Guest Post By Rob King
In a few short months I turn 40 years old.
To be honest, I don’t know how I feel about turning 40. More than anything, I think about how being 40 is going to impact my training.
I love being strong, I love lifting, and I want to do this until the day I die.
With over 20 years in the gym lifting, my body has a lot of mileage on it. But I refuse to be “that guy” that talks about the good old days in the gym. My good old days are right now, and at 40 my goal is to be as strong and as healthy as possible.
With age, comes the opportunity to combine experience and wisdom. I want to share with you 5 things that have impacted my training, my body, and have made my life better.
1) Soft Tissue Work
Without a doubt, one of the most important things I have done to help my body feel better, recover better, and help me stay strong is soft tissue work.
A foam roller, lacrosse ball, medicine ball, and numerous other soft tissue (a.k.a torture) devices are all over my rec room. Every night before bed, I make it a point to foam roll. I also foam roll before and after every workout.
I make it a point to do bird dogs, prying goblet squats, upper back work with bands, and other similar exercises daily, as I feel it is very important.
Soft tissue work alone has made my life better. Feeling better, moving better, and improving my training results in making me a much happier me with a lot less pain.
2) Mobility
Not the most exciting thing in training right now, but mobility (or lack of mobility) is key in keeping you moving well, staying strong, and getting stronger.
Make it a point to move every day. When you are at the gym hitting chest, make it a point to work on mobility drills, body weight squats, deadlifts, swings and more.
Use every opportunity in your training program to improve mobility.
3) Squat & Deadlift
Ten years ago I used to squat and deadlift once a week.
Now, I squat and deadlift every day.
No matter what I am doing in the gym, whether it is heavy deadlifts, bench press, power cleans or sled work, I make it a point to do light/moderate squats and deadlifts.
Generally I use a kettlebells for both. Keep in mind, my heavy training is done with a bar- but for my daily squat/deadlift routine, I use a kettlebell.
The point is to not lift heavy daily, but to move under a bit of weight every day! No matter what you are training in your program.
4) Do A Carry Every Day
I’m not sure what it is about carries, but doing them every day will make you better.
Every day, I do a form of carry and I change it up often.
Some days it might be farmers walks, others it will be kettlebells. I will use a mix of double arm carries, single arm (suit case) carries, rack carries, double rack carries and more.
Every day I do at least one, sometimes numerous carries based on how I feel.
This has worked wonders for my core, grip, upper back, glutes and mental focus.
Do a carry every day. It pays off!
5) Swing
Bruce Lee once said, “Before I learned the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick.
After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick, no longer a kick.
Now that I understand the art, a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick.”
Before I really knew how to swing, I thought I already knew how to swing. Once I was taught how to swing, I realized a swing is not just a swing.
The kettlebell swing is one of the most butchered exercises done today. To me, it’s similar to a deadlift. If it’s done the right way, it is great for your training. If done incorrectly, it will tear you up and injure you fast.
I recommend swinging the right way, every day. Knowing how to swing correctly, is key.
As a 40 year old guy with a herniated disc and 3 bulging discs, I can tell you that swings done improperly with a 20 pound kettlebell can stop you in your tracks. But swings done with a 65 lb. kettlebell done correctly, can reduce your back pain and improve your lower back strength.
It’s not just swinging, but knowing how to swing that matters.
To do these 5 things every day, you are looking at about 20-30 minutes max.
Find the time in a day to get these in, and I can promise it will be worth the small investment of time and energy to keep you lifting heavy weights in the gym.
Author Bio
Rob King is a entrepreneur, fitness writer, strength coach & body transformation expert. He is a competitive power lifter, martial arts black belt and has been featured in publications such as Schwarzenegger.com, T-Nation, Inside Fitness, Muscle Insider and more. He is also CPPS Level 1, BioSig Certified Level 1, and Training For Warriors Certified Level 1 & 2.
Read More From Rob At: http://www.robkingfitness.com/
