A personal trainer tells you how you can easily build a trim and functional body, improve your posture and boost your metabolism.
Strength training or lifting weights is grossly underrated in terms of helping people ‘live better and longer’
If you want to live better and longer, getting stronger should be on your to-do list, says a leading trainer. That’s because strength training can help us “stay energetic, physically independent and disease-free in recent decades,” says Ollie Thompson, personal trainer and founder of , a performance-oriented wellness company.
“In my opinion, the benefits of maintaining healthy muscles are grossly underestimated,” he says. “Weight training is crucial for long-term health – not only in terms of movement, maintaining physical strength and mobility, but also for maintaining overall physiological health.
“Consistent strength training improves metabolism by increasing insulin sensitivity, maintains cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure and inflammation, helps maintain hormonal balance to combat age-related changes, preserves bone density to reduce the risk of fractures, and strengthens the immune system to help fight disease.”
To help you build strength, Thompson shared three gym exercises that he believes offer the most value if your goal is to train for longevity:
“From my experience, if we define longevity as living better and longer with a focus on staying active, physically independent and disease-free in the last decades of our lives, these are the three best gym exercises for longevity,” says Thompson.
Combined, they can strengthen upper and lower body muscles, improve joint health, develop balance and coordination, and improve posture, among other things.
How to do pull-ups with support
Place the barbell on a rack at about chest level.
Sit on the floor under the barbell, then raise your arms above your head and grab it with a bottom grip, your hands should be about shoulder width apart.
Keeping your feet on the floor for support, pull your body up until your chin is over the bar. Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together as you do this.
Slowly return to the starting position.
Over time, try giving less support with your legs to make the exercise more challenging, according to your increasing strength levels. You can also use an assisted pull-up trainer or an escalator to perform this exercise.
Benefits of assisted pull-ups
Pull-ups have a somewhat intimidating reputation. But by using a trainer, an espander, or even a lower bar to do pull-ups and supporting yourself with your legs, Thompson says it’s scalable for most fitness levels. And adding it to your regular program opens up a host of benefits.
Not only do pull-ups engage multiple muscles in the back, biceps, forearms, and trunk, but they’re one of the best exercises for developing healthy shoulders.
“One of the main reasons I chose assisted pull-ups is that performing a full repetition – from hanging to the top with your chin on the bar – forces your shoulder blades to perform a full range of motion,” Thompson says.
“In the lower hang, with your arms turned toward you (palms facing you), you create external rotation in your shoulder joint while under load with your arms above your head – a great way to maintain strong, stable and well-functioning shoulders.
“What’s more, this exercise is unrivaled in training grip strength, which research shows is strongly linked to healthier muscle mass and longer life expectancy.”
How to do Bulgarian split squats
Stand one step in front of a bench or sturdy surface about knee-high. Turn away from this surface.
Take a dumbbell or kettlebell in your left hand, placing it along your torso, palm facing you.
Extending your right leg and keeping your hips straight, place the top of your left foot on the bench behind you.
Lower your left knee so that it is just above the floor while keeping your chest elevated, then push off with your right leg to return to the starting position.
Benefits of Bulgarian split squats
Pull-ups strengthen several muscles in the upper body, while Bulgarian bar squats do the same for the lower half.
“As a unilateral [for one limb] exercise, it’s great for developing strength and stability in the hip, knee and foot, helping to correct serious muscle imbalances as well as contributing to balance,” says Thompson.
“It also challenges kinesthetic perception – your ability to sense your position and movement in space – which is a critical skill for preventing trips and falls in later life.”
These are impressive indicators of longevity, and Bulgarian split squats have another trump card up their sleeve that Thompson believes puts them above standard squats .
“I’m a big fan of this exercise because, when done correctly, it not only engages all the major muscles in the leg, but also forces you to extend your hip,” he says.
“This position, where the leg moves behind the hip and midline, tends to weaken significantly as we age. Developing strength and mobility in this range plays a key role in maintaining quality of movement and walking mechanics, and may also be beneficial in reducing back pain, hip pain and dysfunction in these areas.”
How to make a farmer’s carry
Take a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand and extend your arms out to your sides, palms facing inwards.
Keeping your torso upright and tense, walk with the weights.
Benefits of farmer’s carry
Farmer’s carry is a refreshingly simple exercise: just grab a pair of dumbbells or weights and take them for a walk. That simplicity means it’s overlooked, but Thompson says those who do it are missing out on a lot.
“Farmer’s carry is an exercise I don’t see performed as often as I should. Here’s why: it’s a full-body movement involving movement, it tests grip strength and is great for improving posture.
“It strengthens joints, increases hip stability, trains balance, coordination and kinesthetic awareness, and is ultimately a great way to build strength while loading the aerobic system.”
In other words, it will boost the health of your heart and lungs by making you breathe hard, as well as strengthening your entire body. Farmer’s carryover is a viable option for the vast majority of people.
“I often prescribe farmer’s carries to my online clients because they are incredibly affordable and easy to scale, and progress is easy to track. Simply choose a challenging weight or dumbbell, then go for time, distance, steps or breaths. This way you can track how your results improve over time.”
Other things to consider when training for longevity
Training with weights is Thompson’s top recommendation when exercising for longevity. But he says cardio exercises – activities that raise your heart rate for long periods of time – should also be among your top priorities.
“Cardio exercise is essential for heart health, of course, but it also plays an important role in mitochondrial function, reducing the risk of serious disease and cancer, keeping the brain healthy, boosting energy production, improving sleep quality and helping to manage stress,” he explains.
“In addition to strength training, a comprehensive approach to training for longevity includes both low-intensity zone 2 cardio [performed at about 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate] and short periods of high-intensity training. This combination creates both a broad aerobic base and a high aerobic peak – known as VO2 max – which is closely linked to better health, longevity and reduced all-cause mortality.”
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