to  Austin Personal Training and the  occasional guest appearance at New Orleans Personal Training. Feel free to stop by and be mesmerized by their gaze.

BMI Versus Eyeballing

It used to be that to determine how fat a person was one took calipers and took anywhere from three to seven measurements of the body, came up with a total, and looked at a chart that took age into account to come up with a number for body fat percentage.  That might take a few minutes or a little longer if you did as recommended and checked it twice to make sure. 

Now BMI is the preferred measurement.  Take weight and height and look at a chart – you’re done, let’s golf. 

In his prime fighting weight Mike Tyson was 5’10’ and 220 pounds.  According to BMI charts Mike's BMI of 31.6 would classify Mike as clinically obese. BMI is wildly inaccurate.  Why is it used?  It is easy, that is why.  It takes few seconds instead of a few minutes.  What is worse, researchers base studies on the BMI. 

In the interest of science and saving time I propose another measurement for determining fat percentage.   I call it eyeballing.  Just look at the subject and say you are fat, skinny, or just right.  It would be at least as accurate as BMI. Mike Tyson (pictured here) would be obese according to the BMI method.  According to my eyeballing method I would say he is just right. Now which method would you say is more accurate?

In one study Can You Tell If Your Child Is Overweight? Most Parents Can't, Study Finds the parents are apparently using the eyeball method and it differs from the BMI result.  What to do to break the tie?  Perhaps use the magic eight ball to supply an answer. IMO it iwould be every bit as scientific as the BMI.

At Austin Personal Training and New Orleans Personal Training we can get you stronger so you can be fat just like Mike. 

The MedX Rotary Torso Machine

The MedX Rotary Torso is one of the five pieces of the MedX Core Spinal Equipment line.  This equipment is often used for rehab. This equipment increases strength, flexibility, stability, and endurance. – all vital factors necessary for a healthy back.  At Austin Fitness Trainers and New Orleans Personal Trainers we have all the MedX Core equipment plus full lines of MedX strength training equipment.  The equipment and the protocol we use has contributed to our success working with those who have back problems

Rethinking eggs versus grains in the diet

From this article A big fat surprise for dietary dogma comes this quote: “Last month, in an epic climbdown, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advice Committee, whose guidelines influence millions of people, finally dropped its recommendation to restrict cholesterol. “Cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption,” it said. And this:  "Just about everything we thought we knew about the evils of cholesterol and fats has turned out to be wrong. The doctors, the nutritionists, the dietitians, the heart societies, the experts at Health Canada, the food pyramid that hung on the wall in school – the entire health and medical establishment, in fact, have been perpetuating a big fat fraud." Strong statements. The article goes on to say the previous prevailing wisdom that grains, pasta, starchy vegetables and refined carbohydrates are better than eggs and meat turns out to be wrong. They have actually made us fatter and sicker. Another reversal occurred with butter versus margarine years ago and now researchers are rethinking the dangers of salt. It is amazing how many things we thought to be bad or unimportant turn out to be the opposite. In a similar vein in the field of exercise, the importance strength training to good health and fitness has steadily gained currency, while the importance of aerobic exercise has waned.   You might want to do both.  At Austin Personal Trainers and New Orleans Personal Training we recommend that clients strength train and also do something they enjoy whether it be running, swimming, or walking the dog.  We feel that is prescription for sticking to a program - oh, and a good diet of course.

Strengthening lower back muscles

MedX put 90 million dollars into research to develop safe effective exercise equipment for the lower back. This equipment is often used for rehab. I first used this equipment in a doctor's office. Their Core exercise equipment was developed to strengthen the muscles of the abs and lower back.  At Austin Fitness Trainers and New Orleans Personal Trainers we have all the MedX Core equipment plus full lines of MedX strength training equipment.  The equipment and the protocol we use has contributed to our success working with those who have back problems.

Golfing without the aggravating back pain

MedX® manufacturer of rehabilitative exercise equipment commissioned research to see if their core exercise equipment would be helpful to golfers. The results: The golfers had more range of motion, greater club head speed, and hit the ball farther.  Butch Harmon, Tiger Woods’ swing coach, used MedX equipment at his Las Vegas golf school. MedX once provided a bus that was equipped with their patented core exercise equipment.  It followed the golfers from tournament to tournament on the Senior PGA tour.

You don’t have to be a professional to benefit from the program.  Marcus, 72 years old, went from be limited to playing nine holes every other day to being able to play 18 holes in back-to-back outings.

More recently a new client, Mike, had back problems when he went golfing, so much so that he took Ibuprofen before teeing off and took some more on the back nine. He goes golfing about for five times a year. He would go more, but it aggravates his back.  The next few days after golfing, he often finds himself stiff and sore.

Mike completed his 18th exercise session the other day. The nine hours of exercise total.  He went out golfing this past weekend and played all 18 holes with no pain, none at all. The MedX core exercise equipment will strengthen the back and facilitate increased range of motion.  More motion and more strength mean better circulation and better lubrication of the discs resulting in a healthier back.  At Austin Fitness Trainers and New Orleans Personal Training we have full lines of MedX equipment.  We have helped golfers up their game, and we have had success working with those who have back problems.

Alleviating back and neck pain

Mark was plagued by neck and back problems. He had very little range of motion, little strength, and a lot of pain. He ended up having neck surgery, went through physical therapy, and after he was finished he began training at our facility on our MedX rehabilitative exercise equipment.

One of the features of the MedX equipment is that the resistance is provided in an arc. Bow your head and then lift up and look at the ceiling. Your neck follows an arc. The same if you bend over or if you flex the lumbar region. Your body follows an arc.

All barbells and many types of equipment provide linear (straight line) resistance. The MedX low back machine provides resistance in an arc congruent with the arc created by the motion of your back. This makes for a much safer exercise. You don’t have weight bearing down on your back from above, so there is no vertebral compression.

We restrict the range of motion to a pain-free range of motion. With our equipment we are able to restrict the resistance to just a few degrees of motion if need be. Overtime that range will likely increase. It is a wonderful feeling when over time that range increases without pain. For safely we are able to make very small increases of weight as strength improves; over time you will dramatically increase your strength. More motion and more strength mean better circulation and better lubrication of the discs resulting in a healthier back.

I had once lived in constant back pain for two years. I first started the MedX equipment in a doctor’s office 25 years ago. That pain is gone now. Others report similar results.  Now Mark reports greater range of motion and more strength which have enabled him to purchase a treadmill and walk at an incline daily. He has a better quality of life, and his wife, also a client, is very happy to see her husband return to "himself". At our Austin Fitness Trainers facility we have had success working with those who have back problems. Come see us.

A great alternative to treadmills and standard exercise bikes

After going on a vigorous one-hour walk the other day, my feet were sore and tender for two days. I have had neuropathy in both feet for decades. Besides the neuropathy, I have had my share of injuries and conditions I have had to live with - multiple foot operations include one for a torn Achilles, two broken bones in my back including one back operation, multiple breaks in one arm, knee surgery, and rotator cuff issues.  Sports will do that to you.

If you do nothing your condition will worsen. I work around the issues, and I am not compromised in my ability to go all out and put in the effort necessary to dramatically improve my health and fitness.  One of the reasons is the piece of equipment we have at New Orleans Personal Trainers and at Austin Personal Trainers  shown here in this short video.

Exercise for those with shoulder injuries

This man (pictured here at this link toward the bottom) used to spend 12 hours a week in the gym.  By age 24 he'd already had two rotator cuff operations.   Because of his rotator cuff injuries he couldn't lift a 100 pound barbell over his head without aggravating his shoulders. He began training with us on our MedX rehabilitative exercise equipment.  With the MedX overhead press he did not aggravate his rotator cuff and his strength improved; he eventually was able to lift 316 pounds smoothly and safely using the MedX overhead press.  He reported that he was stronger than he'd ever been.

At New Orleans Personal Trainers and Austin Personal Trainers we use smooth controlled movement that minimize the ballistic forces that can cause injuries.  We also will use medical rehab equipment that can be used by those in a delicate condition and also by those in great shape.   The weights can be varied as little as two pound increments, and the weight stacks go up to 1000 pounds.   The range of motion can be adjusted to as little as just a few degrees depending on the limitations of the client.   Regardless of your physical state we can help you safely find out just how much exercise you need to produce positive change.

More article about the shoulder here

A Strength Training Program For Cancer Survivors Part 2

Years ago I had a woman come in who had been given the green light to exercise after suffering from cancer. I told her we would start slowly and that eventually the workouts would be hard.  She told me, “John, I survived cancer.  I can do your workout.”  Boy was she right.   She got dramatically stronger in no time.   A client such as her, who starts from a weakened state, will have more upside potential for improvement.

A few years later she developed cancer again and survived.  It was of great help to face this second challenge with a stronger body.   I had another cancer-surviving client inform me that he believes the reason he survived his cancer is because he was strong. 
When suffering illness our recovery abilities are channeled to overcome that illness. Similarly, when we exercise our recovery abilities are used to rebuild tissue after the stress of exercise.  One can easily exceed those recovery abilities.  It is best not to do too much exercise.  How much exercise is enough?  You should start from the premise of not how much exercise you can withstand but what's the least amount that will produce positive results. That way you will be less likely to exceed your body's ability to recover.

Those who have had operations to excise the cancer need to avoid jarring movements that will stress the compromised connective tissue.  Many exercises are jarring - running, jumping, and thrashing about.  It is best to find a type of exercise that minimized that jarring.  At New Orleans Personal Trainers and Austin Personal Trainers we use smooth controlled movement that minimize the ballistic forces that can cause injuries.  We also will use medical rehab equipment that can be used by those in a delicate condition and also by those in great shape.   The weights can be varied as little as two pound increments, and the weight stacks go up to 1000 pounds.   The range of motion can be adjusted to as little as just a few degrees depending on the limitations of the client.   Regardless of your physical state we can help you safely find out just how much exercise you need to produce positive change.

Other cancer related blog entries

Improving quality of life

Quite a few years back I got a call from Laurence, one of my clients. He informed me that he had just got out of Lake Pontchartrain after his weekly swim. I didn't even know you're allowed to swim in Lake Pontchartrain, but that's another story. He told me that his times had been trending lower, and that he had just swum his best time in years. We had another client namedMarcus who was 72 years old when he had his knee replaced.  After that for the next few years he could play nine holes of golf. The next day was too washed out from the heat to play again.  He was nearing the end of his golf playing days or so he thought.  At age 75 he started strength training. After a year of strength training he could play 18 holes of golf, and the very next day he would play eighteen more holes. The strength training improved his fitness, so did the 27 extra holes golf he regularly played. Same goes for another client who liked to play tennis.  After 22 weeks of working out he upped the amount of tennis he played.  He began playing tennis three out of four days, and he played better than he had in a very long time. Those extra days of tennis contributed positively to his health along with that strength training.
Strength training enables you to do activities longer, with greater ease, with less chance of injury, and with better performance.  Best of all it contributes positively to your quality-of-life.

At New Orleans Personal Trainers and Austin Personal Trainers our strength training program is designed for efficiency, to get the most out of minimal time in the gym, so you can enjoy other activities that also contribute positively to your health and well-being.

Losing belly fat by strength training

From this article The best exercise for controlling belly fat, this quote: 

"Men who did regular weight-training had less gain in their waistline (-0.67 cm) over the 12-year period, compared with those who participated in moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise (-0.33 cm), or physical labor from daily life such as yard work or stair climbing (-0.16 cm)."

Losing muscle is part of the aging process. As adults we lose about 5 pounds of muscle a decade, and with that comes a lower metabolism. If you don’t cut back on the calories you will replace that muscle with fat.
If you attempt to lose weight with a severe caloric restriction your body received the message that it's not receiving enough calories to survive. The body will catabolize lean body mass to lower the body’s metabolism to compensate for the decreased caloric intake.
If you diet and also strength training the body, instead of losing muscle mass, you will maintain and even add to the muscle mass and thereby increase metabolism. 

At Austin Personal Trainers and New Orleans Fitness Training we offer high intensity training (HIT) that has been show effective for weight loss.  All you have do is stick with it, make modest changes in eating habits, and you will get to where you need to be. 

What will your quality of life be like eight years from now? An anecdote

After reaching middle age, most people will likely see a decline in their physical abilities over an eight year span.  That is not unavoidable. At Austin Personal Training and New Orleans Fitness trainers  we present our clients with challenges they hopefully can achieve.  If you give someone a goal that is not achievable why bother attempting it?  If you have a goal that is not really challenging there will be little in the way of improvement. A good trainer will know where to set the bar.  

Timothy is a one of our trainers, and Leif is one of his clients.  One of the challenges Timothy gave Leif was a static hold on the chin-up.  Timothy had Leif hold himself with his chin above the chin-up bar with his knees bent and held as high as possible for as long as possible. This requires tremendous effort and toward the end it requires every fiber of your being just to maintain that position. This exercise works the upper-back, chest, arms, and abdominal muscles.

Timothy had Leif perform the exercise, maybe not every work out, but intermittently he tested him on this exercise. At first Leif could only hold his chin above the bar for a few seconds before giving out, he worked his way up to 12 seconds, and eventually to a half minute.  Timothy’s goal for Leif was 6o seconds.  Amazingly eight years after beginning the program, Leif held the static hold for 60 seconds. Keep in mind Leif accomplished this when he was eight years older than when he started.  Most people see an appreciable decline in performance over eight years.  Imagine the path Leif might have taken if he has not made that life-style change.  What would his quality of life be like?  Would he even be alive?

When Leif started he was in bad shape. Middle aged, he has diabetes, he had had one kidney removed, and he had had a bypass heart surgery plus he was very overweight. He embarked on a change in lifestyle. He began strength training at our Austin location once a week, he made modest changes in his eating habits, and he used a rowing machine at home.

Any exercise program has to be doable in order for one to stick to it.  If the program is more demanding, say three times a week for over an hour, that's a program you can stick to a few weeks or maybe a couple months. Yes, there are some that can adhere to that program for the long haul, but statistics show that most people don’t. They get burned out, sick, or injured. They end up dreading going to the gym.

Well Leif stuck with it, and slowly the pounds came off. He went from five diabetes shots a day down to one a day. He lost 60 pounds which was a great deal because Leif does not have a large body frame.  Now, health-wise and physically, he's a completely different person. Timothy likes to have him pick up 60 pounds of plates and carry it around the gym just as a reminder of just how much weight he used to have to carry around.

If you ask Timothy if he likes his job he will tell you, “I don’t have a job. It is not work when you enjoy what you are doing”.   It is motivating and gratifying to the see the changes our clients make.  We look forward to seeing them each week, and we are fortunate and truly grateful to have them as friends and clients.

A Strength Training Program For Cancer Survivors

Several years ago I was discussing with a cancer survivor the possibility of her starting an exercise program.  I told her it might be difficult.  She replied, “John, I survived cancer; I can do your workout.”  Boy was she right.  She responded very well to exercise.  All the cancer patients we worked with have responded positively to exercise - everyone, but some cancer survivors were often discouraged from exercising.   A quote from this New York Times article,Balancing Painful Swelling With a Desire to Exercise:

 “FOR almost 20 years, the prevailing wisdom among most doctors has been that breast cancer survivors at risk of contracting lymphedema — a debilitating, irreversible swelling of one or both arms — should avoid most upper-body exercise or lifting anything heavier than five pounds. For many women, the stern warnings meant they could not shop for groceries or even carry their children. Running and walking were safe, but anything that taxed the arms was considered dangerous. ”

And this:

“But a study at the University of Minnesota that was released this week contradicts decades of restrictions. It found that slow, progressive weight training did not increase the onset of lymphedema in breast cancer survivors who had had lymph nodes removed, nor did it worsen the symptoms of longtime sufferers.

‘While current clinical guidelines say that this type of exercise may be harmful, our research indicates that it is indeed safe,’ ”

Slow, progressive weight training is the preferred protocol at Austin Personal Training and New Orleans Fitness trainers.  By minimized the acceleration with slow smooth movements we minimize the forces that cause injury. The muscles are safely fatigued.  This fatigue is what signals the body to become stronger.

The protocol is performed on MedX medical rehab equipment.  The protocol and the equipment have allowed us the effectively work with many people with a wide range of conditions. We can help you set up a program that will produce positive change regardless of your condition.