Attention to core takes you up the pyramid with confidence

You’ve heard the refrain, endlessly no doubt: exercise for health and fitness, especially over age 40. However, that can have different meaning for everyone, depending on background, goals and experience.

Paul Kolody is Somerset Medical Center’s Manager of the Sports Performance and Rehabilitation Center. He has worked with athletes in a wide variety of sports. His best qualification, however, may come in this remark. “We try to do exactly the same things as all our athletes, no matter what the age. Not only does it make us well-versed in the program, but it shows them how to do it. Rarely do we ask the athletes to do something that we can’t do ourselves.”

Kolody gives a definition of fitness over 40 for basic levels, and a bit of uniquely helpful advice.

BEGINNER:

After getting clearance to start exercising from your doctor, the key tip for someone not used to exercising is to develop a plan, and stick to it. It doesn’t matter if you get the plan from a personal trainer, the Internet, or resume something that has worked out for you in the past. Getting “into the groove” is the whole key. The reason people fail, for example, is that they go into the gym without a plan. You can waste a lot of time in the gym if you’re aimless, and what’s the main excuse for those who fail to be consistent?-- not enough time.

The biggest mistake is that beginners who need it don’t have someone to help them create a plan. Your chances of success are so much greater with guidance. There are no questions: 20 minutes on the treadmill, lifting weights with the upper and lower body—this is the type of efficient program that gets you doing what you’re supposed to.

INTERMEDIATE:

Whether you’re a “weekend warrior” playing tennis or in a softball league, do something you enjoy. You don’t necessarily have to do it for time, or to test yourself. You want to stay healthy for your exercise, and for everyday activities. The key for intermediates is to understand the pyramid: stability (strength makes you stable), mobility (how you move), and flexibility (length of your muscles). The foundation of that pyramid is a strong, solid core (stomach, hips, back area). Then, if you want to ramp it up, increase the amount or intensity of your exercise, you have a strong foundation to build from.

The biggest mistake people make is ramping up their exercise, moving up in the pyramid, without a strong base. That’s when trouble like pains and muscle pulls occur. Spend from 10 to 20 minutes on the core, depending on your overall workout plan.

ADVANCED:

This category often enjoys competition. You should maintain core strength and stability, but also focus on more of the technical aspects of your sport or activity. You might be working on single leg or arm strength, speed and agility. But if you are just a runner, for example—and do nothing but run, working your body only one way—you could be in for injury problems.

You should still have a well-rounded program, with strength and flexibility. This may be done with body weight or free weights or machines, and stretching.

Also, your program will be more well rounded if you run for a reason—that is, with a plan. So, in addition to long, slow distance, you might experiment with interval running (shorter, faster bursts of speed, coupled with a recovery jog). This is true for other activities as well, such as biking or swimming.