For my first post here at Target Focus Training I thought I’d share my responses to 7 fitness-related questions that I’m commonly asked when people learn that I’m a fitness “expert.”

These questions reflect several common misconceptions that many people hold about fitness and the process of acquiring it. My hope is that my responses clear up some of your own questions and perhaps inspire some additional inquiry of your own.

If you’d like your own question in a future blog post, please send it to [email protected]!

1) “What do you think of that new “Insanity” workout?

This was recently asked of me by an employee at the Apple Store when he learned that I’m a fitness coach. I told him that sane workouts are a far better alternative. One of the most limiting attitudes people hold regarding fitness is the idea that the more it hurts the better it must be. While discomfort is the often unavoidable outcome of getting out of your comfort zone, it shouldn’t be a barometer for assessing the value of a workout.

Instead, focus on your performance: if you own your own business, you know that you get paid on what you produce, not how much work it took to produce it. Try thinking this way in the gym and you’ll be much better off.

2) “Am I too old to do this stuff?”

Whatever your situation, you can improve it. When I first started training my client Gene Lawrence (now 72 and setting World Records in master’s powerlifting), we found that he didn’t have the necessary shoulder mobility to perform a squat, one of the 3 contested lifts in his new-found athletic pursuit. Stretching didn’t help – over the years, work-related falls and motorcycle accidents left Gene with stubborn scar tissue that restricted his range of motion. Ultimately, he decided to have elective surgery to fix the problem, and as of this writing, Gene has squatted 242 pounds in official competition.

I’m not suggesting that such extreme measures are always necessary or even prudent, but my point here is that Gene took matters into his own hands when most people were telling him that he was too old and should just accept his fate. Often we’re more limited by our attitudes about our situation, not the situation itself.

3) “Is lifting free weights bad for my back?”

For most people who perform these movements correctly, no. There are risks of course — for example, some individuals have lumbar injury histories and/or spinal defects that make certain free weight movements contra-indicated. Any competent fitness professional can assess your individual risk profile, but in general, healthy people of any age lifting properly can squat and deadlift without fear of back injury. In fact, my experience with older novice clients leads me to the conclusion that these very movements actually have the potential to resolve nagging orthopedic complaints.

4) “How can I get to the point where I can see my abs?”

Lose the excess fat. This is achieved by dialing in your nutrition and building additional muscle over your entire body, not by doing cardio and following the HCG diet.

At left: My ab development at age 51.

I lift heavy weights 3-4 days a week and try to limit my carbohydrate intake to 100 grams or less per day.

No ab exercises or cardio.

Trust me, I love to eat and am not obsessive about diet in any way.

There are just certain “rules” that must be followed if you want to be lean enough to see your abs.

5) “Do I really need to stretch?”

Not necessarily. I never “stretch” personally because the resistance-training movements I practice require large range of motion in all major joints. That being said, some orthopedic issues and postural deficiencies can benefit from specific stretches. Only a personalized functional assessment can provide detailed answers to this question.

6) “If you could do only one exercise, what would it be?”

Like many fitness-related questions, a useful answer to this requires context: what are your goals, restrictions, etc. That being said, if I was forced to pick a single exercise, it would be the barbell deadlift. This relatively simple movement requires little space and equipment, but offers tremendous rewards in functional strength, lean mass, lifting mechanics, grip strength, core stability, low-back injury-proofing, and posterior chain recruitment. As a young healthy male, if you can deadlift twice your bodyweight, I’d consider you “strong.” Women who can lift 1.5 times bodyweight earn the same status.

Below: A link to me deadlifting 367 pounds for a set of 10 reps a few weeks ago (the video guy missed the 10th). This was very difficult but I had no pain of any kind, and the next morning I felt completely fresh. This is how workouts should feel.

[Tim Larkin note: Do NOT try this until you've learned how to deadlift correctly. Charles will talk about that more later. The deadlift is simple but form is everything... and most people haven't a clue how to do it correctly (even the so-called 'best').]

7) “Do you have any injuries from all the heavy lifting you do?”

Yup. My shoulders bug me occasionally, and my left elbow no longer fully extends — I have no idea why but I assume it’s from years of lifting. My knees, hips, are all great so I guess I’m prone to upper-body issues.

That being said, even with my various injuries, I’m much stronger, and carry significantly more muscle than most of my peers in their 50’s. So I have absolutely no regrets for the many rewarding hours I’ve spent in the gym!

Until Next Time…

–Charles Staley
   Guest TFT Strength & Conditioning columnist

PS. I hope these seven questions serve to inspire some new directions in your thinking about fitness, but either way, I know they’ll lead to additional questions. On my next installment we’ll talk about strength – what it is, why you need it, and how to get it — quickly and safely!

And, for those of you with restrictions (from minor to severe), I’ll be addressing your needs as well.

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