Healthy Aging – Strength Training Builds More Than Muscles

Strength training will provide significant functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being including increased bone, muscle, tendon and ligament strength and toughness and reduced potential for injury

Over 50s – Don’t even think about Insanity or book your appointment at the physios now! Physios love Insanity it generates so much business for them…

Over 35s – Well how active have you been in the last 10 years before you launch into an intensive workout. See articles on the militarisation of fitness here. “The fitness industry has been hijacked by workout zealots”

Comparing modern man to forebears: “They didn’t go 22-23 hours without moving, then bolt off on heat throbbing run for 45 minutes”. Their bodies were strong and tendons and ligaments hardened by constant movement from a range of activities”. Robert Forster

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Who Needs A Joint Stability Programme?

Steve Berkman, a physiotherapist from London, reports a big rise in the number of women undertaking challenges such as the London Marathon and triathlons.

‘Only this morning I have had three female first-time marathon runners in the clinic,’ he says. ‘They may have the cardiovascular fitness to run 15 to 20 miles at the weekend, but in the rush to get fit they haven’t given their muscles and tendons time to adapt, so they got injured.’  Read Article

JOINT STABILITY PROGRAM – Do some “Kevlar Training” infrastructure building for the human body, toughening the joints, creating stability at every joint.  This involves the use of light weights and other exercises to strengthen all the little “helper muscles” around the joints, which, along with a lot of stretching insures that each joint is functioning properly. Phase 1 of the 24 Fit workout prepares the body for the more strenuous work to come later in the training cycle.

phase1-crop-24fit-workout

Who needs a Joint Stability Program?

  1. How fit are you?? Have you spent the last 5-10 years working at a PC or been “inactive”?
  2. Over 35, and not exercised much recently? By your mid-30s, most people still look young, but are already experiencing the BIG Three of aging: deteriorating lean muscle mass, worsening posture, and crumbling joints…
  3. Preparing for an endurance event? Modern man or woman is inactive for 22 or 23 hours a day, then will bolt off on heart throbbing run for 45mins. Our ancestors would have been exposed to a wider range of activities, so their tendons and ligaments would be hardened by constant movement. These days when modern man/woman are subjected to bouts of repetitive motion, like running, stress and wear are accelerated and they end up at the physios. Some studies show that 50% of runners, for example, get injured enough so that can’t run.
  4. Serious athlete – Elite and professional athletes spend half of their workout time in the gym on injury prevention. All strength and conditioning programs must begin with a joint stability phase where the body is hardened against injury.
  5. About to start some insane workout? Both unfit and over 35 and just about to start some crazy workout, then pre – book an appointment at the physios now!

“After a careful review of the P90X workout when it first came out we predicted a plethora of overuse and traumatic injuries. Since then I have had to explain to the many clients injured from these high intensity, ill designed training programs that not even my Olympians would hold up under the stress of these workouts. The creators of this training program were apparently not alive during the 1980’s when Jane Fonda type workouts caused an epidemic of joint and muscle injuries from jumping and running on hard surfaces and `performing body weight exercises with no regard for form and technique” Robert Forster

Militarization of Fitness? Is it sustainable? “Do you believe any of the following are true?

No pain, no gain. You have to suffer to get in shape.

More is always more.

Working out is not fun, but it’s an obligation.

If I don’t almost throw up, I’m holding back too much.

You’re only as good as your last workout.

I feel like a loser when I miss a workout.

If you answered yes, then you’re at the “exercise is war” understanding of fitness!

“I spent a decade there, with plenty of joint casualties and war stories to prove it. So I’m not belittling you—I’m just saying that this isn’t the only way to train, and it sure as heck isn’t sustainable”   Jonathan Angelilli

Article about the Militarization Of Fitness

What’s a better approach to working out?

The basic premise of all well designed exercise programs is the progressive overload principle. Fitness must be “pushed” from below, i.e. starting slow and progressing to harder workouts slowly. In addition, what recreational athletes and fitness enthusiasts don’t realize is that elite and professional athletes spend half of their workout time in the gym on injury prevention. All strength and conditioning programs must begin with a joint stability phase where the body is hardened against injury.

PHASE 1 : WEEKS 1–8

Spine and Pelvis Stabilization

Shoulder Stabilization

Total Body Integration

Metabolic 1

#24fitworkout

#jointstabilityprogram

Militarization of Fitness v Periodization Training

Stop The Insanity!workout-insanity

Every day we see more extreme “fitness programs” advertised with high-intensity workouts and volumes of work that even my elite athletes would never hold up to.  “What most recreational athletes and fitness buffs don’t realize is that elite athletes spend more than half of their time in the gym on injury prevention, and the rest of the time on performance enhancement. Safe and effective stretching and injury prevention workouts might not be spectacular to watch, but they allow athletes to work harder at their sport and in the gym on performance enhancement.” Robert Forster – Physical Therapist to 42 Olympic Medalists, NBA and Grand Slam Champions and Member of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness.

What Jonathan Angelilli in his article  “The Massive Fitness Trend That’s Not Actually Healthy at All”  described as all-out war on the body, what he called the “militarization of fitness — all the boot camps, marine-inspired workouts, extreme workout routines, and general glorification of pain. Even our recovery and regeneration techniques are prioritized by how painful they are.

How Does the Militarization of Fitness Affect Your Workout?

In every way possible. It affects your health, happiness, the sustainability of your program, and your ability to reach your goals.

Do you believe any of the following are true?

No pain, no gain. You have to suffer to get in shape.
More is always more.
Working out is not fun, but it’s an obligation.
If I don’t almost throw up, I’m holding back too much.
You’re only as good as your last workout.
I feel like a loser when I miss a workout.

If you answered yes, then you’re at the “exercise is war” understanding of fitness!

“I spent a decade there, with plenty of joint casualties and war stories to prove it. So I’m not belittling you—I’m just saying that this isn’t the only way to train, and it sure as heck isn’t sustainable”   Jonathan Angelilli

Periodization Training

A better approach, periodization training with the 24Fit Workout, give u more stamina, strength, & an overall greater performance! The basic premise of all well designed exercise programs is the progressive overload principle. Fitness must be “pushed” from below, i.e. starting slow and progressing to harder workouts slowly. 24Fit  builds your fitness up with a stair step series of methodical, progressive challenges and recoveries that strengthen your body and keep brain and brawn fresh.

The calories you burn during workouts are inconsequential to your overall body weight or body fat content! Instead, it is how well you use your exercise time to reprogram your daily physiology that matters.  Take a look at this graphic comparingWhat people think they need to do, to look better, lose fat get in shape”  v What people actually need to do”?

Take a look at the 24 Fit Workout, a 24 week programme with 3 phases. Key advantages:

24-fit-video-485

  • Teach your body to burn body fat over time rather than just burn carbs..
  • Address common vulnerabilities of the human body regardless of age or previous activity level. Make your body more resilient to injury, unlike many “insane workouts” which lead to injuries
  • Periodization training so you need to sequence your training, to develop one aspect of fitness at a time and then use that as a foundation to build the next. And principles which recognise that all exercise is much less effective if rest and recovery periods are not provided.
  • Workout lasts for 30 mins, the time it would take you to drive to the gym and back!. This length of workout is achievable over time. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” Why strength training 3 times a week for 30 minutes?
  • You will be less likely to quit the 24 Fit Workout once you get started because it follows scientific training principles. The program progresses your fitness naturally, so that you not only keep going, but never want to stop!
  • Improve posture with 24Fit. Standing up straight can improve breathing and digestion. And uses less energy. A good antidote for all those people stuck at their desks all day.
  • Has 3 levels of difficulty so any age, any condition, anyone can build a better body! ( beginner, intermediate and advanced)
  • Clear instruction, it’s like having a PT in the room with you.
  • Includes nutritional advice, which is so important to get results, including what to take around exercise
  • Developed by Robert Forster a PT that has has worked with top athletes such as Pete Sampras, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Florence “Flo-Jo” Joyner, Greg Foster, Allyson Felix, as well as weight management clients looking to burn fat. Thirty years of experience in a set of 13 DVDs!  He learnt from his work with endurance athletes how to burn fat as an energy source, rather than carbs. And hes wriiten a new book called  Healthy Running – Step by Step

Additional sources:

Read article – The Massive Fitness Trend That’s Not Actually Healthy at All

How Does the Militarization of Fitness Affect Your Workout?

Extracts from an interesting article:  “The Massive Fitness Trend That’s Not Actually Healthy at All”

“There is a massive trend in the fitness industry to glorify exercise as an all-out war on the body. I call it the militarization of fitness — all the boot camps, Marine-inspired workouts, ridiculously intense body building routines, and general glorification of pain. Even our recovery and regeneration techniques are prioritized by how painful they are.

How Does the Militarization of Fitness Affect Your Workout?

In every way possible. It affects your health, happiness, the sustainability of your program, and your ability to reach your goals.

Do you believe any of the following are true?

No pain, no gain. You have to suffer to get in shape.
More is always more. Duh.
Working out is not fun, but it’s an obligation.
If I don’t almost throw up, I’m holding back too much.
You’re only as good as your last workout.
I feel like a loser when I miss a workout.

If you answered yes, then you’re at the “exercise is war” understanding of fitness. And that’s fine—if you want to wage war on your body, go ahead. Many of us go through that phase. I spent a decade there, with plenty of joint casualties and war stories to prove it. So I’m not belittling you—I’m just saying that this isn’t the only way to train, and it sure as heck isn’t sustainable. ”

Read article

A better approach, periodization training with the 24Fit Workout, give u more stamina, strength, & an overall greater performance! What recreational athletes and fitness enthusiasts don’t realize is that elite and professional athletes spend half of their workout time in the gym on injury prevention what Robert Forster calls ” Kevlar Trainng”.

Scientific Principles Of Periodization Training To Get Results

Over the last three and a half decades, I have come in contact with tens of thousands of athletes and fitness enthusiast in my work as physical therapist and sports performance specialist. In my experience, with the exception of the genetically gifted elite athletes, almost all of them work out for body image. They want to look better! At the same time, almost all of those I meet are not happy with the results they have achieved from ever longer and more taxing workouts; they still don’t like what they see in the mirror. Typically, after initially losing a few pounds from their workouts, their weight loss stalls and many even gain weight as they continue to train harder and harder.

Fighting the Fit But Fat Syndrome

The problem is human nature and the American work ethic. Human nature dictates that when we find a good thing, we want to do more of it. Workouts make us feel good, so we do more and more until we are overtrained or broken down with injury. Reinforcing this human tendency is the American work ethic. Nothing is worth having if you don’t have to work hard to get it — this seems to be the philosophy of most athletes and gym rats. This creates an overtrained population of sportsmen and fitness buffs who remain pudgy, bloated, and perform below their potential. The public is also lead astray by the media representation that professional athletes perform grueling workouts for hours each day, month in and month, out, to get their svelte and muscular physiques. Not true. We train elite world champion athletes on a maximum of 11 hours per week early in the training cycle with low intensity, longer duration workouts, and as little seven hours per week when we peak their fitness over the six weeks before competition.

You cannot fight human physiology. Training too much, too hard, and without built-in recovery or an aggressive recovery program leads to the all-too-common overtrained and frustrated, “fit but fat” athletes. When we are overly stressed, whether it be from work stress, emotional turmoil, or over exercising, our body produces too much of a hormone call cortisol. Cortisol directs our body to store fat and water and leaves us with poor performances and a bloated image in the mirror. This leads most people to work out even harder and longer, which only exacerbates the problem.

The solution to the “Fit But Fat” syndrome is found in scientific principles of periodization training, with a progressive work load, built-in recovery periods, and a rationally-driven variation to workouts in regular eight week periods.

Training is only half the battle when it comes to achieving the body you want. Food and science based nutrition is the other.

Robert Forster

In his book, Healthy Running Step by Step out in Sepetember Robert Forster covers nutritional strategies. Whether you are a runner, hiker, cyclist, swimmer, or a person who works out in the gym, this information will make your journey to the fit and lean body you have always wanted a lot easier.

healthy-running-step-by-stepHealthy Running Step by Step: Self-Guided Methods for Injury-Free Running: Training – Technique – Nutrition – Rehab

Authors Robert Forster, P.T., and Roy M. Wallack

Review – “Authentic, loaded with insight and information, “Healthy Running Step by Step” illustrates the scientific approach Bob used to help me and many others stay injury-free and achieve our ultimate Olympic goals.” – “Jackie Joyner Kersee, six-time Olympic medalist and multiple world record holder

ROBERT FORSTER, PT, has practiced Sports Physical Therapy in Santa Monica, CA, for 31 years. Robert has lectured throughout the US and Europe on Sports Rehabilitation and safety in exercise. Robert served as a private physical therapist at four Olympic Games for Olympians Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence “Flo-Jo” Joyner, Alyson Felix and their teammates who have won a combined 32 Olympic Medals under his direct care. He also worked pro athletes Pete Sampras, Kobe Bryant, Elton Brand, Maria Sharapova, as well as M.M.A. champions including B.J. Penn. Robert has published several articles in the scientific press and co-authored The Complete Water Power Workout Book published in 1993 by Random House. He has also written a regular column in Triathlete magazine, appeared in several episodes of the popular Fit to Hit series on the Tennis Channel and recently created the Herbalife 24 Fit Workout DVDs based on the principles of periodization training.

Getting Fit Does Not Have to be Painful

“Every week we meet new patients at Forster Physical Therapy who have been injured by unscientific fitness programs. High intensity workouts are the rage now and far too many people are getting injured following the “No Pain, No Gain” mantra right into the Physical Therapist clinic. Programs like P90x, Crossfit, and Soul Cycle have people believing that to get fit means to suffer. I can tell you that even our professional and Olympic athletes don’t train as hard as these programs have out-of-shape homemakers and businessmen training, and neither do they get you looking your best or performing at your fittest”

“The secret is called periodization training, and it works for everyone, at any age”
robert-forster-24-fit-workout
Robert Forster, Physical Therapist and Performance Specialist

Robert Forster developed the Herbalife 24FIT Workout program with Herbalife. He is one of the leading physical therapists for athletes, both recreational and elite. Over the course of his 30-year career, he has successfully trained Olympic gold medalists, U.S. Open and Wimbledon champions, NBA superstars and triathlon world-record holders. Tired of encountering ill-advised training programs that only cause more injury, Robert created a new approach to physical therapy, which is divided into phases that follow the body’s natural healing and growth patterns.

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