Wyanokie
Level 5 Valued Member
I'm hoping to get the opinions of others, as I am at a crossroads in my training!
About me, 49 years old, good shape and good mobility. Primary activities are muay Thai, hiking, and kettlebell lifts. Have been working with kettlebells, Indian clubs and mobility routines consistently for the past two years. 4 years ago I had a movement screen and scored a 78%, two months ago had the same movement screen at the same location and scored a 92%, plus I'm stronger now than 4 years ago. Things are looking up!
About my goals: I realize that this is a bit nonspecific, but the best way to describe my goals is that over the course of my life, I want to continue to learn new strength skills, get stronger and maintain or improve mobility, as long as I am still conserving quality of movement and not being injured. IOW I don't want to pursue any endeavors that would trash my body in the long-term for short-term gains. Dan John's quote of "I want to dance with my daughter at her wedding" resonates with me more than the idea of any PR's, etc. I want to carry my own groceries, hike with my grandchildren, and pick myself up off the floor in case of a fall when I'm in my 80's. That being said I don't want to be so conservative that I don't challenge myself and push myself enough to get stronger in different ways, and have fun doing it!
So the crossroads that I am at: I have a very good, established olympic weighlifting gym 30 minutes from me, and I also have an interest in learning the lifts. At this time I'm not interested in competing as much as learning the lifts, challenging myself in new ways, and safely getting stronger. My big question is whether learning olympic lifts now aligns with my goals of longevity? I've heard stories of older lifters in the gym (O-lifters in their 70's and even 80's) still performing impressive feats, but I don't know if they are outliers or not. Will incorporating the O-lifts (pursued with good coaching and reasonable weights) allow me to get stronger/better over the years and still maintain my joint/spine health and mobility, or is the risk of trashing my body too high if I pursue this now?
Thank you (very much) for any help you can offer!
Wyanokie
About me, 49 years old, good shape and good mobility. Primary activities are muay Thai, hiking, and kettlebell lifts. Have been working with kettlebells, Indian clubs and mobility routines consistently for the past two years. 4 years ago I had a movement screen and scored a 78%, two months ago had the same movement screen at the same location and scored a 92%, plus I'm stronger now than 4 years ago. Things are looking up!
About my goals: I realize that this is a bit nonspecific, but the best way to describe my goals is that over the course of my life, I want to continue to learn new strength skills, get stronger and maintain or improve mobility, as long as I am still conserving quality of movement and not being injured. IOW I don't want to pursue any endeavors that would trash my body in the long-term for short-term gains. Dan John's quote of "I want to dance with my daughter at her wedding" resonates with me more than the idea of any PR's, etc. I want to carry my own groceries, hike with my grandchildren, and pick myself up off the floor in case of a fall when I'm in my 80's. That being said I don't want to be so conservative that I don't challenge myself and push myself enough to get stronger in different ways, and have fun doing it!
So the crossroads that I am at: I have a very good, established olympic weighlifting gym 30 minutes from me, and I also have an interest in learning the lifts. At this time I'm not interested in competing as much as learning the lifts, challenging myself in new ways, and safely getting stronger. My big question is whether learning olympic lifts now aligns with my goals of longevity? I've heard stories of older lifters in the gym (O-lifters in their 70's and even 80's) still performing impressive feats, but I don't know if they are outliers or not. Will incorporating the O-lifts (pursued with good coaching and reasonable weights) allow me to get stronger/better over the years and still maintain my joint/spine health and mobility, or is the risk of trashing my body too high if I pursue this now?
Thank you (very much) for any help you can offer!
Wyanokie