PODCAST: The Science-Backed Benefits of Weightlifting

ZACH MOORE: Welcome to On Health with Houston Methodist. I'm Zach Moore. I'm a photographer and editor here, and I'm also a longtime podcaster.

TODD ACKERMAN: I’m Todd Ackerman, I’m a former medical reporter, currently an editor at Houston Methodist.

ZACH: And Todd, do you strength train?

TODD: I do. I have lifted weights, in my case, for more than 40 years now. There have been times where circumstances caused me to lay off for some periods of time like the pandemic. But for the most part, I’ve been pretty consistently working out all that time.

ZACH: That’s to be commended. I’ve worked out on and off occasionally.

TODD: I thought we established in a previous podcast that you definitely did work out.

ZACH: I do, but not as consistently as I should. I go – it kinda goes in waves, you know. I commend your consistency, Todd, because I find it hard to stick with this stuff. ‘Cause if you’re doing it right, it’s hard work, you know.

TODD: Yes.

[Laughing]

Yes. I once had someone just turn to me in the gym and say, “How do you get the motivation to do this? I see you here so regularly.”

[Laughing]

And I – you know, I kinda thought well, I guess maybe it’s been noticed I have no life for going to the gym.

ZACH: That’s funny. That person probably comes in like three times a year and you’re there every time. Like how do they know that you’re not there three times a year?

TODD: That was my first thought too. How would you know that unless you’re here?

ZACH: Oh, man. No, but strength training is an important part of your health.

TODD: Oh, absolutely. There is innumerable benefits from it.

ZACH: I mean, obviously, that’s probably kept you going for, you know, four decades doing it, right?

TODD: Well, you know, I gotta say, like most guys, when I was in my 20s I think I was weightlifting just ‘cause, growing up I was always thin, I don’t wanna say scrawny, but I always felt like I needed to develop a little bit of better build. And there’s probably still some of that, that you wanna maintain that. But over the years, it’s – I’ve been struck at how the different benefits that they say weightlifting brings.

ZACH: So, for you then, what’s been the biggest return of all the strength training over the years?

TODD: Well, that’s a good question. I did a bone density test at one point which was – turned out great to the point they asked me, “Do you lift weights?” And I said, “Yeah.”

ZACH: That’s what you wanna have people ask you.

TODD: Yeah.

ZACH: Like that’s a good question to be asked, “Do you lift?” right?

TODD: Yeah. But something that it may be helping that I would’ve never thought of, but I keep hearing that in – people I talk to or what I read is, it’s just great at burning fat and preventing any sort of development of abdominal fat, which I’ve always been good on so…

ZACH: So, it sounds like you’ve always been ahead of the eight ball when it comes to the fitness.

TODD: I think so. I’ve got it down to the real structure, like you know, I’ll lift four days a week, and I’ll do two days where I do my lower body and abs, and two days where I do my upper body. And my upper body is divided into one day where I push out and another day where I pull in. So, I’m very structured about all this.

ZACH: Listen to this, he knows what he’s talking about. And you alternate those days?

TODD: Yes, there’s always like a rest day in between on which days I’ll just do some aerobic work and then it’ll switch from one day, lower body the next day, upper body the next time, lower body the next time. The other, upper body.

ZACH: Right, so you clearly have a vested interest in strength training and that’s why we’re talking about this today.

TODD: Yes, I thought it would be interesting, I thought I might learn some things, and then I thought there’s a lot of people out there who are starting to weightlift, or are weightlifters and like me, they’re probably just winging it. And so maybe it would be good to hear from somebody.

ZACH: Absolutely, who is that someone we heard from?

TODD: Well, we talked to Dwight Adsit, who’s a Athletic Trainer at Houston Methodist.

[Sound effect plays to signal beginning of interview]

We’re here to talk about strength training, specifically, weightlifting. So, I’m eager to get your thoughts on this. So, I lived through the era when everything, all the talk was about aerobics, running. But more and more, over the years, it seems I hear about the – all the benefits of strength training. Has strength training kind of replaced aerobic training as the more important way to get your exercise and activity?

DWIGHT ADSIT: Well, I think it’s become a little bit more prevalent than it has been in the past. We’re finding that a lot of our population wasn’t getting all the benefit that they could from it, and there’s still – We have an obese society and you’re not building the muscle mass with aerobic training that you do with strength training. And muscle mass helps increase your metabolism, which keeps the obesity and your weight down to help live a healthier lifestyle.

TODD: They weren’t getting the benefits from aerobics --

DWIGHT: They were getting the cardiovascular benefit from it, but they’re not getting the metabolic benefit needed to help burn, you know, the calories that they consume during the day.

TODD: So, talk about all the benefits. You mentioned metabolism, fat burning.

DWIGHT: Yeah, which helps with the fat burning. Aerobics does that as well, but you gotta be at a higher level for a longer period of time, when you’re with aerobics. Where with strength training building that muscle over time helps just naturally burn more calories, just by breathing and being alive. So, you’re helping to lose weight with the strength training.

TODD: The guidelines all call like for four days of aerobic and two days of weight training, is that enough?

DWIGHT: I think that’s probably enough, if not too much. I would probably look at either going two and tw -- depending on where you’re at on the cycle, you know, as working out. If you’re a beginner, then look at maybe, you know, the guidelines of getting four to five days of exercise, but maybe looking at three days of weight training, and two days of some sort of cardiovascular work. Whether that’s swimming, biking, walking, jogging, whatever your interest are.

TODD: So, I’ve heard muscle touted as sort of the fountain of youth, that people should be focused on building it, more than going on diets to lose weight. Do you agree with that?

DWIGHT: I do, I do. I mean, diets are only good for the period of time that you’re on them. And sometimes your body acclimates to that and so it may not have the same benefits in the end or as you’re into it, as it did in the beginning. Where strength training and exercise, I mean, you’ll see the benefits as long as you’re, like anything else, as long as you’re continuous with it, consistent with it, you’re going to see the benefits for a much longer period of time. I know it can be – I’ve heard it's –as you said is the fountain of youth, but it may not be able to make – guarantee that you’re gonna live any longer, but you’re gonna – the life you live is gonna be much more productive and healthy.

TODD: And lifting weights is – combined with the right eating is a good way to lose weight?

DWIGHT: Without a doubt. Without a doubt.

TODD: We’re gonna focus here on weightlifting, but define strength training generally and talk about the different types, just ‘cause I wanna get out there what they all are. There are alternatives even though we’re not gonna go in that direction.

DWIGHT: Yeah, they are. I mean, you can start with the simple, strength training is just doing body weight activities. Whether that’s pushups, sit ups, planks, body weight squats. Then you can get into the resistance training which doesn’t necessarily mean weights, it can be bands, it can balance type activities that you do different types of activities with while you’re balancing. And it can go from a very stable platform to a very unstable platform as you become stronger through that. And then, obviously then there’s the barbell weight training, you know,  lifting weights. Whether that’s through a machine or free weights and then you can also get in dumbbells and kettlebells and all kinds, there’s all kinds of different activities that you can be involved in that help build strength and muscles mass.

TODD: But what’s the definition of strength training?

DWIGHT: Lifting with a resistance.

TODD: How effective is weightlifting at preventing the muscle loss and joint tissue wasting that comes with age? Is it more about kind of slowing that process down, or can you actually keep building muscle as you get to a not-so-young age?

DWIGHT: You can continue to build muscle, as long as you’re involved in that activity. It will, you know, it will slow the process down – I mean, you will gain benefits throughout your entire life through strength training. It helps increase mobility within the joint, so you have more movement for the joint as you age, as long as you’re working through the full range of motion when you are weightlifting.

TODD: So, what is the rate at which we lose muscle? You know, what age is – does it start occurring, how much percentage, is it by decade or?

DWIGHT: I don’t know exactly the percent by decade, but I mean, you can start – by inactivity, it can start as early as your teenage years and then it gets worse as time goes on. So, I mean, it’s something that will happen, you know, early on if you’re not doing – if you’re not doing some sort of resistance training or doing some sort of exercise.

TODD: Okay, but if you’re not doing it, isn’t it something like 1 or 2% a year you lose starting at 35?

DWIGHT: Thirty-five is kinda that magical age where you know things will change as time goes on.

TODD: So, what advice do you give people who are sort of intimidated by the prospects of weightlifting, that’s probably not an uncommon thing, right?

DWIGHT: No, it’s very common and the people I’ve worked with in the past, as you know, I always said that the most difficult thing is to get in the car and drive to wherever it is you’re going to do, or you know, get to the room that you exercise in. It can be very intimidating, but people need to understand that it doesn’t – you’re not gonna be the person that you see on T.V. that’s Mr. Olympia. It’s starting slow, like I said, doing bodyweight activities, and just moving, just begin with, and then as time goes on, then you can increase your activity and increase the weights that you’re using or the resistance that you use to gain your benefit.

TODD: I realize that people are probably best off hiring a trainer, but most of us aren’t doing that. So, how effective or dangerous can it be just doing it yourself? And are there apps or videos or anything you recommend for the – particularly for the beginner.

DWIGHT: Well, I find, you know, myself included in this, sometimes, you know, if you’re a little bit older, your mind thinks you can do what you did – your body can do when you’re 20 years old. And that – that’s not necessarily the case. I think the big thing is is researching either through YouTube, you can go on YouTube for “Beginning Strength Training” programs or go to a local gym and meet with a personal trainer, maybe one time. It’s not something you have to do all the time, but just to try and get, you know, an idea of how to use the weights, what to do, you know, what activities will be most beneficial for you as you begin your program and progress up from there. It can be, you know, where you meet with somebody – I do recommend you meet with somebody on a regular basis, but it  can be as frequent as three times a week or as infrequent as one time a month, one time every other month, just to chart your progress, and then see what would be the next course of action that you can take.

TODD: And I take it to make sure your form is good?

DWIGHT: Yeah, to work on form. And I mean, that’s the big thing is -- another big thing to prevent injuries is making sure that you’re – it’s not about necessarily how much weight you’re lifting, but the weight you are lifting is done properly, and your form is correct. Whether it’s with weights or resistance bands or Gymnic balls or anything of those natures.

TODD: So, do you have any specific tips for beginner. The foremost things that someone should know before they start working out?

DWIGHT: What I think is start slow, progress no more than 10% per week, meaning if you’re lifting 10 pounds then -- one week, then the next week you’re lifting 11 pounds. You’re not gonna go from 10 pounds to 20 pounds to 30 pounds each time you do something. It’s starting lightweight, starting slow, or if you’re doing push-ups, starting with five, if that’s what you can do. Or maybe you can only do it for 10 seconds and then progressing up and keeping in mind, you only progressing 10% per week.

TODD: I can remember about 30 years ago when I was going to the gym, they had computerized machines so you could just set them like for 3 pounds more the second – you know, the next week you wanted to go up. They seemed to have done away with those so now, you’re kind of – you have to – 5 or 10 pounds is like the least you can up your…

DWIGHT: Yeah, and everybody’s trying to, you know, I mean, it’s because of technology where we’re getting more and more interactive in those kinds of things, but we’ve found that if you increase more than that over a period of time, it can cause problems with the body part that you’re working with. Overuse problems.

TODD: But what are the key things to maximize your workouts without injuring yourself.

DWIGHT: You know, making sure that you’re using proper form, proper technique, increasing your resistance at the appropriate level, being consistent with it as well. You can’t go one day a week this week, and then try and go five days the next week. You wanna be consistent as you go through.

TODD: What are the most common mistakes people make?

DWIGHT: To your point earlier, it’s form. They try and do too much too soon, and then they’re either damaging the joint or tissue that they’re working, or they’re overuse – overusing it and then they can’t continue with the program because they’ve hurt themselves and then they get discouraged and then stop doing what they’re doing.

TODD: Couple of “What’s better?” questions. Less reps of heavy weights or more reps of lighter weights.

DWIGHT: Well especially for the beginner stage, it’s gonna be higher numbers and lower weights. If you can – if you can do it. I mean, and I say higher instead of, you know, when you’re lifting for muscle mass to gain mass is gonna be fewer reps and higher weight. This is – we’re gonna maybe start at either no weights, just body weight, doing more repetitions with proper form and then increasing that up. You know, if you’re doing something, I like to go up to maybe 30 to 40 repetitions at the weight you’re working at, and then when you’ve got that down, and you got good form and feels like, easy, then I’m gonna increase my weight, but decrease my repetitions down to maybe somewhere around 15 to 20 repetitions.

TODD: More experienced weightlifters tend to work with heavier weights, less reps.

DWIGHT: Yes, they’re doing, five sets of three repetitions, but they’re using – there’s a different formula for them to use. It’s usually body weight. One rep or three rep max and they’re hitting 90, 95% of their one rep max to build that muscle mass.

TODD: And men more than women doing heavy weight? Women doing like lots of --

DWIGHT: You know, I think traditionally, it’s been men doing more heavy weights, but women have really – have got into the scene and it’s taken a long time for them to get where they’re at. So, it’s not something you’re just gonna jump into right away.

TODD: And how about women being concerned about weightlifting causing them to, kinda, bulk up.

DWIGHT: Unless you’re getting into the slight population that will get into that and most of the time those are – they’re really working to try and gain that bulk, if you’re going out, doing lighter weights, you’re going to tone what you’ve got, but you’re not gonna build massive muscles and look disproportionate.

TODD: Free weights or machines?

DWIGHT: I like to start with machines because it helps with the balance, it helps with the technique, but over time, there’s a benefit to what I call proprioception, or your body being able to know where it’s working in space and time, and free weights will give you a better benefit once you’ve got the technique down and the strength to control it. I think the best, you know, the top of the line on that is working on – with barbells. Where it’s individually operated, if you will, on each side so you get the maximum benefit of that. But that – that’s a very, very high-level skill.

TODD: Yeah, I’ve been working out for a long time, and I still prefer the machines, just ‘cause free weights can – seem dangerous to me.

DWIGHT: They can be very dangerous and hard to control, that’s why the machines tend to be a little bit, you know, you can gain some benefit from them, but they’re much safer.

TODD: How about the amount of time between sets?

DWIGHT: If you’re working, you know, say, if you’re working one minute, I like to have a two-minute rest in between. It’s not a one-to-one rest. I think your body needs recovery, I think that’s a big misconception is that you just need to hammer it all the way through, and your body needs time to recover. So, recover between sets. So, you’re doing it correctly, you can get the number of repetitions you want and then maintain your form and not injure yourself.

TODD: Two sounds good. I always kinda feel guilty when I take two – figure I’m taking two much time between --

DWIGHT: No, I think it’s a -- one period of time for the work, and two periods of time for the rest.

TODD: But that circuit training, they have you go real quick, don’t they?

DWIGHT: They do. They do. But I think over – over time you lose the best benefit you can because you get tired, and now, all of a sudden, your technique goes out the window, and you’re not gaining the best, the most benefit from --

TODD: So, you’re not a big fan of that training?

DWIGHT: I’m not a big fan of circuit training.

TODD: Okay. Is there a best time of day to lift?

DWIGHT: Statistically, the best time to work out is in the morning, that’s when you’ve gained the most rest and your body is at peak performance. But there’s also real life that gets involved in this and you know, if you’re trying to, you know, get ready for work, and get the kids off to school sometimes it’s difficult to do that before you have to get to work. So, whatever fits your schedule the best, as long as you’re getting the activity done, that’s gonna be the most important thing. But morning is, you know, scientifically better for you to work out in.

TODD: This question is particularly as you age, and you touched on this, but I asked again because this is something I’m kinda guilty of. And really grapple with is how much do you push – continue to push yourself as you age? You know, it’s – to me, it’s like that’s what weightlifting is, you’re always looking to reach a level at which it’s time to go to the next level. But when do you know you’ve kinda maxed out on that?

DWIGHT: I think it’s you know, as you progress up through your program and become more knowledgeable of how your body is responding to things, and what you’re asking for it to do, you’ll kinda know, either you’ve pushed it too much, or you haven’t pushed it enough. If you’re not able to recover. So, you’re lifting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and you’re not able to recover from Monday’s workout on Wednesday to be able to do what you did on Monday, then you’ve probably pushed it a little bit too far. And so, it’s kinda like, okay, let’s either cut down on the weight or the repetitions that we did so then I’m able to recover and do at least what I did the time before.

TODD: Unfortunately, I often push to an amount that the way my body lets me know is when I get injured. Because when I’m doing it initially, it seems like I’m doing okay, but it’s that repetitive stress that finally gets you.

DWIGHT: Yeah, and sometimes you don’t know ahead of time what’s gonna happen after the fact, and so, you’ve gotta listen to your body, soreness is to be expected, you know, and if you’re sore in the muscles, I mean, I think that’s part of the natural process of getting in shape. But as time goes on, if you’re starting to have pain in the joints and you’re not able to work, you know, move your joint through the full range of motion then you’ve probably pushed yourself too hard and you’re setting yourself up for a trip to the doctor because you’ve injured yourself.

TODD: So, you mentioned soreness, it’ll last longer, but it seems like as I’ve aged, I’ve noticed a phenomenon of sort of delayed onset soreness some.

DWIGHT: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it’s not something you’re gonna feel right when you’re done working out or during your workout. Some people, you know, you release endorphins when you exercise and that’s the feel-good runner’s higher, if you will. But it’s the day after that, you know, you expect to be sore, but I mean, i you’re limping or not able to lift a cup of coffee, you’ve overdone it the day before. So, you know, need to either, I said cut back the amount of weights that you’ve done, the sets, or you’ve done too many exercises and may need to cut out something at that point in time until your body gets in better shape to be able to handle that, and then slowly introduce it back into it. Don’t just pick up and think, “Oh, I can do what I did before I felt this pain or soreness.

TODD: How important is resistance when returning a weight to the sitting position? I often have to remind myself of that because I’m so focused on, you know, pushing it out.

DWIGHT: There’s two movements, and you know, for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. So, when you’re lifting a weight for example, say, the bench press, I mean, you’re using your chest and your biceps to shorten up the muscles – the shorten up, that’s called the concentric movement. But when you’re lowering it back down, there’s a benefit called eccentric movement and that’s where you’re working through the muscles as they’re lengthening. And so, that should be just as slow or at the same speed that you pushed the weight up, it should be that same speed coming down.

TODD: You’re breathing out when you’re really exerting out and then breathing in on the return, right?

DWIGHT:  Right, you are.

[Music to signal a brief interjection in the interview]

ZACH: Dwight mentioned the metabolic benefits of weightlifting, its fat and calorie burning appeal. Others emphasize strengthened bones, reduced risk of Osteoporosis and improved balance and posture, all of which reduce the risk of falls and injuries that can rob people of their independence when they get older. What’s less talked about is weightlifting’s effect on mental health. The greatest effect involves anxiety and depression. A 2024 systematic review of more than 200 articles on weightlifting’s effects, found improvements in anxiety and depression in both the general population and those with a confirmed diagnosis of either condition. The effect was strongest on those with a diagnosis. Specifically, lifting weights lifts moods, according to another review of studies about strength training and mental health. The review found that resistance exercise often substantially reduces people’s gloom, no matter how melancholy they feel at first or how often or seldom they actually get to the gym and lift. A third analysis of studies found that people who engage in resistance training tend to have better brain health, a benefit most pronounced in the elderly. People with cognitive decline had better cognition after starting resistance training. The analysis also found weightlifting brought improved self-esteem and better-quality sleep. So, the next time you think about skipping your weightlifting session because your body is dragging, resist. Your brain will thank you.

[Music]

TODD: After the break we’ll be back with Dwight who will talk about protein, diet, and how it ties into your workout.

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[Sound effect signals return to the interview]

TODD: Can you talk some about the importance of diet and strength training, how much protein you need?

DWIGHT: Experts that I’ve read, they’re suggesting that you have about 40 grams of protein first thing in the morning and then first thing – and meal in the evening. Protein is the building block for our muscles. And if you do not have it there, then the muscles are not gonna work the way that you want them to and most efficiently. So, diet plays a big role in this, we as Americans probably have way too much carbohydrates in our diet, too much sugar, too much processed food. So, if you can get back to lean meats, fruits and vegetables, that’s gonna help provide a better building block for building the muscles and have that available for the body to use as an energy source.

TODD: The key is getting an abundant amount in the morning and --

DWIGHT: And then in the evening, yes. Because --

TODD: That third meal – you know that lunch meal is not – you don’t have to worry --

DWIGHT: Oh, I’m not saying it’s not important, but I think, you know, you’re coming off of – in breakfast, you’re coming off of, you know, not having anything to eat from – anywhere from 8 to 10, 12 hours maybe and you’ve gotta have fuel in the body to be able to do the work that you want it to do. And then you’ve worked all day and as you sleep, you wanna have that protein available to help build the muscles while you’re sleeping. The metabolism occurs just with us breathing, it’s not just our exercise. And so, we need to have the energy sources available all day long.

TODD: And those protein mixes, and drinks and creatine, things like that, are they good?

DWIGHT: Protein mixes are okay, I think it’s better to get it through natural sources. If you need to supplement, it’s okay, but don’t use it as the sole source of protein. I’m not a big fan of creatine, ‘cause most people overuse it and the benefits are not as great as sometimes we’re led to believe. Our body produces the majority of creatine that we need.

TODD: What’s the latest thinking on the importance of stretching before, after?

DWIGHT: Stretching is very, very important. I mean, we live in Houston, but if you’re living in the – it’s a cold out there you don’t jump in your car and just speed down the freeway going a hundred miles an hour without it warming up a little bit, and the body is the same way. We need to get the blood flowing, get our body used to movement – you know, movements that we’re going to do before we actually start really working them heavy. So, it is important that we get the blood flowing. I call it active exercise, active warm up. So, it’s not just bending over and touching your toes, it’s jogging a little bit.

TODD: Five or ten minutes?

DWIGHT: I’d say – Yeah, a couple laps, whatever that, you know. A couple laps around the track, if that’s what it looks like, five to ten minutes would be perfect and then doing some joint-specific movements that you’re gonna be working on that day. So, if you’re working on legs, you’re gonna do some high knees, maybe do a little skipping, if you can do that. You’re gonna do some hip movements, I call it open the gate and close the gate. So, you’re really working those hips. You get blood flowing to the area and get those proprioceptors in that joint ready for the movement that’s gonna be occurring there. And then, when exercise is over, it’s important maybe that you jog down a little bit, maybe for two to three minutes, and then at that time you can do some of your static stretching, lengthen out the muscles, let them calm down from the higher level activity you’re doing, let them slowly calm down, don’t just quit what you’re doing and go sit in a chair or get in the car and drive home. You do need to stretch out the body parts that you’ve worked on.

TODD: And recovery moves not just right after, but like in the day after you’ve worked out. Anything you suggest?

DWIGHT: Yeah sure, I mean – you know, if – if I’m suggesting that maybe you go out and then do some – either some biking or jogging or walking, whatever’s best for you. But again you’re still gonna use those same warm up techniques, you know. So, if you’re gonna go for a bike ride, you go for maybe ten minutes just  at a gradual pace and you increase it up as time goes on to get your body ready for those activities. But it will help loosen up and have better blood flow through the joints and through the muscles so they can recover from the hard work out that you the day before.

TODD: And get enough sleep.

DWIGHT: And sleep is probably right up there as one of the most important things. I mean, we, again as Americans, and I’m included in this one too, we don’t get enough rest.

TODD: And that’s especially important when weightlifting for your muscle to rebuild.

DWIGHT: Yeah, exactly. You should be getting minimum eight hours of sleep per night. I know it’s difficult to do, but for the most benefit, you need to get that, at least eight hours of sleep per evening.

TODD: And in summary, anything you wanna add? If the listener could only take so much from this podcast, what would you hope it would be?

DWIGHT: You gotta start slow, get educated on what you want to do, either meet with a professional to map out a – kind of a plan of where you’re at and where you want to be. Be consistent with what you’re doing. This is gonna take some time. You know, if you’re looking to lose weight, the weight didn’t come on overnight, it’s not gonna come off overnight. It’s gonna take some time and be consistent with your exercise as you’re going through this phase of your life.

TODD: Alright, very good. I appreciate you taking time to talk with us.

DWIGHT: It’s my pleasure thank you so much.

[Music]

ZACH: So, Todd, in my never-ending workout journey, I’ve done some circuit training, right? I’ve done those, like boot camps. You get up, you do the one-minute thing, go around and around, and you really get exhausted, right? And it was interesting that Dwight mentioned that circuit training is not the best.

TODD: Yeah, I was kinda surprised by that. I thought there were a lot of trainers that were big on those. I’ve never really done them.

ZACH: Well, I’ve done them because you guys talked about this too, like personal trainer versus doing it on your own. Like, I do like a little bit of guidance, right? ‘Cause I’m always worried about, “Am I gonna push myself too hard? Am I gonna hurt myself?” sort of thing, right? So, I like how – I feel like, oh, there’s some sense of structure, someone overseeing everything around. Like I feel a little safer, right? I feel like, oh, I’m not gonna like kill myself doing this, right? So, that’s why I kinda gravitate toward the circuit training or a personal trainer, things like that.

TODD: I’m sorry but you don’t get that with the circuit training, do you?

ZACH: Well, you – there’s an instructor or something, you know what I’m saying? Like the boot camps, right?

TODD: Oh, I see.

ZACH: So, you never done circuit training?

TODD: I’ve gone over to it and started a couple machines and never really went through the whole thing.

ZACH: Uh-huh, ‘cause I was like you, I was surprised to hear him say that ‘cause I thought it was beneficial.

TODD: His idea seemed to be that it just – you needed more rest between exercise.

ZACH: That’s another interesting thing he said was – I too, like you, “Am I resting too long between sets?” And he’s like, “No, a minute or two is fine.” I’m like, “Well, I feel a lot better.” ‘Cause I need that time to recover, you know, sometimes. And I feel a little guilty, if it’s like, oh, has been a couple minutes, am I losing my gains doing this sort of thing? Apparently not.

TODD: Yeah, I don’t think you’re losing your gains, but it seems like to me it would be a better workout if you’re not wasting a lot of time there.

ZACH: Yeah.

TODD: I take his point that you should be taking twice as much time resting as you were exerting on your set.

ZACH: It’s a good formula for everyone to remember.

TODD: Right? I got a kick out of him saying that – when we were talking about a lot of people being intimidated by it, that you know, the hardest part is just getting in your car and driving there.

ZACH: Yeah.

TODD: ‘Cause when I’m there, I’m working out pretty hard and I would say one of four times I go to work out, I am sort of like dreading it. I’m just – I’m kinda dragging today, I don’t – I need to, you know, push myself, but I am not looking forward to it.

ZACH: Do you ever regret it afterward though, ‘cause from my experience, I’ve never regretted it. Yeah, once you’re there and you do it, you feel like, “Oh okay. I’m glad I made it out.” On the converse side, if you don’t go, like I’m always like, “Oh man, I really should have gone today.”

TODD: Right. But there are days where I’m working out and I’m just dragging the whole time, but they say that’s better than nothing so…

ZACH: Also, the protein talk you guys had, talking about 40 grams in the morning, 40 grams at night. That kind of math is helpful to me, ‘cause another thing I worry about just -- you’re trying – I’m always trying to like balance like exercise versus diet intake, that sort of thing. And it’s like, well if you work out really hard you can go eat whatever you want. Sometimes I’ve been told that, I’m like, “Great!” But then I’m like no, if I’m gonna try to be healthy, but if the ways I eat healthy don’t necessarily – aren’t necessarily compatible with like pushing hard to work out, so I wanna make sure I’m getting my proper amount of protein. So, that is a good number to strive for and to remember, right? The 40 grams.

TODD: Do you think you hit 40 with those meals?

ZACH: Maybe.

[Laughter]

TODD: I really had to work on breakfast to get mine up.

ZACH: What was your secret to getting 40 grams of protein?

TODD: Well, I don’t get 40 grams of protein. I get probably the low 30s.

ZACH: Okay.

TODD: I just had to incorporate some new stuff.

ZACH: Like what?

TODD: Well, as you may remember, Zach, I like almond milk.

ZACH: Yes. Almond milk.

TODD: But that doesn’t have much protein in it. But I get almond milk yogurt, which is fortified with a lot of protein.

ZACH: Okay.

TODD: And then I put granola in it, which is high in protein. So, that has boosted me a lot besides like an energy bar and hard-boiled egg I’ll have.

ZACH: Yeah.

TODD: But to get to 40, I would think I would need something like bacon or something.

ZACH: Right. No, I’ve experienced it where I don’t have enough, like in the morning. ‘Cause as he says, morning is the best time to work out and I agree. Like, just mentally, physically, like that’s when I prefer to exercise, more so than the end of the day. So, there have been mornings I don’t like -- eat -- like eating a yogurt or something is essential, ‘cause if I don’t, like I will run out of gas, you know?

TODD: So, most of my like – my breakfast was like an energy bar and piece of fruit. I have tried to work out in the morning once or twice, and it just doesn’t happen for me.

ZACH: So, you’re an evening worker-outer.

TODD: Yes, but remember, I’m a night owl. So, I find that I have just come more alive and I’d be – feel more energetic in the evening than I do in the morning.

ZACH: I guess it’s a mental thing too, right? ‘Cause if you get up and you get it done, and I feel like I accomplished something. As opposed to dreading it all day.

[Laughter]

“Here it is. It’s 6 o’clock, gotta go to the gym,” right?

TODD: Doing it in the morning would appeal to me, just because that – then you seem to – those endorphins are really flowing and you’re – you feel great during the day. I work out at night and I get home and I’m sort of like – still pumped up.

ZACH: Fired up. Gotta go just run around the neighborhood, burn off some energy there, right?

TODD: Yeah.

ZACH: So, what other takeaways do you have from talking to Dwight?

TODD: You know, there’s part of me that’s always thought it would be a good idea to have a trainer. I never have, like I say, I just wing it out there. I can’t ever see really hiring someone on a regular basis. One of my best friends completely redid his garage to make it a gym and brings in a trainer three times a week.

ZACH: He redid his garage to bring a trainer into it? Wow. Okay.

TODD: Yes. He’s a one percenter, I don’t have the finances to do that. But it would be nice, I think, to have a trainer just to check my form and introduce me to some new exercises perhaps. I’ve been doing the same exercises forever. You know, maybe once a month, or once every two months. I think that would be good.

ZACH: That was more important for me, like when I was really kinda getting started, ‘cause it was all just a – like it’s intimidating. If you go into a gym for the first time, like, what is this? What is that? How much can I do here? To have somebody to kinda walk through it is very helpful. But I do think once you kinda have a gameplan, right? Or a set of goals from somebody then you can easily do those things yourself. At this point for me, having somebody is more about accountability. Like are you actually gonna go work out or are you gonna fall through?

TODD: Yeah, and my friend who’s hired – built his garage up and hired someone says, one of the big benefits of it is it motivates him, it forces him to be motivated.

ZACH: It’s like somebody’s here knocking on your door at 6 A.M. time to get up and work out.

TODD: I’m pretty self-motivated so that’s not as a big a factor for me. What do you think of the idea of weightlifting as a fountain of youth?

ZACH: I don’t know, I guess I’ll weightlift more. I mean that’s –

[Laughter]

I’d never heard that before. Is that a common understanding, or?

TODD: Yeah, I heard a podcast where someone – some gave a – I’m sorry not a podcast. Someone gave a TED Talk in which they talked about how we don’t have a obesity problem, we have a lack of muscle problem. And how that predicted bad health outcomes. And so, strength training is the antidote to that.

ZACH: Okay.

TODD: So, think about that.

ZACH: I will. I’m gonna keep on strength training then so…

[Laughter]

All right, well that’s gonna do it for this episode of On Health with Houston Methodist. We drop episodes Tuesday mornings, so be sure to share, like, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, stay tuned and stay healthy.