Sometime during my late 40s, after 22 years, I stopped lifting weights. During the previous 5 years, I had transitioned from a typical bodybuilding routine to a routine based on functional exercises including TRX, kettlebells, sled dragging, bodyweight, medicine balls, rings, plyometrics, climbing, sprinting, etc. THis type of training was a lot of fun for me. Everyday I chose from a smorgasbord of exercises to creat ea dynamic, varied high intensity routine.
It was a blast.
Then as I neared 50, I found myself doing more bodyweight and movement based exercises with less of a focus on pure strength. I no longer did low rep lifts with excessive weights because that was often how I got injured.
By the time I went on the road at age 50, I had transitioned to a complete bodyweight based routine for strength, mobility and cardio. I’ve been doing this type of training now for 7 years and am in the best shape of my life.
During these past few years, as I approach 60, I’ve made another gradual transition.
I take it easy.
I used to work out like a fiend – pushing myself with fast paced, high-intensity effort. I tracked my workouts and set goals to improve every day. I sacrificed form to blast out another rep, go harder or faster. I’d push myself hard in yoga to deepen my stretches. My intensity was so high that I’d be gasping for air and drenched with sweat throughout my workouts.
Not anymore.
Now I go slow. I allow myself to catch my breath. I focus on using perfect form and not straining. Instead of pushing myself hard on the mat or in the pool, I move gracefully and within my limits of comfort.
Why?
- Injuries. The sad fact is that I cannot go as hard as I used to without getting injured. After two hernia repairs, a number of nagging shoulder & knee injuries, plantar fasciitis and a year long foot & ankle strain from drumming, I’ve learned to pay attention attention to my body and not force it.
- Energy levels. Some days it’s better to go easy and slow. Perhaps I didn’t sleep well the night before. Maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I might be distracted or obsessing about something. Whatever the cause, I allow myself to go easier and deliberately note in my daily log the I’m doing this.
It was hard for me to slow down and go easy. I have always pushed myself hard – at school, at work, in the gym and in life. I’m Stevie Action, after all. If something needed to get done, I had to make it happen. No matter what.
The irony is that I think my health and fitness is better than when I pushed myself hard. I doubt I can lift as much weight as I once did but that doesn’t matter since I don’t lift weights. I know my endurance isn’t as good as when I was an 18 year old college freshman working out twice a day with the wrestling team plus lifting and swimming multiple days a week on my own.
Whatever.
There was a time in my life when I had the energy, recovery ability and capacity to go hard all the time. That time isn’t now.
And surprisingly, I’m enjoying this slower pace.