Why walking doesn't stop you falling over
Aka can you get off the sofa?
Do you avoid those big squishy sofas in pubs?
You know the ones. Brown leather (they're almost always brown leather). Low to the ground. They look so inviting at first - plenty of space for everyone. But when you sit down, your knees are almost in line with your nose, and leaning forward to reach your drink is a workout all on its own. And that's bearable, until it's your round.
You find yourself rocking backwards and forwards three times, then grabbing the table before launching yourself out of the sofa (hopefully avoiding sprawling over that low table and scoring a strike with everyone else's drinks).
Even if you're active, do loads of walking and feel relatively fit, this might not be enough to beat the curse of the squishy sofa!
How's your explosive power?
We all have two types of muscle fibre - slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch is all about endurance. The ability to walk for five miles, to slowly climb the stairs, or to stand for hours without tiring. Obviously, absolutely essential.
But it's the fast twitch muscles generating explosive power that get you up out of the chair, climbing stairs quickly, sprinting for the bus or you catch yourself tripping. These muscles fire rapidly for quick movement and use glycogen stored in your muscles, meaning they fatigue quickly - which is fine, they're not meant to keep going for hours.
Slow twitch outlast fast twitch
As we age, we experience something called sarcopenia - this is where the amount of muscle mass we have declines. And unfortunately, fast twitch muscles decline more quickly than slow twitch muscles.
This means we specifically need to train fast twitch muscles so that we can maintain enough of them to be able to generate the power needed to get up off that sofa. To maintain fast twitch muscle fibers, you need movements that demand 60-80% of maximum force, delivered quickly.
Standing from a chair without using your hands? That requires 80% of your leg strength generated in under 2 seconds.
Catching yourself from a forward trip? That demands almost 100% of the strength in your quadriceps (thigh muscles) in under 0.3 seconds.
How can you test your fast twitch muscles?
I spoke about this in a previous blog (link below) - it's the chair sit-stand test. How many times can you stand up and sit down in 60 seconds. The more times, the better!
How can you improve the volume and size of fast twitch muscles?
We know that our bodies are super practical and their goal is always to maintain homeostasis while minimizing energy requirements. This means if you don't use something, it listens to your message and says "OK, we won't bother maintaining this any more".
This goes both for the muscle fibres AND for the motor neurons (the brain cells) that activate the movement. So you not only lose the physical ability to do the action but the "muscle memory" of it too. So, as per usual, the rule is use it or lose it.
1. Explosive sit to stand: Stand up from the chair, no hands, as fast as you can, with a controlled sit. Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat. Do three sets of five reps. Progression: see 2. below
2. Explosive sit to stand with a pause: As you get stronger/ fitter, transition to this version where you lower yourself super slowly, pause for 1 second then explode up. No rests between reps (you can rest between sets). Three sets of eight reps. Progression: add some weights.
3. Stair power climbs: Get up the stairs as fast (safely!!) as you can and return slowly. 3-5 climbs. Progression: add some weights
4. Explosive heel raises: Explode up onto tip toes as fast as you can, returning slowly and with control. 3 sets of 10-15 reps. Challenge your balance by progressing to single leg version. Progression: add some weights and as you lift up onto the toes, push the weights to the ceiling
5. Join us on Monday or Saturday mornings for Step: 45 mins of explosive power, endurance, strength and cardio fitness. Plus cha-cha-chas, jazz hands and twirls! Don't worry if you don't have a step yet, you can do it on the floor. And for the first few classes, you don't even have to do the full 45 mins. Click here to join us.
Don't launch yourself into all of them at once if you're not doing anything!
Start slow! Make sure you master the movmenet first before adding speed; and where balance is required, make sure you've got support available (e.g. chair or wall). If you experience sharp joint pain, dizziness or chest discomfort, stop.
Progression timeline:
Aim to train for explosive power twice a week:
- Week 1-2: Learn movements slowly, perfect form
- Week 3-4: Add moderate speed
- Week 5-6: Add full explosive effort
- Week 7+: Progress resistance (hold weights)
You'll start to see measurable improvement in sit-to-stand time within 4-6 weeks.
I know I'm always telling you to add extra bits of training to your week, but these don't take long and can be done alternately with balance training for even better effects.
Want to read more?
