Ahhhh, to feel young again. Playful, vibrant, and supple.
For many men and women over 40, this isn’t some flashback or pipe dream. It’s their reality.
It’s as if Father Time turned back the clock for them.
And lately I’ve been feeling this way more than ever before.
Ever since I thumbed my nose at mainstream fitness (seven years ago) and got back to my roots of old school bodybuilding, I’ve never had more fun in the gym.
With the iron in my hands and blood pumping through my veins I feel young again. And at the risk of sounding vain or arrogant, I’ve never looked better than I do now in my 40’s.
Yet, although these workouts make me feel playful and vibrant, there are moments when I don’t feel quite so supple.
Fortunately my joints feel great, thanks to the intelligent and strategic approach I take with training. But there are moments when muscle stiffness makes me feel like I’m a much older man.
Admittedly, I’ve been a bit stubborn when it comes to mobility drills and stretching. It’s one area of my lifestyle where I’ve been a bit lazy. Mainly because I dreaded the thought of it. I felt like it was something I had to do, but didn’t want to do.
That is, until my teenage daughter, Noelle made the experience fun for me.
She’s been bringing me to the track a couple days per week to do some sprint workouts. Some days we do 100m, 200m, and 300m sprint pyramids. Other days we do 50m, 100m, 150m sprint pyramids.
The moment I stepped on the track with her I felt young again. It was a nostalgic feeling that brought me back to my youth.
I felt ‘free’ with every stride during our first 50m warm up run. A little stiff, but free.
And then she uttered those words that send shivers down my spine, “Let’s start with some stretches and mobility work.”
There was a brief moment where it felt like we switched roles and I was the one saying, “Aw, do we have to???” and she was the one saying, “Yes, it’s for your own good.” 😀
But the expression on her face melted my heart and I was putty in her hands as she took on the leadership role while teaching this old dog new tricks.
I became lost in the moment. It was no longer about improving my mobility. It was all about the bonding experience with my daughter.
It was as if she cast a spell on me and the next thing I knew, my hips and shoulders were feeling loose as the stiffness melted away.
I felt like a million bucks. And then once we began the sprints it felt as though I was running on cloud 9.
In the past you may have heard me mention that all aspects of physique transformation should enhance your life. This is a prime example.
The mobility drills are freeing me from the chains of muscle stiffness. The sprint work is improving my conditioning while sparking wonderful emotions from my ‘glory days’. And the time spent with my daughter is beyond priceless.
In addition to these two mobility and sprint sessions per week, I’ve also included some mobility drills at the beginning of my workouts. Nothing crazy. Five to ten minutes is all it takes to loosen you up and make you feel great.
Side rant: I get a bit cranky when I see people spend more time doing mobility drills before their workout than they actually spend working out. Don’t be that person 😉
Now since this whole mobility thing is new to me, I’ve sought out the expertise of my fellow bro’s who are more experienced in this area, such as Dr. John Rusin, Dean Somerset, and Tony Gentilcore.
Here’s a great warm up giant set that I’ve been doing before most upper body workouts. It includes the Band Back and Over, Band Facepulls, and Band Pull Apparts.
For lower body workouts I like to begin with some ankle mobility work as I feel it limits me with a lot of movements.
Then I like to get into some hip mobility work, while choosing a couple of these drills; Seated 90-90 Hip Switches, 2-Step 3D hip Mobility Drill, Single Leg Adductor Rock Back to Thoracic Spine Rotation, and the Yoga Plex
The Big Take Home Message
When your workouts are fun, engaging, and include elements that improve your mobility, it’s like drinking from the fountain of youth.
If you dread the thought of stretching and mobility drills like I did, you’ll need to find a way to make it fun. Using it as quality time with my daughter has been a huge payoff for me. And once I experienced the benefits of performing the mobility drills, I became hooked.
My wife does her stretching and mobility work while she’s watching television before bed. It helps relax her mind and body while preparing her for a great night sleep.
If you’re enthusiasm for working out has been subpar, don’t worry. I’ve got your back.
Bringing the fun back to working out for men and women over 40 is something that my bro Bryan Krahn and I excel at.
Whether it’s with our Physique Mastery Sculpt System, Physique Mastery Muscle group coaching experience, or our 1 on 1 personalized coaching, we’ll inject that youthful playfulness into your training.
Same goes for cardio and conditioning. I experience no joy from any piece of cardio equipment in the gym. Jogging beats up my joints and I get bored easily.
But sprinting, that’s a different story. I love it and it’s easy on my joints. Combining two sprint sessions and walks with my dog on a daily basis is my personal recipe for success.
When you take part in activities you enjoy and make you feel great, fitness becomes an adventure.
Sculpt a Masterpiece,
Coach Scott Tousignant