I turned 35 this year. I know, I know—I’m not old by any stretch. Given the wonders of modern medicine, and our collective knowledge about exercise, nutrition, and recovery, I have all the tools I need to be strong and healthy for many decades to come.
My Dad, who turns 64 this year (you’ve probably seen him on this site!), recently had his hip resurfaced. He feels the best he has in over a decade.
That said, when it comes to my own exercise and nutrition, in the last couple years I hit a bit of a proverbial fork in the road.
Again, I’m not old, but I’m not 21 anymore either. I’ve had to adjust my training, and my nutrition, to account for where I am in life—that slight downtick in my metabolism, the injuries that I’ve had, and my fitness goals moving forward.
I don’t recover quite as fast as I did when I was 25. I’m not as quick as I used to be—just ask the 20-year olds I play football with every week.
I spent a good part of my 20s lifting heavy. I enjoyed it—I have no regrets—but I took a fairly lax approach to mobility work and recovery. Eventually I got injured.
In 2013, I hurt my lower-back on a heavy deadlift. It wasn’t bad enough to put me out for long—I was back deadlifting a week later (smart, right?)—but it was a bit of a warning sign. In 2017, I started experiencing a lot of shoulder discomfort—discomfort that I soon learned stemmed from tightness in my upper chest, tightness in my biceps, and probably some rotator cuff issues.
A decade of heavy pressing movements was starting to catch up with me.
My Dad is always quick to tell people that almost everything he’s learned about fitness; he’s learned from screwing up—he normally uses more colourful in his language than that. Trial and error. He knows a lot about fitness, which means that he’s screwed up a lot (he’d tell you that too!).
I started working out seriously at 15 or 16 years old—because of my Dad. To borrow an American expression; when it comes to fitness, I was born on third base. My Dad was there to provide me with a wealth of knowledge. I didn’t have to search online for mentors—I didn’t have to purchase books on how to build muscle—I didn’t have to learn from my own mistakes. Someone else made those for me.
But yet, like any young adult eager to forge their own path in life—to build their own sense of identity—I veered a bit from my Dad’s own fitness principles.
My Dad has always stressed the importance of good form—lifting lighter weight, with good technique. Slow and controlled movements. Working out to failure and moving on, as opposed to spending hours and hours in the gym, doing endless sets and reps. Rest and recovery. Good nutrition—abs are made in the kitchen! Taking care of your mind as well as your body.
Over the past couple years, I’ve found myself coming back to these foundational principles. I feel very strong, in part because I’m not lifting as heavy. I’m full of energy, because I’m getting better at listening to my body and giving myself time to recover. I’m leaner now because I’m trying to be more mindful about my nutrition (I still love my carbs though).
I love to lift, but I’m making slight adjustments to ensure that I’m in this game for the long haul—to ensure that, when I turn 64, I’m as strong as my Dad is today.
Zach Salzmann grew up in the UK, but now lives in Canada. He has a Masters degree in International Affairs and works as policy analyst for the Canadian Government, dabbling as a freelance writer on the side. He loves fitness, travelling, history, politics and is a life-long Manchester United fan.
