Trainer, author, and fitness model Kirk Charles, NASM-CPT CES, knows that as you get older, life can get more complicated. But that shouldn’t prevent you from being on top of your game. He’ll help to answer the tough training questions that come with age so you too can be Fit Beyond 40.
My favorite athletes are sprinters because they have great physiques with powerful legs. Two years ago I added sprints to my workout regimen after racing a younger guy I used to train who was trying out for the U.S. Olympic Team as a fencer. I got smoked and it was a crushing defeat for me. My 26-year-old friend made me look as slow as molasses at 56 years of age, and I’m sure I’ve lost a few more steps since then. However, it’s not too late for me to shave off a second or two in the 100 meter sprint if I work at it—especially if I train the right way when I’m not on the track, too.
If you want more power to move faster, a great exercise is the hover to drive lunge. The exercise an explosive movement that combines a reverse lunge with a knee drive. You’ll enjoy the move because it fires up your quads, glutes, and makes your hip flexor work the right way.
To set up, stand up straight and tall, then take a stride backward with your right leg to go into a reverse lunge position. When you descend into the reverse lunge, maintain your balance and let your right knee hover about two inches from the ground. Hold the hover lunge for two to three seconds. Then push off your right foot to drive your right knee up as explosively as possible, as high as possible. Maintain your balance and hold your right knee up for two to three seconds. Then return your right leg back to the starting position.
The most strenuous part of the hover to lunge drive is holding the hover position in the reverse lunge. You’ll need takes balance and strength to stay in that position. However, lack of mobility in the big toe joint and/or knee issues could be factors in holding the position. Many older men, me included, have arthritis in the toe joints, so it may be difficult to hold the hover. If you can’t go low into the hover position, just go as deep as is comfortable.
Holding the high knee position when you explode upward can be difficult, too. Balance is always an issue as we get older. The first time I tried the exercise I was falling all over the place. Be safe, but don’t be scared off if you can’t nail the move on the first few tries.
Once you’re able to execute the hover to lunge drive properly, you can intensify the challenge by loading up with weights. For one particularly tough variation, you’ll need two kettlebells (or dumbbells). Start out by holding the weights in a front rack position, then descend into the lunge hover position. You’ll immediately feel your core fighting to keep your spine erect. To up the ante even more, you can do an offset load. Before descending into the hover position, front rack one kettlebell and hold the other one overhead (if you’re reverse lunging with your right leg, hold the overhead kettlebell in your right hand). With the offset load you introduce more anti-rotation into the exercise to maintain stability and proper alignment.
The hover to lunge drive is one of the more challenging exercises for the older man, but it’s extremely gratifying when you’re able to execute it properly. Start off without weights. Try three sets of 5 reps per leg, really focusing on balance and stability. Then introduce the kettlebells into the exercise once you’re comfortable.
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