LiftforHealth.com

Principles

Equipment > Getting Started

A few minutes every day or so is all you need to build strength and endurance, add vitality to your life, and sculpt a good muscular physique. A streamlined routine, and a sensible nutrition regimen, will lift you up. The exercises can be performed at home. They will strengthen all your major muscle groups, exercise your heart, and give you more zest for the rest of your day. This routine will make you look better, feel healthier, and give you a more radiant quality. In fact, you will begin noticing changes in your physique within only a couple of weeks. I'm no kid. I was born in 1958 and this program is keeping me youthful.

This routine places a heavy emphasis on muscular development. Muscular exercise is absolutely essential to aging well. Natural bodybuilders who work out for life look great for their age. Their hair may turn gray and their skin may wrinkle, but from the neck down, they age much more slowly than other people. The goal of the Lift for Health program is to increase your healthspan, and as much as possible, cause it to equal your lifespan. Inactive people fall apart too early in life. There is no reason or excuse for being old at 45, yet, some people are. Proper weight training and a positive attitude towards life can help you remain vital well into your 70s and 80s, and possibly even into your 90s.

The exercises discussed here fall under four categories - in order of importance:

1. Muscular endurance (the ability to do a lot of pushups, pullups, etc.)

2. High intensity intervals (the ability to push yourself really hard in a burst of energy like a sprinter - burpees are a good example)

3. Heavy Strength (the ability to lift a decent amount of weight a few times - but my idea of strength training is not performing feats of strength)

4. Explosive Strength (the ability to shove quickly through an obstacle like a football player)

The human body was designed to walk long distances, perform manual labor (muscular endurance), occasionally lift heavy weight, and burst forth with a great deal of energy (sprinting, fighting). Long distance endurance activities, however, are unnatural, leading to repetitive use injuries, muscle wastage (catabolism), and even scarring of the heart. In other words, too much long distance running actually makes you weaker and less fit.

In contrast, moderate strength training maintains vitality through life because it keeps your bones, ligaments, and tendons strong. Strength training is complemented by HIIT, which preserves the health of your heart and arteries. The version of HIIT done in this program uses weights. The skeletal muscles should always be stressed and developed, even during cardiovascular training.

When you work out, it is important to follow your instincts. There may be times when you want to emphasize HIIT, and other times when you want to emphasize strength. Some days you may want to work out for an hour. (One hour of continuous exercise should be your upper limit to avoid oxidative stress). Other days, you may prefer to put in only 10 or 15 minutes. Do what feels right. In so doing, you will be more likely to maintain the workout lifestyle. You will enjoy it more and it will not become a burden.

The goal of this plan is longevity. An athlete may strain to be the best he can possibly be in the here and now. But in the process, beat himself down, and be so wracked with injuries when he is older, than he cannot enjoy life. The point of this program is not to be the strongest or fastest that you can possibly be. The point is to be in good condition for as long as you can throughout life.

Finally, it has become especially important in this time to maintain one's health. Exercise, take a good multi-vitamin, plus additional Vitamins C and D, fish oil, magnesium and zinc, and try to avoid getting hurt.

Helpful sites with illustrations of many of the exercises used in the LiftforHealth.com program:

Dumbbell Exercises

Bodybuilding.com Exercise Guide