Safe and effective functional workout for overall health
Tommy is sitting in the office and speaking to a colleague on a Friday afternoon about his training leading up to the race and the injury he sustained right before. His colleague asked him how he recovered in time for the race, and Tommy answered that he hadn’t done anything for the whole week.
Tommy’s colleague told him that he recently learned that it is critical to train as you get older to avoid injuries, and you don’t want to do any exercises with a high risk of getting injured.
“Hmm,” Tommy said as he began to wonder. “Is it due to the slow recovery as you age?” Tommy asked.
His colleague answered that he was unsure if it was the complete reason, but it made a lot of sense as it had something to do with it.
Tommy left the office and went home to his apartment. On his way home, he was thinking about if he could design his own program that was safe and effective.
When he finally arrived home, he sat in front of the computer researching how to build a workout program and what exercises would be good to do. After 1 hour and 30 minutes, Tommy felt overwhelmed by all the information and different workout designs.
Tommy looked at the program the personal trainer had given him, which was set up in supersets of 3 sets and 10 reps.
As he had already identified a few exercises, Tommy added them to the program to create supersets. As he began to write the training program, he planned to do a full-body workout four times a week, incorporating pull-ups, bench press, squats, and deadlifts twice a week, along with sled push, sled drag, farmer’s walks, and hanging.
The other two times a week, he would replace pull-ups, bench press, squats, and deadlifts with ab exercises. Throughout the rest of the week, he planned a day for sprinting, stretching, and mobility, a day for long-distance running and stretching, and the last day of the week for mobility and stretching.
Tommy shared it with the personal trainer to ask if he had any suggestions, and the personal trainer answered that he was impressed by Tommy for creating the program. It actually looked quite good.
He told Tommy to try it out and let him know what he thinks and how well it worked. Three months later, Tommy visited his cousin, who lives on a farm, and it was also a way to get a bit of vacation. Tommy always remembered it as torture, feeling so draining, as the physical labor was very intense and tough. After being there for three days, he didn’t feel as sore and tired as he usually did. The physical labor had also become less intense than what he remembered, as his body felt much better to move and do physical work.
In the evening, the personal trainer called Tommy to ask how it was going with the workout program he had designed and told him about all the differences he felt at the farm. The personal trainer responded, “That is quite interesting, and it is mainly due to the focus on functional movements that translate to everyday movement. Plus, you have improved your mobility and flexibility, which makes it easier for your body to move.”
Tommy answered, “It feels very good, and it’s also like my body feels lighter.”
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