Man was not meant to just sit around and think and worry. Exercise and especially weight training has a definite effect on both human physiology and psychology. Most men and women don t really know what to expect from weight training. For all but a few there is a definite increase in strength and muscular size along with an improvement in the shape and contour of the muscles. The body gets firmer as muscle fibers become denser and fat is burned off. The body becomes strong, hard and lean instead of weak, soft and fat. You can never step outside of your natural somatotype the actual structure of your body as determined by your genes but you can accomplish a great deal within those limits.
There is one aspect of weight training that is only just coming to be recognized its effect on the aging process. The longer we live, the more gravity pulls on our bodies, causing the spine to compress and the musculature to sag. We burn fewer calories as we get older, so we tend to put on fat which compromises all of our systems.
But a lot of what we think of as aging has nothing to do with age itself it is merely deterioration. If you take a look at some older bodybuilders, you will not find any double chins, sagging jowls and pectorals or a spreading paunch. Those who have kept up their weight training don t fit any of our preconceptions. It is difficult for anyone to judge just how old they are.
Weight training slows or even reverses some of the most insidious effects of age, and it is better at this than any other form of exercise. Bodybuilders have actually gotten physiologically younger during the past ten years instead of older. And this is a direct result of continuously training with weights and directing attention to your diet. Age is bound to catch up with all of us sooner or later, but later is better. There is no need to invite it in before its time. So when people ask me if they are too old to train, I tell them No, you re too old not to!
The older you are, the more important it is for you to work at being physically fit and the most efficient way to do this is weight training on a consistent basis. It is also true that the older you are, the more amazed you will be at what a total fitness program including weight training can do for you, your looks, your health , your self esteem and your personal relationships. The first attempt is the hardest.
But to keep yourself motivated, you are going to have to train the mind along with the body. Using your mind and your imagination effectively will do wonders for your training intensity and stamina. The first step is simply believing it is possible. A lot of people never achieve this, they are so used to themselves as they have been that they cannot imagine any dramatic change.
Of course none of us can step outside the boundaries of our genetic inheritance but within those limits there is a tremendous amount we can do to manipulate our physiology, gain muscle, and lose fat realizing our true genetic potential. Some things cannot be changed like your height, but you can firm and shape your body and create the kind of firm healthy body we would really prefer.
One technique to help you with this is called visualization . It is the practice of mentally picturing yourself as you would like to be and focusing all your energies on attaining that goal. This is of course easier said than done but there are people who have accomplished this with good results. You can do this too; look in the mirror and take stock of what you see. Be honest and admit your faults, but at the same time imagine what you would look like if those faults were corrected. These are your goals and once you know what your goals are, your training efforts will make more sense.
Good luck and good training!
Author Resource:
Alan Tolchin is a physician(radiologist)and a dedicated bodtbuilder. He has a blog-site called "Customized Bodybuilding Workouts" where he posts weekly on topics of interest to the bodybuilding-exercise-fitness community. His URL is http://www.customizedbodybuilding.com.
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