Discover Strength by discovertaichi

DISCOVER STRENGTH

Helping women and older adults build confidence and strength for life

Philip Sheridan & Helen Parsons

DISCOVER STRENGTH

First edition 2022 Copyright © Philip Sheridan and Helen Parsons 2022 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form on by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Published by: Lift Well UK, Keighley

INTRODUCTION Hi, we're Helen and Phil, we help people build their confidence and strength for life. If you're a motivated woman or older adult who would like to start strength training with supportive and evidence-based coaches, we can help. We aim to inspire confidence, help you learn new skills, make friends, have fun, and support you to meet your fitness and wellbeing goals. As qualified strength coaches with British Powerlifting and British Weightlifting we run private and small group strength coaching sessions in-person and online. In this short booklet, we share with you a set of infographics that we use with our participants to help them understand the principles of safe and effective strength building. We hope the simple advice and tips we present here will support you to embrace strength training as a key part of enjoying a healthy and happy lifestyle. Get in touch, we're here to support you along the way. Helen & Phil

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

THE GOOD NEWS The message from studies is clear. If we wish to enjoy our independence we need to build our physical strength and maintain our muscle mass as we get older. Every task we do at home, work, or for leisure, is built on a foundation of physical strength. Building our strength doesn't require us to spend hours a week in a gym. Nor will we end up looking like a body-builder, unless that's your aim. By following a simple strength training plan with a qualified strength coach we can all begin to build our strength. With strong muscles we can rise from a chair, take on a flight of stairs, pick up our children or grandchildren, lift heavy bags, enjoy our gardening, walk, run, and cycle further, enjoy our games of golf or tennis, dance, you name it, all for longer.

References Mcleod, Jonathan C., et al. “Resistance Exercise Training as a Primary Countermeasure to Age-Related Chronic Disease.” Frontiers in Physiology, vol. 10, 6 June 2019, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00645/full, 10.3389/fphys.2019.00645. Accessed 1 Dec. 2019. WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. 2020

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

WHY BUILD STRENGTH? THE NOT SO GOOD NEWS From the age of 30, we all begin to lose 3 to 8% of our muscle mass and strength every decade. From age 60 we lose even more.

By the age of 65 we increase our risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiopulmonary conditions, osteoporosis, and living with a lower quality of life with an increased risk of experiencing a fall and frailty.

THE THRESHOLD OF INDEPENDENCE

Adapted on Skelton et al

Skelton, Dawn A., and Alexandra Mavroeidi. “How Do Muscle and Bone Strengthening and Balance Activities (MBSBA) Vary across the Life Course, and Are There Particular Ages Where MBSBA Are Most Important?” Journal of Frailty, Sarcopenia and Falls, vol. 03, no. 02, June 2018, pp. 74–84, 10.22540/jfsf-03-074. Accessed 2 July 2020.

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

YOUR STRENGTH BANK ACCOUNT We all need to save for our retirement. We also need to save into our strength account too.

h ome t a Train

Sta

we i gh t s

We can start with simple exercises at home or at work.

We can save even more with a strength coach and progressive strength training.

We need to deliberately practise our balance and agility skills too.

LIFT WELL Strength Training

s t r engt h r u

En j oy

ba l ance r u

F i nd

It's never too late to start saving. Save a little, live a lot!

By starting now we can enjoy the things we like to do for a lot longer

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

HOW DO WE BUILD STRENGTH? The Principles Of Building Strength How Do We Define Strength? Strength is: “The maximum force that can be generated during a specific movement at a specific velocity of contraction.” – ACSM 2022

Specific

How Do We Build Strength? A strength building plan must be: Specific, in other words, it must build strength rather than muscular, or aerobic endurance.

Overload

It must be specific to the movements or activities we wish to strengthen, although we start with good foundations of whole body strength first. It must progressively overload us as we adapt and build strength - usually measured with gradual increases in load over time called periodisation. It must make use of variations in volume, intensity, tempo, frequency, reps and sets, rest, and other variables to continue to stimulate the necessary physiological adaptations. Finally, it must be tailored to the individual.

Variation

Individual

* American College of Sports Medicine, Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 2022.

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

HOW DO WE BUILD STRENGTH? How Many Repetitions? Studies show we need to work within a specific repetition range of 1 to 6 repetitions (reps) if we wish to build our strength.

Sweet Spot

Diminishing returns

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Five (5) reps gives us an easily remembered sweet spot.

Beyond 8 reps we will find our strength gains start to diminish.

References American College of Sports Medicine, Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 2022. American College of Sports Medicine. “Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, vol. 41, no. 3, Mar. 2009, pp. 687–708. Schoenfeld, Brad J., et al. “Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum.” Sports, vol. 9, no. 2, 22 Feb. 2021, p. 32.

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

HOW HARD I'M I WORKING?

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 LIFT WELL Strength Training

TOO MUCH We call this scale the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), or Reptitions In Reserve (RIR) scale.

JUST RIGHT TOO LITTLE For example: Score your workout with a number between 5 and 10. You lift an 8kg kettlebell from the floor five times You feel you could have lifted it three more times with good form so you score your effort at 7/10 Perfect! You're working in the sweet spot of effort.

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

HUMAN FACTORS We programme computers, not human beings. A progressive strength training plan should provide just enough physical stimulation to build our strength overtime with in the context of all our other commitments.

Strength Training Overlays the persons life

Getting Stronger

Wider Context Friends, family, diet, home, income, psycho-emotional state, genetics, etc, can all, or in part, support or add stress to the person.

Kiely, J. Periodization Theory: Confronting an Inconvenient Truth. Sports Med 48, 753–764 (2018).

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

Focus your balance in the mid-foot area of your feet. With this focus on mid-foot balance you will move safely and with confidence.

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

TOP TIPS Aim to enjoy planned strength training two days a week. It doesn't matter which days you choose. If you feel very tired or under the weather, rest for a day or two. Enjoy your meals. Whole foods with a balance of protein, carbohydrate, and fats with lot's of vegetables at least three times a day will meet all your nutritional needs. If you've had a busy day with work, housework, shopping, gardening, or travel, you may feel you have done enough that day – take a rest Listen to your body. Work within a comfortable range of motion. Remember you get fitter and stronger on the days you rest not when you exercise. Get a good nights sleep.

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: info@ironforlife.uk T: 07528959091

FIND OUT MORE Research Based Books We like The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition (9th Edition) by Anita Bean. Publisher: Bloomsbury Sport; 9th edition (3 Mar. 2022). Another book we simply can't praise enough. The definitive sports nutrition book in its 9th edition. Regarded in the industry as core reading for anyone involved in sport and fitness. Anita Bean succeeds in demystifying sports nutrition in her a clear and concise style. Packed with practical advice - suggested menus, recipes and eating plans relevant to all forms of training. Available in Kindle and Paperback versions.

Scientific Principles of Strength Training by Dr. Mike Israetel, Dr. James Hoffman, and Chad Wesley. Publisher: Renaissance Periodization (5 April 2020). The authors present the essential scientific principles that underpin building strength. Essential for coaches and perhaps of interest to those who really wish to understand the how's and why's of building strength for life. Available in Kindle.

The Barbell Prescription: Strength Training for Life After 40 by Jonathon M Sullivan. Publisher: The Aasgaard Company (7 April 2017). Jonathon Sullivan MD, PhD, FACEP, SSC is an emergency physician, physiologist, and Strength Coach. We can't recommend this seminal book enough. The author has written, perhaps, the definitive text for older adults who wish to enjoy the benefits of regular strength training, and strength coaches who would like to work with older adults. Available in Kindle and Paperback versions.

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

REFERENCES American College of Sports Medicine, Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 2022. American College of Sports Medicine. “Progression Models in Resistance Training for Healthy Adults.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, vol. 41, no. 3, Mar. 2009, pp. 687–708. Fragala, Maren S., et al. “Resistance Training for Older Adults.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, vol. 33, no. 8, Aug. 2019, pp. 2019–2052, 10.1519/jsc.0000000000003230. Mcleod, Jonathan C., et al. “Resistance Exercise Training as a Primary Countermeasure to Age-Related Chronic Disease.” Frontiers in Physiology, vol. 10, 6 June 2019, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00645/full, 10.3389/fphys.2019.00645. Accessed 1 Dec. 2019. Schoenfeld, Brad J., et al. “Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum.” Sports, vol. 9, no. 2, 22 Feb. 2021, p. 32. Skelton, Dawn A., and Alexandra Mavroeidi. “How Do Muscle and Bone Strengthening and Balance Activities (MBSBA) Vary across the Life Course, and Are There Particular Ages Where MBSBA Are Most Important?” Journal of Frailty, Sarcopenia and Falls, vol. 03, no. 02, June 2018, pp. 74–84, 10.22540/jfsf-03-074. Accessed 2 July 2020. WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. 2020

LIFT WELL Strength Training

Get in touch, we're here to help. E: hello@lift-well.uk T: 07528959091

Helping women and older adults build confidence and strength for life.