Arnold SchwarzeneggerLet’s be clear.
Fitness is for everyone. More specifically, resistance training is for everyone.EVERYONE.
We have shared study after study about the benefits of strength training. People with strong muscles live longer and, more importantly, live better. Strength makes everything easier.
If you are a runner, strength training will improve your running. In fact, strength training will improve any sport you enjoy. I see messages every day now from people who were hesitant about lifting but got sucked in by this email or the app, and they’re surprised at how they’ve improved in their running, or cycling, or soccer.
This is heaven to me because lifting weights was seen as a negative for most sports when I started training. Now, every sports team has a bigger gym than we ever had in the 70s. Even golfers talk about how training has benefitted their game.
If you’re older, it is never too late. I hope you’ve seen the studies we’ve shared about how strength training can minimize common injuries, strengthen your bones, and help you live longer with a better quality of life. It helps with balance and coordination, and it protects your brain. But if you haven’t been reading for a long time, trust me. Add some resistance to your life. You will benefit in so many ways, and even though it is harder at our age to build muscle - it isn’t impossible. Trust me — I’m turning 76 this week.
If you’re a woman, there is absolutely no reason to fear getting bulky or any of the wild crap you hear. To be honest, I got used to hearing this from everyone — not just women — back when I was competing. It always shocked me. Did people think they would hit the gym once and suddenly look like they were ready to get on stage at a bodybuilding show? When people said, “I don’t want to look like you,” I thought, “Are you nuts? It took me 4-5 hours a day, 6 days a week to look like this.”