AHA and ACSM
According to the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine if you’re younger (I like how they phrase this) than 65 you need “moderately intense cardiovascular exercise 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week and strength training exercises twice per week” in order to “stay healthy”. They define “moderately intense cardiovascular exercise” as anything that “causes you to sweat without preventing you from carrying on a conversation.” They also list climbing the stairs and calisthenics as “strength training exercises”.
If those statements don’t send a chilling message I don’t know what would. “Climbing” the stairs- they make it sound like you’re scaling Everest. If you are so decrepit that climbing the stairs is a STRENGTH exercise…please call me…I guarantee I can get you in better shape. Don’t get me wrong, I get winded when traversing the stairs but it definitely is not a strength exercise. How are we, as a society, classified as so fat and lazy that every day activities like talking while walking are classified as “exercise”? And, I have yet to train someone who doesn’t need to get stronger in some way. It’s not too often that a 60 year old is going to have to run in their life, however, they will have to pick something heavy up quite a number of times during the day.
Why not working on getting stronger at an earlier age? Your body can always get in better “aerobic” conditioning. That’s easy. However, it’s very difficult to build muscle and increase strength levels. Do it while you’re young. If you fall down when you’re 60 and break your hip, chances are it’s because your bones are FRAIL and FRAGILE because of your LACK OF STRENGTH.
These two brainiacs then go on to say if you’re over the age of 65 you should do “strength training exercises 2 to 3 times per week.”
Interesting. Lift weights more when you’re older, not younger. I guess they really want to lay down a good foundation of cardiovascular training so you can enter that 80+ triathlon you have dreamed about doing your whole life while trying to make carrying your laundry basket up and down the stairs as difficult as possible because of your lack of strength.
But hey, at least you will be an 80 year old with a six pack weighing 130 lb. Which reminds me, make sure you stay inside if the wind gusts pick up to more then 10mph. You might get blown over and fracture your hip.
