40fit blog goes live…

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Hey 40fit nation! Welcome to the 40fit blog for our community. I am a newbie at setting up this kind of stuff, so bear with me if I majorly screw up some area of technology. This first blog is going to tell you a little about me and explain why I started the facebook page, 4TFiT and why the blog. First, a little about myself. I’m 46 y/o/m, husband of 23 years and father of 3 fantastic daughters. My oldest is at OU on academic scholarship as an International Relations/Journalism major with a French minor. She is much more intelligent than I. My middle daughter is graduating high school this year and will be attending college in the fall.(undecided) My youngest is in ninth grade and home schooled but returning to school in the fall. My wife, Michele (Missy), is an educator by profession, writes our nutrition blog for Fort Worth Strength & Conditioning-CrossFit Fort Worth, and puts up with me. She has a great depth of knowledge in helping families apply practical nutritional/dietary and lifestyle habits to improve family life.

My professional background is as a Doctor of Physical Therapy of 23 years and Orthopedic Certified Specialists. I have been in private practice for the bulk of my career and treat everything from senior patients to professional athletes, CrossFitters and adaptive athletes. I also have over 20 years as a strength and conditioning coach, trainer and have been a CrossFit affiliate owner for 5 years. I have published in WODTalk magazine and have written blogs relating to fitness and health. My athletic background is in gymnastics, strength training, and endurance sports. I practice, coach, and train daily in the health and fitness arena.

Why 40fit? Several years ago I began to notice that members of our gym that were a little older had a different experience than the younger athlete. I personally experienced it and saw a huge need that no one was filling. The aging process takes its toll on the human body, and the physiological response to stimulus or training interventions for the older athlete is similar but not the same as the younger athlete. We will get into more science junk in subsequent posts. So, I decided to create a place where 40+ athletes could have access to information and a forum for discussion.

Who is 40fit? 40fit is you, me or any other athlete that is a little (emphasis here) older than the 20 something athlete. The 40 age level was chosen due to the overwhelming evidence of what aging can do to the body around 40 years of age and older. This is not to say that the 30 something athlete can’t be a part of our community, in fact they need to hear this information as much as we do! 40fit is supported by not some feeling that we’re older, but by science, anecdotal , and observational evidence that the older athlete should consider training and other lifestyle habits from a different perspective than the younger athlete. Having three kids and experiencing lots of teachable moments, my personal perspective is that you can tell a younger person this stuff all day long, but there is something about the human experience of aging and life that gives you a greater perspective and openness to learn. Hopefully, this information will also trickle into the hands of younger athletes and help them gain a greater perspective.

What is 40fit? 40fit is my attempt at gathering a collective resource for 40+ athletes and provide information that will impact our fitness, community and lifestyles. The facebook page was the first step to test the water and climate for developing this community. The blog will give us an open forum for discussion of all things fitness and etc… I will also be releasing Masters Programming on this blog. Who knows where it will go from here….

2013-04-13T11:09:41+00:00

6 Comments

  1. Wil Mercado April 13, 2013 at 3:41 pm - Reply

    Let me be the first one here to say I need this perspective badly. I am not even 40 yet but my body is breaking down and not recovering like it used to. As of right now I have 3 lingering injuries and have not trained in 7 days. I will be following this blog and programming closely so I can avoid these situations in the future. Thanks

  2. Joe Tittle June 9, 2013 at 9:57 pm - Reply

    I was at the WODfather Games this weekend and found out about you there! Looking forward to getting in on the discussion!!

  3. daniel harty August 10, 2013 at 1:57 pm - Reply

    Hello! Thanks for your blog! I just turned 56, have been crossfitting since May 2012 and had my rotator cuff repaired this last January. I am feeling good and mobility is improving (never had great mobility), but need much more improvement. I do want to compete and have registered for the Colorado Master’s Championship in October. I can do all movements EXCEPT overhead squats and squat snatches:-( I am desperately and diligently working on mobility, but progress seems slow. I was hoping your blog had some suggestions, but have not seen them if they are here:-( What can you suggest?
    Thanks again!

    • ddeaton1 August 12, 2013 at 8:42 am - Reply

      Daniel, your situation is very specific and should be approached in that manner. mobilitywod.com by Kelly Starett DPT has some great suggestions and techniques for shoulder mobility work. I should caution you though, that at 56 and with a RTC repair, your timeframe for doing a competition is fairly urgent. The tendon grows slowly on cases such as yours, so even though you might not be experiencing pain, does mean it is ready to handle heavy overhead loads. Defer to your PT and doctor for your post op recommendations and work with your local coach to improve mobility and stability overhead. I am not a fan of squat snatches for the average or even above average CF athlete over 40. Risk vs rate of return, unless you are competitive as a CF athlete.
      Thanks

      • daniel harty August 12, 2013 at 10:22 am - Reply

        In your professional opinion, is it possible for an older athlete to gain the mobility to do an overhead squat? I couldn’t do it before RTC repair and I can’t do it now:-( It’s the only movement I’m incapable of doing? I have been on mobilitywod.com and have bought Kelly’s book, but he doesn’t seem to address older athletes, which is a whole different ball game, as you know:-)
        My PT was great for helping me recover, but has not been helpful with getting me mobile for overhead squats. My surgeon was also great, but his idea of recovery is a stationary bike and some light dumbbells:-)
        Thanks for your thoughts!

  4. ddeaton1 August 12, 2013 at 10:51 am - Reply

    Good question. I think if you’re going to be a competitive CF athlete, that decision is already made for you. So, ask yourself that question first. Am I going to be a competitive CF? But, in my professional opinion it is a high risk activity with a lower rate of return in relation to functional fitness. Ask yourself, what functional correlation does this have to real life? Now, take a power clean, that’s a functional movement that can translate to almost lifting anything from the floor to shoulder. If you couldn’t do the movement before, you probably still lack the mobility/stability to perform it. Remember, movement is predicated by strength, mobility or the acquisition of movement learning. You need to have someone evaluate the shoulder and determine what is limiting the movement, mobility/stability/other areas, etc…? BTW, the overhead squat and snatch require the greatest excursion of mobility, most stability and learning the movement. Send me a video of you doing the upper extremity extension movement screen, OHS screen and pass through with PVC.

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