gymmed-up @40 but carrying a bit of unhealthy excess fat (above top)
now teaching my body to be sprint-ready

I used to really slog it out at the gym. With my new regime the idea is to get the body “thinking” in terms being sprint-ready. Sprint-ready means being lighter and more agile. That’s the message I want my body’s systems to get. So my cardio exercise is now done in short intense bursts.

The right kind of exercise not only gives your body the exercise it needs in the moment but communicates to the body how it needs to be. Animals that need to sprint away from predators in order to survive tend to be shaped for sprinting. Some animals appear to send this signal to their body systems by being very highly-strung – all quivery and jumpy when at a stand-still!

On the other hand predators who rely on sprinting seem to enjoy lives of great relaxation and leisure – other than in those moments when they are sprinting for their next meal.

Personally I learned this principle from my cats who remained fit and agile well into their latter years. They had no interest the long hard slog. Indeed most of their time was spent sleeping. But then whenever the mood took them they would go crazy and wired! Ready for sprinting and attacking. For them fun was all about the sprint!

High Intensity exercise was how my cats caught their snacks. And it was also how they played – programming their bodies for the moments when they might “need” to sprint. Sprinting was their food and it was their fun. It was their expertise.

This is not just my idea! In fact High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a pattern gaining currency among PT professionals around the world.

Time Under Tension (TUT)is a principle for resistance training, which I am newly incorporating into my regime. A lot of people injure themselves at the gym by going psycho and doing as much weight, with as many reps as fast as they can! Not a good recipe. Better gains are achieved, and achieved more safely if you concentrate on your form and do the resisting more slowly. The damage and repair that time under tension creates for your muscles creates better strengthening and growth and without the risk of injury. Hold me to account on this one. Ask me how I’m going!

My cats had another area of expertise crucial to feline and human health. But you can read about that in the next post…