As a former high school and collegiate athlete, I look back at my personal training experiences and just shake my head in disgust. How many times did I feel confused, frustrated, and/or unmotivated? All the time. As young athletes we yearned for instruction and guidance not only on but off the field as well. I was always told to “get in the gym and lift weights”! If it were football season, and I was caught running long distance on the track, I got in trouble. If it were baseball season, I was caught weight lifting, I got caught. What I needed was a program that captured both areas of speed and strength training together, and a coaching staff that could show me the way. Now as an adult, I have found that very system.
SPEED AND STRENGTH TRAINING IS IMPORTANT TO BE HEALTHY
With our new Parisi Speed School opening in a few short weeks, I realized that this is exactly the program I needed growing up. This year I turn 30. For the first time in my life, I felt the effects of aging and how my body is able to recover from intense training. Even though my knowledge of movement, weight training, and recovery techniques increased exponentially since my competitive days, I can now use the techniques from Parisi to improve my current training methods and have been doing so for the past month. Here are some reasons to maintain a regular speed and strength training regiment as we get older in life:
- Prolong your youthful appearance– As we age, we all know our bodies begin to break down and deteriorate. However, the more active you are, the slower that process will be. The more lean muscle mass we carry, the more calories we will naturally burn. The more active our metabolism is, it will be easier to control our weight. More lean muscle mass on aging adults can help with joint deterioration, hair loss, wrinkles and more. According to the National Center Of Biotechnology Information, our Type II, or “Fast Twitch” muscles decrease by 25-35 % and contain more fat and connective tissues and those of younger adults. Now Im not saying go out there at 50 years old and run the 400m dash, deadlift 300 pounds, or try to dunk a basketball, but you can see some of the major reasons why exercise and strength training can be important.
- Be prepared for that pick up game of football when your old friends come into town- Do not be that person who sits on the couch for a decade, then goes out and tries to cut an angle on the football field that only Barry Sanders could perform, during a pick-up game with you friends. Speed and agility training has been linked to improved joint strength and mobility, improved cognitive functioning (to include stress/anxiety/mood disorders), and cardiovascular strength. Take a look a the video below from www.parisischool.com showcasing step by step instruction on how to improve your running technique.
3. Improve overall quality of life- Its not rocket science everyone. We all know that exercise when done correctly, will improve almost all aspects of our lives. Who doesn’t want to look, feel and perform better everyday? Martin Rooney from the Parisi training system says, “ aim to improve by 1% everyday. At the end of the year, you’ll have improved by 365%”. Make improving your quality of life a priority, and it wont seem like a chore. Be healthier, be happier, be more confident. This is why we need to exercise and improve our speed and strength. Lets make our adult life the best it can.
For some more science based explanations, follow these links and enjoy some fitness education. Thank you for reading everyone!
Change of direction and ACL preventative training-
How training speed without power or strength training will effect you.
by Brennan Cox
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