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Train not strain is the answer to achieve correct fitness goals.

I like to push myself but there are some move that you want to start slower and warm into. Something like a simple alternating toe touch, start gentle and work into the stretch.

An old Chinese saying, "you can gently kneed a dry blade of grass and it will become soft and supple but if you force it quickly it will snap".

As we get older, the joints wear down more, and, the ligaments and tendons may get torn(especially for powerlifters, weightlifters, and strongman competitors). Once you mess up your connective tissue, it becomes an uphill struggle to be at the level, before you were injured. I agree with the Chinese proverb about the blades of grass. The proverb of the turtle beating the rabbit in a race is good to remember: the rabbit is faster, but, he burns out faster than the turtle in the long race of time. We older fitness and strength people want to be healthy and strong for the rest of our lives, not for just 10-20 years of our entire lives.

"Train not strain is the answer to achieve correct fitness goals." Superb advice. I like to warm up even prior to stretching. Walking, slow (low intensity) cycling, non-resistant general range of motion activity until my muscles and tendons are warm and joints lubricated. Five or ten minutes usually will suffice. Then comes stretching. After this, I am prepared for my more strenuous part of my work out. After my more strenuous workout, I then stretch again while warm and finish with walking, etc. I believe this reduces my chances of injury. With age we generally become less limber, osteoarthritis may negatively affect our joints and injury can easily occur without proper technique. Correct fitness techniques will improve our situation--even regardless of our age. The adage "Train not strain..." is indeed a wise principle to employ. Thank you for this important post.

Don, do you do all ( or most)the Charles Atlas exercises in a given lesson, and, then, move to the next one, the following week? Also, are there any exercises you might skip on account of difficulty to perform them? When Younger, I used to do everything,but, now, will go by feeling which body part(s) to focus on for the day or week.

In England it was a common saying to lazy people "don't strain yourself" meaning get to to work. I find at 68 recovery can be longer, I do a lot of leg exercises and nature trail walking, sometimes a bit sore. Today's focus was doing mainly legs. generally doing 4 sets of 20 each leg exercise. I have 2 other days that include leg exercises. I recently added chair steps, so I use a kitchen chair step up with the left and bring the other leg up then step back down with the left again repeat 15 times and switch side, starting with right leg for 15, 4 sets each side.

Hi Kevin. Thanks for writing. Presently, I have continued the Charles Atlas Course, "Dynamic-Tension", Bodybuilding and Fitness System, with its last lesson in its entirety: "Perpetual Lesson-Exercises and Guidance for Life". I love the exercises in the entire course and augment the "Perpetual Lesson" with exercises from prior lessons. I try to exercise my entire body in each session by selecting a couple to a few exercises for each body area. I, too, have found that a few exercises are now very challenging as I have become older. There are so many exercises though throughout the course that I haven't needed to include the few difficult ones to perform anymore in my routine. In addition, I find walking, hiking, cycling, swimming, along with sports participation enjoyable activities and a real plus especially on days when I rest from my Dynamic-Tension workouts.

Henry, without question, you get all your Charles Atlas exercises done with each lesson. The step-ups is really interesting: You have mentioned in previous posts about liking to take walks and hikes. As long as the step-up chair is sturdy enough, there is nothing to worry about. They do have plyo-boxes, online, which not only are sturdy, but, are specially used for plyometric box jumps. In your case, the step-ups could be called an assistance exercise to be used for keeping in shape for hiking in higher elevation areas. With me, I notice that I am getting immediate results with doing Atlas stomach exercises. To conclude, finding the right assistance exercises, largely, depends on an individual's personal goals; so, exercises that may be perfect for one person might not be the right for the other. Henry, I forgot to ask, do you live in New York or Canada?I think you wrote about living in Canada. How are Covid19 regulations affecting your training? Maybe, they are not....If you are still able to attend public yoga workout sessions. I still have my gym membership, even if I may workout there as little as once or twice a month.

My City isn't very high risk, and new cases are in hospitals and nursing homes where staff have been careless. I go to hot yoga and the distancing for mats are marked and 8 person max, masks off once on your mat. I also go to a senior centre gym twice a week, at 7am there's only 3 of us in there, strict going in then masks can be lowered if nobody is near.

Canada has 1/2 the population of Britain and Britain has 1/2 the population of America, roughly speaking. Concerns here about younger people hanging out too close in bars and restaurants have cause tighter restrictions there.

Henry, that is good that you are able to go to your hot yoga and public gym as long as you have a mask on as you enter, or, before leaving, the building. As for the United States, the State of California still has, by Governor's orders, the public gyms, closed. Have seen videos where the Gym made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Venice Beach, was still locked down. I am not sure about whether or not New York gyms are closed, but, here, in Wisconsin, like where you are at, just a mask is required for both entering and leaving the gym.