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Perhaps, but keep in mind, right now it is not even realistic to expect the average joe to bench press their own body weight. Right now it's also not realistic to expect the average joe to run a 5k without going into cardiac arrest. By villageidiot's post, even the 1 mile has been deemed too high a standard. The point of my post was to say we can be better at all of these things than we currently are. That means working toward that goal and raising "average" to a higher threshold.
Is it going to happen? Probably not.
It's not even realistic to expect the average joe to do a pullup and a push up, let alone bench their own weight. People who don't exercise are seriously weak.
Weight lifting is an excellent form of exercise....AS IS cardio.
The oldest, healthiest people I see at the gym do a reasonable amount of cardio (30 to 45 minutes) and will throw in some weight training; mostly free weights with some machine work thrown in.
I'm curious why younger men avoid cardio outside of pick-up basketball or flag football. Older men, women and young women have no qualms about lifting AND doing serious cardio. Young men around my age always seem to have an excuse for half-***ing it after lifting.
It's hard to say how much a person should be able to lift.
Me saying that "Joe should bench X lbs" is no different than saying that Joe should have a 40-inch vertical or be able to run 100 meters in under 10.7 seconds. Your genes and physiology determine your athletic potential, but the time you spend in the gym determines if you reach that potential.
Based on my own personal experiences, I can probably develop a high 1 rep max deadlift, an above average squat, but a so-so bench press. In the best of health, I'd probably be a decent 1/2 mile to 1 mile runner (if I weighed 130 lbs, lol).
For now, researchers acknowledge, the optimal treatment is prevention: By the time we hit middle age, we should start lifting weights at least twice a week to retain our muscle. And we need to provide our bodies with a steady intake of fuel throughout the day, in the form of protein, to manufacture the lean tissue.
Beginning at age 30, most of us lose about 1 percent - or a third of a pound - of muscle every year, as the body starts tearing down old muscle at a faster rate than it builds new tissue. (It’s why world weight-lifting records for the 60-year-old age bracket are 30 percent lower in men and 50 percent lower in women compared with records in the 30-year-old bracket.) The loss of muscle, which burns more calories than fat, slows the body’s resting metabolic rate, causing us to pack on fat pounds through the years. While we can’t completely halt this aging process, researchers believe we can do a lot to slow it down, mostly through resistance training, or weight training, that targets specific muscle groups.
“A 70-year-old active individual is probably younger from a biomarker standpoint - muscle strength, balance, body composition, blood pressure, cholesterol levels - than a 40-year-old inactive individual,’’ said Miriam Nelson, a professor of nutrition at Tufts University.
Its not imperative people need to lift a barbell or run anywhere. Just eat healthily, and you'll be just fine, imo.
Its not imperative but given the potential benefits its worth it. For example...
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Studies show that strength training over a period of time can help prevent bone loss -- and may even help build new bone.
In one study, postmenopausal women who participated in a strength training program for a year saw significant increases in their bone density in the spine and hips, areas affected most by osteoporosis in older women.
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Maintaining strong muscles through weight training helps to keep up your balance and coordination -- a critical element in preventing falls.
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We lose so much muscle as we age that by the time we're 70, we only have about 50% to 55% of our muscle mass left," says Beatrice Edwards, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine and director of the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "That explains why we feel weak and tired as we age, and we can prevent some of that with weight training.
I get so annoyed at older people who say 'all you need to do is walk'!
.
For me the MOST annoying is when people say "Oh, I don't want to lift weights because I don't want to get bulky".
STUPID. When I hear this, I instantly think "This is a stupid, ignorant, ill informed person who HAS to know this isn't true. Maybe they just say this because they are too lazy to do what will actually make them healthier".
My response to these ill informed know-nothing lazy birds is "You do realize that it would be darn near impossible for you to look or get bulky from lifting weights. Even if all the planets align, the lord comes down from heaven, points his finger towards you and you do get bulky (which is STILL highly unlikely), that muscular bulky legs are far far far far far far far faaaaaaaaar more attractive, healthy, and dare I say sexy than your large bulky FAT legs".
I just want to smack the doofuses who think that lifting will make them "bulky and manly".
I get so annoyed at older people who say 'all you need to do is walk'!
I am 62 and do about 4 1/2 hours a week of strength training and about 2 1/2 of cardio.
I agree and many seem to have the idea. That the definition of a walk, is a slow walk in the mall and then sit in the food court and eat donuts. What really amazes me though is so many older people, seem to think we all age the same. That we all have a similar fitness and strength level. In other words we are all old with limited abilities and exercise if there is any at all. Is a simple little walk. Very sad but I'm seeing that outlook more and more, with the older people I am being exposed to.
For me the MOST annoying is when people say "Oh, I don't want to lift weights because I don't want to get bulky".
STUPID. When I hear this, I instantly think "This is a stupid, ignorant, ill informed person who HAS to know this isn't true. Maybe they just say this because they are too lazy to do what will actually make them healthier".
My response to these ill informed know-nothing lazy birds is "You do realize that it would be darn near impossible for you to look or get bulky from lifting weights. Even if all the planets align, the lord comes down from heaven, points his finger towards you and you do get bulky (which is STILL highly unlikely), that muscular bulky legs are far far far far far far far faaaaaaaaar more attractive, healthy, and dare I say sexy than your large bulky FAT legs".
I just want to smack the doofuses who think that lifting will make them "bulky and manly".
I think thats because when you look at those big hulking weightlifters such as Arnold and Lou all you ever saw them doing was weight lifting. I dont think I ever heard of Mr. Olympia running laps or a marathon. But you look at marathon runners or triathletes and theyre all skinny. So basically in the general mindset its running keeps you skinny, weightlifting bulks you up.
I don't see why it should be an either or. A fit human should be able to curl a dumbbell and run 20 miles. I have known many guys who could curl a 50 lb dumbbell but could not run 5K in 30 minutes. And the people who can run a 15 minute 5K but could not do 50 pushups, although these are much more rare in my experience.
The sine qua non for humans is endurance training. The goal for the average Joe should be to do the 50 push ups and run the 20 miles.
Although I wouldn't go as far as to suggest people run 20 miles, I agree with your point that it shouldn't be either/or. It should be both. I run 3 miles four days a week and strength train two days a week. That keeps me strong and my heart healthy.
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Originally Posted by Ameriscot
I get so annoyed at older people who say 'all you need to do is walk'!
+1. And not just older people say that. Many people claim all you need to do is walk to get in shape. I call BS on that. To get in shape, you need to really break a sweat, as in running, cycling, or using the Stairmaster. You ALSO need to strength train. Just walking won't cut it.
Unless a person is very heavy I am not sure why it would be a challenge for an average man to squat 2x his bodyweight. Let's say you weigh 170 pounds. Starting with a 45lb bar and moving up 15lbs a week it takes less than six months to get to a 340lb squat. In a similar vein, I am not sure why weightlifters think it is such a chore to do cardio workouts. They always set up a false dichotomy of running 20 miles OR lifting weights. When in reality it's quite easy to run a 10k and also lift heavy. Running is good for your heart and agility, and most sports and the military require a certain level of running endurance and speed.
Because a person is not going to add 15lbs a week to their squat...
As for cardio, same can be said for many runners; why do runners think it is a chore to lift weights (or even do body weight routines). Reality is many weightlifters run and many runners lift, how much depends on their goals.
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