18 Feb Longevity
By Will Kuenzel/Lowcountry Strength, Charleston, SC
My first daughter was born a couple years ago. She was only about 6 months old when I severely strained/partially tore my right hamstring. The time I spent laid up, fighting to move around, and just struggling to be normal really set in my mind the fact that I wanted to be healthy for her, and now her younger sister, for a long time. I love powerlifting and will do absolutely everything in my power to continue to get better and improve on it. I will also, however, plan to do it in such a way that it does not impede with my ability to be good father to my children.
I have the fortune to train some amazing clients that have pushed past their 60s and 70s. These clients have been training in some for or fashion for a long time. It’s incredible to see just what the human body is capable of when it has been well taken care of. To that end, it’s no secret that powerlifting, or any other high-end performance sport, can be rough on the body. As powerlifters, taking care of our bodies for the long term is difficult to think about. It’s too easy to get caught up in training for the next meet, chasing higher numbers, and not taking a step back to see just how we need to be taking care of ourselves, so that we have longer careers. Not to mention, so that we have the ability later in life to do more than just hobble around the house while the rest of the family runs and plays.
The idea of longevity isn’t just about deloading from time to time. Granted it’s no secret that we at Team Power Rack Strength take our deloads, but we also believe in taking care of our bodies so that we can live to lift another day. There’s quite a few Instagram fitpros that are on the “#TeamNoDaysOff”. Grinding every day in the gym and just slowly digging a hole of wear and tear on their bodies that becomes harder and harder to climb out of. The philosophy of 10/20/Life is “no days off” as well, but it’s geared to the fact that we treat our bodies like athletes 24/7. This means that we as are constantly moving through everyday life, we see our lives as sports as well. Always looking at proper movement mechanics, protecting our back and joints, while doing all the things we can to improve performance. The thought process for this philosophy extends to more than just the confines of the gym walls but reaches out to how we work and how we play.
Lifting is a hobby for most of us. Let’s face the reality that lifting isn’t paying the bills. Powerlifting even less than bodybuilding, or CrossFit. Powerlifitng takes up a considerable amount of time and even more so if you travel to competitions. To take even more away from friends and family is hard to justify. Don’t take away the ability to do fun things as a family, or as a group because you’ve lost the ability to move because of a hobby.
You’ve got a few exceptions, but look to the majority of high level lifters. The one thing they have in common is that they’re consistently working hard with very few (if any) set-backs. They’re consistently building that base that helps to support a higher peak. They don’t spend months on end battling back from severe injuries. Injuries that could potentially hurt them again later because they rushed the rehab process. They’re patient. They’re calculated in their training. They don’t get hurt. They look to the long term and not just the next meet.
One thing I constantly am telling my lifters is that there is always another meet. This is never your last meet. Keep building on that base. Trust the training and even if you don’t hit those numbers you want this time, there’s the next meet and a meet after that. And still yet, another meet after that. Keep hitting small PR’s and before you know it, you’ve surpassed those original goals. Don’t feel the need to think that this is the last training cycle you’ll ever have. If you survive this one, then there can be another to build on what the last one created.
This includes nutrition as much as it does lifting. Body composition doesn’t have to happen overnight. I’ve been lifting in the 220lbs weight class for 10 years. Started at 218lbs and didn’t cut, then moved to 224lbs and cut to 220lbs and over the years gaining a few pounds here and there. I’m larger and leaner than when I first started but still able to fit comfortably in the 220’s. Have patience with the diet and the nutrition. Getting too big too fast only makes the dieting harder later. Cutting too much through one training cycle can lead to a huge loss of strength. Small, but consistent steps that help lead to a lifestyle that’s much easier to live with.
Plan out what needs to be done over the course of years. It is tough sometimes, to look that far out, but a healthy consistent plan wins out any day. The key to longevity is knowing the limitations and accepting them. Know that it takes time to build that base that will support the highest peak. Your highest total will come after years of hard work. Not one amazing training cycle. You can have one amazing training cycle if you’re lucky, or you can have multiple beneficial training cycles that lead to multiple amazing meets. What’s more important, that one PR or a life time of them?
Low Country Strength
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