Do you know a strong upper body PROTECTS the lower body as we age?

Welcome to this week’s newsletter!

Today we are going to discuss the (potentially unknown) benefits of upper body strength for longevity, and how it can help protect the lower body…

The hips and knees especially!

While many of us naturally focus on leg exercises for hip and knee health, research reveals that upper body strength also plays a surprisingly crucial role in a healthy & functioning lower body.

This has been supported by research from the University of Southern California who studied movement patterns in older adults.

Their findings showed that upper body strength significantly influenced how older adults performed everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs and getting up from chairs.

How exactly does this help?

Let's explore how building strength “above the waist” can assist in keeping your hips and knees healthy, especially if you wish to stay fit and active late into life.

• Your “core” and upper body provide stability during movement. When you have strong shoulders, arms and back, you're better able to maintain proper posture and alignment.

  This takes pressure off your hips and knees, and is particularly important during activities like hiking, gardening or playing with your grandchildren.

• A strong upper body helps distribute force more evenly throughout the body during movement.

  Research from the Journal of Biomechanics shows that people with better upper body strength tend to move more efficiently, reducing the impact on their joints.

  The body is INTERCONNECTED so any weak or strong link impacts everything else.

• Many daily activities require integrated full-body movement. Tasks like carrying food or shopping bags, lifting boxes or walking the dog engage both upper and lower body.

  Having balanced strength helps prevent compensation patterns that could stress your hips and knees.

The “mind and body” connection…

Research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) also found that people with stronger upper bodies often moved with more confidence.

This often leads to better movement patterns overall, because when you feel strong and stable up top, you're more likely to:

• Maintain better posture throughout the day.

• Move more freely and naturally.

• Feel more confident trying new activities.

• Experience less anxiety about falling or injury.

On a side note understand that this newsletter DOES NOT imply that you ignore lower body training, far from it!

It’s simply to give you a different perspective on resistance training for long term health, and highlight that the WHOLE BODY needs to be trained as everything is connected.

The human body is not built part by part like a car, it grows and develops together.

And if you currently have knee and/or hip injury issues then don’t completely neglect upper body training in your overall program…

Some simple upper body training tips…

The below is not exhaustive list and is more generic, but gives you an idea of how to train your upper body for longterm health:

• Prioritise your upper back with rowing and pull down variations, training the back from different angles and positions (high rows, low rows, cables, DB’s etc).

• Pressing exercises are also beneficial and choose a variety of angles (flat, incline etc).

• DON’T ignore the supporting muscles of the shoulder such as the rotator cuff.

• The biceps and triceps are also important (yes you read correctly) as involved in lots of movements, just don’t go overboard on volume!

• The trunk and spine muscles are also crucial so ensure they get enough stimulation too.

Tips for success and safety:

• Prioritise exercises that work best and are safest for you, if that’s machine exercises then stick to them as everything helps.

• Listen to your body and modify exercises as needed. For example, if you don’t have great shoulder mobility stay away from direct overhead pressing and pulling exercises.

• Use a slow and controlled rep speed and aim for excellent form. This ensures you use the correct resistance too…

• Leave 1-2 reps in reserve and avoid going to complete failure.

• Perform 1-2 warm up sets then 1-2 work sets MAX.

• Gradually build up and progress safely over the longterm.

• Be CONSISTENT even 1 upper body focused session per week is enough for lifelong benefits.

What if I have upper body injuries?

While building upper body strength is beneficial, if you do have any existing injuries to the upper body (neck, shoulder, elbow etc) then ALWAYS proceed with caution.

It’s advisable to go get an assessment from a physio, osteopath or an experienced personal trainer who specialises in rehab and injury management.

With the proper guidance there’s always a way to safely train around pre existing injuries and still make progress with your upper body training.

If you want to know more about how I can help you set up an exercise program that is suitable for you.

Please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn, or email me on [email protected].

For now thanks for reading today, and stay tuned for the next edition of Train For Life next Saturday!

Daryl