Ah, supplements — to the uninitiated, they seem like powdered steroids dispensed via that obnoxious shaker the religiously “fit” among us are always carrying around the office instead of a coffee cup. To the beginner, they offer the promise of expedited progress, or even progress you could never do without the aid of science and […]
old man fitness
Old Man Fitness: Tailoring your workout to your injuries
As we get older, we tend to collect things. Piles of artifacts representing memories both lost and treasured, old receipts we think we may need, and that shirt you know you can’t pull off anymore but just can’t find it in yourself to part with all take their places in our lives and homes like […]
Old Man Fitness: How to earn your ‘black belt’ in fitness
If you’ve ever taken the time to sit and read a bodybuilding magazine from cover to cover, you’ll likely come to a few interesting conclusions: the first is that advertising often tries really hard to pretend it’s expert analysis, and the second is that supposed experts in the fitness field often contradict one another, and even themselves, […]
Old Man Fitness: Superstition, fitness and the power of belief
The old adage, “there are no atheists in foxholes,” while maybe not universally true, speaks to the level of helplessness that’s inherent to our very being. No matter how hard you work, no matter how prepared you try to be, there comes a time when there’s nothing left to do but succeed or fail. There, […]
Old Man Fitness: How to keep making progress when lifting alone
For lots of people, fitness is a social endeavor. They go to the gym with the intention of both improving themselves and catching up with friends, and for many, it’s that social interaction (and peer pressure) that helps keep them coming back. The social element of fitness can be a powerful one, serving as the […]
The power of your playlist in the gym
The workout mix: a time-honored tradition of fitness enthusiasts in gyms all across the world. Few things can inspire an athlete to push harder, to work longer … or to start a fist fight with other gym goers better than a carefully selected list of songs intended to get the heart pumping. At some point, […]
Old Man Fitness: Establishing a fitness baseline
I’ve been asked on multiple occasions over the years what I consider the be a good measuring stick when it comes to fitness, and just about every time, I respond with the same canned answer: fitness is a personal journey, and I’m not here to tell you how to pursue it. I really do mean that, we’re all […]
Old Man Fitness: Body image issues aren’t just for girls anymore
When you hear the phrase “body image,” (particularly when followed by the word “issues”) your brain may immediately associate the concept with an insecure teenage girl, walking through the magazine aisle of her local grocery store. With photoshopped images of hundred pound, six-foot tall super models littering the covers of each issue, you wouldn’t be […]