Written in conjunction with StrengthCoach Podcast Ep. #301
As you get older you HAVE TO continue challenging your nervous system to be fast, powerful and coordinated. We lose power at almost twice the rate we lose strength.
Every decade after 40, power declines 17% and strength 10%. In 30 years (at age 70), you’ll have lost 30% of your strength and 51% of your power. With that in mind, training power is paramount for our aging clients and athletes. Slow, shuffling gait and an inability to coordinate foot contact is why elderly individuals suffer from accidental falls.
Everyday you should think about incorporating drills that…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Power Skipping is one of my favorite exercises for older individuals who don’t tolerate the impact of traditional jumping and hopping. Skipping is easy on the joints but still demands the powerful hip extension that translates directly to gait patterning. An inability to walk with a long stride length is a major risk factor predisposing elderly individuals to accidental falls. Skipping demands aggressive, reciprocal hip motion which can help train a long, powerful stride.
Often heavily loaded power drills are not safe options for aging adults. However, sled sprinting has proven to be a low risk and high reward way to train loaded, lower body extension power. Lower limb and hip extensor power is directly correlated with accidental fall risk in adults over 60 years old.
Besides being a great way to train upper body power, medicine ball drills also provide an opportunity to train coordinated foot work and multi-directional stepping. Drills that require crossing over, lunging and lateral stepping help to develop full body movement coordination as well as deceleration skills to aid fall with prevention.
If you reading this I hope we’ve inspired you to keep a little more spring in your step. Remember that the best way to ensure you still have power at 60, is to never lose it in the first place. Start training power when you’re young and never stop.
Our Certified Functional Strength Coach Level 1 Online Course is designed to provide you with the same experience you’d get attending our live Level 1 workshop. Complete with the same pre-workshop materials, our Online Course includes a ‘Virtual Live Workshop’, where you will follow a CFSC instructor through an entire Level 1 Workshop complete with instruction, demonstration and question and answer as if you were spending the day at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning. Keeping with our rigorous practical standards, all enrollees will be required to complete an online exam and a coaching practical featuring video and open ended questions to complete their certification.
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