Mike Baltren Training Systems

This is what training over 60 looks like. A squat, a swing, a jump, a sled push, etc. With a few exceptions here, a couple of considerations there, it doesn’t look much different than training at any other age. Why is that? Mostly because everyone is still simply a human being. The fundamentals are still the fundamentals. Work the whole body, push and pull things. Train your legs, mostly while on your feet and maintain some snappiness and bounce in your body. Only do things that don’t hurt. Do some, but not a ton. Come back soon and do it again. I love these people. They are dedicated to staying mobile, agile and capable.

When coaching reverse lunges I find that getting people to focus on the front foot and the weight distribution through it, frequently makes them better. Focusing on loading that lead leg naturally seems to create a shorter stride back and a slight leaning forward of the torso. Often people talk about staying tall or chest up when lunging forward or backward (1st photo), but I believe this slight deviation and change in weight distribution allows for a greater push through the leg that’s in front as well as the opportunity to add more load or weight to the exercise (2nd photo).

Dominate Details: Simple Strategies for Basic Movements

Push ups are one of the most common exercises you’ll see or hear about when it comes to “working out”. However, that doesn’t mean they’re easy, or always done with great technique.

One of the most common issues I see is positioning of the upper arm. You don’t want your elbows to be high/wide and approaching perpendicular to your torso. This puts the shoulders in a weak and vulnerable position. Likewise, the elbows in tight to the body typically doesn’t work great either as the shoulders dump forward in the socket when you get closer to the floor. Somewhere in the middle, at approximately 45 degrees from the torso is going to be best. Not too high, not too low, but just right in the middle-ish.

Dominate Details: Simple Strategies for Basic Movements

The TRX/suspension row is a terrific upper body pulling exercise. I recommend people use it often because it’s simple to learn and although not truly a full body exercise, it requires some full body alignment and tension which is an added benefit. It’s essentially the twin brother of the push up. A common mistake I see in this movement is keeping the feet flat on the floor. Rowing with the feet flat almost always causes what you see in the first picture, some knee bending and quite a bit of lower back arching, which is harder to see. Instead, dig your heels in, pull your toes up and make a plank with your body. Even better is to anchor your feet against something whether it’s a plyo box, heavy dumbbells or the wooden hole cut outs you see in the third picture. If you’re not already doing this I promise you it will make your TRX/suspension rows better. Dominate details!

10+ years ago at a seminar I heard suggest the book “Swing Your Sword” by football coach Mike Leach. The book is great but one thing in particular really resonated with me. When Leach was in law school but not convinced it was for him, he wrote a letter to an attorney he admired and the response helped Leach to where he is today.

“He suggested that I carefully consider what exactly consumed me. What did I think about when no one else was around? What did I think about going from the sofa to the refrigerator? What did I think about when filling up my car at the gas station?”

I first read that and thought, “That’s literally my daily life. I’m not the only one that thinks that way!” For better or worse I’m still consumed by all things physical preparation, speed, strength and longevity. 18 years and I’ve got a lot to learn still. Thanks for reading my Friday Feelings!

Physical Preparation. I like this term. Call it working out, training, getting swole, it doesn’t matter to me. Time spent in the gym is preparation for any number of things from sports to combating the aging process. This particular topic really hit me these past few weeks as I had several clients out actively “doing things”.

Geraldine came back into the gym after being out several weeks on a Europe excursion. She told me that she strongly and confidently had walked 20+ miles over a 5 day period (if I recall that correctly). I’m rather proud of her as this is someone who had never previously set foot in a gym the first 60+ years of her life. Understandably starting something new is no easy task, nor is trekking from city to city on foot.

Ginalee competed in jiu-jitsu at the IBJJF World Championships a couple weeks ago and took home a gold medal. Quite the accompilshment. She not only spent many, many hours practicing her technique on the mats but she committed to a few days a week in the gym to keep her body strong and resilient. Combat sports are intense and while practice is of the utmost importance, absolute strength cannot be neglected.

Vicki recently, on a whim, decided to challenge herself and go on a hike while out of town. She described to me her navigating rocks, downed trees and various water obstacles. This isn’t something she would normally do but I told her it warmed my heart that she felt compelled to take on this challenge and that she was thinking about all of the hours of training (or physical preparation) that she had put in over the years.

Laura (not pictured) prepped for climbing mountains in both Portugal and Yosemite by not only hiking often, but also by spending time in the gym to get stronger. She committed to strength training twice a week in the several weeks before these excursions and had great success navigating the various terrain. Now she’s prepping for her wedding.

Each day is the chance to lay more bricks to take on the next physical adventure in life. Whether it comes at you planned or unplanned, you’re better prepared to take it on.

Smaller increment dumbbells are a great way to make successful increases in weight, confidence and continued progress. Commonly 5 lbs doesn’t seem like too much. Just grab the next pair of dumbbells. However, I will often remind people that moving from 15 to 20 lbs is a 33% increase in weight. From 20 to 25 lbs is a 25% increase. In my experience that can be asking a lot in many cases. Similarly, a super strong person lifting 100 lbs in each hand with some ease and confidence but never having attempted more, may not immediately try 125 lbs, also a 25% increase. Something I definitely wouldn’t recommend. When making seemingly small increases in weight, consider the actual percentage increase and remember, it’s all relative. Progress is progress. Keep going!

When not in my normal routine, I tend to struggle with staying active and moving enough to keep my body feeling good. This is especially true during the holidays when my eating habits are a little suspect. I was lucky enough to get in two quality training sessions while out of town this week. I thoroughly enjoy lifting some weights in a different environment from time to time, and always with my beautiful wife.
A big thank you to both and for their hospitality. The facilities are great but more importantly, when you’re there it’s easy to see the culture and staff of both places are second to none.

#1%Better