Exercise and multitasking: Not a good mix for “over 50s”

I’m not a big fan of multitasking. It addles me. I think I have studies to back me up on this, too. (I’d check, but I am brushing my hair, speaking into a Dictaphone and writing this all at once. Kidding.)

And in the gym, I’m even less a fan of multitasking.

What I am getting at is the attempt to perform 2 (or more) exercise movements at once. Like a squat into a shoulder press. Or a lunge in tandem with a biceps curl.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve done them both!

In fact, nearly 20 years ago, I managed to whittle off some chub doing The Firm videos at home. The Firm was an early hybrid. It offered “aerobic weight-training.”

On the plus side, you manage to get in more exercises for more body parts in a single workout.

On the minus side, you never get to realize the full extent of your strength.

For example, if you’re performing a stationary lunge while curling your biceps, you’re probably curling weight about half of what you could normally curl if you were still, stable and focusing on that biceps curl.

Now, after 50, putting on lean muscle mass (which gives your body a nice youthful tone) is tricky. Your hormones are not cooperative.

So you really need to:

• focus on what you’re doing, and
• work hard to build muscle

That’s why I like breaking up body parts when I work out–which means performing biceps curls with other biceps curls, and not while performing squats or lunges.

Interestingly, I have watched women performing up to 3 exercises at once. In fact, there’s one trio that’s fairly common, using dumbbells. It goes (1) biceps curl, (2) shoulder press, and (3) squat. Let’s dissect that.

To get a visual, picture yourself, while standing, performing a simultaneous DB curl.

1. Curl your hands up to chest level. Then rotate your forearms so your palms face forward.

2. Push the DBs up into a shoulder press, then lower the DBs to your shoulders.

3. Squat down, then come up.

4. Finally, lower the weights down to get back in the start position (the second half of your biceps curl).

Hmm. My shoulders are stronger than my biceps, so I use heavier DBs when doing shoulder exercises.

Performing these 3 exercises back to back, however, I am limited to the poundage I can use on my weakest exercise.

So, I ask…why let my biceps have all the fun (work)? Why ”go easy” on shoulders?

(I know a 52-year-old woman who’s just the opposite. She can curl 40-lb DBs, but uses 20-lb DBs for shoulder presses. In her case, she’d be shortchanging her biceps to accommodate her shoulders.)

And when I’m performing a multi-part movement, I’m just not going to be able to manage the same poundage as when I’m focusing solely on my biceps. So I’m not even challenging my biceps as strenuously as I might.

Last, I can use heavier weight to squat with than what I’d use to do biceps curls.

So that’s 3 body parts that are not getting their proper stimulation.

Sure, my heart is pumping. If you want a cardiovascular workout, fine. But frankly I’ve seen too many women lose track of what they’re doing when combining 3 movements. Oops. Embarassed giggle.

Although such workouts aim to be efficient, are they really? Depends on what your purpose is.

You probably know what I think.

If you’re over 50, work out in a way that will build muscle and strengthen your bones.

Do YOU multitask when exercising? Does it work for you? I’d love to hear your comments!