Now here’s a topic to get excited about! Or frustrated. Or enraged. We’d better start off by defining the terms in the title. Aches and pains, when used colloquially, describe the familiar and annoying discomfort that practically all humans experience on occasion. Nagging irritation or sharp twinges that challenge and restrict movement. Impediments to feeling great and moving effectively. Something…
College basketball fans are in their glory this month. And rightfully so. The action is always intense, exciting, and impressive. That’s March Madness! But today’s message is about a different kind of insanity. Well, maybe not insanity, but certainly the condition of dynamic opportunity. You could even say mild craziness. Early spring weather, especially during the month of March, can…
There are many ways in which we can classify and customize training. One of the most valuable models that we utilize regularly at TLA is the Mobility-Stability Continuum. Whether you’re a self-coached athlete, a lifelong fitness enthusiast, or a therapist-coach-trainer, leveling up your game in this subject area is pure gold. Mobility is access to range of motion. It’s how…
Training for Life. Living LIFE! Going through the journey performing highly and feeling great. Certainly a worthy goal. Undoubtedly a great challenge. How in the world do we accomplish this objective? What’s the single most important consideration in such a quest? Not getting injured. Avoiding, within reason, injuries and all their associated factors is the essential task. So we can…
This piece offers a few tips and suggestions for Lifetime Athletes who are taking their resistance training seriously. This is a synopsis of a recent podcast episode and I’ve included that option below, but I’m listing out a series of pointers just in case you prefer to read as opposed to listen. You can also access The Lifetime Athlete Podcast…
Today we are exploring a continuation of the conversation around effort gradations with aerobic and anaerobic training. The recent article “Chiming in on the Zone 2 Discussion” generated a significant amount of much-appreciated community feedback. Feel free to refer back to that piece as a reference that may help you to put everything in context. The 5-Zone intensity classification has…
There’s been quite a lot of buzz around the topic of Zone 2 training over the past couple of years. Z2 exercise is recognized as essential for endurance sport performance, valuable for general health and fitness, and significant for longevity and functional independence. I thought I’d take this opportunity to share a few thoughts and observations. Let’s begin with a…
I thought I’d start off with a quick look back at 2025 and a healthy dose of gratitude. Then I’ll lay out a number of suggestions that just might make 2026 your best year ever. 2025 was a very good year. If I was a sommelier, I’d say the wine produced across many regions during the past year was robust…
This article is being penned (typed) as I look out the window at darkness and snow. It is indeed winter. I hope this finds you enjoying the holiday season. Here’s a question I’m often asked. “Should we train the same way all year round?” Or more specifically, “Why can’t we just train the same way in winter as we do…
In Episode 421 of The Lifetime Athlete Podcast, I responded to a number of Lifetime Athlete App community member questions. Should Lifetime Athletes be using sleds? What’s the ideal training split? Are superfoods a hoax? And more. Worth a listen if you are going after healthspan and lifelong fitness.
Let’s start off today’s message using two popular concepts. Longevity, and anti-aging. Both of these hint at our chosen topic, but neither of them quite do it justice. Longevity simply describes the condition of living a long life. Some will suggest that by default this long life needs to be relatively healthy in order to achieve its potential. But statistics…
You gotta do the stuff. At least a good chunk of it. Most of the time. If you want results. In training and rehabilitation. Magic, or at least a great outcome, does not tend to happen spontaneously. Putting in the requisite amount of work is what leads to better function and performance. Today’s message starts off with a few humorous…
For any human being, particularly a Lifetime Athlete, injuries happen. In fact, many would say that what happens is a four-letter word beginning with an “s” and ending with a “t.” Regardless, in the presence of an injury we have to determine what exactly is wrong and then embark upon the most appropriate path toward (full) recovery. This is essentially…
The developmental sequence constitutes a journey we have all taken. Many of us may need to take it again (more on this later). In today’s message I’m going to focus on the physical development sequence common to humans. This is represented by the motor programs, positions, and movement patterns that infants utilize to progress from a fetal position to independent…
You are a Lifetime Athlete. You train year round for comprehensive fitness and performance. You participate in one, several, or numerous sports that you enjoy immensely. There are practically as many ways to pursue lifelong athleticism as there are Lifetime Athletes. But there are a number of sports or fitness activities that are extremely approachable and adaptable for almost everyone.…
You hear a lot of discussion these days about prioritizing resistance training to emphasize muscular hypertrophy. But should that be our only focus? Not necessarily. Let’s dive in. As Lifetime Athletes, we train for LIFE and that involves a number of capacities such as endurance, speed, power, and agility. We can also include the targets of fun, fellowship, and overall…
Everybody’s talking about longevity. I always strive to be a voice of reason. I try to offer a balanced and sensible perspective on most subjects. Drawing a hard line in the sand and using terms like always and never, as they apply to exercise selection and performance, is something about which we need to be cautious. I want to respond…
Training for LIFE! Now this is a foundational concept for us Lifetime Athletes. Exercising, playing, and competing through the lifespan. Doing those things in order to maximize our vitality and participation in all of life. Keeping the training habit alive, in whatever forms that requires, all the way through the journey. Lots of ways to think about how to accomplish…
In Episode 409 of The Lifetime Athlete Podcast, I welcomed my old friend Doug Fletcher to discuss his 2025 completion of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. This is the story of a Lifetime Athlete checking off a lifetime bucket list item. Over 60 days of riding, camping, and experiencing a Rocky Mountain Summer, Doug joined a rare group to…
This topic comes up a lot in our App community, and it’s one that can be framed in a very specific manner. We need to consider the art form of how to get results in resistance training without getting hurt in the process. And we have to find ways to adjust the training process as we age. So, in a…
