I talk a lot about separating weight from fitness, but that can be vague—knowing what not to focus on isn’t as helpful as knowing what to focus on instead, so I thought I’d use this issue to clarify what I mean with some concrete alternatives. One of the many reasons I don’t like to use weight loss as a metric for the success of a strength training program is that, while it’s okay to want to lose weight, doing that in a healthy, sustainable way takes a long time—plus, muscle gain can also result in weight gain (because muscle weighs more than fat), even if your size doesn’t change. This means that a focus on weight is unproductive in two ways: first, because it doesn’t provide immediate gratification unless you’re doing unhealthy amounts of restriction and exercise, and second, it can actively take away from a feeling of pride in the increased strength that a weight gain might reflect. A lot of my clients have found that, when they direct their attention away from weight loss, they notice other changes that have way more bearing on their everyday life than a number on the scale. What follows is a list of some of the kinds of other wins I’m talking about, taken from both my own and my clients’ experiences.
Everyday tasks become easier.
I’ve lost count of how many clients have come to me after a month or so to excitedly report that they carried all the groceries into their house in one trip. It’s so common that it’s basically a meme. Other examples: being less sore after rigorous yard work, being able to lift heavy household objects more easily, and experiencing less pain picking up, chasing after, and playing with their small children. Whatever the task, the biggest surprise for a lot of people is how quickly they see improvement in their abilities. It really doesn’t take long!Increased range of motion.
Being able to touch your toes, crouch lower, bend over with more ease, and get deeper rotation in joints like your shoulders are just some of the ways you’ll see exercise improve your ability. One of my favorite instances of this is the time I was at HomeGoods squatted ass-to-grass looking at candles on the very bottom shelf and realizing that it was actually easy because my hip mobility had improved so much.Seeing or feeling a new muscle pop out.
I’ve had clients text me pictures and excitedly point out the emergence of a tricep muscle after only six weeks of exercise, and, even more often, I hear reports of simply feeling “firmer” after a short while. I love this metric because, while a lot of people will see muscle definition quickly, there’s no end to the process. Two personal anecdotes come to mind for me. The first is developing more muscular shoulders over time. While I definitely saw changes early on in my lifting life, they continued to accumulate until I reached “shoulder boulder” status. Recently, I’ve had a similar experience with my quads—after years of focusing on getting stronger through the front of my legs so that I could take some of the pressure off my poor overworked hamstrings, all of a sudden I have huge thighs to show for all of my hard work. Now, as a note of caution, I want to be clear here that focusing on muscle development in and of itself can become unhealthy if it morphs into a fixation on appearance. But if we look at muscle growth as an indicator of using those muscles more often, it can be very motivating, a tangible representation of all the strength we’ve built.Increased performance in the gym.
This might seem a little obvious, but a lot of my clients are shocked by how much easier the same exercise can be from week to week. I typically program for my clients in 4-week cycles, meaning that we’ll do the same exercises for four weeks in a row. This more focused approach provides consistency, which is the foundation of a successful training program, but also an opportunity to compare weekly progress on a 1:1 basis. Beyond that, as our workouts continue, my clients find themselves moving weights they didn’t think would ever be possible, overcoming their fear of the squat rack, and feeling excited rather than intimidated by challenging progressions.More energy.
A lot of my clients report that within a few weeks of starting a new exercise program, they’re experiencing less fatigue throughout the day, sleeping better, and having an easier time waking up. How we reap these benefits depends on the person—for some people, exercise is a great way to wind down at the end of the day and prepares the body for rest. For other people, like me, a morning workout can provide a sustained increase in focus and motivation throughout the day. This is because exercise releases serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, neurotransmitters that contribute to mental health and a sense of well-being, as well as alertness. Even one workout can have this effect, so it’s a great immediate gratification metric.
I could go on, but in the interest of keeping it short and sweet, I’ll stop here. Hopefully, these examples give you an idea of some of the many alternatives to a focus on weight, which is also the key to building long-term, sustainable healthy habits. There are so many ways that building strength can also build our self-esteem if we learn to pay attention to them, and as a trainer, that’s all I want: to help my clients feel good about themselves for who they are and what they do, not how they look.
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Body weight is one of the top factors in joint failure in the over 50. If someone was athletic as a 20 yr old, they should weight the same as a 50 or 60 yr old.
Would love if the media / social would stop brainwashing us and focus on the importance of being able to bend over post 40!!!!