Have a Very Merry Christmas!

Take a Workout Break - Your Body Will Thank You!

If you're like me and train religiously day after day and week after week with only a day or two off from your regular routine every once in a while... Then the idea of taking a week off may seem like a step backwards and almost certain gains losses!

The reality is, we need to take a break from workings out, not just our bodies but also our minds need that break too. I recently went on a family vacation to Oceanside California and it had been a really long time since I took any real time off from the gym, and to be honest, mentally I was getting really fatigued not only from my busy workout schedule but also my fairly strict eating plan. So what better time to do a take a break from my workout training program.

Here are some reasons why taking a workout break is good for you:

Weight training puts your body into a state of repair, the repair process is where the muscle adapts and becomes stronger and allows for muscle growth. This repair process take some time and uses up your bodies resources. If you never give yourself that additional time off to fully repair and in a way reset, then your body is always trying to play catch-up with somewhat limited resources. Taking a break from working out and weight training is kind of like a detox if you will but not for your digestive system, but rather for your Muscles, Joints and Connective tissues.

Taking some time off from weight trainig is super benneficial in allowing any of theose small injuries or annoying pains to have that extra time they need to fully relax and heal. 

The body is one area where you can benefit from a workout break., the second main area is your mind. Working out day in and day out along with adhering to a strict diet plan can be super wearing on a persons spirit and overall moral. Giving yourself that mental rest from the pressure of performing in the gym and having to only eat certain foods at certain times is a great stress reliever. After a workout break you will be raring to go again with a more positive attitude towards your workouts and a renewed commitment to the nutritional aspects that go along with supporting a healthy and fit body.

How frequently you require a workout break is going to depend on how often and how hard you regularly workout, and how your body handles the recovery from those workouts. Many people feel you should take a workout break every couple of months, I feel 2-3 times per year is good for me. You will have to figure out regularity in which your body requires a workout break but I do recommend you start implementing them in your training program.

Watch my YouTube Video where I also talk about how my latest workout break effected me mentally and physically during my break and after:

What is the Best Rep Range to Build Muscle Over 40?

Building muscle at any age is a lot less dependent on reps and sets than most people think.

• Muscle is muscle at any age and responds to stimulation pretty much the same across the board.
• The most important factor is Intensity, (going to failure and beyond).
• Survey performed on two groups of participants to determine how high and low Rep ranges effect muscle development: Group A did low rep ranges to failure (8-12 reps), Group B did high rep ranges to failure (25-30 reps). Both groups gained about the same amount of muscle during the testing period. Important to note that both groups performed their predetermined rep ranges to “FAILURE”
• Something to consider: Group B did more work because they performed more reps so it took longer with more effort total for the same overall results!

Some factors people over 40 should consider when determining their optimal rep ranges:

• Going too heavy can cause injuries much easier as you get older as our muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints are not as resilient as when we where younger. I find the elasticity is not the same which can cause injuries if I where to push that little bit too hard. When going heavy, any breakdown in technique or a small bobble in your form is compounded when using really heavy weights which again can lead to an injury.
• Going high rep and high volume can cause repetition based trauma and injuries especially in already sensitive or injured areas of your body. I find my arthritic knee acts up more when I do higher reps as apposed to when I do less reps using heavier weight.
• Shoot for a rep range somewhere in the middle to get results while staying away from injuries related to over-stress and over-use.
• As we get older we need to listen to our bodies and take time off when necessary. Ignoring an early warming sign will most often lead to some down time and a step backwards in your training.

Some tips to help you maximize your reps and sets:

• Intensity is always more important than how many reps and sets you do.
• Don’t be jerky and bouncy, ease into the bottom of the rep and almost pause at the bottom, then quickly move the weight to it’s top position and then without a pause, slowly lower the weight again into the bottom of the rep, repeat.
• Do not be confused with doing a lot of reps with doing a lot of work or getting a good workout. Challenge and push yourself hard and make the most out of your time in the gym! Simply moving weights up and down does very little to build muscle or gain strength other than get some blood into your muscle.

Some of my favorite reps and sets formulas when training in the gym:

Generally speaking for the four main compound movements (Squat Deadlift, Bench, Overhead Press), I like to mix it up by changing my rep ranges around from week to week. Sometimes I will even go as low as 5 reps per set, I will also do 8 reps per set, 10 reps per set and then the occasional a 15+ reps per set workout. This is because I use these movement as an overall indication of my progress and how strong I am getting so I use more of a power lifter training method when I train compound power lifting movements. I will follow up most compound exercises with accessory work for the muscle areas I trained. So for instance on Squat day I will do some leg extension, leg curls, calf raises and even sometimes throw in some dumbbell straight leg deadlifts. On Bench Press day I will follow up with flies, dips and pushups.

When it comes to accessory isolation type exercises, I train by using a varied rep range method. I’m talking about exercises like flies, curls, extensions, rows, raises… I like to start with a warm up set that is fairly light and will go as high as 20 reps. I follow this up by increasing the weight for my first working set that is usually around 12-15 reps, my last few rep should be hard but not to the point of getting close to failure. My third set will be a a little heavier and I will shoot for 10 reps or so and make sure that my last couple of reps are very difficult and on the verge of failure. My forth set and usually last set, I will again raise the weight a bit and usually try and hit somewhere between 6-8 reps and go to utter failure, most of the time my last 1-2 reps look like crap in team of from and getting full range of motion! If the machine or exercise I am using allows for drop setting, I will drop the weight another two times and again go to failure on both of them. Sometimes it takes me 5 sets to get to my ultimate heavy set depending on my weight jumps and how warmed up I am.

In Summary:

• Don’t go to heavy or too light with your weights.
• Low Reps and High Reps can both cause injuries so stick with rep ranges somewhere in the middle, I recommend 10-15 reps per set as a default, or use a varied reps method pyramiding up to your heavy low rep set.
• It’s not how long you are in the gym it’s how hard you push yourself that matters.
• This method can be used for all ages but is ideal for those over 40 since it is easier on our bodies. 

Tristar Copper Wear Compression Products Review

First off I wanted to thank Tristar Products who reached out to me with their line of Copper Wear Products so I could collaborate with them on this video.

*If you are interested in purchasing Copper Wear products, make sure to use Promo Code (copperwear2) when checking out to save 10% on your order! You can order using the following link: https://copperwear.com

What is Copper Wear?

Essentially Copper Wear Compression Products are a line of Compression Wear with Copper Strands imbedded into the spandex fabric, Copper has shown to have some healing attributes, this combined with the benefit that Compression Wear has to aid in muscle and joint recovery in theory will give you quicker results than just Compression Wear on its own.

Copper Wear can be worn while training and/or after training, you can even wear Copper Wear while you sleep.

Some Copper Wear Specifications: 

• 88% copper embedded nylon / 12 Spandex.
• Lightweight 36-gauge fabric.
• High performance compression sportswear.
• Fast wicking power.
• Odor Resistant.

Copper Wear versus other Brands:

Lab testing shows original Copper Wear has over 30% more copper than leading competitors' products. It is the only copper embedded nylon Compression Wear scientifically engineered with 88% copper nylon performance fabric that allows for deeper copper penetration and starts working the moment you put it on. Other "so-called" copper garments chemically treat their fabrics with small amounts of copper that wash out over time. Copper Wear's 88% copper content is embedded right into the fabric!

To sum up my experience testing out Tristar Copper Wear Compression Products, I found their products to be beneficial in my recovery time. I have knee issues mainly and when I wore Copper Wear Compression Knee Sleeves after Weight Training and Martial Arts, I was good to go by the next day! Often after harsh workouts my knees are sore for 3-4 days which makes follow up leg training difficult.

I noticed a cooling effect when I wore the Tristar Copper Wear Compression Products, perhaps from the high percentage of copper in them? Keeping inflamed areas cool combined with the pressure of compression wear will reduce swelling and speed up healing time for sure so I can see how the Tristar Copper Wear Compression Products work.

One slight drawback I found was that my Copper Wear Knee Sleeves would slip down towards my knees over time especially when I was moving around a lot. I do have very narrow knees and wider quads from weight training so the tapper effect will naturally want to migrate the Copper Wear Knee Sleeves to the narrowest area. There is not too much that can be done for this, even with the rubber band on the top of the Copper Wear Knee Sleeves it is not enough to hold them in place indefinitely.

I also tested out other products from Copper Wear: Their Elbow Sleeves, Open Finger Gloves, and Short Sleeve Shirt and was very satisfied with all of them. I did receive a pair of Copper Wear Shorts but have not yet tested them, they should be useful for any hip or glut pain I may encounter!

*If you are interested in purchasing Copper Wear products, make sure to use Promo Code (copperwear2) when checking out to save 10% on your order! You can order using the following link: https://copperwear.com

Overtraining Over 40

First off, make sure to refer to my “Age is Just a Number” video because one person’s 40 is not the same as another person's 40!

What is Overtraing?

Overtraining in my opinion is when you are training to the point that the high level of physical stress on your body is negatively effecting your overall health. Not only can this effect you physically health but also your mental state of mind as in mental burnout or your workouts becoming an obsession!

How do you know when you are Overtraining?

When most people are talking about overtraining they are generally referring to overtraining a muscle to the point that the added workouts are not benefiting muscle growth but to do this you have to be a training machine and in the case of the over 40 crowd I don't think many people even get remotely close to overtraining their muscles in this way. The limiting factor for most people over 40 will be areas like the joints, ligaments, shoulders, hips and back since as we age we often exhibit signs of arthritis and even the beginning stages of arthritis can cause big problems when hitting that area repeatedly with the same motion. So look for signs of joint and back pain that do not go away even after some rest. In the case of mental overtraining, make sure that you still have a positive attitude towards your workouts and that your workouts are bringing your mood up and not down.

How can Overtraining effect people over 40?

Overtraining will show itself in most people over 40 by often creeping up slowly, rather than simply being a bit sore after a workout, that pain may seem to never entirely go away. The pain can be in the muscle but most often it will be in the joint itself or the connecting ligaments and/or tendons. Being in constant pain will wear on your mental health since training while in pain is not fun at all. Don't confuse the soreness you feel in the related areas after a workout for 1-3 days as overtraning, this is normal and as long as it goes away at least until the next time you hit that area again then you should be good to go!

What can you do to prevent the effects of Overtraining?

There are several things you can do to prevent Overtraining Over 40. First off make sure to always use good form and technique, don't be afraid to push yourself but know your limitations. Mix up your training exercises to limit repetition, hitting your muscles and joint a little bit differently each time you workout will help to equalize the strain on deferent parts of your joints and body. The same goes with range of motion and grip, playing around with grip width, hand positioning and even rep range will lesson the strain on one area of your body or joint. If an area of your body is soar then work a different area, don't use soreness as an excuse to take time off from training since there are so many areas you can train and ways to train each area. Proper eating and nutrition and making sure to get enough sleep go without saying as your body needs both of these to rebuild itself after a workout.

Watch my YouTube Video on Overtraining Over 40!