What's the big deal about muscles, anyway? Well, all your movement is because of them. The stronger they are, the more easily you can move every part of yourself, and anything else you get your hands on. They help you stand up and walk straight, protect your bones and joints from injury and, when they're trained properly, regularly and you're fairly lean, they look pretty darn great.
Having a fairly low body fat level won't, by itself make you look athletic - firm toned muscles will. Here are a few of my 40+ muscle heroes:
You can find the first three strength exercises I recommend for most people at this previous post:
http://45yearold6pack.blogspot.com/2007/11/strength-to-change.html
Here are the critical steps to getting started and, then, progressing at an appropriate rate with strength trianing:
1. Think about and practice, with very light loads, these qualities of correct execution:
a. Proper posture and bio mechanics (lines of movement) It's a good idea, if you can't work with a qualified trainer, to have someone look at the pictures in the previous post, watch you execute and give you feedback afterward.
b. Smooth, fluid, full-range movements
c. Very controlled transitions (point at which you change direction in the lift)
2. Choose a load for each exercise that allows you to complete between 8-12 repetitions without compromising strict form.
3. When you get to the point where you can easily do 13 or more repetitions with strict form, increase your load 10-15%
That's it! Of course there are a number of other ways you can challenge yourself and integrate variations of lines of pull, techniques, exercise selections, etc. But let's get started first and establish a regular discipline that allows you to get stronger in a controlled, deliberate manner.
If you're practicing the nutrition guidance I'm giving you in this blog, you should notice the difference in your body in a few weeks. But you'll feel the difference in just a few workouts.
How about that?
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