Lifelong Fitness: Navigating Your 40's & Beyond - Taking It Slow
The DVCC Podcast
Welcome all to the DVCC Podcast. In this weeks episode we discuss "Exercise Choice" with Stephen Gray, the founder of the DVCC.
Join us to find out what exercise you should be doing next time you hit the gym!
00:02:41:18 - 00:02:44:22 Within strength training, especially the highest quality of exercise,
00:02:44:22 - 00:02:51:25 where should we be focusing? So is the rule of thumb that we kind of want to be trying to use as much of our body as possible in a functional movement?
00:02:51:25 - 00:03:23:13 Is that where the idea of compound movements come from? Well, compound I mean, I don't know the root of where the words came from and how it ended up, meaning using a large part, a large amount of your body. But it just defines a type of exercise. So, for example, doing a bicep curl, which I think most people know what a bicep curl is, when you imagine you're holding a can of beans and you bend your arm, that's a bicep curl. Well, that doesn't use...
00:03:23:13 - 00:03:47:09 That's not a compound exercise that just uses your bicep muscles mainly. Obviously there's some hand extensors and things like that, but mainly it's your biceps. So that's not a compound exercise because you're not trying to you're not using a multiple amounts of muscle. Actually, I need to look into that. I'm sure it's maybe three different muscles, so there will be a definition of it anyway, to really think about it is just using a large amount of your body.
00:03:47:09 - 00:04:23:05 Using compound exercises are more effective to build and maintain muscle because they use more of your muscle. So, and we all have a certain amount of time in the day to be able to devote or a certain amount of time in the week or across the month to devote to trying to get fitter and stronger. So if, you know, if we were able to work out multiple times a week, five or six times a week, then we would probably be able to look at different things other than compound exercises as our main thing.
00:04:23:05 - 00:04:32:19 However, we're looking for bang for a buck. So we want to get as much impact from the amount for every minute essentially we're able to devote to triggering.
00:04:33:00 - 00:04:40:23 With necessity in mind, because you mentioned that getting fitter and stronger, especially as we mature, is somewhat of a necessity.
00:04:40:23 - 00:04:58:16 What's the safest way to ensure that we're hitting those high-quality movements if we are only able to train one or two days a week? Well, I think a lot about this actually, and what the alternative is because as obviously
00:04:58:16 - 00:05:15:17 we look at, you know, when you retire or you're getting older, and you've got more free time, more freedom, you want to be able to use that free time, that freedom.
00:05:15:19 - 00:05:31:16 I really don't see any alternative to keeping yourself physically fit and healthy because there is. It doesn't just happen. So it is a necessity from the perspective of I just don't know what other option there is
00:05:31:16 - 00:05:35:14 with our physical health and our physiques
00:05:35:14 - 00:05:42:08 if we're not doing something to make them better or maintain them, they just get worse.
00:05:42:08 - 00:05:45:15 I haven't come to any other conclusion. There is no real
00:05:45:15 - 00:05:46:28 there is no real other option.
00:05:46:28 - 00:05:53:06 Just to round it off, let's just think, you know, first steps, real actionable takeaway here.
00:05:53:06 - 00:06:13:24 But we've established that strength training, highest quality of movement, and compound exercises are a great place to go. So, someone listening, where do they start if they're coming from nothing? How do they make sure that they're now getting that into their lives? Is the only option just going to the gym and trying to work it out themselves?
00:06:13:26 - 00:06:39:00 No, absolutely not. And so, I mean, obviously, it goes into our last podcast, which was about going slow. But the way it works with strength training, all that really means is that you're challenging your body in a certain way. And so the benefits in a gym environment or somewhere like and we have at the DVCC is that you can constantly challenge so that you can possibly make progress.
00:06:39:00 - 00:07:07:24 For example, if you get stronger and something becomes easier, then to get the same result, essentially to maintain muscle or even build muscle, you actually have to challenge your body a bit. It doesn't have to be loads, but you have to be able to progress in a safe environment. So the ability to start with getting up and down out of a chair can be more than enough strength training for somebody, depending on where you're at.
00:07:07:24 - 00:07:10:06 And there's nothing wrong with that at all.
00:07:10:06 - 00:07:23:21 The things that weren't an issue when we were 21 and we did are an issue now. So that's why I'm talking about doing things safely, not just doing things perfectly.
00:07:23:25 - 00:07:29:03 And I think that was a brilliant point to round out the podcast. Thank you so much
00:07:29:03 - 00:07:29:23 for coming on and sharing a little bit of insight into exercise choice there.
00:07:29:23 - 00:07:34:01 Thank you very much.
00:07:34:01 - 00:07:35:06 Thank you so much.
00:07:35:06 - 00:07:35:26 Thank you very much.
00:07:35:26 - 00:07:53:11 Thank you once again for joining us on the Lifelong Fitness podcast. Hopefully, you found some value in today's episode. If you would like to continue the conversation, please do follow us on social media. We are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, almost anywhere you can think of at the DVCC. Hope to see you there soon.
