Getting Younger, Getting Stronger
As a personal trainer for over 26 years, I have heard the complaint on a daily basis, "I'm so weak, I have no strength, I have no muscle."
Sometimes a client will say, "Ever since I turned 49, or 59, or 69, I've lost all my tone and strength." It's a frightening feeling for people to feel that they are eating less and gaining weight or just getting weaker and experiencing more aches and pains for no reason.
Deep within all of us is a tremendous, untapped source of strength, endurance, and power. It is our muscle! Muscle is the fountain of youth.
If you understand muscle, and how it works, you can tap into your own fountain of youth. Here are some things that you should know about muscle:
- Hour long one-on-one personal training sessions
- Pictured workouts for your home and gym ab work
- Sports nutrition to help you get washboard abs
- Workout and sports nutrition logbook
PowerSource Clients Who Completed the Course:
Coach Grampy
Dick Larson, 70, is owner of Design Compensation Service LTD, and a widowed father of four and grandpa of six. He coached football at the U of M and worked as an area scout of the Dallas Cowboys. He is known as "Coach Grampy' by his 7th grade football team.
Dick came to PowerSource with the goal of bench pressing his body weight of 205lbs. Not only did he succeed, but he went beyond and can bench 215lbs. Dick feels stronger and better than he ever has and has learned to eat more protein to maintain his muscle. Dick was a distance runner until he had operations on both knees. Now he maintains his strength by weight lifting. Seventy never looked so strong! Yeah Coach Grampy!
Tiny Dancer
Pat, pictured with her trainer Emily, is a 78 year-old retired homemaker. She came to PowerSource in June of 2007 to train for the National Smooth Ballroom competition to be held in September 2007. Smooth Ballroom Competition requires her to perform in Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Fox Trot, and Tango.
Pat's trainer Emily had her do curtsey lunges with dumbbells, Bosu ball squats, wobble- board deadlifts, and lots of crunches for core strength while following a high protein diet.
After training from June right up until the September competition, Pat placed 1st nationally in her division, 71+ years old. She recently competed in Los Angeles with women 51+ and finished an outstanding 2nd. Congratulations to our tiny, but tough, dancer!
TRAINING TIP from Pat: Love your trainer and you'll love to exercise!
Second Half Vitality?!
Richard Leider, 65, is the founder of the Inventure Group which provides executive coaching to top executives worldwide. Richard came to train at PowerSource about eleven years ago to build up his strength for leading executive safaris up Kilimanjaro in Africa and for his hobby, running. He wanted to maintain muscle for all his sports; climbing, roller blading, and hiking, but he also wanted "to be able to run with his shirt off and feel great about his body."
At 65, as Richard continues training twice a week with his long time trainer, Steve, his goal is vital aging. He and Steve have been working on building his core strength. Now that he has achieved the look of strength, what motivates him to continue is that he feels more vitality and feels more I present in the world.
Seventies and Stronger Than Ever
Claire Peper, 74, and Dwight Jennings, 77, saw PowerSource in the yellow pages. They felt they needed a totally individualized fitness program. Claire has Osteoporosis and is at high risk for a back fracture. Physical therapy hadn't helped her strengthen her abs and back and she was afraid to move.
Dwight knew he had to exercise because he has one shoulder that has only two of the four tendons that help move the shoulder. He wanted to learn to get more movement in the bad shoulder to reduce the pain.
Both wanted a home strength training program. They have only done three lessons and already they feel physically a lot stronger, more in control, and have less pain.
Training tip from Claire and Dwight: "Age is no barrier, you can get strong at any age."