To live a long life is one thing. To live a high-quality life is a whole other thing. The sad truth about the average lifespan in the modern day is that many people live longer compared to the early 1800s, but the quality of life in those later years starts to drop dramatically. Even people in their thirties will utter the "must be getting old" phrase. More and more people are searching for ways to maximize their quality of life by following a workout or movement routine, bringing awareness to lifestyle choices that support longevity and utilizing some quiet or meditation practice. This blog post is for those searching to maximize their quality of life and have followed a general fitness routine for a year or more. If someone reading this is just starting to work out, go and read "How to improve performance with conditioning" and start with 2-3 times a week of cardiac output method.
So, what is this training method that makes humans live longer? First, a quick story. I was walking down a busy street in Ottawa, Ontario. I had just finished a Muay Thai practice and was headed down the busy street to catch my bus. I had headphones in, listening to a podcast and taking in the fresh fall air after a sweaty pad-hitting session. As I crossed the street, I saw a car approaching from the corner of my eye but knew there was a stop sign, so I continued to walk through the crosswalk. As neared the end of the crosswalk, the car approaching did not stop and drove right into me. Luckily, I jumped onto the hood of the moving car and rolled off onto my feet without getting hurt. The car was only moving at most 20km/hr but still fast enough to do some damage had my body not reflexed the way it did. Funny enough, I just kept walking for a few steps and stopped because I could faintly hear the driver calling out with concern. I turned around, took a headphone out, smiled and said, "Best to stop next time, huh?".
Things can go wrong quickly, and dangerous situations can happen to anyone any time. With that car nearly running me over, I am very lucky in how it turned out. Still, it is not lost on me that my body was and is primed to move rapidly if needed. The ability to move fast is not just for people playing sports. Being capable of moving the body rapidly is a real-world physical ability. It could be useful if someone needs help or you need to get yourself out of a hairy situation like I did dodging that car. An accidental fall to the ground is the leading cause of needing a trip to the hospital, especially among older populations. There are things we can do in the gym to make the body more resilient and robust to a potential injury from falling.
The ground becomes more and more dangerous in older populations.
Falling is the second-leading cause of accidental death worldwide and is a major cause of personal injury, especially for the elderly. Additionally, labour-intensive professions like construction workers, farmers, electricians, landscapers, etc., are susceptible to falls that can be fatal or cause injury. Regardless of age, it is necessary to maintain the ability to move the body fast and explosively if living a long, high-quality life is desired. So, how do you prepare the body to move fast?
Live longer by using this training method.
Without getting into human physiology weeds, still important to note that we have three muscle fibre types: very fast twitch, fast twitch and slow twitch. The main thing to know is that each muscle in the body has a mix of all three types, and how a person trains, genetics, and age will affect the ratio of fast twitch to slow twitch. It is good that we have slow twitch fibres, or bringing a fork to our mouth or typing on a computer would be hard. Also, if we slip on a banana peel, it is important for us to have fast twitch fibres ready to fire to keep ourselves from falling to the ground. As we age, everything in the body starts to degrade, but the speed at which the body breaks down can be slowed down. Concerning muscle fibres, as we age, there is a decrease in the amount of muscle fibres and a decrease in size (predominantly fast-twitch fibres). The breakdown of muscle fibres and their size can be slowed down with exercise and, more specifically, with the explosive training method. Building explosive strength can be catered to anyone regardless of age or training history.
What is explosive strength, and how can we measure it? (For all levels of gym experience)
Explosive strength is the ability to express force in minimal time. One's ability to develop force depends on a voluntary contraction called the rate of force development. An improvement in explosive strength comes from increasing the rate of force development of the primary mover, which then allows the person to be more explosive. The squat is a great example of building explosive strength. If a person can squat 50lbs at the beginning of a 4-week training plan and then at the end of the 4 weeks can now squat 100lbs, they will have access to an increased rate of force development, which equals more explosive strength.
A traditional squat is a strength-based exercise that will carry over to many important fundamental elements of being a healthy human. So, how do I develop explosive strength, and how do I measure it? One way to measure explosive strength is by using medicine balls. The underhand scoop toss for the lower body and the tall kneeling chest throw for the upper body. Our ability to take an object and throw it as far as possible is a low-impact way to build explosive strength compared to jumping. A measuring tape is useful in this situation so you can determine your baseline throwing distance, or if you don't have that, try throwing from the same spot every time and mark how far the ball goes. A basketball or volleyball can work well as a substitute if you don't have a medicine ball. Just consistently trying to throw something will do wonders for fighting back against the inevitable breakdown of our skeletal muscle and body.
Once you know your baseline throwing distance for both exercises, when practicing these movements, you can do 3-5 sets of 5-10 repetitions in each set. Again, as I mentioned, just practicing these movements will make the body more resilient and capable of moving fast, so grab your ball and throw as many times as you want. Try varying the intensity, doing some throws with 50% effort and learning what throwing technique makes the most sense for your body.
Measuring explosive strength for more advanced gym goers.
The standing vertical jump and the single-leg long jump. For the vertical jump, it is important to get a proper warmup. Here is a follow-along video on how to warm up for a vertical jump test. Once warmed up, do two practice jumps with 60 seconds of rest between each as part of the warmup to familiarize yourself with the jumping action. Some equipment is needed to measure and execute the standing vertical jump effectively, including a measuring tape against a wall to measure maximum reach and a Vertec, which accurately measures someone's vertical jumping ability. Trying to do the vertical jump and touching a spot on the wall can also work if no Vertec is available. For the baseline reach measurement, stand with feet at hip-width apart and try to reach overhead with one hand as far as possible. The starting stance for the vertical jump will differ for everyone, so go to what feels most natural before jumping. Performing three maximal jumps with as much arm swing as feels natural and resting 90 seconds between each attempt. Record the highest point reached, then take the reach height and the maximum height; the difference between those two measurements is the jump height. The vertical jump test will give a measurement of lower body explosive strength.
Another option and slightly more representative of imbalances in the lower body is the single-leg long jump test. This is one of those tests that should be mandated in our physical development programs for youth and adults following fitness routines to stay in shape for life. A lot of value can be gained from the single-leg long jump, such as uncovering an imbalance in strength, explosiveness or ability to stabilize between left and right legs and demonstrating the ability to coordinate the lower body. However, the single-leg jump has a very high impact on the body, so it is best only to do this after someone has built up some lower body strength and feels confident in their ability to jump with one leg. The protocol for this test is simple: ideally on a flat, dry surface with shoes or barefoot, the jump is to be fully initiated on one leg, and the landing must happen on that same leg. Marking the take-off point at the toe is recommended so that each subsequent jump can be done at the same spot. If the jumper loses balance, the jump does not count. Mark the jump's distance from the take-off point to the base of the heel at landing. Take roughly 90 seconds of rest between each jump.
Want more convincing for explosive training and how it fits the longevity puzzle?
The research article "The Efficacy and Safety of Lower-Limb Plyometric Training in Older Adults: A Systematic Review" drives home the importance of plyometric training and how it can help to build bone density, muscular strength, body composition and posture. To be clear, plyometric training is commonly seen as limited to jump training, but it is any short and fast movements to create maximal force in a short period of time. Something as simple as skipping every day for a few minutes can go a long way. Check out "Jump-Rope Training: Improved 3-km Time-Trial Performance in Endurance Runners via Enhanced Lower-Limb Reactivity and Foot-Arch Stiffness". Even rebounding once a day for a few minutes can keep the lower legs in good fighting shape for what life throws at you. The biggest thing you can do for your longevity is never to stop moving, and if you want to supercharge your longevity further, move fast occasionally.
Disclaimer: This content is educational and informative and should not be taken as medical advice. If you're experiencing pain, you should see a practitioner to identify the issue properly.
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