Strength Training for Longevity: Staying Active, Capable, and Competitive as You Age

For most people, aging means slowing down, getting injured more often, and gradually stepping away from the sports or activities they once loved.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.

At Avos Strength, one of our core goals is helping people stay active and strong enough to keep doing what they love. Whether that’s playing hockey, hiking, running around with grandkids, or competing in tennis well into their seventies.

Longevity isn't just about living longer. It's about being able to play longer.

Strength Training Is the Foundation

The research is clear: strength training is one of the most powerful tools for healthy aging.

The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults engage in strength training at least two times per week. Not just walking. Not just stretching. Strength work.

Why?

Because as we age, we naturally lose:
• Muscle mass (sarcopenia)
• Bone density (osteopenia)
• Balance and coordination
• Speed and power

None of that is inevitable if you stay consistent and take action early.

Strength training helps maintain lean mass, reinforce bone density, improve joint integrity, and significantly reduce the risk of falls, fractures, and injuries. It improves your ability to move, lift, rotate, decelerate, and react. These skills matter whether you’re skiing or just stepping down a curb.

Our Clients Are Proof

We work with clients in their sixties, seventies, and beyond who are still playing high-level sports. Hockey. Tennis. Pickleball. Soccer.

They’re not outliers because of genetics. They’re still going because they’ve trained consistently for years. They’ve built capacity and resilience. And now they’re seeing all their peers slow down, drop off, or get injured while they’re still showing up and performing.

That’s not luck. That’s training age, smart coaching, and commitment.

It's Never Too Late to Start

You don’t need to start in your thirties or forties to benefit from strength training.

We’ve seen people start in their sixties and still build muscle, improve balance, regain confidence, and feel better than they have in years.

The science backs this up. You still have the ability to increase strength, coordination, and motor control at any age. What matters is that you start now and do it with support and structure.

The Right Attitude Is Just as Important

Training isn’t just physical. It’s mental. And the attitude you bring into the gym matters just as much as the exercises you do.

We don’t work with clients who say things like:
"I can’t do that."
"I’m too old."
"That’s not for someone like me."

Because the more you say you can’t, the more you won’t.

You still have the ability to wire new movement patterns, build new neural pathways, and develop new skills. Research shows that your brain and body are capable of adapting well into later life. You just have to give them the opportunity.

We will always coach you safely and program with purpose. But you need to be willing to try.

The clients who see long-term success are the ones who stay curious, open, and engaged. They say yes more than they say no. That mindset carries them forward.

This Is a Lifestyle, Not a 3-Month Fix

At Avos Strength, we don’t believe in quick fixes or short-term programs. This isn’t a three-month transformation. This is long-term development.

Strength training is not just about lifting weights. It’s about:
• Building confidence in your body
• Staying resilient against injury
• Learning skills that stay with you
• Creating structure in your week
• Building meaningful relationships with coaches and teammates who support you

Our clients train with us because they want to live well and play hard for as long as possible. And they enjoy the process along the way.

The Bottom Line

Strength training is one of the best investments you can make for your future self.

Whether you're trying to stay in the game, reduce your injury risk, or simply move better and feel stronger, it’s never too late to start. What matters is that you stay consistent, train with intention, and surround yourself with people who care about your long-term success.

Train. Play. Repeat.

If you're ready to build a strong, capable version of yourself, we’re here for that.
Book a session with Avos Strength and let’s get started.

Do You Really Need to Be Sore to Make Progress in the Gym?

There’s a common belief that if you’re not sore after a workout, you didn’t train hard enough. You’ll hear it all the time:

“No pain, no gain.”

But here’s the truth: muscle soreness is not a reliable indicator of progress, and in many cases, it can actually get in the way of consistent, effective training.

Anyone Can Make You Sore—That’s Not the Goal

Let’s be honest: anyone can make you sore.
You don’t need a good coach for that. You just need someone to throw a thousand burpees at you or load you up with a ridiculous amount of volume and novel movements.

But that’s not training—that’s just stimulus for the sake of it.

A smart, well-designed program is about progress, not punishment. And if your trainer’s goal is to leave you crawling out of the gym or unable to sit in a meeting the next day; you might want to reconsider who you're working with.

The goal should never be to make the client sore.

Yes, soreness can happen, especially:

• In Week 1 of a new training block

• When exposed to new exercises or higher volume

• During deload-to-load transitions or push weeks

But soreness is a byproduct, not a training objective.

If I make a high-level athlete so sore they can’t train, move well, or compete, I’ve failed them. I’ve taken away their ability to perform; and that’s a disservice, not a badge of honor.

What Is DOMS—and What Causes It?

DOMS stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. It typically begins 12 to 48 hours after training, especially when:

• You’ve done a high volume of work

• You’re introducing new or unfamiliar exercises

• You’ve emphasized eccentric movements (slowing down the lowering portion)

DOMS is the result of microtrauma to muscle fibers and connective tissues. This triggers inflammation, increased sensitivity, and a bit of stiffness during the recovery process.

It’s not caused by lactate buildup.
And it’s not always a sign of an effective workout.

Soreness ≠ Progress

Being sore doesn’t mean you had a better session. And not being sore doesn’t mean the session wasn’t effective.

In fact, experienced trainees often feel less sore over time—even as they get stronger, faster, and more conditioned. Their bodies adapt more efficiently, and recovery becomes more seamless.

What builds muscle and drives performance isn’t soreness—it’s:

• Mechanical tension (how hard the muscle works)

• Metabolic stress (accumulation of fatigue within the muscle)

• Progressive overload (gradually increasing stimulus over time)

You don’t have to feel wrecked to be progressing.
You have to be consistent, intentional, and able to do it again next session.

So How Do You Know You’re Progressing?

Stop measuring your training by soreness. Start tracking metrics that actually reflect adaptation:

• Are your loads increasing?

• Are you doing more volume or better quality reps?

• Are you recovering better between sessions?

• Is your movement improving?

• Do you feel more capable, resilient, and consistent?

These are signs that you’re training well—not how wrecked your legs feel after squats.

When Soreness Might Be a Red Flag

Soreness that sticks around for multiple days or disrupts your ability to train again isn’t a sign of effectiveness—it’s a warning sign.

Watch for:

• Soreness that interferes with performance

• Postural compensation due to stiffness

• Constant soreness from session to session

• A lack of clear progress due to under-recovery

Chronic or extreme soreness usually means something’s off; either in your programming, recovery, or load management.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to chase soreness. You need to chase consistency, progression, and execution.

Yes, soreness might show up here and there, especially when you introduce something new or push intensity. But if the main goal of your program—or your coach—is to leave you limping out of every session, it’s probably time to look elsewhere.

Train. Play. Repeat.

Want programming that actually respects recovery, performance, and progress? Book a session at Avos Strength and let’s build something that lasts.

Lactic Acid Isn’t the Bad Guy: What’s Really Behind Muscle Burn and Fatigue

You’ve probably heard it before—“My legs are full of lactic acid,” or “It’s the lactic acid that makes me sore.”
But here’s the truth: lactic acid isn’t to blame for muscle soreness or fatigue—and in fact, it’s not even the enemy. It’s time to clear this up once and for all.

What Actually Happens During Exercise?

When you train—especially at moderate to high intensities—your body breaks down carbohydrates to produce energy. This process is called glycolysis, and it produces two main byproducts:

• Pyruvate, which can be used to produce energy

• Hydrogen ions (H⁺), which increase acidity in the muscle

Here’s the key thing to understand:

Hydrogen ions make your muscles feel acidic—not lactate.

As hydrogen ions build up, they lower the pH in the muscle (pH is a scale that measures how acidic or basic something is—lower pH means more acidic). This increased acidity can interfere with how your muscles contract and lead to that familiar burning sensation during hard efforts.

So What Is Lactate?

Lactate (often confused with “lactic acid”) is actually a helpful byproduct, not a waste product. When the rate of glycolysis increases and hydrogen ions start to accumulate, lactate is formed when pyruvate binds with those hydrogen ions.

This is a good thing. Lactate formation actually helps buffer the acidity by mopping up excess hydrogen ions. This slows down the drop in pH and helps you keep going longer.

So instead of being the villain, lactate is your body’s way of protecting itself from fatigue.

Myth-Busting: Lactate ≠ Muscle Soreness

Muscle soreness, especially the kind that shows up 24–48 hours later, is known as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). It’s caused by microdamage to muscle tissue, inflammation, and the repair process—not by lactate.

The lactate-muscle soreness myth was debunked decades ago. Yet it continues to live on in gym talk, group classes, and even outdated training certifications.

We Produce Lactate All the Time

Contrary to popular belief, lactate isn’t just made during intense training. Your body is constantly producing and clearing lactate—even at rest.

It’s used as:

• A fuel by the heart, brain, and slow-twitch muscle fibers

• A precursor to glucose in the liver through the Cori cycle

• A signaling molecule for adaptation and recovery

Far from being a waste product, lactate is essential to energy production and endurance performance.

Why Lactate Threshold Matters

Your lactate threshold refers to the highest intensity at which your body can produce and clear lactate at the same rate. Once you exceed that threshold, lactate begins to accumulate—but not because it’s causing fatigue. It’s a sign that your body is working hard and relying more on anaerobic metabolism.

What matters is that:

• Lactate is a proxy for effort, not the cause of failure

• The better trained you are, the more efficiently you can clear lactate, which allows you to sustain high output for longer

This is why aerobic base training and well-planned intervals are so valuable—they help improve your body’s ability to manage lactate and stay out of deep fatigue.

The Bottom Line

MythRealityLactic acid causes sorenessMuscle soreness comes from tissue damage, not lactateLactate makes you fatigueLactate buffers fatigue and helps you continueLactate is a waste productIt’s a valuable fuel and performance toolHigh lactate = badIt reflects effort—not failure

So next time you feel the burn or hear someone say “it’s the lactic acid,” you’ll know better: Lactate isn’t making you slow down—it’s helping you stay in the game.

Train. Play. Repeat.
Want to learn how to build your aerobic base, improve lactate clearance, and train smarter—not just harder? Book a session at Avos Strength and we’ll break it down.

Why Dorsiflexion Matters in Plyometric Drills

In plyometric drills—whether it’s bounding, skipping, or pogo hops you’ll often hear the cue:

“Dorsiflex your foot!”

But why does that matter?

Dorsiflexion (pulling your toes up toward your shin) might seem like a small technical detail, but it has a big impact on performance, coordination, and injury prevention.

You can see in the above video how I dorsiflex my foot (by pulling my toes up) as I’m in the air, before I land again for the next pogo hop.

1. Prepares the Ankle for Stiffness and Quick Rebound

Dorsiflexion creates a rigid lever at the ankle joint, allowing the lower leg and foot to act like a spring. This increases reactive strength—your body’s ability to quickly absorb and release force—which is essential for explosive movements. The result? Shorter ground contact times and a faster, more elastic rebound off the ground.

📚 Weyand et al. (2000) showed that faster sprinters generate higher vertical forces during short ground contact times, a quality supported by stiff ankle positions.
📚 Nagahara et al. (2014) observed that dorsiflexion supports greater horizontal force during sprinting due to increased ankle stiffness.

2. Optimizes Force Transfer

A dorsiflexed foot puts your lower leg in the right position to transmit force efficiently. When your foot is loose or pointed downward (plantarflexed), energy leaks through the ankle, reducing your power output. Dorsiflexing locks the chain in place so every contact helps drive you forward instead of absorbing momentum.

3. Enhances Neural Readiness and Coordination

Dorsiflexion activates key stabilizing muscles like the tibialis anterior, reinforcing good joint alignment and movement mechanics. It trains your body to better coordinate the timing of your stride or jump, improving motor control for athletic skills like sprinting, decelerating, or changing direction. Over time, this improves both performance and efficiency.

📚 Fong et al. (2011) and others note that anterior tibialis activation is essential for controlled foot placement and efficient ground interaction in gait and athletic movement.

4. Encourages Safer Movement Patterns

A dorsiflexed position encourages midfoot or forefoot landings, reducing heel striking and lowering the impact forces on joints like the knees, hips, and lower back. It also places the ankle in a more stable and neutral position, which may reduce stress on the joint and contribute to safer mechanics.

• Improved dorsiflexion range correlates with better movement quality

  Malloy et al. (2015) found that limited dorsiflexion increases knee valgus angles during landing—a known risk factor for ACL injury.

• Restricted dorsiflexion is associated with compensations and faulty loading

  Research links poor ankle mobility to increased loading on the knees and altered jumping/landing strategies (Macrum et al., 2012).

• There’s indirect evidence of injury risk reduction

  While not a guarantee against injury, dorsiflexion encourages mechanics that are commonly associated with reduced strain on the ankle, shin, and knee.

• Causal proof is still limited

  There are no large-scale RCTs proving dorsiflexion prevents injuries—but its contribution to stable, efficient movement is well established.

Final Takeaway

Dorsiflexion isn’t just about how your foot looks—it’s about how your body moves. It helps you jump higher, land better, and sprint faster while reinforcing movement quality that may help reduce injury risk. In high- speed, high-impact movements, the little things make a big difference.

Train. Play. Repeat.

Curious how small technical tweaks can level up your movement? Book a session at Avos Strength and let’s break it down.

How Long Does It Take to See Results From Training?

Whether you're lifting to build muscle or grinding through cardio to boost your conditioning, it’s natural to ask: How long until I see results? The answer depends on the type of adaptation you're chasing—and how consistent you are.

This post breaks it down by phase:

• Muscle strength and hypertrophy

• Aerobic conditioning (aerobic base and VO₂max)

• And how long it takes to lose your progress if you stop

Let’s dive into what the research says.

Strength & Muscle Gains: What Changes First?

Phase 1: Neural Adaptations (0–4 weeks)

In the first 2–4 weeks of strength training, most improvements come from neural adaptations. Your brain and nervous system get better at recruiting muscle fibers, stabilizing joints, and coordinating movement. You may lift more—but not because the muscle is larger.

📚 Research Insight: Moritani & deVries (1979) showed early strength gains are primarily neural. Hypertrophy starts later.

Phase 2: Muscle Hypertrophy (4–12 weeks)

Hypertrophy (muscle fiber growth) generally begins around week 4–6, with visible muscle changes occurring between weeks 6–12 depending on genetics, volume, nutrition, and training history.

📚 Schoenfeld (2010) found hypertrophy requires progressive overload, typically ~10+ working sets per muscle group per week for noticeable gains.

What’s a Reasonable Rate of Progress?

• Beginners: 1–2 lbs of muscle per month is realistic (in a calorie surplus)

• Strength Increases: ~2.5–5% increase in working weight every 1–2 weeks for major lifts is reasonable for novices

• Progress slows for intermediate/advanced trainees; expect gains over months, not weeks

Conditioning: Aerobic Base and VO₂max

Building an Aerobic Base (Zone 2)

The aerobic base improves stroke volume, mitochondrial density, and fat utilization—especially through lower-intensity, longer-duration training (Zone 2).

• Beginner Timeline: ~8–12 weeks of 3x/week Zone 2 sessions (~30–60 min) to build a meaningful base

• Markers of Progress: Lower resting HR, improved repeatability, faster recovery between intervals

📚 Seiler & Tønnessen (2009): Elite endurance athletes spend ~80% of training in Zone 1–2, highlighting the importance of the aerobic base.

VO₂max Improvements

VO₂max is partly genetic—but also highly trainable, especially in untrained individuals.

• Beginners: Can see a 15–20% increase in VO₂max within 8–12 weeks

• Trained Individuals: Gains slow dramatically; might take years to improve VO₂max by an additional 5–10%

📚 Bouchard et al. (1999): Genetics account for ~25–50% of VO₂max variability, but training still plays a big role in untrained populations.

How Long Does It Take to Lose Gains?

The process of losing strength or conditioning is called detraining. It’s not instant—but it happens faster than most expect.

Muscle & Strength Loss

• Strength: Maintained fairly well for ~2–3 weeks of no training

• Muscle Size: Minor atrophy starts around 3–4 weeks of full rest

• Total Deconditioning: ~8–12 weeks of inactivity can lead to noticeable reductions in strength and size

📚 McMaster et al. (2013): Power output and strength decrease more rapidly in trained individuals during inactivity.

Conditioning & VO₂max Loss

• VO₂max: Can decline by 5–10% after just 2–4 weeks of inactivity

• Endurance performance: Degrades faster than strength, especially in high-level athletes

• Mitochondrial function: Begins to regress within a week or two

📚 Mujika & Padilla (2000): VO₂max can fall by ~20% within 8 weeks of full detraining.

Train smarter, not just harder. Results take time—and the key is consistency. If you want to build sustainable strength and conditioning, start with a plan that matches your level and lifestyle.

Need a program that does exactly that? Get in touch for custom training options tailored to your goals.

Rethinking Barefoot Shoes: Why They Might Not Be Right for You

Barefoot shoes have become a go-to choice for people wanting to “fix” their feet or move more naturally. They’re light, flexible, and promote toe splay—all great things in theory. But when you look at how most of us actually live and move today, barefoot shoes may not be the solution they’re marketed to be.

Barefoot Shoes Were Designed for a Different Environment

These shoes are inspired by the way we used to move: walking on grass, dirt, sand, and other uneven terrain. Environments that challenged the foot to adapt, respond, and build strength.

But that’s not how we move now. Most people walk on flat, hard surfaces—sidewalks, tile, gym floors, concrete. Take away all the structure and cushioning, and you’re now asking your foot to do more work without the natural variability it needs to do it well.

This mismatch often leads to increased strain on the feet, knees, and hips.

Why Feeling the Ground Isn’t Always Enough

A common argument for barefoot shoes is “feel the ground.” But without something to push into, that sensation can become meaningless—or worse, problematic.

Your foot is meant to roll in, absorb force, and push off. When a shoe doesn’t give you any structure to push into, your body can’t organize movement efficiently. That can lead to things like:

• Flat, collapsed arches

• Overworking small foot muscles

• Tight calves and ankles

• Poor balance and control during walking or training

What’s Good About Barefoot Shoes (And What’s Missing)

To be clear, barefoot shoes do some things well:

• Wide toe boxes let your toes spread naturally

• Thin soles improve sensory feedback

• Zero-drop heels encourage a more upright posture

But on consistently flat, hard ground, these same features can become stressors. They remove too much structure—leaving your body with no support to work with. It’s not that they’re bad, but they aren’t ideal for most people living modern, indoor lives.

What to Look for in a Shoe That Supports You

Instead of going fully minimal, consider footwear that strikes a better balance between freedom and structure. A well-designed shoe should:

✅ Have a Firm Heel

Helps with stability during walking and lifting by anchoring the back of your foot.

✅ Be Flexible at the Toes

Let your big toe extend so you can push off properly during movement.

✅ Offer Moderate Arch Support

Just enough to guide motion—not restrict it. Especially important for those with flat feet or instability.

✅ Include a Slight Heel Drop (4–8 mm)

This small lift can take pressure off the calves and improve overall gait mechanics.

✅ Provide Cushion for Flat Surfaces

Some padding helps absorb repetitive impact from walking and training on hard floors all day.

Note: I’m talking here about everyday shoes—the ones you wear to walk, run errands, train, or do light accessory work. For heavy, bilateral lifts like deadlifts, I’ll still lift barefoot or in minimalist shoes. The shoes I recommend above can be versatile enough to train in, but not ideal for max-effort strength work. It all depends on the context, and at the end of the day what works best for you.

The Bottom Line

Barefoot shoes can be useful—in the right environment, and for the right person. But for most people training, walking, and living on hard, flat surfaces, they often cause more problems than they solve.

A good shoe doesn’t just let you feel the ground—it gives you something to push into. It should support how your body moves and make your life easier, not harder.