What a joy and privilege to have my own personal trainer, Brooke Annandale, on The Gift of Age podcast. She’s an exceptional exercise physiologist who took me from being a long-time back pain sufferer to lifting weights, and somehow got me to actually enjoy it!
In this conversation we talk about building strength for the long run, in midlife and beyond. How to start, how hard to train, the importance of technique and recovery, and why maintaining muscle may be one of the most important things we can do for our older years.
SHOW NOTES
What happens when we stop thinking of ageing as a decline, and start thinking about how to become stronger?
In this conversation, exercise physiologist Brooke Annandale and I explore what it really takes to build and maintain a strong, capable body through midlife and beyond.
We talk about:
* Walking is not enough: why walking, swimming and cycling are wonderful cardio, but don’t replace resistance training
* Muscle: why we lose it with age and how to fight back against sarcopenia
* How heavy is heavy? What “lifting heavy” actually means, and why you shouldn’t start there
* Pain and injury: when to modify, when to stop, and how movement can help us rebuild confidence in a body that has hurt
* The six movements we need for life: pushing, pulling, squatting, lunging, bending and twisting
* Menopause: how changing hormones can affect joints, tendons and training
* Cortisol, fuelling and recovery: why more exercise isn’t always better
* The long game: Brooke’s approach to consistency, progression and knowing when enough is enough
And perhaps the biggest takeaway: you don’t have to be young, athletic or already strong to start building strength.
You just need to start where you are.
Prefer to watch? The video is below.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drlindafriedland.substack.com
