The Impossible questions for 40+ Fitness
How to plan your 40+ fitness routine around even the most unanswerable of workout conundrums.
For some fitness questions you have to trust your instincts.
THE BRIEF
Time to read: 2 minutes 30 seconds
Time to action: 5 minutes
Mantra: The only right or wrong is what works well for you
Main message: Science says, you choose - and science is no fool
Stat: 50% said yes, 50% no - so you decide
The answers to these perennial fitness conundrums change more frequently than a Kardashian relationship status update. Yes, Kardashians and scientists agree, it's complicated. Monthly, weekly, daily, the answers swing from a yes to no, via ‘it depends’. So, how do you find solutions to some of the fitness industry’s biggest unanswerables? You simply pick the path that fits your routine best and pretend it’s science. Because if science can’t make up its mind, why should you?
CONUNDRUM #1: Should I eat breakfast?
It used to be a hard yes. Simple. Now there’s intermittent fasting, and it’s a yes and a no. There is thought that suggests packing your daily intake into fewer meals can burn fat while preserving lean muscle, but, the appetite in participants wasn’t affected, so your success in saying no to breakfast really depends on how you cope without it. If you can make it to lunch on nothing but green tea and coffee, maybe try leaving breakfast alone once in a while. Otherwise, steady as she goes with your morning omelette.
THE ANSWER: If you want breakfast, it’s a good fuel, if you don’t want breakfast, well done for fasting.
CONUNDRUM #2: Warm-Ups - yes or no?
A review (of over 21 studies) found that…there’s almost no concrete evidence about what works regarding a warm-up. There’s no one special move, but you should always move a lot. Warming specific muscles you're about to use is better than simply raising your core temperature. If you’re all about the bench press today, keeping those calves super toasty might not pay any dividends.
THE ANSWER: There’s no harm in warming the muscles you’re about to use - everyone’s kinda sure.
CONUNDRUM #3: What’s a perfect lifting speed?
Lift, 2, 3. Down, 2, 3 is a perfectly acceptable speed for pumping iron. But, in a time of AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) and GTF (Go To Failure), there is a new school of thought that perhaps you should be pushing yourself harder and faster. Just to add to the confusion, a mixture of fast and slow reps is also thought of as a great way to promote stamina and muscle growth. If you’re lifting something awkward like Ikea furniture, do it slowly as this decreases the load on your back.
THE ANSWER: Can you feel the burn? If you can, and you’re happy with your form, why mess with a winning formula?
CONUNDRUM #4: How many times a day should I eat?
Little and often vs calorie deficit vs the window vs loading. This is a classic. For one, little and often doesn’t always work for over 40 humans. There are so many variables in looking at individual circumstances that the actual answer has to start with a question - what’s practical for you? 2-3 meals a day is good for 40+ bodies as it can reduce inflammation. Equally, if you can do little and more often, there’s less in your system at any given time which can be easier to process in a standard working day. The only thing that is agreed on is that more, more often, at 40+ probably isn’t needed - assuming your pro-athlete days are over.
THE ANSWER: There’s a Japanese philosophy on eating that you should aim to be about 80% full. It feels good and you’re still prepped for most things. 80% full 3 times a day, plus maybe a protein shake? Try it, see how you feel.
PT WOLF
(Fitness)
Wolf is a personal trainer who tries and tests every programme we put together. A celebrity trainer, Wolf has been a fitness journalist as well as practising what he preaches for over twenty years. Now into his 40s, Wolf has added muscle to his frame in every decade of his life.
DR DRAGON
(Body Health)
A GP for an eclectic community, Dragon is a prolific author in the world of health. Award winning for his content creation and ability to answer the ‘actual’ questions asked of him, his theories are always worth listening to in looking for those little things that can actually make a real difference in our lives.
STUDIES & SOURCES: Fat-free mass study
http://journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/Abstract/1995/10000/Fat_Free_Mass_Index_in_Users_and_Nonusers_of.3.aspxWarmup study:
Sander A., Keiner M., Schlumberger A., Wirth K., Schmidtbleicher D. Effects Of Functional Exercises In The Warm-Up On Sprint Performances. J Strength Cond Res 27(4): 995–1001, 2013Warrior Diet study
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/4/981.full